I2U2 Summit and Food Security

• 15 Jul 2022

For Prelims: I2U2, West Asian Quad, Food Security, Abraham Accords, Maritime Security

For Mains: Significance of I2U2 for India

Why in News?

Recently, first I2U2 (India, Israel, United States and the United Arab Emirates) leaders' Summit was held virtually.

What is I2U2?

• About:
  • I2U2 stands for India, Israel, the UAE, and the US, and was also referred to as the ‘West Asian Quad’.
  • I2U2 was initially formed in October, 2021 following the Abraham Accords, to deal with issues concerning maritime security, infrastructure and transport.
    • The Abraham Accord is the first Arab-Israeli peace deal in 26 years mediated by the USA.
• Objectives:
  • Its stated aim is to discuss “common areas of mutual interest, to strengthen the economic partnership in trade and investment in our respective regions and beyond”.
  • Six areas of cooperation have been identified by the countries mutually, and the aim is to encourage joint investments in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.

What are the Key Highlights of the Summit?

• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced to invest USD 2 billion in India to develop Food Parks across the country.
• India will provide appropriate land for the project and will facilitate farmers’ integration into the Food Parks.
• The Grouping declared to support a "hybrid renewable energy project" in Gujarat, consisting of 300 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar capacity.
  • The project is expected to be another step in India's quest for "500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030".
• The US and Israeli private sectors will be invited to lend their expertise and offer innovative solutions that contribute to the overall sustainability of the projects under the Grouping.

What is Food Park?

• Food Park is a concept that aims at establishing the direct linkages from the farm to processing to consumer markets.
• It comprises Collection Centres (CCs) and Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) linked to a Central Processing Centre.

What is the Significance of Food Parks?

• Tackles Food Insecurity:
  • Investments in Food Parks will help maximize crop yields and, in turn, help tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East.
  • They are aimed at cutting down "food waste and spoilage".
    • India is a major, major food producer in the world.
    • The focus on food and energy security has acquired urgency in the backdrop of the current military situation in Ukraine that has unleashed cascading negative effects on food, energy and other sectors.
• Increase in Income:
  • Farmers' income will multiply and they will come on board.
• Streamline Agricultural Supply Chains:
  • India was chosen as the location for the food project because of its proximity to Israel and the UAE that will help in creating a smooth agriculture supply chain.

Way Forward

• Only partnership can overcome today's conflicts and overlapping challenges, the most important of which are food and energy security, climate change and healthcare.
• India also has very longstanding ties to and engagement in the Middle East, and relationships not just with the Gulf countries but relationships — a relationship over the years with Israel.
• And so just as the United States can play a critical and central role in helping deepen Israel’s integration into the region, India has a role to play in that as well.
• India “plays a critical role” in the Indo-Pacific, adding that it is “one of the largest, most significant, most strategically consequential countries in the Indo-Pacific, and so it should play a central role in our strategy, including through the Quad.

Source: IE