Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday became the second Indian PM to receive the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) highest honour, the Agricola Medal.
"It reflects India’s unwavering commitment to food security, sustainable development and the hard work of those associated with our agriculture sector," he wrote in an X post.
The award was presented to him by Qu Dongyu, the Director General of the FAO, in a ceremony at the FAO's Plenary Hall in its headquarters at Rome.
The FAO chief said in a speech that the medal had been awarded in recognition of Modi's "contribution and commitment to the welfare of all people", and went on to list a number of criteria that the PM had satisfied to be awarded the UN organisation's highest honour.
“The medal is in recognition of his contribution and commitment to ... the introduction of landmark schemes during his tenure to enhance agricultural productivity; bolstering food security, and improving farmer’s welfare; his support to FAO’s fundamental goals of fighting hunger and poverty, and attaining universal food security; the pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; and his efforts to prioritise agriculture on the international agenda, including during India’s G20 Presidency," Dongyu said.
The PM dedicated the victory to India's farmers.
"This is an honour for not just me but an honour for the crores of farmers in India, livestock rearers, fish rearers, agriculture scientists and our workers. This is also an honour to India's commitment at the centre of which lie human welfare, food security and sustainable development," he added, thanking Dongyu and the FAO.
PM Modi also explained that India was working to not only increase production, but also build a farming ecosystem which is sustainable, climate-resilient and future-ready, and cited examples of campaigns such as 'Per Drop More Crop', micro-irrigation, and precision farming to maximise yield from the available arable land.
"In Indian culture, agriculture is not just the medium to grow crops. It has been given the status of deep and sacred ties between humans and Mother Earth," he explained.
Modi is now the second Indian PM to win the prestigious prize from the UN organisation after Manmohan Singh in 2008.
Singh had shown “exemplary vision and resolve” in spurring agricultural development and reducing hunger and poverty in India, the FAO had said at the time.