“60% of the world’s arable and yet uncultivated land is in Africa. Today we all see the crisis that the world is going through and especially with Ukraine getting out of the equation of supplying wheat to African nations and many other poorer countries, prices have sold out. The entire world can change. 5-10% of that 60% uncultivated land can dramatically alter the food chain and food ecosystem of the world,” he said while speaking at the B20 summit in the capital on Friday.
Talking about how the Africa economic integration has been an issue debated at length in the last several decades, Mittal said that it is picking up momentum. “You have all seen our prime minister deeply engaged with the world leaders to get the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20. “I personally believe we are going to see this happen this year,” he added.
Elaborating further he said that though it is one of the most populous young continents across the globe, it is equally one of the most backward parts of the world. “It really needs to get attention, and I am glad that India will be taking leadership in this particular area.
Speaking about how he has been deeply engaged with the B20 process in Turkey, Germany and China, Mittal said that not not all aspects discussed in B20 necessarily get into the G20 agenda. “But every now and then there are one or two issues which get picked up as it gets carried to a consensus statement, and perhaps execution of the G 20 agenda. And that’s precisely what we’re looking for here,” he said. The Business 20 (B20) is the official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community. Established in 2010, B20 is known to be the most prominent engagement groups in G20, with companies and business organisations as participants. Attended by a host of industry representatives, industry professionals and government dignitaries, the forum saw active participation by key stakeholders.
