FAO presents the SOFI 2025 Report in New Delhi

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized a presentation-cum-discussion session on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report 2025 on 9 September 2025 at the UN House, New Delhi. The session was presented by Máximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist, FAO, who shared the key findings of the report, followed by an open floor discussion.

The session was chaired by Professor Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, who set the context with an overview of India’s progress on food and nutrition security. Takayuki Hagiwara, FAO Representative in India, during his opening remarks, emphasised that the SOFI report underscores the importance of strong institutions, innovation, and inclusive policies as the foundation of resilient agrifood systems that can withstand future challenges. The session was attended by more than 50 individuals from government departments, UN agencies international organizations, and academia.

Presenting the findings of the SOFI Report 2025, Máximo highlighted, “Hunger is declining, but the pace remains slow. The number of undernourished people fell from 695 million in 2022 to 673 million in 2024, but nearly 2.3 billion people still lack regular access to adequate food.” The report highlighted that while global food insecurity has gradually declined since 2021, improvements are uneven. Máximo emphasised, “Much of the progress in Southern Asia has been driven by India”. Gains have been made in Southern Asia, particularly in India, as well as in Southeast Asia and South America. However, Western Asia and many parts of Africa have witnessed deterioration.

On healthy diets, the findings highlighted that currently, around 2.6 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, which is down from 2.9 billion in 2020. Yet nutrition targets remain off track, and inequalities persist, particularly for women and rural areas. A key concern raised was global food price inflation, which rose sharply from 2.3 percent in 2020 to 13.6 percent in 2023. 

During the discussion, participants explored the paradox of food prices rising even as affordability indicators showed improvement. Dr. Torero clarified that government support and social protection measures helped prevent demand from collapsing. This led to a broader exchange on the role of social protection in improving food access and stimulating production. 

The dialogue also covered cultural and behavioural aspects of food consumption, such as fasting or restrictive diets, and the diversion of food crops like maize for animal feed and biofuels. 

Looking ahead, the future calls for more coordinated, informed, and restrained policy responses. Governments demonstrated better awareness in the recent crisis by avoiding panic-driven trade interventions, instead adopting shorter and more targeted measures. Strengthening transparency and market information systems, balancing immediate relief with structural reforms, and fostering coordination between fiscal and monetary institutions are essential.

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