India said it will play its due role in advancing global food security


Reiterating its call for dialogue and diplomacy, India on Monday warned that the world economy will suffer severely if the situation in Ukraine is not resolved through talks right away, undermining efforts to provide food security and end poverty in the years leading up to 2030.

India said it will play its due role in advancing global food security in a manner in which it will uphold equity, display compassion and promotes social justice.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), India's First Secretary Sneha Dubey said the global impact of Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts, including in Ukraine, had impacted lives of ordinary people adversely, particularly in the developing countries, with spiraling energy and commodity prices and disruptions in global logistical supply chains.

"If the conflict does not give way to a meaningful path of dialogue and diplomacy immediately, there will be severe repercussions in the global economy which will derail the efforts of the Global South to secure food security and eradicate hunger in the run up to 2030," Dubey said at the UNGA's high-level special event on the global food security crisis.

Emphasising that the solution to these challenges lies in global collective action, she said, "India will play its due role in advancing global food security. And it will do so in a manner in which it will uphold equity, display compassion and promotes social justice."

The First Secretary used the occasion to underscore the fact that India was running the world’s largest food-based safety net programme. She said:

* To achieve targeted delivery during Covid-19, food assistance to 800 million people and cash transfers to 400 million people were provided by the Government.

* India’s mid-day meal programme continues to tackle undernourishment in school children by ensuring provision of healthy meals. A nutrition drive has also been launched, especially for vulnerable groups, women, and children.

* Our Farm-to-Table digital initiatives include Farmer’s Portals, farm-advisory services, online network of agricultural commodities, price prediction and use of blockchain technology for quality certification.

Maintaining that a number of low income societies were today confronted with the twin challenges of rising costs and difficulty in access to food grains, she said that even those like India, who have adequate stocks, have seen an unjustified increase in food prices.

"It is clear that hoarding and speculation is at work. We cannot allow this to pass unchallenged," Dubey stated.

According to Dubey, the Indian government had recognized the abrupt increase in the price of wheat on the world market, which threatens not only India's own food security but also that of her neighbours and other weaker nations.

"We are committed to ensuring that such adverse impact on food security is effectively mitigated and the vulnerable cushioned against sudden changes in the global market. In order to manage our own overall food security and support the needs of neighbouring and other vulnerable developing countries, we have announced some measures regarding wheat exports on 13 May 2022," she pointed out.

First Secretary Dubey reiterated that these measures allow for export on the basis of approvals to those countries who were required to meet their food security demands. "This will be done on the request from the concerned governments. Such a policy will ensure that we will truly respond to those who are most in need," she added.

Highlighting India's track record of helping partners in distress, even in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts, she said, "India has never been found wanting. We have provided food aid in the form of thousands of metric tonnes of wheat, rice, pulses, and lentils to several countries, including our neighborhood and Africa, to strengthen their food security".

First Secretary Dubey referred to the following in support of her argument:

* In view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, India is donating 50,000 Metric tonnes of wheat to the people of Afghanistan.

* India has continued its humanitarian support for Myanmar, including a grant of 10,000 tons of rice and wheat.

* India is assisting Sri Lanka including with food assistance, during these difficult times.

* India has exported more than 250,000 tons of wheat to Yemen, in the last three months.

According to Dubey, it is necessary for all to adequately appreciate the importance of equity, affordability and accessibility when it comes to food grains. "We have already seen to our great cost how these principles were disregarded in the case of Covid-19 vaccines. Open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination," she noted.
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