Agriculture Commissioner said- We should be grateful to Indian farmers for ensuring global food security
New Delhi: Recognizing the role of Indian farmers towards global food security, European Agriculture Commission President Janusz Wojciechowski said both India and the European Union (EU) have huge potential to enhance trade relations.
The EU official said the discussions regarding the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have been positive and the agreement related to protection of geographical indications will play an important role in promoting food products of both India and the EU.
Speaking to ANI, Wojciechowski said, “The main goal of this visit is to strengthen and improve trade relations between the EU and India, and I am very satisfied after the meeting with Indian officials and representatives of Indian business, my “I am also with you.” The most important areas of the food system from the European Union”.
He said last year European food exports to India were 1.4 billion euros and Indian imports to the EU were 3.7 billion euros and there is potential for further growth in this trade.
“The second reason is particularly important and I am impressed by the success and achievements of Indian farmers… In India, agricultural production has increased by 24 percent over the last decade from 2004 to 2020. This is a great achievement for all small farmers,” Wojciechowski said.
The EU official lauded the contribution of Indian farmers to productivity, saying it helped ensure global food security.
“…We should be grateful to Indian farmers for their contribution in ensuring global food security. And small farmers…not larger than 2 hectares. They manage only 12 percent of agricultural land in the world, but they produce 35 percent of the food. This is the success story of Indian farmers and most of the farmers in Asia.
Because most of the farmers in Asian countries are very small, but they are very productive. We are grateful to them because food security is a global challenge for all of us.”
Asked about the ongoing negotiations regarding a free trade agreement, the EU official expressed hope that his visit would be a positive step in this direction and said both countries need to strengthen their bilateral ties.
“My talks are very important because we have negotiations on a free trade agreement and we have an agreement about the protection of geographical indications… and I hope that this free trade negotiation agreement will be helpful in improving our cooperation, Wojciechowski added.
Speaking on Geographical Indication, he said that the culture and preservation of these regional products produced in the traditional way is very important for both India and the EU.
“I think our agreement regarding protection of geographical indications will also be very useful for promoting our food in both India and the EU. In the EU, there are a lot of Indian restaurants in Brussels too. I like Indian food.” Which is very good, very healthy. And I hope many consumers in India too will think and feel the same about European food. But we need to strengthen our bilateral relations,” he further said.
