Asean-India joint statement stresses on promoting public food stockholding

In their joint statement, Asean-India leaders emphasised on promoting efforts for public food stockholding for food security programmes and exploring exports of foodgrains

In their joint statement on Thursday, ASEAN-India leaders emphasised on promoting efforts for public food stockholding for food security programmes and exploring exports of foodgrains from public stocks on a government-to-government basis for humanitarian purposes in times of crises.

The member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India came together on the occasion of the 20th ASEAN-India Summit on September 7, 2023, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The leaders issued a joint statement on Thursday which emphasized on supporting ASEAN-India preparedness for long-term resilience and sustainability of the agrifood system. It further stressed on strengthening local and regional food value chains.

PM Modi reached the ASEAN-India Summit at the Jakarta Convention Centre on Thursday and was welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the centre.

The statement said that to support ASEAN-India for the sustainability of the agrifood system, it would need cooperation to develop local food sources diversification and optimise the utilisation of available resources for food production, especially for small-scale farmers, fishers, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"Promote efforts for public food stockholding, where relevant, for food security programmes and explore exports of food grains from public stocks on a government-to-government basis for humanitarian purposes in times of crises," the statement added.

The statement further highlighted the need to encourage financing climate-friendly technologies, in partnership with Multilateral Development Banks and development finance institutions on ASEAN-India mutually agreed terms.

The statement stressed on "adopting a climate-smart approach based on agricultural system models for sustainable agricultural production."

It also stressed on exploring exchanging best practices on social protection and strengthening infrastructure for small and marginal farmers, women and youth.

Moreover, the joint leaders' statement highlighted the need to make use of growing economic opportunities to promote inclusive agriculture value chains, and food systems to enhance the resilience and efficiency of the chains.

"Promote the use of digital technologies in supporting the transformation of agriculture, including exploring the interoperability of relevant digital public infrastructure," the statement said.

The statement further urged to promote the adoption of organic farming to protect the quality of soil, its productivity and ecological sustainability.

The relevant sectoral bodies of ASEAN-India were asked to follow up and implement the joint statement in order to ensure regional food security food availability and rapid response in times of crisis.

Earlier, before leaving for Indonesia on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi said in a statement that he is looking forward to exchanging views with other leaders on practical cooperation measures to collectively address the global challenges.

He also termed the engagement with the ASEAN group as an important pillar of India's 'Act East Policy'.

A joint committee agreed to a regular, quarterly schedule of negotiations, which would conclude the review of the ASEAN-India FTA in 2025.

PM Modi will return to New Delhi on Thursday evening ahead of the G20 Summit, which will be held on September 9 and 10.