The 20th ASEAN-India Summit, held in Jakarta, Indonesia on Thursday, agreed to strengthen cooperation on food security and nutrition through promoting mutual trade and investment.
Rice, a staple food for billions across Asia, faces challenges such as changing climatic conditions, including lower rainfall that has impacted rice production. To address these issues, the leaders acknowledged the importance of millets, citing their nutritional richness, climate resilience, health benefits, and ecological sustainability.
Prime Minister Modi, in his address during the summit, emphasized the pivotal role of the ASEAN region in global development, referring to it as the “epicenter of growth.”
The leaders also welcomed the ‘ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crises,’ adopted on September 5, 2023. This declaration commits to sustaining the food trade supply chain despite disruptions, ensuring the unimpeded trade and flow of agri-food products and essential farm inputs.
In 2019, two-way merchandise trade between ASEAN and India reached USD 77.0 billion, with India being ASEAN’s sixth-largest trading partner and the eighth-largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) among ASEAN Dialogue Partners.
The ASEAN-India Joint Leaders’ Statement outlined a comprehensive approach to cooperation on food security and nutrition. This includes promoting trade and investment, sharing information, experiences, and best practices in the food, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors.
The ASEAN-India Summit is held every year to discuss cooperation between the two regions. This year’s summit was particularly focused on food security and nutrition, as the two regions are facing increasing challenges in these areas.
