BRICS agriculture ministers to meet today

New Delhi [India], Sept.23 (ANI): The sixth meeting of BRICS on Agriculture and Agrarian Development that began in New Delhi yesterday with an official-level meeting, will be followed by a ministerial meeting today. The two-day conference is being hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and will centre around the five priority areas of cooperation in the BRICS Action Plan for 2012-2016. The areas of cooperation include creating basic agricultural information exchange systems, strategy for ensuring access to food for the most vulnerable population, reducing the negative impact of climate change on food security, adaptation of agriculture to climatic change, enhancing agricultural technology cooperation and innovation, trade and investment promotion. The agenda of the BRICS meetings has considerably widened over the years encompassing global issues such as climate change, food and energy security, Strategic Development Goals (SDGs) and international economic and financial situation etc. Detailed discussions will also be held on the proposed establishment of a BRICS Agricultural Research Centre in India. The Centre is expected to work on agricultural science, policy research and development extension, technology transfer, training and capacity building and scientific information sharing. The Centre is expected to act as a forum for academicians, scholars, researchers and students for agricultural in advancement. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of all BRICS countries, who are major producers, consumers and exporters of agricultural, horticultural and meat products. BRICS countries enjoy strength in the form of knowledge, expertise and research facilities and capabilities in agriculture. These strengths need to be converged and galvanized to ensure global food security. India assumed the Presidency of BRICS this year and has been hosting several mega-level meetings in different sectors at the ministerial and official levels. The BRICS summit is scheduled to be held in Goa on October 15 and 16. (ANI)