Presentation of the Agricola Medal to His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India

Today is a day of deep honor and deep symbolism.

We come together not simply to award an award, but also to recognize the convergence of personal vision with a global imperative.

Today, it is an honor and a privilege for me to present the Agricola Medal – the highest honor awarded by the Director-General of FAO – to His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India.

Prime Minister Modi is the third Indian Prime Minister to visit FAO headquarters here in Rome in the Organization’s more than 80-year history.

The first was Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who delivered the McDougall Lecture in this plenary hall at the FAO Ministerial Conference in November 1981.

The second was Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who attended the World Food Summit in November 1996.

There have also been three previous recipients of the Agricola Medal from India:

• Former Director-General, Binay Ranjan Sen, in 1978 – the only FAO Director-General to receive this award; notably for having created the World Food Program (WFP) in 1963;
• Indian statesman Narayan, in 1979; And
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2008.

A testimony to India’s long and consistent contribution to agriculture over many years.

The Agricola Medal has a unique history. For decades, it has recognized the achievements of agri-food systems;

Then, in 1977 – almost 50 years ago – the FAO Ministerial Conference redefined the purpose of the prize as a symbol of the highest political and moral commitment to global food security.

Since then, it has been awarded to heads of state and government who have demonstrated unwavering political will to defeat hunger and support rural development.

Receiving the Agricola Medal means entering a community of leaders who understand that agriculture is not a sector, but the foundation of civilization.

Prime Minister Modi has been a symbol of hope for India’s rural masses; he envisioned the dawn of self-reliance while the darkness of food insecurity still loomed over millions.

Your Excellency,

Your journey from humble tea seller to leader of the world’s most populous nation is a testament to the dignity of work and the power of popular understanding.

In fact, tomorrow is International Tea Day – established in 2020 in recognition of the global importance of the tea industry.

When you took office, you launched a quiet but radical revolution.

As the son of a small-scale Chinese rice farmer, I share your humble beginnings and your ambitious vision of a better world for all, where no one goes to bed hungry and no one is left behind.

Your personal story rooted in agriculture, combined with your insightful and long-term vision, forms the foundation for your successful leadership in a diverse and complex country like India – with a population of 1.5 billion, 150 million farms and around 500 million people dependent on agriculture.

Your Excellency,

My esteemed brother,

You have led a quiet but powerful battle to ensure that small farmers have access to the financing they need.

You have worked tirelessly to ensure the resilience of family farmers in the face of the ravages of climate change.

You understand that water security is the twin sister of food security.

And perhaps most importantly, your leadership ensured that despite the pandemic, global supply chain shocks and extreme weather, India not only fed itself, but stood up to feed the world.

Under your leadership, India provided vaccines, but also cereals.

During the global wheat crisis, India, under your moral leadership, banned exports not to stockpile, but to stabilize domestic prices, while simultaneously ensuring humanitarian shipments to the most vulnerable countries.

You have transformed the paradigm from “food security as charity” to “food security as empowerment”.

You have transformed challenges into opportunities for everyone!

You have realized the vision of the great Mahatma Gandhi who said: “For the millions of people who must go without two meals a day, God can only appear as bread. »