NEW DELHI, 26 October 2025: World Food Day 2025 commemorated a landmark in India’s engagement with global food security as the nation celebrated 80 years of partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
At the event, Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, underscored the significant role played by FAO in India’s progress from food shortages to becoming a food-surplus country contributing to international food supply.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Chaturvedi commended FAO’s technical support in strengthening India’s production systems, advancing crop diversification and fostering innovation-led resilience among farmers. He stressed that future strategies must focus on nutrition-sensitive agriculture that ensures safe, diverse and affordable diets for all citizens.
India’s post-independence transformation, he noted, reflects a model of effective policy interventions, scientific breakthroughs and enduring global partnerships. Despite having less than four per cent of the world’s arable land and freshwater, the country has ensured food self-sufficiency and maintained price stability through instruments such as the Minimum Support Price framework and public stockholding. These efforts guarantee subsidised food access to over 800 million beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act.
The Secretary highlighted the central role of small and marginal farmers who operate 146 million holdings and sustain the rural economy. Initiatives promoting stress-tolerant seed varieties, concessional credit, crop insurance and climate-smart practices have supported productivity gains and improved livelihoods.
Reaffirming India’s commitment to sustainability, he pointed to national missions on micro-irrigation, natural and organic farming and the growing role of digital public infrastructure like AgriStack to equip farmers with real-time information and technology.
The event featured the launch of FAO’s commemorative coffee table book, Sowing Hope, Harvesting Success, capturing milestones of India–FAO cooperation across eight decades. The programme was attended by United Nations Resident Coordinator Shombi Sharp and FAO Representative Takayuki Hagiwara. Mr. Sharp remarked that India’s achievements demonstrated leadership in global agriculture, while Mr. Hagiwara reiterated FAO’s support for India’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Aligned with the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future,” the celebration brought together senior government officials, representatives of UN agencies, development partners and farmers from across the country.
Calling for greater international collaboration, open knowledge-sharing and collective resolve to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, Dr. Chaturvedi extended greetings on World Food Day and wished all a prosperous Diwali.
