The First G20 Agriculture Deputies Meeting was held in Beijing on March 24, 2016. Vice Minister Chen Xiaohua attended and addressed the opening ceremony.
Chen pointed out that food security and agricultural development has always been one of the priorities of the G20. Nowadays the international community is transitioning from the Millennium Development Goals to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. G20 should accelerate the shift in agricultural growth patterns, providing underlying support for an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy. G20 members should be fully aware of the importance of agriculture in the national economy, play a leading role and enhance sustainable development of the agricultural productivity of all countries. In its presidency of the G20 in 2016, based on the principle of inclusiveness, openness and transparency, China will forge consensus among G20 members and facilitate consultation on agricultural development so as to boost food security and sustainable agricultural development of G20 and the world.
The G20 Agricultural Ministers Meeting will be held in Xi'an on June 3, 2016. It will be the third meeting after the previous ones in France and Turkey. A Communique of the Agricultural Ministers Meeting is expected to be released then. At the Agriculture Deputies Meeting, delegates carried out intensive negotiations and reached preliminary consensuses on the draft Communique, providing a solid basis for a successful Agricultural Ministers Meeting.
Altogether, over 130 delegates and 33 delegations from G20 members, guest countries and related international organizations attended the meeting. Before the G20 Agricultural Ministers Meeting, there will be the Meeting of G20 Agricultural Chief Scientists and the First G20 Agricultural Entrepreneurs Forum, which will enhance exchanges among G20 members on improving food security system, strengthening innovation in S&T and mechanism, upgrading agricultural trade and promoting common prosperity, thus releasing greater influence of the G20.