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G20 Ministers Unite Against Weaponizing Food, India Stresses Food Security
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CNBC TV18•01-10-2026, 21:44
G20 Ministers Unite Against Weaponizing Food, India Stresses Food Security
- •G20 Trade Ministers reached a consensus on a statement opposing the weaponisation of food through coercive trade actions, with India emphasizing the protection of food security within a rules-based trading system.
- •Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that food must never be used as an instrument of pressure, highlighting the impact of disruptions on developing countries and warning of potential food crises from fertilizer shortages.
- •Goyal detailed India's food security measures, including providing free foodgrains to over 800 million people, maintaining public stocks, and procuring from small farmers, all recognized under WTO rules.
- •India reiterated its support for a rules-based, fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core, and highlighted existing mechanisms like G20 AMIS.
- •On the sidelines, Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to discuss the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement and invited US companies to invest in India's expanding industrial base and advanced manufacturing.
Key Questions Answered
G20 trade ministers reached a consensus on a statement opposing the weaponisation of food through coercive trade actions, with India emphasizing the necessity of protecting food security while maintaining an open, rules-based trading system.
Piyush Goyal stated that over 800 million Indians receive free foodgrains, and explained that India maintains public stocks, procures from small and marginal farmers, and applies transparent measures recognized under WTO rules to ensure food availability.
Goyal met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to discuss an interim agreement under the proposed India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, and also met Brazilian ministers to discuss expanding the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement.
