The five-day BRICS Agriculture Conference held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, came to a historic close today. At the end of the conference, the ‘Indore Declaration’ was adopted unanimously. The declaration outlines key decisions on food security, farmer welfare, climate-friendly farming, agricultural trade and digital agriculture.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that BRICS nations represent nearly half the world’s population and contribute around 42% of global agricultural output. He said the Indore Declaration is not just a document of agreement but a symbol of the collective will and shared responsibility of BRICS nations.
Four new institutional initiatives were announced at the conference. Under the first initiative, a Network of Centres of Excellence will be set up for joint research on natural and regenerative farming, with the Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research playing a key role. The second initiative involves setting up a BRICS Digital Agriculture Network to bring Artificial Intelligence and digital technology into farming, which will be coordinated by IIT Delhi. The third initiative will establish a Global Forum to protect farmers’ rights related to seeds and to preserve traditional seed varieties. The fourth initiative will set up the BRICS AgriN Network for sharing agricultural inputs and genetic resources among member countries.
Shri Chouhan also said that the Indian government will continue to provide urea at 266 rupees and DAP at 1350 rupees per bag to farmers, and the government will bear the extra cost burden itself.
On the final day of the conference, representatives of member countries planted saplings together at Meghdoot Garden, establishing the BRICS Vatika.
