India To Partner US In Developing Agricultural Research

News in brief: India is looking to partner with the US in agricultural research to improve IT, farm economics, seed technology, and other areas. The partnership is important as India faces climate-related challenges and needs to boost food production.

India’s State Agriculture Minister, Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, has expressed his country’s readiness to partner with the United States (US) in areas of agriculture research.

He made the declaration on the third day of his US tour in a meeting with representatives of the country's Department of Agriculture (USDA), according to a news report.

The Indian agriculture minister said the partnership was vital in improving agricultural areas like information technology (IT), farm economics, seed technology, post-harvest management, marketing, emerging technologies, and new planting technology. He disclosed that the Indian government's expected the USDA to cooperate in researching the highlighted areas.

Reddy mentioned the Indian administration's responsibility to ensure that future generations invest in agriculture and allied services. He further highlighted the importance of the agriculture and allied sectors in creating jobs.

The government is already implementing schemes like crop investment and insurance for families of farmers, the minister said, as well as supporting farmers welfare with pro-agricultural policies.

He further noted the strides being recorded in the sector such as recent tremendous production output due to government support.

The USDA oversees agricultural science agencies that ensure the most effective and efficient use of its resources, through partners in the scientific community. It is the expertise and knowledge of these services that India expects to benefit from.

India, which is in South Asia, has been facing some unusual climate-related challenges recently which has forced it to implement restrictive measures to protect its citizens. The country banned non-basmati rice exports and has has its sights on other products too.

With unprecedented weather conditions expected in the near future, it is timely that the one of the world's top food producers is looking at partnerships to improve agricultural research areas.