G20 delegates to discuss food security, sustainable farming

Chandigarh, March 28

The three-day second Agricultural Deputies Meeting of the Agricultural Working Group (AWG), all set to begin from tomorrow, will see the participation of delegates from 19 member countries, 10 invited countries and 10 international organisations.

Delegates will be treated to millet food

• Apart from discussions, delegates will also get to experience the rich cultural heritage of Chandigarh
• They will be treated to millet food festival at Rock Garden, taken for an excursion to Sukhna Lake, followed by dinner and visit to Yadavindra Gardens in Pinjore
• The event promises to be a platform for countries to come together and work towards a sustainable future

Addressing a press conference, Joint Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ritesh Chauhan, said: “The second meeting of the AWG is an important platform for countries to come together and discuss ways to ensure sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition. We are honoured to host the event in Chandigarh and look forward to fruitful discussions.”

Chauhan added: “The AMIS Rapid Response Forum, which will be held on the first day of the meeting, is an important initiative to address the food market situation and identify capacity building needs. We hope that this forum will provide a vision for the future progress of the initiative.”

During the second and third day of the meeting, member countries will focus on drafting the communiqué, which will address four thematic areas — food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture with a climate smart approach, inclusive agricultural value chains and food systems, and digitisation for agricultural transformation. The inaugural address will be delivered by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash.

While the first meeting of the AWG was organised in Indore in February, the deliberations will conclude with the agriculture ministers’ conference where the communiqué from the deliberations will be finalised. This meeting will take place in Hyderabad from June 15 to 17. In April, a meeting of Chief Agricultural Scientists will be held in Varanasi.

As many as 17 side events of G20 have been organised in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh involving more than 4,000 participants to create awareness about G20 through public participation.