The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) during the Global Millet (Shree Anna) conference, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

On Sunday, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar praised the World Food Programme’s work promoting food self-sufficiency and supporting government and global efforts to ensure long-term solutions to hunger challenges.

Tomar also thanked the participating ministers for participating in the global conference organised by India to promote Shree Anna under the International Year of Millets (IYM), according to the statement.

He said that the International Year of Millet is being celebrated so that Shree Anna of India and its recipes and value-added products are globally accepted as a people’s movement. He wants further to strengthen India’s agricultural ties with various countries.

During the global meeting, Agriculture Minister Tomar signed an MoU between the World Food Program and the Government of India for the cooperation period 2023-2027. Manoj Juneja, Deputy CEO and Management and Chief Financial Officer of the United Nations Food Programme, attended the meeting, and Elizabeth Faure, WFP Representative and Country Director in India, the statement said.

At the same time, he held bilateral talks with counterparts from various countries participating in the Global Xiaomi Conference. While meeting with Guyana Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustafa, Union Minister Tomar recalled the visit of Guyana President Mohammad Irfan Ali and Guyana Vice President Bharat Jagdev and stated that agriculture is an important area of ​​cooperation between the two countries.

He was pleased with the steady development of India-Guyana relations and hoped to carry out specific cooperation in agriculture and related fields.

Tomar congratulated Guyana on the discovery of a vast crude oil, saying it would make Guyana a major energy exporter with the potential to change the lives of its people.

Expressing the great potential for cooperation between India and Guyana in agriculture and agro-industry, he said the two countries complement each other as Guyana has vast arable land and water resources while India has technology, expertise and skilled human resources, which will benefit both countries.

“India is keen to share its expertise and experience in Guyana’s agricultural and related sector development, and the MoU is being finalised. He assured Guyana’s request to send two experts from India to ITEC for three years to support the management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation and revitalisation of Guyana’s sugar industry/mills would be considered at the earliest,” the statement read.

In addition to Guyana, Tomar held talks with counterparts in Zambia, Suriname, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.