The Global Pulse Confederation (GPC)’s three days convention — Pulses 24 — will kickstart in Delhi on February 15 where several dignitaries including ministers, top officials and industry leaders from India and about 40 other countries are slated to discuss issues including strategies by India to achieve self-sufficiency in production.
The event, organised by GPC in co-operation with co-operative major Nafed, will amplify the message of pulses as smart crops for a sustainable future and provide a platform for collaboration and innovation to further this mission, GPC said in a statement.
“Pulses are vital in the development of sustainable food systems and key players when it comes to food security and nutrition in India. The time and place of GPC’s New Delhi convention this year couldn’t be more apt as we look at bringing the global pulses industry together to connect and collaborate,” said GPC President Vijay Iyengar.
“The presence of so many high-level government speakers points to the government’s active role in furthering the cause of pulses in the country, underlining the importance of these crops,” Iyengar said.
Despite being the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses, previous annual conferences organised by the GPC have been held in various locations worldwide, including Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Cesmi (Turkey), Vancouver (Canada), Barcelona (Spain), Singapore, Las Vegas (USA), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Cape Town (South Africa), and Sydney (Australia).
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Sunil Kumar Singh, additional Managing Director of Nafed, said when he attended a global conference of GPC earlier he realised that it was never held in India and so he proposed the GPC Board to hold it here and it agreed.
Apart from providing a platform for the enhancement of the global pulses trade, GPC is committed to positioning pulses as smart crops for a sustainable future, the statement said. It is dedicated to increasing the consumption and production of pulses worldwide to mitigate the impacts of climate change, malnutrition and food insecurity.