On April 21, 2020 Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar participated in G-20 Extraordinary Agriculture Ministers Meeting through video conference to address the issue of COVID-19 impacts on food security, safety and nutrition.
Key Points
i.The G-20 nations decided to have international cooperation in the face of COVID-19 pandemic;
- To avoid food wastages, losses, and maintain the continuity of the food supply value chain across borders.
- For food security, nutrition, share best practices and lessons learnt, promote research, responsible investments, innovations and reforms that will improve the sustainability and flexibility of agriculture and food systems.
ii.They Agreed to develop science based international guidelines on strict measures of safety and hygiene for zoonosis (disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans) control.
Discussions of Narendra Tomar
The measures taken to contain the spread of Coronavirus in India & its decision to exempt all agriculture operations during lockdown period and ensure a continuous availability of essential agriculture produce and supply, while adhering to protocol of social distancing, health and hygiene.
Gist about the Meeting
i.The meeting was held under the Saudi Presidency- King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to discuss the ways and means to ensure continuity of the food supply value chain, including farmers’ livelihoods.
ii.It was attended by all agriculture ministers of G-20 member countries, guest countries & international organisations.
About G20:
The Group of Twenty or the G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation which brings together the leaders of developed and developing countries from every continent. It originated at the level of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in 1999, where they gathered for high-level discussions on macro-financial issues.
1st G20 Leaders’ Summit– Washington D.C. in November 2008.
The G20 is made up of 19 countries and the European Union. The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US.
