Brics nations launch land restoration pacts, join hands to stop soil fertility loss

NEW DELHI: Brics nations, including India, have launched " Brics Land Restoration Partnership " to address the issues of land degradation , desertification, and soil fertility loss in the group's 11 member countries, and reiterated their resolve to make the global agri-food system fair, inclusive, innovative, and sustainable.

The move was supported by these countries at the 15th Brics Agriculture Ministers' meeting in Brasilia, Brazil on Thursday. It was the first agriculture ministers' meeting of the expanded Brics which now has 11 members.

India was represented by Union agriculture and rural development minister minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the meet.

Chouhan in his speech emphasised the need to place welfare of small and marginal farmers at centre of global agricultural strategies.

Brics nations collectively account for 47% of the world's population and contribute 36% of global GDP.

Besides five old members, Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa, six new members - Egypt, Ethiopia, UAE, Iran, Indonesia and Saudi - have joined the group in past year. The meeting underlined need to make agricultural trade fair, control global price volatility, and ensure remunerative prices for small farmers.

India stressed on the importance of public food stockholding systems, MSP, and value chains that connect smallholders directly to consumers.