Fourth ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AIMMAF) was held on 12th January 2018 in New Delhi, India.
The Meeting was Co-chaired by H.E. Grisada Boonrach, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand and H. E. Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.
Aim of the Meeting
The basic objective of the meeting was to facilitate the promotion of joint research. Joint research would help in the development of technologies for increasing the production and productivity of crops, livestock, fisheries, and natural resources management. It would also help in the development of joint ventures, exchange of technologies, expertise and material. The meeting would enhance cooperation on exchange of expertise to promote resilience in food security to address the price volatility of food supplies in the region.Highlights of the Meeting
- The meeting was addressed by the Union Agriculture and Framers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
- He began his speech with welcoming the ASEAN leaders as the Chief Guests in India’s 69th Republic day celebrations.
- He further mentioned that India is committed to work with ASEAN countries for the development of rural areas and eradication of poverty. These targets would be achieved with the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- He further stated that Agriculture and food security remain among the prime areas of focus of the Government of India with the key objective of ensuring food and nutrition security at an affordable price in an eco-friendly environment.
- Majority of our population is still dependent upon agriculture to earn their livelihood. Therefore Agriculture becomes important as the growth in agriculture sector also plays a pivotal role in supplying raw material to our booming manufacturing sector.
- The agriculture sector in India provides employment to more than 58% for rural people/youth. It is their principal means of livelihood and besides that, it provides them with entrepreneurship opportunity. India has made great strides in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.
- He said that agriculture was equally important for the ASEAN countries as most of them are agrarian economies like India.
- ASEAN and India also face similar challenges such as climate change, shrinking land base, dwindling water resources, shortage of farm labour, and increasing costs and uncertainties associated with volatility in national and international markets. This calls for close cooperation between our countries to tackle issues like these.
