Indore, June 9 -- A five-day meeting of BRICS member countries began on Tuesday in Indore, focusing on issues such as food security, climate-friendly smart agriculture and farmer welfare.
A senior official from the Department of Agriculture said issues such as food security, the impact of climate change on agriculture, and enhancing cooperation in the sector are being discussed.
Officials from BRICS member countries participated in the first round.
"The meeting is discussing common issues in the agricultural sector of BRICS countries to enhance cooperation and jointly address the problems faced by farmers. These include issues such as the impact of climate change on agriculture and financing for the agricultural sector," Ajit Kumar Sahu, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, told reporters.
He said BRICS countries are home to nearly half the world's population, and therefore, ensuring food security in these countries and maintaining it in the future is an important common topic of discussion.
"Agriculture ensures food security and nutritional security. Therefore, agricultural development is essential," Sahu added.
He said the meeting also discussed issues related to the exchange of agricultural technology and increasing trade among BRICS countries.
According to Sahu, approximately eight meetings had been held across four sessions of the Agriculture Working Group, and the fifth session, which began in Indore, is being held in person.
As part of this conference, held under India's BRICS chairmanship, the Agriculture Working Group will hold deliberations till June 11 with officials from member countries.
The Joint Secretary said that a meeting of the Agriculture Ministers of BRICS and its partner countries will be held on June 12 and 13.
Earlier in the day, India's Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Secretary Atish Chandra led the inaugural session of the meeting.
BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising 11 major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.
The five-day conference will discuss topics such as food security, farmer welfare, nutrition, climate-friendly smart agriculture, facilitating international agricultural trade, supply chains, digital agriculture, research, knowledge exchange, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics, officials said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.