Tomar urges BIMSTEC member nations to actively participate in India’s Millet initiative
BIMSTEC Secretariat and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) sign MoU
India hosted the Second Agriculture Ministerial-level meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) on November 10, under the chairmanship of Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Agriculture ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand participated in the meeting. While addressing the meeting through video conference, Tomar urged the member countries to cooperate in developing a comprehensive regional strategy to strengthen cooperation for the transformation of agriculture and urged the member countries to adopt a conducive agricultural food system and a healthy diet for all.
The 2nd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministerial Meeting adopted the Action Plan for Strengthening BIMSTEC Agricultural Cooperation (2023-2027). An MoU between the BIMSTEC Secretariat and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has been signed and approval has been given to bring Fisheries and Livestock sub-sectors under the Agricultural Working Group. Tomar, in his address, referred to the importance of millet as a nutritious food and the efforts made by India to promote millet and its products during the International Year of Millets – 2023. He asked participating countries to actively participate in India’s initiative to promote millet as a food. “Natural and ecological farming should be promoted to conserve agricultural biodiversity and reduce the use of chemicals”, Tomar added.
BIMSTEC Secretariat and the International Food