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UN PhotoFAO / INDIA MODI AGRICOLA MEDAL
STORY: FAO / INDIA MODI AGRICOLA MEDAL
TRT: 04:35
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / HINDI / NATS
DATELINE: 20 MAY 2026, ROME, ITALY
FILE, ROME, ITALY
1. Aerial shot, FAO headquarters
2. Med shot, FAO logo
20 MAY 2026, ROME, ITALY
3. Med shot, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, being welcomed by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu
4. Zoom in, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, and FAO Director-General QU Dongyu shaking hands in front of FAO Constitution
5. Wide shot, FAO Agricola Medal ceremony taking place in FAO Plenary Hall
6. Wide shot, FAO Director-General getting onstage
7. SOUNDBITE (English) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General:
“Today, it is an honour and a privilege for me to present the Agricola Medal - the highest honour conferred by FAO DG - to His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India. Prime Minister Modi is the third Prime Minister of India to visit FAO Headquarters here in Rome, in the Organization’s more than 80 years of history.”
8. Wide shot, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India and audience clapping
9. SOUNDBITE (English) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General:
“Prime Minister Modi has been a symbol of hope for India’s rural masses; he envisioned a dawn of self-reliance when the darkness of food insecurity still loomed over millions. Your Excellency, your journey from a humble tea-seller to the leader of the world’s most populous nation is a testament to the dignity of labour.”
10. Wide shot, FAO Director-General onstage
11. SOUNDBITE (English) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General:
“India has moved from being a recipient of aid to a provider of solutions. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi since 2014, India has prioritized and has made great progress in transforming its agrifood system, strengthening food security, enhancing agricultural modernization, and ensuring farmer welfare.”
12. Wide shot, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, accepting the FAO Agricola Medal from FAO Director-General
13. Med shot, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, accepting the FAO Agricola Medal from FAO Director-General
14. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India:
“This award is not just an honour for me. It honours the millions of farmers, livestock breeders, fish farmers, agricultural scientists and workers in India. It also honours India's unwavering commitment to the welfare of mankind, to food security and to sustainable development. I accept this medal with great humility and dedicate it to India's food producers.”
15. Wide shot, FAO Director-General and audience clapping
16. Wide shot, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, speaking
17. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of IndiIa:
“India has always believed that when science, policy and human values come together, then history is rewritten. As an institutional member, India, together with the FAO, has played an active role in taking forward our goal to achieve global food security, sustainable agriculture and a hunger free world.”
18. Various of FAO Director-General and Prime Minister of the Republic of India in a bilateral meeting
19. Various shots of Prime Minister of the Republic of India signing guest book
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, on May 20th 2026, presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India with the FAO Agricola Medal, the Organization’s highest award, in a ceremony held in the historic Plenary Hall at FAO’s Rome headquarters.
SOUNDBITE (English) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General: “Today, it is an honour and a privilege for me to present the Agricola Medal - the highest honour conferred by FAO DG - to His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India. Prime Minister Modi is the third Prime Minister of India to visit FAO Headquarters here in Rome, in the Organization’s more than 80 years of history.”
The FAO Director-General lauded Prime Minister Modi’s exceptional leadership and vision in advancing India’s efforts to transform the country’s agricultural landscape through farmer-centric, innovative, and path-breaking initiatives.
SOUNDBITE (English) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General: “Prime Minister Modi has been a symbol of hope for India’s rural masses; he envisioned a dawn of self-reliance when the darkness of food insecurity still loomed over millions. Your Excellency, your journey from a humble tea-seller to the leader of the world’s most populous nation is a testament to the dignity of labour.”
Qu praised India's food and agriculture initiatives rolled out under the Prime Minister’s leadership for their scale and reach. The FAO Director-General particularly highlighted India’s financial inclusion initiatives, the world's largest food-based social safety net covering 800 million people since the COVID pandemic, direct income support to more than 110 million farmers, national efforts to advance regenerative and natural farming, and the global efforts to promote nutrient rich millets including through the International Year of Millets 2023 in partnership with FAO.
SOUNDBITE (English) QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General: “India has moved from being a recipient of aid to a provider of solutions. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi since 2014, India has prioritized and has made great progress in transforming its agrifood system, strengthening food security, enhancing agricultural modernization, and ensuring farmer welfare.”
He expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Modi’s visionary drive to position digital public infrastructure as a global public good during India’s G-20 Presidency - a transformative step toward enabling access to digital technologies in developing countries for efficient service delivery and empowering communities. These sustained efforts, he noted, have contributed to India lifting millions out of poverty.
Thanking the FAO Director-General for the honour bestowed upon him, the Prime Minister said that he was deeply honoured to accept the award and termed it a recognition of the immense contributions and achievements of millions of hard-working smallholder farmers of India and the scientific and research community to national and global food security.
SOUNDBITE (Hindi) H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India: “This award is not just an honour for me. It honours the millions of farmers, livestock breeders, fish farmers, agricultural scientists and workers in India. It also honours India's unwavering commitment to the welfare of mankind, to food security and to sustainable development. I accept this medal with great humility and dedicate it to India's food producers.”
The Indian Prime Minister paid tribute to FAO for its seminal contributions to global agriculture and food security, commending its eight decades of efforts to end hunger and eradicate poverty worldwide.
Recalling with appreciation the enduring India–FAO partnership, he noted that the Organization has been a steadfast partner in India’s journey towards becoming a self-reliant global agricultural powerhouse.
Prime Minister Modi noted that the India-FAO partnership has been mutually reinforcing, with India significantly contributing to FAO’s mission.
SOUNDBITE (Hindi) H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India: “India has always believed that when science, policy and human values come together, then history is rewritten. As an institutional member, India, together with the FAO, has played an active role in taking forward our goal to achieve global food security, sustainable agriculture and a hunger free world.”
In this regard, he highlighted the immense contributions of two eminent Indians to FAO – Binay Ranjan Sen, the first Director-General of FAO from a developing country, and Dr M. S. Swaminathan, the architect of India’s Green Revolution, noting that their work has profoundly shaped FAO’s efforts and influenced global food and agriculture discourse.
Prime Minister Modi also reaffirmed India’s readiness to further deepen the already buoyant collaboration with FAO.
He expressed appreciation for the Director-General’s dynamic leadership and efforts towards transforming FAO into a more efficient, agile and modern organization that aligns with its vision and goals. He lauded the initiatives undertaken by Qu in support of agrifood systems transformation, mobilizing voluntary contributions and the framework of the Four Betters – better production; better nutrition; better environment; and a better life, leaving no one behind.
The award ceremony was attended by several dignitaries including Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of FAO member countries, senior leadership of FAO, representatives from other UN agencies in Rome including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), and Indian nationals serving in the UN bodies.
The FAO Agricola Medal is conferred by the FAO Director-General on extraordinary leaders who demonstrated commitment and action in support of FAO’s mandate to eradicate hunger, reduce poverty, and ensure food security and nutrition for all.
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