H.E. Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, India

19/09/2022

New Delhi, India, 19 September 2022 – The Ninth Session of the Governing Body (GB-9) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) was formally inaugurated by the Indian Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, H.E. Narendra Singh Tomar at the Pullman Aerocity in New Delhi in the presence of over 400 delegates from close to 100 countries. The proceedings began with the customary Indian commencement practice of lamp lighting by Minister Tomar and the other dignitaries on stage.

The Chairperson of GB-9, Ms Yasmina El Bahloul, opened the inaugural session by thanking the Indian government and, in particular the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare for their gracious hospitality as the hosts of GB-9. In her welcoming remarks, the Chair pointed out that the International Treaty is “the only legally-binding global instrument that explicitly acknowledges the enormous contribution of farmers, and local and indigenous communities towards the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA).” Article 9 of the Treaty acknowledges their contribution and calls upon Contracting Parties (members) to recognize and protect Farmers’ Rights and traditional knowledge. She said, “India is a pioneer in safeguarding the interests of their farmers, and in implementing Article 9 through national legislation,” she said.

In his inaugural address, Minister Tomar recalled how tribal and traditional farming communities have adapted and managed the rich diversity of PGRFA for centuries.

FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu addressed the delegates through a video message and spoke of smallholder farmers as ‘food heroes’ who feed the world. He also talked of the various current global challenges and said that the International Treaty was well-positioned to help address many of them, including climate change, conservation of agro-biodiversity and food security. He encouraged all FAO member countries to join the International Treaty.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Shombi Sharp commended the International Treaty and all present for advancing its implementation and, thereby, also the causes of safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring food security.

Pudi Soren, a young female farmer involved in a project supported by the International Treaty’s Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) travelled with her husband and younger child for more than 24 hours to get from her village in Bihar all the way to New Delhi to share with the visiting delegates her story of how her life has been impacted through her involvement in the BSF project. The project reintroduced climate-resilient and nutritious traditional crop varieties into farmers’ fields, making it possible for them to grow food crops year-round. She said, “What I grow sustains my family, but in the future, I want to take it to market to earn some money. But there are few problems that we face as marginal farmers. Rainfall is reducing. Thankfully, Mandua and Lotani can be grown with less water.”

International Treaty Secretary, Kent Nnadozie, thanked the Indian government, particularly H.E. Minister Tomar for generously hosting GB-9 and for providing excellent facilities for the conduct of the Session. In his opening remarks, Secretary Nnadozie said, “The future of food depends on our conserving and sustainably using the plant genetic resources available during our own lifetime.” He spoke of the evolution of the International Treaty and emphasized the need for it to continue growing and protecting the “food basket” of the world.

Other speakers at the half-day inaugural and opening ceremony included Mr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of the Indian Centre for Agricultural Research and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education; Mr Marco Ferroni, CGIAR System Board Chair; Mr Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust; Mr Santosh Attavar, Vice President of the International Seed Federation; Ms Irene Hoffmann, Secretary of the Commission for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, FAO; in addition to video messages from youth environmental activist and poet, Jordan Sanchez; and the Spanish chefs, the Roca Brothers, in addition to special short videos from the International Treaty and the Indian Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

GB-9 will be in Session from 19-24 September and was preceded by two days of regional and inter-regional consultations and a Special Event on 17 September 2022, “Celebrating Farmers as Guardians of Crop Diversity.”

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