G20 Delegates Discuss Food Security & Sustainable Farming at Second Agricultural Deputies Meeting in Chandigarh

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

The highlights of the program are the following:

• Apart from the discussions, delegates will also get to experience the rich cultural heritage of Chandigarh.

• At Rock Garden, they will be treated to the millet food festival, taken for an excursion to Sukhna Lake, followed by dinner and a visit to Yadav Indra Gardens in Pinjore.

• The event promises to be a platform for countries to come together and work towards a sustainable future.

“The second meeting of the AWG is an important platform for countries to come together and discuss ways to assure food security, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition. We are honored to host the event in Chandigarh and looking forward to a fruitful discussion,” said Ritesh Chauhan, Joint Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

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

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

The first meeting of the AWG was organized in February, the discussions will conclude with the agriculture ministers’ conference where the communiqué from the discussions will be finalized in Indore. This meeting will be taking place in Hyderabad from June 15 to 17. A meeting of Chief Agricultural Scientists will be held in April in Varanasi.

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