Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare FAO Celebrates 80 Years of Partnership with India on World Food Day 2025 Agriculture Secretary underscores India’s journey from food deficiency to food self-sufficiency Posted On: 17 OCT 2025 5:45PM by PIB Delhi Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, delivered the keynote address on the occasion of World Food Day 2025, which also marked the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In his address, the Secretary recognized FAO’s technical expertise and enduring partnership with the Ministry in achieving self-sufficiency in food grains, promoting crop diversification, and enhancing farmer resilience through innovation and sustainable practices. He emphasized that the future must focus on nutrition-sensitive agriculture, ensuring diets that are healthy, diverse, safe, and affordable for all. Dr. Chaturvedi observed that from food-deficient beginnings at the dawn of independence, India has transformed into a food-surplus nation that feeds 1.4 billion people and contributes significantly to global food security. This transformation, he said, has been driven by visionary policies, scientific innovation, and strong international collaboration spearheaded by the Ministry in close partnership with FAO. As a founding member of FAO since 1945, India’s journey exemplifies how hunger and malnutrition can be reduced at scale when production systems, delivery mechanisms, and policy innovation work together in harmony. The Secretary highlighted that despite possessing less than four percent of the world’s agricultural land and freshwater resources, India has achieved national food self-sufficiency and maintained price stability through mechanisms like public stockholding and the Minimum Support Price (MSP). These systems ensure affordable food access for over 800 million people under the National Food Security Act, reflecting India’s rights-based approach to food security. He further underlined that India’s agricultural progress is anchored in its 146 million small and marginal holdings, which form the backbone of rural livelihoods. Targeted interventions in stress-tolerant seeds, concessional credit, crop insurance, and climate-smart practices have enhanced productivity, resilience, and incomes. Reaffirming India’s commitment to sustainability and climate adaptation, the Secretary highlighted the country’s initiatives in micro-irrigation, integrated and natural farming, organic agriculture, and the development of digital public infrastructure such as AgriStack, which empower farmers with technology and real-time data. A highlight of the event was the release of FAO’s coffee table book, “Sowing Hope, Harvesting Success,” which chronicles FAO’s eight-decade-long journey and its milestones in agriculture and allied sectors with India. The event was graced by Mr. Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, and Mr. Takayuki Hagiwara, FAO Representative in India. Mr. Sharp noted that “the story of FAO in India is also the story of India’s rise as a global agricultural leader,” while Mr. Hagiwara reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to supporting India’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Aligned with this year’s World Food Day theme — “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future”, the celebration brought together senior officials from the Government of India, representatives of United Nations and Rome-based agencies, development partners, and farmers from across the country. In conclusion, Dr. Chaturvedi reiterated that global food challenges require global solutions rooted in local realities, and called for deeper international cooperation, open knowledge-sharing, and collective action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He extended warm greetings on World Food Day and wished everyone a happy and prosperous Diwali. ****** RC/AR (Release ID: 2180442)