India & Uzbekistan to Expand Cooperation in Agriculture

Today in New Delhi, the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Jamshid Khodjayev, met with the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar. During the meeting, it was decided to take forward the ongoing agricultural cooperation between the two countries'.

Congratulating Khodjayev on his appointment as Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Tomar said that Khodjayev's previous experience as the country's Agriculture Minister would be invaluable in his new role. He said the two countries have excellent diplomatic and trade relations.

Tomar expressed his delight that special attention has been paid to mutual cooperation in agriculture. He informed Khodjayev that India has decided to provide market access for Uzbekistan's Grapes, Plums, and Sweet Cherries, and that the notification will be published soon, while India has received approval from the Uzbek side for the export of Mangoes, Bananas, and Soyabean Oilcakes. Tomar urged the Uzbek government to expedite the import of pomegranate, potato, papaya, and wheat.

The minister further stated that the agriculture sector is rapidly developing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and that work on various aspects in the interest of farmers is being done with great enthusiasm.

Agriculture production in the country has increased significantly as a result of farmer-friendly policies implemented by the government, scientists, and farmers, and agricultural education and research in India is also at an advanced stage. He stated that Prime Minister Modi wants the entire world to benefit from India's agricultural development.

Earlier, Khodjayev congratulated India on the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, saying that India's agricultural experience is very good, which Uzbekistan would like to learn about, including farmer support. "Like India, we want to change the course of agriculture in Uzbekistan, and we want to learn from India about that," he said.

In this regard, he requested that the Indian Agricultural Research Institutes pass on the benefits of R&D to Uzbekistan. Khodjayev, recognising the growing trend of digitization in Indian agriculture, called for similar digitization in Uzbekistan in collaboration with Indian companies. He also lauded India's Public Distribution System, Minimum Support Price (MSP) system, and other policies, and spoke of learning from India's experience.