Launch of the Millets Exhibition at UN Headquarters

[14 February 2023]

Speech by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj

Permanent Representative of India to the UN

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Good Evening Friends!

It is with the greatest pleasure that we launch the India Roundtables at the UN, with a focus today on ‘Millets’!

Millets are more than just foods they are smart foods.

Three reasons!

For one, they are nutritious. They are rich in essential vitamins and minerals, and gluten free!

Two, they are environment-friendly. Millets are an incredibly versatile and resilient crop that can grow in a wide range of climatic and soil conditions, making them ideal for small-scale farmers and communities in developing countries.

Three, they are particularly relevant in the face of crises and challenges surrounding food security and nutrition. During India's time as G20 President, we are deeply committed to retaining this focus, for the greater global good.

Which brings me to MIIRA!

As Chair of the G20, and with food security and nutrition as a top priority, India proposes to launch a global initiative: MIIRA, or the Millets International Initiative on Research and Awareness, aimed at coordinating millet research programmes at the international level.

MIIRA is expected to take the lead on research and development needed to bring millets back into the mainstream and optimise their use in the coming years.

So do watch this space for the details of this excellent initiative. More will follow in this year of India’s Presidency of the G20, which will be ambitious, decisive, inclusive and action oriented. Our Prime Minister’s own words.

We need to reboot by switching to millets!

I will close by thanking all of you for being present here in such large numbers. The Millets Exhibition will continue over the next few days, so please do enjoy.

Thank you!

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