Digitization of agriculture, technological transformation, and innovation in the farm sector have been the central priorities pushed by the Indian presidency in the GCO this year.
India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant on Monday stressed the need to boost crop productivity through the adoption of new cutting-edge technologies and said the farm sector should be made smart and adaptive to climate change. Kant was speaking at the G20 India Agri-tech Summit 2023 held here.
For higher economic growth in India, he said, “India needs to grow in the agriculture sector. Its productivity must enhance rapidly. That would mean that we will require a lot of new cutting-edge technologies”.
Digitization of agriculture, technological transformation, and innovation in the farm sector have been the central priority pushed by the Indian presidency in the GCO this year, he added.
“Transforming the agriculture sector into a data-driven, smart and adaptive to climate change is integral to the transformation of the agriculture sector,” Kant said, adding that this would entail focus on aspects like open access agricultural data platforms and recognizing them as global public goods.
He also emphasized the need to co-opt startups and responsible investments from the private and public sectors to enhance the welfare of farmers, especially small farmers.
Kant stressed ensuring that farmers adopt these technologies.
The agriculture working group had four priorities this year — food security and nutrition; sustainable agriculture with a climate-smart approach; inclusive agri value chains and food systems; and digitization for agricultural transformation, he informed.
All these G20 priorities of India have been set up in the backdrop of addressing global hunger and malnutrition for achieving the SDG of zero hunger by leveraging technological advancement, Kant said.
He noted that technological advancement in agriculture is really the key. This would translate into providing farmers with real-time data and creating a crop production forecast model.
G20 members, being the major agricultural producers, consumers, and exporters, have come together to take a collective responsibility towards transitioning to a sustainable and resilient agricultural food system.
“Fundamentally, our ambition should be to transform agriculture, the agri-food sector into a very attractive and lucrative modern business enterprise. This needs to be done by keeping the farmers at the core of this digital revolution, by facilitating affordable access to an inclusive digital infrastructure, and by exploring digital tools that cater to the needs of the agri sector,” Kant said.
The event saw participation from the agriculture industry, farmer associations and FPO, delegates from seven G20 nations, agri-tech startups, international delegates and investors, the statement said.
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