Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Namaskar, I welcome you all to India. Agriculture is at the heart of human civilization, and so as agriculture ministers, your task is not simply.
That of handling 1 sector of the economy. You shoulder a big responsibility for the future of humanity. Globally, agriculture provides livelihood for over 2.5 billion people in the global South.
Agriculture accounts for almost 30% of GDP and over 60% of jobs, and today this sector faces several challenges. The supply chain disruption caused by the pandemic.
Have been burdened by the impact of geopolitical tensions. Climate change is causing extreme weather events more and more frequently. These challenges are felt most by the global S friends I want to share with you.
What India is doing in this most vital sector, our policy is a fusion of back to basics and March to future. We are promoting natural farming as well as technology enabled farming farmers.
All over India are taking up natural farming now. They are not using synthetic fertilizer or pesticides. Their focus is on rejuvenating the mother earth, protecting soil, health, producing per drop more crop.
And promoting organic fertilizers and pest management solutions. At the same time, our farmers are proactively using technology to boost productivity. They are generating and using solar power.
On their farms, they are using soil health cards to optimize crop selection and drones to spray nutrients and monitor their crops. I believe this fusion approach is the best way to address several issues in agriculture, friends.
As you know, the year 2023 is being celebrated at the International Year of Millets. You will find a reflection of this on your plates in Hyderabad with many disease based on millets or Sri Anna as we call it in India.
The Super foods are not only healthy to consume, but they also help raise the income of our farmers by using less water, needing less fertilizer and being more paste resistant. Of course, millets are not new.
They have been cultivated for thousands of years, but markets and marketing had influenced our choices so much that we forgot the value of traditionally grown food crops. Let us embrace Sri UN millets at the food of our choice.
As part of our own commitment, India is developing an Institute of Millets Research as a center of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technology in Millets. Friends, I urge you to deliberate on how to undertake.
Collective action to achieve global food security. We must find ways to build sustainable and inclusive food systems. Focus on marginal farmers. We must find ways to strengthen global fertilizer supply chains at the same time.
Adopt agricultural practices for better soil health, crop health and yield traditional practices from different parts of the world may inspire us to develop alternative for regenerative agriculture. We need to empower our farmers with innovation and digital technology.
We must also make solutions affordable for small and marginal farmers. In the global S there is also an urgent need to reduce agriculture and food waste and instead invest in creating wealth from wastes. France, India, G20 priorities in agriculture focus on healing.
Our one Earth creating harmony within our one family and giving hope for a bright one future. I am happy to learn that we are working on two concrete outcomes, the Deccan High Level principles of Food Security and nutrition, and the Maharshi Initiative for millets and other grains.
The support to these two initiatives is a statement in support for inclusive, sustainable and resilient agriculture. I wish you all success in your deliberations. Thank you.