NEW DELHI: Asean and India agreed to work more closely on enhancing food security and addressing the challenges of climate change at a meeting of their agriculture officials in New Delhi on Friday.
Deputy Minister of Malaysia’s Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman represented Malaysia at the agriculture ministers’ meeting.
The ministers said in a joint statement that ASEAN and India “underscore the importance of addressing climate change as it negatively impacts food security, and look forward to cooperation on exchanging expertise” to deal with environmental hazards.
They discussed further cooperation in areas such as food production, animal husbandry, fisheries and forestry.
India said it was committed to work with ASEAN countries to develop rural areas and eradicate poverty in line with the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“Agriculture and food security remain among the prime areas of focus of the Government of India with the key objective of ensuring food and nutrition security at affordable prices in an eco-friendly environment.
“Agriculture is particularly important in the context of our region as the majority of our population is still dependent upon it to earn their livelihood,” Indian Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said in his speech.
The agriculture ministers from ASEAN and India will meet for their next meeting in Brunei Darussalam in 2019. — BERNAMA