8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of BIMSTEC

Published: 6th Sep, 2021

Context

8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Countries was hosted by India through video conferencing.

Key-highlight of the meeting

The UN Food System Summit 2021 and transformational aspects that are happening across agriculture and food systems globally were highlighted.
It was to enhance the engagement and deepen the cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors amongst the BIMSTEC Member States.
The BIMSTEC Member States also appreciated the greater engagement of India in offering six slots of scholarships for Master and PhD programmes in agriculture and other initiatives for capacity development & training.

What is BIMSTEC?

BIMSTEC is an economic bloc that came into being on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
BIMSTEC headquarters is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sectors were later expanded to 14 areas of cooperation.
- Agriculture is one among the 14 sectors.
Out of the 7 members,
- Five are from South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
- Two are from Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Thailand
BIMSTEC not only connects South and Southeast Asia, but also the ecologies of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.
BIMSTEC has emerged as the “preferred platform” for regional cooperation in South Asia.
It mainly aims to create an enabling environment for
- Rapid economic development
- Accelerate social progress
- Promote collaboration on matters of common interest in the region

BIMSTEC Importance to India: It provides a new platform for India to engage with its neighbours with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) becoming dysfunctional because of differences between India and Pakistan.

BIMSTEC allows India to pursue three core policies-

Neighbourhood First – primacy to the country’s immediate periphery;
Act East – connect India with Southeast Asia; and
Economic development of India’s north-eastern states – by linking them to the Bay of Bengal region via Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Allows India to counter China’s creeping influence in countries around the Bay of Bengal due to the spread of its One Belt and One Road Initiative.
It is of utmost significance to India as it is a major support in implementing its Act East Policy and the development of its ambitious ‘Sagar Mala’ project.

CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC IAS

8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of BIMSTEC

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC IAS

8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of BIMSTEC

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