With Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserting that the farmer was at the centre of all deliberations, the ‘BRICS Indore Declaration’ was unanimously adopted on Sunday to provide new direction to food security, farmer welfare, climate-resilient farming, agricultural trade and digital agriculture.
The occassion was the BRICS Agriculture Ministers and officials-level meetings held in Indore.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development addressed a press conference and said that the farmer is at centre of this declaration— the shared commitment to advance food security, nutrition, livelihoods, agricultural trade, innovation, investment, climate-resilient farming and sustainable agricultural development by keeping the farmer at the centre has been recorded in this declaration.
Chouhan emphasised that the document is not merely a paper of agreement but a symbol of the collective will, shared responsibility and commitment of BRICS countries to build a more secure, prosperous and sustainable future through agriculture.
The declaration has been adopted amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and focusses on four main priorities: Farmers, food security, climate and technology.
Chouhan said that the entire process involved deep discussions on
Institutional initiatives
Separately, four institutional initiatives have also been proposed. It includes:
Eestablishing a BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture will birth a platform for joint research, experience sharing and capacity building on natural, organic and regenerative agricultural practices, through which member countries will learn from each other’s best practices and promote climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural systems, Chouhan said.
The second major initiative is the BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture, which will give new direction to cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, geospatial technology, digital public infrastructure and data-based agricultural solutions.
The third announcement is related to the setting up of the Global Forum on Farmers’ Rights in Seed Systems, which will protect farmers’ seed rights, the diversity of indigenous seeds and traditional knowledge. Chouhan said that in countries like India, farming has been practised for hundreds and thousands of years and many traditional seeds, which are symbols of our biodiversity and cultural heritage, are today facing an existential crisis. New varieties and hybrid seeds are necessary, but along with them, the conservation of indigenous seeds is equally essential.
The fourth initiative is the BRICS AgriN (Agro Inputs, Genetic Resources and Information Network). This will strengthen cooperation among member countries in areas of agricultural inputs, seeds and genetic resources. Chouhan said this network will promote information exchange, capacity building, technical cooperation and partnerships so that information about best varieties, genetic resources and inputs available in different countries can be shared and practical solutions can be developed. This will create better access for farmers across member countries.
