India, Nepal Sign Agriculture MoU to Boost Cooperation

New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) India and Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Wednesday to enhance cooperation in agriculture, replacing a previous agreement from December 1991, according to an official statement.

The agreement was finalised following bilateral talks between India's Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Nepal's Ramnath Adhikari on the sidelines of the 3rd BIMSTEC Ministerial meeting in Kathmandu.

"The ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture and discussed ways to further enhance collaboration for mutual benefit of both nations," the statement said.

The new MoU aims to strengthen cooperation in areas, including crop productivity improvement, post-harvest management, agricultural research, capacity building, market access, agricultural trade, and climate-resilient farming practices.


Both sides discussed plans to convene Joint Agriculture Working Group (JAWG) meetings under the new agreement and enhance cooperation between the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC).

The ministers also reviewed progress on India's proposal to establish an Agro-Industrial Park in Chitwan and agricultural projects under India's High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) in Nepal.

Separately, Chouhan met with BIMSTEC Secretary General Indramani Pandey to discuss regional agricultural cooperation, citing shared challenges such as climate change and food security among member countries.

In another meeting, Chouhan held talks with Bhutan's Agriculture and Livestock Minister Lyonpo Younten Phuntsho, where they discussed cooperation in irrigation channels and mega farms.