In the late 1960s and early 1970s, India, with the help of international aid, introduced new varieties of wheat, maize, and rice and improved agricultural practices to stem famine and malnutrition.
In fewer than 40 years, the country was able to increase its annual wheat production five-fold, exceeding the rate of the population growth. Along with economic reforms, more self-sufficient food production helped spur the country's economic growth. In 2004, international trade with the U.S. was more than three times what it had been in 1989.
When the devastating 2005 tsunami swept across parts of its coastline, India declined international aid, citing sufficient resources of its own to meet its people's emergency relief needs.
