NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, represented India at the 3rd BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministerial Meeting (BAMM) held in Kathmandu. During this meeting, he proposed the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Cooperation.
Agriculture ministers and senior agriculture officials from the BIMSTEC countries - India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka - gathered for the third time to discuss strategies for boosting the BIMSTEC agriculture sector, including cooperation in fisheries and livestock.
“Agriculture and Food Security” is one of the BIMSTEC core areas of cooperation to promote regional development, connectivity and economic progress in the Bay of Bengal. The 1st BAMM took place in Myanmar on 12 July 2019, followed by the 2nd BAMM in India on 10 November 2022.
In his address, Chouhan stated that BIMSTEC is a natural choice for India to fulfil its key foreign policy priorities of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East Policy’.
“BIMSTEC has the potential to connect South and Southeast Asia as we have a shared history and a rich cultural heritage that makes us natural partners,” said Chouhan.
He reiterated India’s commitment to strengthen agricultural cooperation within BIMSTEC and felt happy to note that India has taken the initiative under BIMSTEC Agriculture Cooperation (2023-2027) by organising trainings and workshops in the field of seed development, animal health and pest management.
“To further strengthen cooperation among BIMSTEC countries, India has proposed the establishment of 'BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence for Agriculture Cooperation in India',” said Chouhan.
The proposed centre will play an important role in resolving and operationalizing various commitments of BIMSTEC in agriculture and allied sectors in a timely manner.
“This centre will focus on precision agriculture, mitigating climate risk, natural farming, gender equality and artificial intelligence and serve as a platform for sharing knowledge and skills on emerging technologies including drones, digital technologies to ensure food security, nutrition and livelihood security in the region,” he further adds.