Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 8 January 2026 chaired a high level meeting at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi with representatives from leading international and multilateral development organisations to strengthen collaboration and align long term priorities for sustainable agricultural development.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Discussions focused on deepening cooperation to support farmers’ welfare, improve livelihoods and formulate long term policies for sustainable growth in the agriculture and allied sectors.
Welcoming the participants, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said India’s agricultural journey has been marked by a remarkable transformation from a food deficit nation to a major global exporter of key agricultural commodities. He highlighted the role played by international organisations in this progress and noted that India has successfully achieved food security and is now moving decisively towards nutritional security and sustainable livelihood creation. He added that India is well placed to share its experiences and best practices with other countries while also learning from global innovations and successful models adopted elsewhere, fostering mutual growth and cooperation.
Representatives of the international organisations outlined key areas for future collaboration, including inclusive agriculture, improved market access for small and marginal farmers and a strong focus on youth, women and farmer organisations. They also emphasised the importance of technology and innovation, finance, private sector participation and investment, along with enhanced research and development, digital agriculture, post harvest infrastructure, climate resilient crops and sustainable natural resource management.
The Agriculture Minister thanked the representatives for their insights and constructive suggestions, saying these would play an important role in strengthening long term planning and policy formulation in the agriculture sector. He reaffirmed India’s commitment to working closely with global partners to advance shared goals of sustainability, resilience and farmer prosperity.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, additional secretaries and other senior officials of the ministry.
