New Delhi [India], November 2 (ANI): Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday hailed global food chain McDonald's for introducing India's 'Millet Bun Burger', lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 'swadeshi.'

Sharing an X post, the Union Minister said that the 'Millet Bun Burger' has been developed by the Mysore-based Central Food Technological Research Institute, a constituent of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

He wrote, ''Videshi turns to Swadeshi' as the popular international food chain McDonald's serves India's 'Millet Bun Burger', prepared using indigenous technology developed by the Mysore-based CSIR institute (Central Food Technological Research Institute).'

'A proud moment showcasing how Indian innovation and traditional nutrition are reshaping global food trends. And, a grand vindication for India's Millet movement, which had gained momentum with the UN declaring 2023 as the 'International Year of Millets' at the behest of India, with the personal intervention of PM Modi,' Singh added.

The United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021 declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is the lead agency for celebrating the Year in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders, FAO said.

According to the FAO, millets can grow on arid lands with minimal inputs and are resilient to changes in climate. They are therefore an ideal solution for countries to increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported cereal grains.

International Year of Millets was looked at as an opportunity to raise awareness of, and direct policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millets and their suitability for cultivation under adverse and changing climatic conditions. The Year promoted the sustainable production of millets, while highlighting their potential to provide new sustainable market opportunities for producers and consumers.

Millets encompass a diverse group of cereals including pearl, proso, foxtail, barnyard, little, kodo, browntop, finger and Guinea millets, as well as fonio, sorghum (or great millet) and teff, FAO said. (ANI)