The ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry and the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, held fourth ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AIMMAF) on January 12, 2018 in New Delhi. The Meeting was Co-chaired by Grisada Boonrach, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand and Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.
Both Ministers were satisfied with the progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN – India Plan of Action (POA) 2011-2015 to implement the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity. Both tasked their respective senior officials for the full implementation of the POA, which would help further deepen and enhance the ASEAN-India cooperation in food, agriculture including animal husbandry and fisheries, and forestry as well as contribute towards the achievement of the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals, and the related goals of the UN Zero Hunger Challenge.
In particular, under the Action Programme on “Promote Capacity Building, Technology Transfer, and R&D as Mutually Agreed for Global Competence in Agriculture”, four capacity building activities were implemented during the 2013–2015, on (i) IT Application for Agricultural Extension (e-Extension), (ii) National seed quality control system, (iii) Organic certification for fruit and vegetables and (iv) Conventional and molecular techniques for diagnosis of trans-boundary animal diseases, both Minister said.
During the POA, training on Buffalo production using reproductive biotechnology was conducted. We look forward to the implementation of more capacity building programmes in 2018 on the Empowerment of ASEAN and Indian women through cooperatives, and managing food security and price volatility, the Agriculture Ministers informed.
We supported the prioritization of joint collaborative projects in the areas of (i) Agroforestry interventions for livelihood opportunities, (ii) Demonstration and exchange of farm implement and machinery, and (iii) Genetic improvement of parental lines and development of heterotic rice hybrids, the Ministers said in the joint statement.
