BRICS Agriculture Meeting Begins In Indore To Focus On Food Security And Digital Farming

A five-day conference of the BRICS member nations commenced here on Tuesday, focusing on critical global agricultural challenges including food security, climate-resilient farming, international trade, and farmer welfare.

The high-level meeting, being held under India’s BRICS chairmanship, brings together key policymakers and experts to address the vulnerabilities of global food supply chains. PTI reported that the deliberations will culminate in a joint declaration once the agriculture ministers of the member nations reach a consensus on the targeted themes.

As part of the schedule, the Agriculture Working Group will hold official-level discussions until June 11. India's Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Secretary, Atish Chandra, led the inaugural session of the meeting. Following these official-level deliberations, the BRICS agriculture ministers are scheduled to meet on June 12 and 13 to finalise the strategic roadmap.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising 11 major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. According to PTI, the five-day conference will discuss topics such as food security, farmer welfare, nutrition, climate-friendly smart agriculture, facilitating international agricultural trade, supply chains, digital agriculture, research, knowledge exchange, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics.

The choice of venue holds local significance, as Indore is the economic capital of Madhya Pradesh and India's cleanest city. Furthermore, PTI reported that the timing of the conference coincides with the state government's declaration of 2026 as the 'Year of Farmer Welfare'.

(With inputs from PTI)