BRICS-Agricultural Research Platform

Context:

• Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announced the operationalization of BRICS Agricultural Research Platform.
• It is set up in India for strengthening the cooperation in the field of agricultural research & innovations amongst the BRICS member States.

About BRICS- Agricultural Research Platform:

• It is a global platform for science-led agriculture.
• It will help in addressing the issues of world hunger, under nutrition, poverty and inequality by promoting sustainable agricultural development through strategic cooperation in agriculture and allied sector.
• It has been operationized to intensify cooperation in the areas of agricultural research, technology, policy, innovations and capacity building including technologies for smallholder farming and to sustainably increase yields and farmers income in the BRICS member countries.
• The platform shall escalate the exchange of research findings and innovation and best practices for upscaling in the respective BRICS Nations.
• The BRICS Nations have also appointed their focal points for BRICS-ARP to interact virtually through the platform and identify the common problems and develop joint projects for finding the solutions.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research is the focal organization from India.

Key highlights of the BRICS Agriculture Ministers meet:

• Agrobiodiversity has a prime role in addressing the food security and nutrition and developing the resilient agri-food systems.
• Action plan 2021-24 for agricultural cooperation among BRICS countries adopted.
• By increasing agricultural production and increasing the income of farmers, the problem of income inequality and food price volatility can be overcome.
• India is actively promoting the diversification of its agri-food systems through countrywide programs such as pulses, oilseeds, horticultural crops, National Bamboo Mission and the recently launched National Palm Oil Mission.
• The objective of these programs is to increase the income of the farmers along with providing diversification in both farm and plate.
• United Nations has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets and preparations are being made to celebrate the International Year of Millets at the global level.
• India is focusing on capacity building in research, teaching, policy-making, trade and farming of nutritious cereals, which will benefit the farmers while conserving the amazing diversity available in this group of crops.
• After the meeting a Joint declaration of the eleventh meeting of BRICS Agriculture Ministers covering a wide range of focus areas for future cooperation amongst BRICS countries was adopted.
• The Action Plan of 2021-24 for Agricultural Cooperation of BRICS Countries provides for enhanced cooperation in the field of agriculture amongst BRICS nations and focuses on the themes of food security, welfare of farmers, conservation of agrobiodiversity, resilience of food and agricultural production systems, promotion of digital agricultural solutions

What is BRICS? How did these countries come together?

1. It is an informal group of states comprising the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa.
2. It is actually a forum than a traditional-type organization with rigid membership and regulations.
3. Originally the first four were grouped as "BRIC" (or "the BRICs"), before the induction of South Africa in 2010.
4. At the Fortaleza Summit (2014), in Brazil, the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) were created
5. Among other areas of collaboration, matters pertaining to drug trafficking is an important area of cooperation among the BRICS member states.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1749721