17 April 2023, New Delhi: The G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) is being organized at Varanasi from 17-19th April 2023 by the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. About 80 foreign delegates from the G20 Member States and International Organizations will be participating in the three-day meeting.
The various issues of agriculture research and development including food security and nutrition, climate-smart agriculture, digital agriculture, public-private partnership, etc. have been included for discussion. The “Millets And Other Ancient Grains International Research Initiative (MAHARISHI)” is also proposed for deliberations as a G20 initiative during India’s Presidency. MAHARISHI aims at advancing research collaborations and generating awareness about millets and other ancient grains during the International Year of Millets 2023 and after.
The theme of the MACS 2023 is Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems for Healthy People and Planet. The subsequent technical sessions include presentations by the experts on various sub-themes related to food security and nutrition, resilient agrifood systems, digital agriculture, and sustainable agri-food value chain and public–private participation for agricultural R&D followed by discussion and intervention by the participants.
A dedicated session is planned on MAHARISHI which includes presentations by experts and interventions by all G20 Member States, Guest Countries, and International Organizations. On the Second day, the discussion on the MACS Communique will start post-lunch and the same would conclude on the third day.
