India is determined to attain sustainable development goal to end hunger, the Union Agriculture Minister said

The agriculture sector in India performed well even during the severe Covid-19 pandemic, with food production and exports registering a significant growth, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said.

This had contributed to global food security, he said while participating in the 6th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The meet was organized virtually in Dushanbe, Tajikstan on Thursday.

The Government is determined to attain sustainable development goal to end hunger, achieve food security and nutrition, an official press release quoted him as saying.

Agriculture has always been a high priority for India, as is for the world, Tomar noted, adding that the Covid-1919 pandemic had put the spotlight on the sector given its implications on food security and supply chains.

In this context, he underscored the necessity for a closer interaction and sharing of knowledge among countries to keep the food supply chains functional and protect the livelihoods of the farmer producers.

India with her tremendous growth trajectory in the field of agriculture will continue to share best practices and build capacities of other developing countries, both bilaterally as well as through collaboration with international organizations.

According to Tomar, this would enable them to also become self sufficient and to ensure food security.

In line with the goal to double farmers' income by 2022, the Indian government has launched several programs.

According to Tomar, these include schemes to enhance optimal utilization of water resources, create new infrastructure for irrigation, conserve soil fertility with balanced use of fertilizers, provide connectivity from farm to market, Information and Communication Technology(ICT) linkage besides building infrastructure, and organic farming.

The Government of India has also been taking several steps to develop innovative technologies and their dissemination from Lab to Land to empower rural youth, farmers and farm women, he added.

The Agriculture Minister said that India has achieved several milestones towards success in agriculture sector.

Besides the Green Revolution, the White Revolution, blue revolution, the Public Distribution System and price support system for farmers are unparallel in the world. It was the result of the vision of policy makers, ingenuity of our agricultural scientists and the hard work of our farmers that India became not only self-sufficient but surplus in food grains.

Today, India is a leading producer of several food commodities like cereals, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs and fish, the minister pointed out.

The Minister of Agriculture of Tajikistan Ziyozoda Sulaymon Rizoi, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Tang Renjian, SCO Secretary General Norov Vladimir Imamovich, FAO Director General Qu Dongyu and Chairman of the Food Security Committee under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan Fayzullozoda Muhammadsaid Ubaydullo and others respective members attended the meeting.

The Indian delegation led by Tomar included the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje and senior officials.