Food shortages affecting the poorest countries in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine - the two countries are among the world's biggest wheat producers and exporters - figured in the 2+2 dialogue of Indian and US diplomatic and defence leaders in Washington Monday,

“A number of countries are discussing with us the possibility of greater food supplies, including the World Food Program”, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.  “An equally big worry which is emerging is of food security,” Jaishankar said at a news conference after their meeting. 

“There are concerns across geographies of societies who are importing wheat or sugar or other foodstuff out of the conflict region”, he said.

“Our countries are working together to try to bring more food to world markets, as well as to the World Food Program”, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

“So we have discussed today – not just us, but I think the subject also came up in the virtual summit between Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi and President [Joe] Biden – about what could India do to stabilise the global economic situation”, Jaishankar said.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin participated in the fourth edition of the 2+2 Strategic Dialogue with Jaishankar and Blinken.  

India has already started responding to the need for greater supplies of wheat and also to some extent sugar, Jaishankar said. India is providing significant humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine, especially medicines, he said.

Blinken said that Modi and Biden who met before their 2+2 meeting “had a very warm and productive conversation today in their virtual summit” and covered a lot of ground, including Covid-19, climate change, strengthening the global economy, the free and open Indo-Pacific.

In a possible boost for Modi’s “Make in India” programme, Jaishankar said, “We discussed an Indian initiative called Performance-Linked Initiative which would incentivise manufacturing in India, and I think it’s very much in American interest to support it”.

 Regarding India’s energy needs, Blinken said, “We’ve dramatically increased our own energy trade with India, diversifying its energy sources.  Our energy exports to India now total about $11 billion a year”.  

But ultimately it will have to meet its energy needs from clean sources and honour the goals to beat climate change, he said.

“We are committed, for our part, to partnering in India’s clean energy transition, and this needs to be a partnership.  We have a responsibility – a historic responsibility as well as a current responsibility,” he said.

The US Development Finance Corporation announced a $500 million loan to First Solar, which will produce solar panel modules in southern India, diversifying solar supply chains, he said.

A Working Group on Education and Skill Training was formed on Monday that will increase the number of students by bringing institutions in the United States and India together to develop new joint research and exchange programs, he added.

“We’re very lucky in the United States to be home to some 4 million Indian Americans, as well as 200,000 Indians studying in our universities”, Blinken said.