Chouhan Leads Global Agri Partners Meet
Chouhan engages global agencies to boost sustainable agriculture, farmer welfare, and climate-resilient farming in India.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th Jan: Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting at Krishi Bhawan with representatives of leading international and multilateral development organisations to strengthen collaboration and shape long-term strategies for farmers’ welfare and sustainable agriculture.
Global Agencies Participate
The meeting brought together officials from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Focus on Transformative Agriculture
Welcoming the delegations, Chouhan said India’s agricultural journey has been transformative, evolving from a food-deficit nation to a major exporter of agricultural commodities. He noted that while India has secured food security, the current focus is on advancing nutrition security, building climate-resilient agriculture and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for farmers.
Sharing Best Practices and Global Innovations
The Minister underlined that India is well positioned to share its best practices with other countries while also adopting successful global innovations, fostering mutual growth in the agriculture and allied sectors.
Priority Areas for International Cooperation
Representatives of the international agencies highlighted priority areas for cooperation, including inclusive agriculture, improved market access for smallholders, empowerment of women and youth, farmer organisations, digital agriculture, climate-resilient crops, sustainable natural resource management and strengthening post-harvest infrastructure.
Role of Technology, Finance, and Innovation
They also stressed the importance of technology, innovation, finance, private sector participation, research and development, and investments to enhance farm productivity and resilience.
Chouhan Thanks Participants
Chouhan thanked the participants for their inputs, saying the insights would play a key role in strengthening policy formulation and long-term planning for India’s agriculture sector while deepening international collaboration.
Senior Officials Attend
The meeting was attended by the Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Secretary DARE, Additional Secretaries and other senior officials.
