ADDRESS BY AMBASSADOR
Second Secretary In the 4th Political Department Mr. Toktabolot Zhumaliev,
Executive Chef from Chain of Coffee Shopes ‘Bublik’ Mr. Almaz Dzholdubaev,
Executive Chef from “Gulazyk” Ms. Maksatbek Kyzy Zhazgul,
Friends from the Media,
My Colleagues in the Embassy,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Afternoon!
It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Embassy today to join us to celebrate the International Year of Millets. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets at its 75th session in March 2021. The vision and initiative of Prime Minister of India H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi led to this declaration by the UN General Assembly with support from more than 70 countries all over the world. The celebration of International Year of Millets is being led by the Food and Agricultural Organization which launched this event on 6th December last year.
- We, at the Embassy of India, are organizing the Millets Food Festival today to introduce to you the benefits of millets for the consumers, the cultivators and the climate.
- There are several advantages derived from the production and consumption of millets. Millets are rich in protein, fibre, iron, zinc and calcium. They provide high energy and help in lowering diabetes. Millets can grow in poor soil conditions with little or no inputs. They need less water, are resistant to many crop diseases and can survive in adverse climatic conditions. Since millets are drought prone and not threatened by climate change, countries can immensely benefit by producing millets as a key component of their food basket. Eventually, millets benefit the farmers and is also good for the environment.
- India is poised to become the global hub for millets with a production of more than 17 million tonnes which makes for more than 80% of the millets produced in Asia. Government of India has decided to make the International Year of Millets a people’s movement so that Indian millets, recipes and value-added products are accepted globally. We have kept on display millets-based products from India.
- You will be happy to know that as the Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, India organized aseven-day Millets Food Festival of the Member Nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Mumbai, India, from 13-19 April, 2023 to commemorate the International Year of Millets. Different kinds of dishes with millets were prepared by the Chefs from some of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member Countries including India and the Kyrgyz Republic. We are extremely delighted that Chef Dzholdubaev and Chef Zhazgul could join us today. They will also be sharing their experiences about the SCO Millets Food Festival and highlighting the dietary benefits of millets.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
- We are also providing you soft copies of two millets-based recipe booklets from India which will be of interest to you. There are various kinds of millets available in the Kyrgyz market which you can use to prepare dishes on the basis of these recipes. We have kept packets of two different types of millets procured locally. The millets-based dishes that we will be serving to you today are easy to cook and help in providing healthy and balanced diet. We hope that you will be able to benefit from this Festival today and understand the important role that millets can play in developing sustainable agriculture and its role as a smart and super food.
- Thank you all once again for sparing time out of your busy schedules and accepting our invitation today.
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14th June, 2023
