Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday called upon BRICS nations to work together to empower small and marginal cultivators, ensure food security and promote sustainable agricultural development.
He stressed that challenges confronting the agriculture sector, including climate change and growing pressure on natural resources, could be effectively addressed only through collective efforts.
Chouhan was chairing the inaugural session of a two-day meeting of agriculture ministers of BRICS countries in Indore.
He also led the ministerial dialogue on the theme “Smallholder Farmers, Women and Youth: Securing the Future of Food”. “If small farmers become stronger, global food security will automatically become stronger,” he said at the meeting being held under India’s presidency of the grouping.
Chouhan insisted India has always stood for global unity, peace and cooperation. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s approach is based on the principle of ‘peace, not war; coordination, not conflict’. This can serve as a guiding philosophy for global agricultural partnerships,” the Union Minister affirmed.
Chouhan said the BRICS platform provided an important opportunity to deliberate on the challenges facing small and marginal farmers and exchange experiences among member countries.
He maintained policy cooperation and partnerships among BRICS nations could provide a new direction to global agriculture.
The minister said the ongoing dialogue was particularly significant in finding collective solutions to issues such as climate change, pressure on natural resources and market uncertainties confronting small farmers.
“We should jointly work towards empowering small farmers and promoting sustainable agricultural development,” he told the gathering.
Expressing confidence that the discussions would strengthen cooperation among member nations, Chouhan opined that the exchange of experiences and best practices would benefit the agriculture sector globally. he said the country’s agriculture sector had recorded notable growth over the past decade, with steady increases in foodgrain, horticulture and fisheries production.