New Delhi: India’s leadership in formulating a group standard for whole millet grains received international recognition during the 88th session of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CCEXEC88), held from July 14–18 at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, officials announced on Saturday.
The committee reviewed the progress of this initiative, which is being led by India, with Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal serving as co-chairs, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The terms of reference for the millet standards were finalized earlier this year during the 11th session of the Codex Committee on Cereals, Pulses and Legumes (CCCPL11), held in April 2025.
CCEXEC88 also conducted a detailed review of India-led work on the new international standards for fresh dates, as proposed by the 23rd session of the Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV23), held in February this year.
The Executive Committee commended the efforts of both CCFFV and India in completing the draft standards and approved them for consideration at the upcoming 48th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC48), scheduled for November 2025.
India has also been selected as a co-chair for upcoming proposals to develop Codex standards for fresh turmeric and fresh broccoli.
India played an active role in discussions related to the monitoring framework for the Codex Strategic Plan 2026–2031, during which SMART Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were finalized for submission to CAC48 for approval.
As per the Health Ministry, India recommended that monitoring indicators should be outcome-oriented, measurable, and thoughtfully designed. India also briefed the committee about its ongoing capacity-building programmes for neighbouring countries such as Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste, which have received recognition from the FAO.
It is worth noting that India has chaired the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) since its establishment in 2014.
India further encouraged lesser-engaged Codex member nations to take advantage of the Codex Trust Fund (CTF) to participate in mentorship and twinning programmes.
Citing its successful CTF-supported training and capacity-building collaborations with Bhutan and Nepal, India proposed the inclusion of such initiatives as key indicators in tracking progress toward Codex strategic objectives.
With inputs from IANS