Cooperation in areas of biofuel, bioenergy discussed between India and Brazil

Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was on a visit to Brazil to attend 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers meeting where he stressed on promoting production and export of soya in India. He is schedule to return from his Brazil visit on Monday, 21 April.

Besides leading the Indian delegation at the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, the Union Minister’s visit is an important step towards strengthening agricultural trade, technology and innovation between India and Brazil.

Cooperation in the areas of biofuel, bioenergy, supply chain integration and agricultural machinery was discussed during the meetings which would enable Indian farmers to have access to global technology. Joint efforts of the two countries will also strengthen global food security as Brazil has achieved tremendous growth in agricultural exports in the last 50 years, an inspiration for India as well.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan also held bilateral meetings with Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Henrique Baquetta Favero and Minister of Agricultural Development and Family Agriculture, Luiz Paulo Teixeira. During these meetings, the issues of enhancing cooperation in the areas of agriculture, agro-technology, rural development and food security were discussed. The Union Minister also met 27 members of Brazil’s agribusiness community at Sao Paulo. During this meeting, possibilities of cooperation on agricultural trade, production technology, food processing, biofuel, technological innovation and supply chain integration were discussed.

During Brazil visit, the Union Minister said that he intends to upgrade Indian farmers by enabling them the benefits of global technologies. He said that joint efforts of various countries will strengthen global food security, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said.
During his Brazil visit, Union Minister Shivraj Singh mainly expressed his concerns related to small farmers of India. He said that unless the small farmers are protected and empowered, the goal of global food security will remain incomplete.

The Union Minister said that India is fully committed to inclusive, equitable and sustainable agriculture. Echoing the spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, he said that India always follow the message of trust and cooperation with all countries. He called for enhanced cooperation in agricultural technology, innovation, capacity building and trade facilitation so that farmers and agricultural enterprises of various countries can benefit. On the BRICS platform, India called for further strengthening cooperation in agricultural technology transfer, research, food processing and trade.
Chauhan’s address, on behalf of India, focused on global food security, empowerment of small farmers, agricultural innovation and technological cooperation and advancing partnership with BRICS countries.

Altogether, Chouhan’s visit to Brazil is not just a diplomatic but also a concrete initiative towards technological innovation, production increase and global partnership for Indian agriculture, which can yield direct benefits to the farmers.

The 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, held in Brasilia, was attended by Agriculture Ministers/Senior Officials from India, host Brazil and BRICS member countries including Russia, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. The main theme of the meeting was “Promoting inclusive and sustainable agriculture through cooperation, innovation and equitable trade among BRICS countries”.

Besides participating in the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ meeting, Chouhan’s visit is expected to give a new direction to agricultural cooperation between India and Brazil. This will boost agricultural trade between the two countries. The Union Minister expressed his desire to share knowledge with Brazil on climate-friendly soyabean varieties, mechanization, precision farming and sustainable agricultural practices. He also expressed his desire to learn from Brazil’s agricultural model, mechanization, irrigation and research and implement it in Indian agriculture so that maximum benefits can be transferred to the farmers.

This article has been republished from The Chini Mandi.