Page 5 - Food Security

UN: India voices concerns on energy, food security due to Ukraine conflict

India's top ambassador to the UN, underscored the adverse impact of the Ukraine conflict, especially the developing countries

Today's fertilizer shortage is tomorrow's food crisis: PM Modi at G-20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned the G-20 leaders that today's fertiliser shortage could become tomorrow's food crisis as he strongly pitched for maintaining a "stable" supply chain for both manure and food grains. In his address at the G-20 summit here, Modi also highlighted how India ensured food security for its 1.3 billion citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic while supplying food grains to many countries. "The current shortage of fertilizers in terms of food security is also a huge crisis. Today's fertilizer shortage is tomorrow's food crisis, for which the world will not have a solution," Modi told the gathering which included US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron. "We should build mutual agreement to maintain the supply chain of both manure and food grains stable and assured. In India, for sustainable food security, we are promoting natural farming, and re-popularising nutritious and traditional ...

G20 summit: PM to participate in sessions on food & energy security, health

Narendra Modi will take part in sessions related to food and energy security, health as well as digital transformation in the G20 summit at Bali in Indonesia, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said

Global food security at risk: Over 350 mn family farmers warn world leaders

The letter says that "building a food system that can feed the world on a hot planet" must be a priority for COP27.

Suspension of Black Sea Grain initiative could worsen food security: India

India said the suspension of the Black Sea Grain initiative, an UN-brokered deal that allowed food exports from Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict, is expected to further exacerbate food security, fuel and fertiliser supply challenges faced by the world, particularly the global South. R. Madhu Sudan, Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, said the grain initiative, a result of the UN Secretary-General's efforts, had aimed to avert a global food crisis and ensure food security. The initiative resulted in the export of more than nine million tonnes of grains and other food products out of Ukraine. The Black Sea Grain initiative and cooperation by the parties so far had provided a glimmer of hope for peace in Ukraine... The suspension of the Black Sea Grain initiative, we believe is expected to further exacerbate the food security, fuel and fertilizer supply challenges faced by the world, particularly the global South, Madhu Sudan said Monday at the Security Council briefing

The world's food security is at stake as Russia exits Ukraine grain deal

The sudden move by Russia has left leaders scrambling to rescue the UN-and-Turkey-brokered agreement credited with saving vulnerable populations from risk of starvation.

Global food concerns rise as Russia halts grain deal, says report

Nato has called on Russia to reconsider its decison immediately, enabling food to reach the ones who need it the most

Food security, Palestine to top agenda of Arab League Summit in Algeria

The Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said in Algiers that food security and the Palestinian issue will be on the top agenda of the Arab League Summit due on November 1 and 2.

India opposes group consultation on food subsidies programme at WTO

The members had expressed concern with India's "lack of full transparency" in taking recourse to the Bali Decision as well as in replies to certain questions raised in the Agri Committee

Was it prudent of the Centre to extend the free foodgrain scheme?

The Central government has extended its free foodgrain scheme for another three months, till December. Now, when the pandemic has waned and the economy has opened, do we still need this scheme?

Top Headlines: FinMin won't exhaust forex for rupee; govt extends PMGKAY

Amid fast-depleting forex reserves, the Finance Ministry signalled that it was not in favour of selling the dollar to defend any particular level of the rupee

Cabinet approves extension of free ration scheme for poor by three months

The government on Wednesday extended by three months its programme to provide free rations to the poor at a cost of over Rs 44,700 crore, as it looked to ease pain from high inflation and make political gains in the upcoming Gujarat election. The scheme to provide 5 kg of wheat and rice free of cost to 80 crore poor every month, which was ending on Friday, will now run through December 31, 2022, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) was started in April 2020 to help the poor whose livelihoods were shuttered by a nationwide lockdown aimed at containing the spread of the Coronavirus.

World Food Programme calls for $1.1 billion aid for food-insecure Afghans

The World Food Programme has called for $1.1 billion to continue delivering monthly food and nutritional assistance for the next six months to 15 million acutely food-insecure people in Afghanistan

ADB commits $14 billion to ensure food security in Asia Pacific

The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday announced a USD 14 billion fund to fight food security crisis in Asia Pacific, threatened by adverse climate and exacerbated by Russia-Ukraine war choking supply lines, triggering soaring food prices. The multilateral funding agency is hosting its 55th annual meeting at its headquarters in Manila from September 26-30 in a hybrid mode with 45 governors of the member nations attending in person after 2019. Others will join virtually. "In this meeting, we are discussing our region's path to recovery as new uncertainties facing our developing member countries. These headwinds include food security, inflation and debt crisis. All these challenges need to be understood in rising threats of climate change," ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa said in a press conference addressed virtually. Offering a few reflections of the situation the Asia and the Pacific region is facing, he said the social and economic conditions have changed. "The pandemic was difficu

World is 'edging into' a recession, warns WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

"The indicators are not looking good," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said during an interview in Geneva Tuesday. "I think a global recession - that is what I think we are edging into."

India, Caribbean nations to work on food, energy security, climate change

India and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations have agreed to work together on global issues such as food and energy security and combating climate change, as they held discussions on deepening political engagement and increasing cooperation in the context of post-pandemic economic recovery. The 4th India-CARICOM Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held on Friday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration of Belize co-chaired the meeting. The meeting was a follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic meeting with the leaders of CARICOM countries on the sidelines of the UNGA in September 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release. The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of Barbados, Dominica, Bahamas, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname. During the ...

Biden pledges $2.9 bn in food security aid amid Ukraine war, climate change

President Joe Biden on Wednesday is announcing $2.9 billion in global food security aid to address shortages caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the effects of climate change. The White House says Biden will use his speech at the UN General Assembly to announce the funding, which includes $2 billion in direct humanitarian assistance through the United States Agency for International Development. The balance of the money will go to global development projects meant to boost the efficiency and resilience of the global food supply. This new announcement of $2.9 billion will save lives through emergency interventions and invest in medium to long term food security assistance in order to protect the world's most vulnerable populations from the escalating global food security crisis, the White House said.

PM Modi airs 3-point initiative to boost SCO countries' collective rise

PM Modi cited start-ups, traditional medicine, and food security as domains where India can pioneer a collective initiative for the region.

Need to build resilient supply chains, boost connectivity: PM Modi at SCO

India assumes rotational annual presidency of SCO summit nations; China, Russia and other countries offer support for summit next year in India

Output of kharif rice may drop by 4-5 mn tonnes due to drought: Govt

In full 2021-22, around 81,000 tonnes of broken rice was allotted from FCI's godowns for ethanol production