The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level meeting today at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi that brought together representatives from key international and multilateral development partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration, aligning long-term development priorities, and supporting sustainable development initiatives, including the formulation of long-term policies to improve farmers’ welfare and livelihoods.
Welcoming the representatives, Shri Chouhan highlighted that India’s agricultural journey has been phenomenal, marked by a transformation from a food-deficit to a major exporter of key agricultural commodities and the role of international organisations. He noted that the country has successfully achieved food security and is now firmly focused on advancing nutritional security while creating sustainable livelihood opportunities. He further underscored that India is well-positioned to share its experiences and best practices with other countries, while also learning from global innovations and successful models adopted elsewhere, thereby fostering mutual growth and cooperation in the agriculture and allied sectors.
The representatives from these organizations highlighted key focus areas for collaboration, including inclusive agriculture, improved market access for smallholders, and a strong emphasis on youth, women, and farmer organizations. They also underscored the importance of technology & innovation, finance, private sector participation, and investment, along with enhanced focus on research and development (R&D), digital agriculture, post-harvest infrastructure development, promoting climate resilient crops, and sustainable natural resource management.
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The Hon’ble Minister thanked the representatives for their valuable suggestions and insights, noting that these would be instrumental in strengthening long-term planning and policy formulation in the agriculture sector, and in further strengthening our collaboration to realise this shared vision.
The meeting was also attended by Secretary DA&FW; Secretary DARE; Additional Secretaries, DA&FW, and other senior officials from DA&FW.
