Members of the Group of 20 (G20) should work together to keep the international supply chain of agricultural products stable and ensure food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu said Tuesday.

"Agriculture is the ballast of economic and social stability that requires special attention in the face of risks," Han said during an extraordinary virtual meeting of the G20 Agriculture Ministers.

Han called for joint efforts of the G20 members to address the common crises posed by the pandemic, stressing the need to restore agricultural production and guarantee the timely planting of crops in the Northern Hemisphere.

Agricultural trade should also be ensured by reducing trade barriers and keeping global logistics smooth, and multilateral cooperation should be enhanced with support to international institutions including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development to play their part, the minister said.

China's agricultural sector has withstood the test of the COVID-19 outbreak, Han said, citing stable supply and prices of daily necessities including rice, meat, vegetables and fruits in major cities and the normal spring agricultural production.

Han said the country will continue to coordinate anti-virus efforts and agricultural production and go all-out to secure a bumper harvest for this year. 

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