United Nations declares 2023 International Year of Millets

The humble millets are set to go global. Karnataka’s initiative as well as the Centre’s efforts to get international recognition for these nutrient-rich crops have yielded results with the United Nati

. The U.N. General Assembly recently adopted a resolution, sponsored by India and supported by more than 70 countries, declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets. The resolution is intended to increase public awareness on the health benefits of millets and their suitability for cultivation under tough conditions marked by climate change. The adoption of the resolution elated Karnataka’s farm sector as the State, spearheaded by the then Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, had put in efforts to give a push to the idea after its experiments in organising international organic and millets trade fairs yielded encouraging results. The Centre, which was convinced about such a proposal, had played a decisive role in building consensus among the other countries.