G20: UT to hold 2nd agricultural meet from today in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: The city will host second agricultural deputies meeting (ADM) of the agricultural working group (AWG) of G20 Summit from March 29-31, in which over 85 delegates from 19 member nations, the European Union, 10 invitee countries and international organisations are expected to take part.
Addressing a press conference here at the event venue on Tuesday, Ritesh Chauhan, joint secretary in-charge at department of agriculture and farmers welfare, said, "The second agricultural deputies meeting of AWG is an important platform for countries to come together and discuss ways to ensure sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition.We are honoured to host the event in Chandigarh and look forward to fruitful discussions."On being asked by TOI whether the Chinese delegation would take part in the meet after it skipped the G20 meeting in Arunachal Pradesh, the joint secretary confirmed their presence.
Meanwhile, the deliberations in the meeting at Chandigarh would revolve around four thematic areas - food security and nutrition; sustainable agriculture with a climate-smart approach; inclusive agricultural values and food systems; and digitalization for agricultural transformation.
On Wednesday, the 12th session of the agricultural market information system (AMIS), an international platform formed during the 2011 G20 summit to address agricultural issues, will be held. Later in the day, the AMIS would elect its new chair for the 2023-24 term. AMIS doesn't follow the G20 presidency, and is currently chaired by the United States as against India's rotational presidency in the Group of 20.
Later in the evening, a millet food festival has been planned for the delegates at Rock Garden, in line with the International year of Millets celebrations. Similar excursions to Sukhna Lake and Pinjore Garden have also been planned for the coming days.
The formal session of the ADM would begin on Thursday, where minister of state for commerce and industry, Som Prakash would welcome the delegates. The two-day meet, which concludes on Friday, would be aimed at drafting a communique based on the agenda presented in the first ADM in Indore last month. In this meet, joint secretary-level delegates from the nations would take part and it would be chaired by the secretary of department of agriculture.