Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Travels to Turkey for G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2015 — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, next week to meet his counterparts at the G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting that will focus on food security.

"The G20 ministerial provides an important platform for agricultural leaders to discuss efforts to improve food security around the world," said Vilsack. "From the U.S. perspective, reducing post-harvest loss and food waste play a major role in this effort. We also believe that nations must acknowledge the important role that science plays in increasing crop production and the role that open, rules-based trade can play in growing economies and fostering food security in the face of a changing climate."

The Group of Twenty (G20) is a forum for supporting international economic cooperation and decision-making. It comprises 19 countries plus the European Union. G20 members represent around 85 percent of global gross domestic product, over 75 percent of global trade, and two-thirds of the world's population. Turkey is serving as the president of the G20 in 2015. The Agriculture Ministers Meeting runs from May 7 to May 8.

Following the G20, Vilsack will travel to Amman, Jordan, to sign a government-to-government food assistance agreement.