World Food India 2023 | 06 Nov 2023

For Prelims: Food Security, Agricultural Marketing, Seed Capital Assistance, Food Street, Food Basket of the World, International Year of Millets, Ease of Doing Business, Self Help Groups.

For Mains: Significance and potential of India’s food processing on economic growth and development.

Source: PIB

Why in News?

The second edition of 'World Food India 2023' was inaugurated recently in New Delhi, where the Prime Minister of India provided Seed Capital Assistance to over one lakh Self Help Group (SHG) members.

  • The Ministry of Food Processing Industries launched the first edition of World Food India in 2017.

What is World Food India 2023?

  • About:
    • World Food India 2023 is a gateway to the Indian food economy, facilitating partnerships between Indian and foreign investors.
    • It will be a one-of-a-kind gathering of manufacturers, producers, food processors, investors, policymakers, and organisations from across the global food ecosystem.
  • Mascot:
    • MillInd (a probot) is the Mascot for World Food India 2023. 
  • Focus Pillars:
    • Shree Anna (Millets): Leveraging India’s Super Food for the World
      • Millets can enhance food security, nutrition security, and sustainability in the face of global challenges such as climate change, population growth, and malnutrition.
      • The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023).
    • Exponential Food Processing: Positioning India as the Global Hub
      • To achieve this vision, India intends to boost its enablers that can support and accelerate its food processing industry.
      • One of the key enablers is Financing Agri Food Value Chains and also Providing adequate and affordable credit to the food processing sector, especially to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

What is the Current Status of the Food Processing Sector?

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims

Q.1 An objective of the National Food Security Mission is to increase the production of certain crops through area expansion and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner in the identified districts of the country. What are those crops? (2010)

(a) Rice and wheat only
(b) Rice, wheat and pulses only
(c) Rice, wheat, pulses and oil seeds only
(d) Rice, wheat, pulses, oil seeds and vegetables

Ans: (b)

Q.2 Among the following, which one is the largest exporter of rice in the world in the last five years? (2019)

(a) China
(b) India
(c) Myanmar
(d) Vietnam

Ans: (b)


Mains

Q.1 In what way could replacement of price subsidy with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss. (2015)