75th Anniversary of Food & Agriculture Organisation

The Food and Agriculture Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, was founded on 16th October, 1945. This day is celebrated as World Food Day every year. India is a founding member with closer working having started with the beginning of FAO operations in India in 1948.

India’s Dr. Binay Ranjan Sen served as Director General of FAO from 1956-67. This commemorative coin is released on the occasion of 75 years of founding of FAO on 16th October 2020. FAO is mandated to improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices ensuring food security and nutrition across the globe, especially in the developing and the under-developed countries. It has also been undertaking various initiatives and programmes for making agriculture more productive and sustainable, reducing rural poverty, ensuring inclusive and efficient agriculture and food systems, and protecting livelihoods.

In India, FAO has contributed in terms of technical, financial and training assistance in varied areas. FAO, through its programs, undertakes activities viz pilot innovative approaches in country context, providing successful approaches and tools for scaling up by other donors, State / Union Governments. The program and projects in India are primarily guided by India’s priorities and contribute to the country\'s march towards the Sustainable Development Goals, bringing technical and innovative best practices and global standards and partnering with national and regional expertise.

India has also a lot to offer FAO, for instance through South-South Cooperation, to hasten institutional capacity development and technology and experience transfer to other countries. This is a key component, for example, of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2018 between FAO and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).