India participates in SCO agriculture ministers' virtual meeting

NEW DELHI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- India's Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar participated in the 6th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries on Thursday.

At the meeting, Tomar said that India's agriculture sector performed well even during the severe COVID-19 pandemic, as food production and exports registered significant growth, contributing to global food security.

Tomar further stated that the Indian government had been taking several steps to develop innovative technologies and boost the dissemination of those technologies "from Lab to Land" to empower rural youth and farmers.

The SCO agriculture ministers' meeting was organized virtually in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Tomar mentioned that the Indian government was determined to attain sustainable development goal to end hunger, achieve food security and nutrition.

He also stated that to double the farmers' incomes by next year, the federal government has launched several programs to enhance optimal utilization of water resources, create new infrastructure for irrigation, conserve soil fertility with balanced use of fertilizers, provide connectivity from farm to market, and organic farming etc.