New Delhi: On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Oct. 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release a commemorative coin of Rs. 75 denomination to mark the long-standing relation of India with FAO, the Prime Minister’s Office said yesterday. 

He will also dedicate to the nation 17 recently developed biofortified varieties of eight crops.

The PMO officials said that the event marks the highest priority accorded by the Government to agriculture and nutrition, and is a testament of the resolve to completely eliminate hunger, undernourishment and malnutrition.

It will be witnessed by Anganwadis, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Organic and Horticulture Missions across the country.  

The journey of FAO in making the vulnerable classes and masses stronger, economically and nutritionally, has been unparalleled. India has had a historic association with FAO.

Indian Civil Service Officer Dr. Binay Ranjan Sen was the Director General of FAO during 1956-1967. The World Food Programme, which has won the Nobel Peace Prize 2020, was established during his time. India’s proposals for the International Year of Pulses in 2016 and the International Year of Millets 2023 have also been endorsed by FAO.

India has rolled out an ambitious POSHAN Abhiyaan targeting over 100 million people with the aim to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight. Malnutrition is a global problem with two billion people suffering from micro-nutrient deficiency. Nearly 45 percent of deaths among children are linked to malnutrition. It is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.

Aligning with the international priority, the development of nutritionally rich varieties of crops with elevated levels of micro-nutrients iron, zinc, calcium, total protein, quality of protein with high lysine and tryptophan, anthocyanin, pro-vitamin A, and oleic acid, and reduced level of anti-nutritional factors etc., has been accorded top priority by the Government. The National Agricultural Research System under the leadership of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) developed 53 such varieties during the last five years.  There was only one biofortified variety developed prior to 2014. 

The 17 recently developed biofortified varieties of eight crops to be dedicated to the nation by the PM will have up to 3.0-fold increase in nutritional value. The rice variety CR Dhan 315 has high zinc; wheat variety HI 1633 rich in protein, iron and zinc, HD 3298 rich in protein and iron and DBW 303 and DDW 48 rich in protein in wheat; Ladhowal Quality Protein Maize Hybrid 1, 2 and 3 rich in lysine and tryptophan; CFMV1 and 2 of finger millet  rich in calcium, iron and zinc; CLMV1 of little Millet  rich in iron and zinc; Pusa Mustard 32 with low erucic acid; Girnar 4 and 5 of groundnut with enhanced oleic acid and yam variety Mr Neelima and DA 340 with enhanced zinc, iron and anthocyanin content. These varieties, along with other food ingredients, will transform the normal Indian thali into nutri-thali. These varieties have been developed by utilising the local landraces and farmer’s varieties. The high zinc rice has been developed from land-races of Assam rice collected from Garo hills and those of finger millets from Gujarat collections of Dang district.

ICAR has started Nutri-Sensitive Agricultural Resources and Innovations (NARI) programme for promoting family farming linking agriculture to nutrition, nutri-smart villages for enhancing nutritional security and location specific nutrition garden models are being developed and promoted by KVKs to ensure access to locally available, healthy and diversified diet with adequate macro and micro-nutrients.

The production of bio-fortified crop varieties will be upscaled and linked with Government programmes of mid-day meal, Anganwadi etc., to reduce malnutrition and make India Kuposhan Mukta through naturally enriched food ingredients. This will usher in higher income of farmers and open new avenues of entrepreneurship development.