VIJAYAWADA: The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the State government have entered into an MoU to transform the agriculture sector at the Andhra Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp event held in Vijayawada on Tuesday.
As part of the collaboration, the QCI will provide extensive technical support to agriculture and allied sectors, fuelling AP’s journey towards Viksit Bharat being built on quality and sustainability.
Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy, QCI Chairperson Jaxay Shah, Special Chief Secretary Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, and A Raj, CEO of the National Board for Quality Promotion, QCI, participated in the programme. On the occasion, Kakani launched the QCI IndGAP Portal and presented IndGAP certificates to selected farmers belonging to different districts of the State.
Under the strategic partnership, the QCI will lend its expertise in developing and designing a robust conformity assessment framework for the State’s agriculture sector. The framework will establish quality standards and ensure adherence to best practices throughout the value chain, from farm to fork.
It will provide crucial training programmes for stakeholders at all levels, empowering farmers, cooperatives, industry players, and government officials with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the quality ecosystem effectively.
Kakani said, “We are delighted to join hands with the QCI in the transformative initiative. Their expertise and support will be invaluable in our vision to make Andhra Pradesh a leader in quality agriculture. Together, we will build a quality ecosystem at the grassroots level for all the stakeholders associated with agriculture and its allied sectors, including farmers.”
Jaxay Shah asserted that the Quality Council of India will actively collaborate with the government institutions and agricultural universities in Andhra Pradesh to empower the youth and provide them with an opportunity to contribute in building a holistic quality ecosystem for Viksit Bharat in its Gaurav Kaal.