ENSURING FOOD security and nutrition will be among the top four priority areas in meetings of the agriculture working group during India’s G20 Presidency till September next year, sources told The Indian Express. On the agenda of this group so far are five meetings on agriculture, including three deputy meetings, one of chief scientists and another of ministers, sources said. Several side events have also been planned for these meetings, with the benefits of millets listed as a key theme. The other priority areas of the group are developing sustainable agriculture and climate smart approach; building inclusive agricultural value chains and food systems; and, technology and digitisation for agricultural transformation, sources said. These meetings assume significance in light of the growing global food crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A source said that of the two agriculture deputy meetings (ADMs), the first will be held in Indore, on February 13-15, 2023, to take stock of G20 initiatives in the sector, an Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) and wheat. The side events include exhibitions on agri start-ups, millets and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and an excursion to Mandu Fort in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. The second ADM will be held in Chandigarh on March 29-31, with a separate meeting of AMIS, a millet exhibition showing climate resilience and an excursion to Rock Garden planned on the sidelines. The third meeting will be of agriculture chief scientists in Varanasi on April 17-19. The side events include a millet exhibition showing regional varieties, and visits to the South Campus of BHU (Mirzapur) and the ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (Varanasi). The fourth meeting will be held in Hyderabad on June 15, along with a discussion on the mainstreaming of millets for better nutrition and climate resilience. The Ministerial meeting will also be held in Hyderabad, on June 16-17, and includes a cultural programme at Golconda Fort, a visit to the Indian Institute of Millet Research, and another exhibition on millets and its health benefits. As part of the decision-making process in the multilateral G20, working groups comprising experts and officials from various ministries will deliberate on a range of internationally relevant issues in their areas of focus. The G20 Agriculture Deputies Group was created during the French Presidency in 2011 to deal with volatility in global food prices.
