Talking to reporters here, he said the procurement of food grains has increased in the last eight years. "From 2006 to 2014, the total procurement was 1,926 million tonnes and it increased to 2,273 million tonnes in the period between 2014 and 2022," he said. Pal said on the initiative of Prime Minister Modi, a proposal of India was supported by 72 countries and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared the year 2023 as International Year of Millet.

"India is one of the leading producers of millet in the world with an estimated share of around 41 per cent in the global production. It is estimated that the millet market is set to grow from its current market value of more than USD 9 billion to over USD 12 billion by 2025," he said. He also said in the 2021-22 sugar season (October-September) India has emerged as the world's largest producer and consumer of sugar and its second largest exporter.?