Agriculture Crucial for India's Development: Niti Aayog

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) Agriculture will play a central role in India's development trajectory as strong rural demand supports manufacturing and economic revival, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery said on Wednesday.

According to an official statement, the Aayog and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) signed a Statement of Intent (SoI), aiming to fortify policy and programme frameworks contributing to India's development objectives.

"In India's development trajectory, agriculture will play a central role", the statement said, quoting Bery.

Bery said increasing productivity of agriculture, coupled with a shift towards natural and soil-friendly practices, is crucial.

"Strong rural demand supports manufacturing and economic revival and is critical for India's transformation over the next 25 years," he said.

Speaking at the event, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said the SoI will lead to collaborative work between the government think tank and IFPRI that can generate new insights into the role of agriculture in shaping economic development in India and other emerging economies.

According to the statement, the SoI activities include developing and tracking rural transformation indicators, supporting the design and evaluation of flagship programmes, providing policy analytical tools, and generating evidence on India's agri-food trade in regional and global contexts.

IFPRI will provide policy analytics and support to Niti Aayog in mutually identified areas within the broader realm of food systems transformation, initially focusing on agriculture, rural development, trade, and climate change policies in India, the statement said.