The G20 Meeting of Agriculture Ministers ends today in Buenos Aires. It seeks to build consensus on public policies for a sustainable food future, one of the priorities of the Argentine G20 presidency this year.
The second and last day of the meeting began at 10.00 am local time with a second visit to Argentina’s famous agricultural fair, the 132rd Rural Expo, at La Rural in Palermo, Buenos Aires. The delegates took part in the cattle demonstration ceremony. Argentine Vice-president, Gabriela Michetti, inaugurated the ceremony, the first woman to do so in the fair’s history.
After a photo at the official grandstand of La Rural, the heads of delegation returned to San Martín Palace, the ceremonial seat of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to continue the meeting that began on Friday afternoon and to work towards a joint declaration. On the agenda are the responsible and comprehensive use of soils, the reduction of food loss and waste, anti-microbial resistance and agricultural innovations, among other issues.
At 2.30 pm local time, the G20 troika will give a press conference. The troika is made up of Argentina, the country currently holding the G20 presidency; Germany, the country that held the presidency last year; and Japan, the country holding the presidency next year. The press conference will be streamed live on the G20 YouTube channel. Luis Miguel Etchevehere, Argentine Minister of Agribusiness; Julia Klöckner, German Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture; and Atsushi Nonaka, Japanese Parliamentary Vice-minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, will brief on the meeting’s main conclusions. A joint declaration also will be issued after the meeting.
Tour among ranchers and farmers
Escorted by farmers exhibiting at the Expo Rural, agriculture ministers toured the fair yesterday evening and had the opportunity to see the prize-winning animals before a dinner of the very best Argentine meat cuts.
A landmark in the G20 agenda
This ministerial meeting is the last of a series of agriculture meetings held at the technical level in Rosario, Jujuy and Buenos Aires this year. The meeting is an important benchmark ahead of the Leaders’ Summit. The agreements and recommendations here will lay the groundwork for the leaders’ agenda.
About the G20
The G20 started out in 1999 as a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors. In 2008, amidst the global financial crisis, it evolved into what it is today: a major forum for dialogue and decision-making attended by world leaders from vital economies. Together, the G20 members represent 85% of global GDP, two-thirds of the world’s population, and 75% of international trade.