India-Morocco Initiative celebrates Pulse Feast Day in Rabat

The India-Morocco South-South Initiative kicked off celebrations for the 2016 International Year of Pulses (IYP) with a high-spirited meticulously organized feast in Rabat on Pulse Feast Day on January 6, 2016. The event organized in Morocco, jointly by  INRA,  OCP-Foundation,  IAV Hassan II   and  ICARDA  was hosted at the Regional Center for Agricultural Research, Guich station in Rabat.  (See photos here)

Celebrity chef Moha Fedal was the star of the event invited to please the palates of about 350 people with a spread of traditional dishes from Morocco and the wider North Africa region. Attendees from different walks of life representing policy makers, researchers, extension and professionals had the opportunity to taste a wide range of pulse-based recipes prepared mostly from lentil, chickpea, faba bean and peas.

Pulse Feast Day, celebrated in more than 20 countries worldwide in support of IYP, provided an opportunity to showcase the diverse use of pulses in foods while promoting both consumption and production of pulses. The IYP 2016 aims to increase public awareness on the nutritional benefits of pulses and its role in sustainable food production contributing towards achieving food and nutrition security.

The Rabat celebration of Pulse Feast Day was widely covered online and in print media, successfully drawing attention and promoting IYP 2016 and its goals of increasing pulses production and consumption to a wide range of audiences. 

Adapted from CRP Grain Legumes website