India, WFP Unite to Tackle Global Hunger Crisis
As part of this initiative, the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) will enable WFP to supply fortified rice from India. The rice – regular rice enriched with essential vitamins and minerals – will help meet the food and nutrition needs of vulnerable populations in crisis areas around the world.
“India is committed to the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the earth is one family – and collective responsibility towards each other and their shared future. The country’s humanitarian support for communities in need, facing food insecurity, is part of this approach,” said Mr. Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, DFPD, Government of India.
This collaboration highlights the strength of global partnerships; by sourcing rice from India and leveraging its agricultural surplus, WFP will be better positioned to deliver life-saving food assistance and advance its mission to fight global hunger.
“We appreciate India’s growing role on the world humanitarian stage and in efforts to end hunger. As a partner, they bring cutting-edge expertise, diplomatic and political influence, and massive scale,” said Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director, WFP. “As the world faces continued uncertainty and worsening hunger crises globally, partners like India – ones that can combine agricultural surplus and innovation in distribution – will only be more essential.”
The agreement builds on WFP Executive Board side event discussions earlier this year, where representatives from the Indian Government and WFP explored ways to collaborate. It lays the foundation for a reliable supply of food grains for humanitarian relief.
Participants discussed other ongoing projects with WFP, including supply chain optimization, fortified rice rollout, Annapurti devices – automated machines that dispense grains like rice or wheat, Jan Poshan Kendra – community-based centres focused on improving nutrition, Smart Warehousing technology and ‘Flospans’ – large tents used to store food grains, along with other potential areas for future collaboration.
Also present were Mr. Ashutosh Agnihotri, Chairman and Managing Director, Food Corporation of India; Mr. Samir Wanmali, WFP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Ms. Elisabeth Faure, WFP Country Director for India, and other senior officers from the DFPD, Government of India.
https://www.wfp.org/news/india-and-wfp-join-forces-combat-global-hunger