Germany respects India's concern on food security

Germany has expressed optimism that a solution could be found with regard to India's concerns over the food security issues at the WTO.
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabrial gave this indication at a meeting with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who is in Germany, where he is meeting government and industry officials to apprise them of the changed investment environment in India.
Prasad met Gabrial, who is also the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, yesterday.
An official statement said today that besides other issues, Gabrial raised WTO issues with Prasad and hoped that a solution could soon be found.

Prasad expressed India's deep commitment to the processes of WTO but highlighted India's food security concerns which must not be construed by the developed world as a stumbling block to WTO negotiations, it added.
"The German Vice Chancellor respected the concerns of India with respect to food security," the statement said.

India had decided not to ratify WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which is dear to the developed world, without any concrete movement in finding a permanent solution to food security issues.
India has asked WTO to amend the norms for calculating agriculture subsidies so that the country can continue to procure foodgrains from farmers at minimum support price and sell them to poor at cheaper rates without violating the Gabrial also highlighted the need for greater cooperation between Germany and India.

That issue apart, counting the success of German firms such as Audi, BMW, Rolls Royce in India, Prasad sought increased investments by them in the Indian market.
He said India has great potential in electronics manufacturing and non-conventional energy.
Prasad also shared Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ideas like 'Skill, Scale and Speed' and 'only red carpet and no red tape' with the Vice Chancellor.
He mentioned the initiatives taken by the government such as Digital India, National Optical Fiber Network, Electronics Manufacturing Clusters to boost economic growth.
Gabrial expressed happiness over the changed investment climate in India after formation of the new government and lauded its efforts for financial inclusion.

He added that skill development is another area where both the countries can cooperate with each other.
Citing concerns over Germany's demography, he also invited young Indian professionals to come and work in Germany.