UNDP General Ms. Kanni Wignaraja expressed strong interest in collaborating on initiatives such as the Food and Agriculture Commodity System
Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi welcomed a UNDP delegation led by Ms. Kanni Wignaraja, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi today. The meeting centered around ongoing collaboration between the Ministry and UNDP, particularly in the areas of agricultural insurance and credit, aimed at enhancing risk resilience in the agriculture sector. The partnership, initiated in 2018 was extended in 2023 for another four years, until 2026. Discussions also explored potential avenues for further cooperation between UNDP and other relevant departments
Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi highlighted the Government of India’s key priorities in agriculture, including achieving self-sufficiency in oilseeds and pulses, promoting the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM), advancing climate-resilient agriculture, and improving crop insurance and agricultural credit systems. He emphasized India’s success in implementing the world’s largest crop insurance scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which has seen significant growth in farmer and land coverage. He noted that several countries have sought India’s technical expertise to develop their own crop insurance programs based on this model.
Ms. Kanni Wignaraja expressed UNDP’s strong interest in collaborating on initiatives such as the Food and Agriculture Commodity System (FACS), value chains for oilseeds, pulses, and millets, as well as in climate-resilient agriculture and solar storage solutions. She also commended India’s leadership in sharing its experience in crop insurance and agricultural credit with other nations, particularly in promoting South-South cooperation.
The Secretary reiterated that areas for future collaboration could include expanding climate-resilient agriculture practices, integrating digital technology through the Digital Agriculture Mission within the PMFBY framework, enhancing agricultural credit systems, and strengthening millet value chains.
Ms. Wignaraja thanked Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi for the fruitful discussion and assured UNDP’s continued support to the Ministry in achieving shared goals, including poverty eradication, promoting inclusive governance, and fostering sustainable development.
The meeting was attended by Dr. P.K. Meherda, Additional Secretary and other senior officers of DA&FW besides Ms. Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative of UNDP India, Ms. Isabelle Tschan, Deputy Resident Representative.
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