Mr. Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer of World Food Programme (WFP) called on Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare at Krishi Bhavan in New Delhi today. The meeting focused on discussing WFP’s engagements and developments at the national as well as regional and global level. 

The Secretary, DA&FW, extended a warm welcome to the Deputy Executive Director and other members of the delegation to the Department. Emphasizing the importance of partnership with the WFP, he commended WFP’s valued coordination with governments.

The Secretary also shared the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of positioning India as a global food basket, self-sufficiency for achieving food and nutrition security and underscored the importance of South–South cooperation as a vital pathway towards achieving the goals of Viksit Bharat. He further outlined key innovations in India's agriculture sector, including advancements in crop insurance, digital agriculture, and traceability, among others. He highlighted the critical role of bio-fortified crop varieties developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in enhancing food security.

Mr. Carl Skau, DED & COO of WFP commended India’s remarkable progress in advancing food security. He observed that the global food security situation continues to face mounting challenges due to rising conflicts and the adverse impacts of climate change, and underscored India’s important role in contributing to global solutions.Mr. Skau emphasized that India offers valuable lessons and models through its robust social protection systems, diversification and fortification initiatives, promotion of women’s economic empowerment, and advancement of climate-resilient livelihoods. These experiences, he noted, hold significant potential for supporting other countries in their efforts to strengthen food security, through the exchange of knowledge, technologies, and best practices.He further expressed WFP’s commitment to deepening collaboration and partnership with India in the collective fight against food insecurity.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from D/o Food & Public Distribution, M/o External Affairs, NRM Division, DA&FW, NITI Aayog and DMEO.

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RC/KSR/AR

(Release ID: 2160671)