At a recent panel discussion at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Dr. Smita Sirohi, MS Swaminathan Chair ICAR–National Professor at the National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, offered her perspective on India’s evolving diplomatic landscape—shaped significantly by its agricultural leadership, negotiation experience, and cultural outreach.
Drawing from her three and a half years at the Embassy of India in Brussels and her later role leading India’s negotiations under the G20 Agriculture Working Group, Dr. Sirohi reflected on the distinctiveness of India’s global presence. She began on a light yet profound note, observing how foreign diplomats posted in India often become reluctant to leave. “Many of my friends in the diplomatic community kept extending their tenures here—until their governments finally said ‘no more extensions,’” she said. Their desire to stay, she remarked, reflects “what India has to offer,” noting that many diplomats end up travelling more extensively across India than most Indians manage in a lifetime.
Turning to diplomacy, she recalled witnessing India’s growing confidence and capability during the G20 processes—both in the Bali Presidency and India’s own. During the Bali round, the Russia–Ukraine conflict had cast a heavy shadow, making negotiations extremely challenging. Many member states were unwilling to even sit together. “We were almost certain there would be no Leaders’ Declaration,” she noted. Yet, it was Indian diplomacy that played a pivotal role in forging consensus and ensuring the declaration’s adoption.
Her experiences became even more intense during India’s G20 Presidency. Senior officials frequently found themselves negotiating past midnight. “I vividly remember nights where we sat negotiating line-by-line until 2 or 3 AM,” she recounted. Despite deep initial disagreements, India succeeded not only in steering discussions toward agreement but also in delivering a historic outcome—the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent G20 member. For her, this reflected both India’s diplomatic agility and its deep commitment to amplifying the voice of the Global South.
In the agriculture track, one of the most contentious areas in global negotiations, India achieved notable progress. Agriculture, she said, is often where negotiations collapse, as seen in the breakdown of the WTO Ministerial in 2013. Yet, she pointed out that agriculture can also be a bridge. Across nations—developed and developing—there is now a shared urgency to transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. “For the Global South especially, production and processing environments are very different from those in the Global North, yet the challenges are shared,” she explained.
Dr. Sirohi highlighted India’s leadership in promoting biofortification, a priority for countries where food and nutrition security require not just quantity but quality. Resistance came from certain regions, “particularly the EU, often due to misconceptions,” but the unity of the Global South helped move the conversation forward. India has also consistently pushed for a permanent solution on public stockholding, underscoring that increased production must be matched by strong food safety nets. Again, Global South countries rallied behind this position.
Climate action, she emphasised, remains a critical concern. Developing countries need much greater support for adaptation. “We have consistently maintained that there should be no trade-off between mitigation and adaptation,” she said, stressing that while both are important, adaptation is existential for the Global South.
Beyond negotiations and policymaking, she touched on a softer but powerful dimension of diplomacy—India’s thriving culinary and tourism diplomacy. From food festivals to seafood and coffee promotions, Indian embassies abroad are actively showcasing the country’s diversity. “These are not small gestures; they create cultural familiarity and open doors for deeper cooperation,” she said, noting that food often accomplishes what official dialogues cannot.
Reflecting on her work with the European Commission, she explained that for India’s agricultural exports, the primary challenge is not tariffs but standards. Future diplomatic engagements, therefore, will increasingly center on science and technology partnerships, innovation, and investment flows. She emphasized that such diplomacy must be reciprocal. “It is not just about exporting our produce; we must also understand and respect the market access aspirations of our partners.”
In her concluding reflections, Dr. Sirohi underscored that the future of diplomacy will be shaped by collaboration in agriculture, food systems governance, and sustainable transitions. A fragmented approach will not work. “If one part of the world fails to transition to sustainable food systems, the efforts of the rest will not be sufficient,” she warned. This is not a Global North versus Global South narrative, she said, but “a truly global agenda.”
Since food underpins health, livelihoods, stability, and security, she believes agricultural diplomacy will remain central to geopolitics. It is not just about farming—it is about shaping the future of global well-being and cooperation.
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