Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underscored the importance of G20 Agriculture Ministers, who are meeting in Hyderabad, to deliberate on how to undertake collective action for achieving global food security.
“We must find ways to build sustainable and inclusive food systems, focussed on marginal farmers... ways to strengthen global fertiliser supply chains [and] at the same time adopt agricultural practices for better soil health, crop health and yield,” the Prime Minister said in a video message on Friday.
Calling for measures to empower farmers with innovation and digital technology, Mr. Modi said: “we must also make solutions affordable for small and marginal farmers in the Global South. There is also an urgent need to reduce agricultural and food waste, and instead, invest in creating wealth from waste.”
On what India is doing for what is the most vital sector, he said: “our policy is a fusion of ‘back to basics’ and ‘march to future’. We are promoting natural farming as well as technology-enabled farming. Farmers all over India are taking up natural farming now. They are not using synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. Their focus is on rejuvenating the mother earth, protecting soil health, producing ‘per drop, more crop’, and promoting organic fertilisers and pest management solutions.”
Farmers in the country are proactively using technology to boost productivity and generating and using solar power on their farms. Soil Health Cards to optimise crop selection and deploying drones to spray nutrients and monitor the crops are also being used. “I believe this fusion approach is the best way to address several issues in agriculture,” he said, adding that as agriculture ministers “your task is not simply that of handling one sector of the economy. You shoulder a big responsibility for the future of humanity.”
The Prime Minister also sought to draw attention to the challenges for the Global South. Globally, agriculture provides livelihood for over 2.5 billion people. In the Global South, agriculture accounts for almost 30% of GDP and over 60% of jobs. “And today, this sector faces several challenges. The supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic have been worsened by the impact of geo-political tensions. Climate change is causing extreme weather event more and more frequently. These challenges are felt most by the Global South,” he said.
India’s G20 priorities in agriculture focus on healing our ‘One Earth’, creating harmony within our ‘One Family’ and giving hope for a bright ‘One Future’, Mr. Modi said, also stressing the need to continue valuing traditionally grown food crops such as millets as they are not only healthy, but also help raise farmer’s income by using less water, needing less fertiliser and being more pest-resistant.
