With 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millets’, India is all set to promote millet products in the global market

Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Prahlad Singh Patel on Thursday said the Center will not only encourage and promote the production of millet, but also processed millet products for the global market.



“Next year, 2023, will be the International Year of Millets. India produces 40 percent of the world’s millets. Our government has made tremendous efforts to promote millet not only for production but also processed food for millet for delivery to international markets,” Patel told media.

Patel spoke on the sidelines of the first Plant-Based Foods Summit, hosted by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Agriculture & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the plant-based food industry Association †PBFIA†

In his speech, he went for millet and talked about the parameters and supporting factors of APEDA for millet and plant foods and similar processed foods.

“Our ministry has been allocated more than Rs 10,000 crore for the promotion of this kind of food. The only condition is that the company must be Indian,” said Patel, giving an example of several traditional Indian food products that only need to be “validated by scientific documentation of traditional practices”.

“India has traditionally been a proponent of plant-based foods. It has been our strength,” the minister said, assuring support for the plant-based industry.

Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director of PBFIA, appealed to the pet food industry “not to see us as competitors, but as a younger brother” and also suggested holding the emerging industry hand in hand.

With sustainability and human health as the main driving forces behind the activities of the Association, the main goal of PBFIA is to make plant foods mainstream while opening new avenues for economic growth.

inoshi SharmaExecutive Director, FSSAIA, pointed to the increasing disconnection from India’s traditional food products, which is much more visible in urban areas. “When I say I eat roti en baingan bharta“I am looked down upon. But the moment I say I eat baba ganoush and pita bread, I’m cool. Why are we moving away from our own food?”

Sharma also secured full support from FSSAI.

Rachel Dreskin, CEO, Plant Based Food Association, USA, highlighted the top reasons for promoting plant-based foods: environmental benefit over greenhouse gas reduction; human health and social justice.

The event also saw the launch of a relevant report, ‘The Dawn of a Plant-Based Age: India to Lead the Way to World Food Security and Nutrition’.

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