Published: 18 October 2025PIB / FAO IndiaInternational
India-FAO Celebrate 80 Years of Partnership on World Food Day 2025
AQuick answer
India and FAO celebrated 80 years of partnership on World Food Day (October 16, 2025), marking India's transformation from food deficit to surplus nation, producing a record 357.73 million tonnes of foodgrain in 2024-25.
Key facts
India and FAO celebrated 80 years of partnership on World Food Day, October 16, 2025.
India has transformed from a food-deficit to a food-surplus nation over these decades.
India produced a record 353 million tonnes of foodgrain in 2024-25.
World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 to mark FAO's founding anniversary.
India's food security transformation is one of the most significant agricultural achievements globally.
The partnership has supported India's green revolution and agricultural policy development.
On World Food Day, 16 October 2025, India and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) celebrated 80 years of uninterrupted partnership since India became a founding member of FAO in 1945. The event was organised under the theme 'Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future' and brought together senior Government of India officials, UN agency representatives, and farmers from across the country.
India's agricultural transformation over eight decades has been remarkable — from a food-deficit nation producing barely 51 million tonnes of foodgrain in 1950-51 to a food-surplus nation with a record production of 357.73 million tonnes in 2024-25. The partnership has supported landmark programmes such as the Green Revolution, the National Food Security Act (NFSA), and the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism. Despite holding less than 4% of the world's agricultural land and freshwater resources, India now feeds 1.4 billion people and ensures affordable food for over 800 million under the NFSA. To mark the occasion, FAO released a coffee table book titled 'Sowing Hope, Harvesting Success' chronicling eight decades of the India-FAO journey.
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Mains angle
Q: Analyse the trajectory of the India-FAO partnership since 1945 and its role in India's transformation from food deficit to food surplus nation.
Answer (50 words):
India and the FAO marked 80 years of partnership on World Food Day, 16 October 2025, under the theme 'Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future'. Foodgrain output rose from 51 million tonnes in 1950-51 to a record 353 million tonnes in 2024-25, feeding 1.4 billion people.
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Linked questionEasy
In which year did India become a founding member of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as highlighted on World Food Day 2025?
Explanation · Correct answer A
India became a founding member of the FAO in 1945 and the India-FAO partnership has completed 80 years, celebrated on World Food Day (October 16) 2025 under the theme 'Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future'.
When is World Food Day observed, and what event does it commemorate?
World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 to mark the founding anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, which was established on October 16, 1945. The day promotes global awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure food security for all.
What record did India achieve in foodgrain production in 2024-25, and what does this signify?
India produced a record 353 million tonnes of foodgrain in 2024-25, making it one of the world's largest food producers and a net food-exporting country. This signifies India's transformation from a food-deficit nation — which required food aid in the 1960s — to a food-surplus nation capable of feeding its 1.4 billion population and contributing to global food security.
How has India's 80-year partnership with FAO shaped its agricultural development?
India joined FAO as a founding member in 1945. The FAO partnership supported India's Green Revolution (1960s-70s), which dramatically increased wheat and rice production through high-yielding variety seeds. FAO also assisted in agricultural policy development, fisheries management, forestry programmes, and food safety standards, contributing to successive Five-Year Plans and India's current National Food Security Act (2013).
What is the significance of India shifting from a food-deficit to a food-surplus nation in the context of the RPSC RAS syllabus?
For RAS Paper II (Indian Economy and Rajasthan Economy), this transformation is central: it covers Green Revolution, land reforms, irrigation expansion, MSP policy, PDS (Public Distribution System), food storage and buffer stock policies, and Rajasthan's specific agrarian economy including the Indira Gandhi Canal's role in turning arid western Rajasthan into an agricultural zone.
What are the current global food security challenges that FAO is working to address?
FAO's current priorities include: eliminating hunger (SDG 2 — Zero Hunger by 2030); addressing climate-induced food insecurity (drought, floods affecting crop yields); reducing food loss and waste (one-third of food globally is wasted); promoting sustainable agriculture and agroecology; and supporting smallholder farmers — who produce 70% of the world's food — with technology, credit, and market access.
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