G20 First Ladies, Akshata Murty, Yoko Kishida, and 13 Others Witness Innovation in Indian Agriculture at IARI

Nearly 15 spouses of G20 leaders, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's wife, Akshata Murty, World Bank President Ajay Banga's wife, Ritu Banga, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's wife, Yoko Kishida, visited PUSA - Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) campus in New Delhi, today, on Septemeber 9, 2023. The first ladies witnessed the breakthroughs in Indian agriculture and appreciated the farm-to-fork millet experience.

First Ladies Visit to PUSA: Millet Rangolis, Millet Based-Dishes, and more

The ladies were welcomed by India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's wife, Kyoko Jaishankar.

The guests were welcomed by a grand "millets-rangoli" at the exhibition that portrayed the hand-picked millets from 18-odd countries, the flourishing startup ecosystem, and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in India.

The Agriculture Ministry took to Twitter and posted, "At the Rangoli area, the G20 spouses witnessed 2 massive 'Millet Rangolis'. The first depicted India's agricultural traditions and women's roles towards the same, while the second celebrated India's commitment to food security."

Woman Tribal Farmer - Lahari Bai 

During an hour-long visit, the delegates also the woman tribal farmer, Lahari Bai from Madhya Pradesh, who made a significant contribution to the conservation of millets in her farm field.

Lahari Bai is among the 20 women farmers from remote villages who shared their experiences and wisdom about millet farming with the spouses of G20 leaders at IARI.

Women farmers were invited from distant villages in 11 millet-producing states which were:

• Madhya Pradesh

• Assam

• Bihar

• Chhattisgarh

• Rajasthan

• Maharashtra

• Karnataka

• Uttar Pradesh

• Tamil Nadu

• Uttarakhand

• Odisha

These women are at the forefront of a movement to revolutionize millet cultivation in their respective regions. The spouses of G20 leaders also visited the "live millets cooking counter" at IARI where celebrity chef Kunal Kapur prepared dishes and served some of the best Indian culinary delights.

India has been spearheading the movement to highlight millets, adopting a resolution to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM), which was supported by 72 members of the United Nations General Assembly.

Overall, the exhibition organized by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, showcased India's agricultural excellence including cutting-edge agri-technology, diligent farmers, and celebrity chef dishes.