Secretary, DA&FW Chairs Meeting to Review Country Strategic Plan 2023-2027 with UN WFP

During the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Department and UN WFP to strengthen national priorities through technical support.

Dr Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), chaired the first meeting of the Country Programme Advisory Committee (CPAC) to review the implementation of the Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. The meeting, attended by representatives from the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) and officials from various Ministries, focused on assessing the progress of initiatives aimed at enhancing food security and nutrition in India.

During the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Department and UN WFP to strengthen national priorities through technical support. The CSP 2023-2027 targets four strategic outcomes:

Improving food-based social protection systems.

Promoting consumption of nutritious and fortified foods.

Enhancing social and financial mobility for women.

Building climate-resilient livelihoods and food systems.

WFP Country Director Ms. Elizabeth Faure presented updates on several initiatives, including efforts to transform agriculture and improve food security for smallholder farmers in states such as Assam, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Other initiatives highlighted were:

The nationwide millet mainstreaming program.

The "Secure Fishing" app to build resilience in fishing communities.

Optimization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the introduction of grain ATMs through the Annapurti initiative.

School nutri-gardens and rice fortification programs.

Dr. Chaturvedi emphasized the long-standing partnership between DA&FW and WFP, urging a focus on scalable interventions that could be integrated into current national programs. He encouraged exploring local, nutritious varieties of rice and millet and incorporating Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in various initiatives. Additionally, he advised organizing a workshop to discuss key agriculture-related programs.

The meeting included participation from key ministries such as Food & Public Distribution, Women & Child Development, Rural Development, and agencies like the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and India Meteorological Department (IMD), among others.