A three-day meeting of Agriculture Ministers under the Agriculture Working Group (AWG) of the G-20 got underway in Hyderabad on Thursday with the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar reiterating India’s commitment to share knowledge and experience in the global interest of the agriculture sector.
Exuding confidence that the deliberations will help find solutions to the challenges facing the sector and associated areas, the Minister said India is ready to work with the G-20 countries and remains committed to food security and nutrition. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has evolved policies in that direction and ensuring their successful implementation, Mr. Tomar said.
Food security and nutrition with a focus on improving social protection systems to promote agro-diversification and enhance food security figures on the top of the priority areas of the AWG. Other priorities include supporting sustainable agriculture and financing green and climate resilient agriculture with a climate smart approach; strengthening infrastructure for small and marginal farmers; enhance the resilience and efficiency of value chains and digitalisation for agricultural transformation.
According to an official release, Mr.Tomar said the government is encouraging crop diversification to enable the farmers to get more revenue and minimise losses. Many initiatives have been implemented in states like Punjab and Haryana. He hoped farmers across the country will also adopt the changes in coming years. Organic farming is also being encouraged and Rs.1,500 crore has been spent on the implementation.
India is developing climate resilient seeds so as to mitigate crop losses due to climate change. Such initiatives will be useful to other countries facing similar climate change related issues, he said. More than 200 delegates from member countries, invited countries and international organisations are participating in the G-20 AWG meeting, which will be inaugurated on Friday and followed by ministerial meetings. On June 17, the G20 agriculture ministers will come out will a declaration and further road map on agriculture sector.
On Thursday Minister of State for for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Kailash Choudhary inaugurated an exhibition featuring 71 stalls focused on a number of areas, including waste to wealth management, post-harvest, smart and precision farming, agri innovations and value chain management. The stalls have been set up by ICAR institutes, other Ministries, private companies and agri start-ups as well as Telangana government, showcasing their recent achievements.
Agriculture Deputies meeting with the delegations from member countries, invited countries and international organisations and panel discussions formed part of the day one proceedings.
