The first ladies and spouses of G20 member countries experienced the agricultural prowess of India first-hand, in a one-of-a kind exhibition organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare at IARI Campus, Pusa on Saturday.
The event featured a range of captivating components, such as a millet-focused live cooking session led by celebrity chefs Kunal Kapur, Anahita Dhondy, and Ajay Chopra, as well as the display of cutting-edge agricultural technology from prominent Indian startups, interaction with Indian women agri-champions, ‘Agri-Street’.
The spouses made their way to the exhibition area, prior to that they had a brief pitstop at the ‘Rangoli Area’, which featured two massive ‘Millet Rangolis’. The beautiful artworks were prepared using millet grains and local Indian motifs.
The first rangoli captured the theme of “Harmony of Harvest” unveiling India’s deep-rooted agricultural traditions. This installation showcased India’s agricultural strength, emphasizing women’s pivotal roles in enhancing agricultural resilience.
Curated with indigenous toys symbolizing women’s diverse agricultural contributions, millets, and rustic terracotta pots, this captivating Rangoli became a major highlight of the event.
The second rangoli piece echoed India’s cultural philosophy – “The World is One Family”, emphasising global unity. India as a prominent agriculture nation, plays a crucial role in global food security. The second rangoli, thus, celebrated India’s global commitment towards unity and sustenance.
In the exhibition area, the spouses witnessed the dynamic Agri-startup ecosystem, where 15 Agri-startups showcased their innovative tech solutions to address ground-level challenges and digitize agriculture.
Climate Smart Agriculture, Innovation in Agriculture Value Chain, Agri-logistics and Supply Chains, Quality Assurance for Sustainable Consumption, and Millets: Sustaining Health, Empowering Agriculture, were a few themes that were covered in the exhibition.
Additionally, diverse members of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) from across the nation displayed a range of edible products marketed nationwide, aligned with the theme ‘Empowering Rural Prosperity through Collective Agriculture.’
An enthralling ‘Live Cooking Session’ showcased a wide variety of millet-based culinary delights. This event was aligned with the celebrations of the International Year of Millets. It was helmed by three celebrity chefs – Kunal Kapur, Anahita Dhondy, and Ajay Chopra, who were joined by two culinary experts from the ITC Group, chef Kusha and chef Nikita. In the designated ‘Live Cooking Area,’ these five chefs prepared a ‘full course meal’ with a special focus on millets. This meal encompassed appetizers, salads, main courses, and desserts.
Chef Anahita, Chef Kunal, and Chef Ajay were each responsible for crafting a starter, main course, and dessert. For instance, Chef Anahita created a Raw Banana Barnyard Millet Tikki topped with puffed Amaranth.
Meanwhile, Chef Kunal whipped up a delightful Jowar-Mushroom Khichda. Finally, Chef Ajay brought the multi-course millet experience to a close with a Millet Thekua and a Lemon Shrikhand Mille-feuille dessert. Within the exhibition, there was a dedicated culinary section that showcased millet-based dishes from all G20 member countries, paying homage to each nation that participated in the event.
The exhibition also highlighted India’s Research and Development achievements via the stalls presented by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), demonstrating the latest innovations in precision agriculture, agricultural technology, and mechanization advancements driving sector growth.
Each stall showcased specific crop advancements backed by government initiatives. Some of the key stalls focused on themes like the journey of the Basmati revolution, its role in the prosperity of millions of Basmati farmers, and its status as a 5 billion USD forex earner.
Another stall highlighted India’s status as the “Land of Spices” emphasising the wide variety and global fame of Indian spices, along with future scope. A neighbouring stall provided insights into the nutritional and medicinal significance of mushrooms, their extensive diversity in India, and their potential for export. Additionally, the esteemed guests also viewed the sensor-based system that facilitated the real-time monitoring of environmental conditions during the transportation, storage, and ripening of bananas, among other interesting exhibits of ICAR.
India is hosting the two-day G20 Leaders’ Summit at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan in the national capital.
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