BRIC agri ministers to talk on food security

Ways to pool efforts to ensure global food security would be discussed at the first-ever meeting of agriculture ministers of the dynamically growing grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and China in Moscow on Friday.

India would be represented by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who arrived in Moscow on Wednesday night on a three-day visit.

"The agriculture ministers of BRIC nations are to discuss issues related to the food security and role of information exchange in optimising their agricultural development, including mitigation of negative impact of climate change on it, by way of modernisation," a Russian agriculture ministry release said ahead of the meeting.

With a total population of 2.83 billion, BRIC nations jointly produce 40 per cent of wheat and are a source of 50 per cent pork and more than 30 per cent of poultry meat in the world.

The four nations are home to 42 per cent of the global population and 32 per cent of the arable land.

The BRIC agriculture ministers are also expected to discuss the problem of import restrictions in their countries on the agricultural produce and ways to remove them by adopting mutually acceptable standards of quality control.

Experts in Moscow noted that the BRIC group of fastest emerging economies would impart dynamism to the positive development of global economy.

At the end of their one-day session, the BRIC agriculture ministers are expected to adopt a joint declaration and interact with the local business community.