By IANS,
New Delhi : India can explore the possibility of supplying high quality wheat to Iran from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, following complaints of fungal disease in some of the Indian wheat supplied from Punjab and Haryana, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said Tuesday.
On complaints of karnal bunt, a fungal disease, affecting some of the wheat supplied to Iran, the minister said some of the wheat from Haryana and Punjab had shown the disease.
“I have seen the problem. The wheat grown in some states is free from karnal bunt. Madhya Pradesh is a major producer of high quality wheat, free from karnal bunt, as well as Rajasthan.. We can export from these states,” said Pawar at the Economic Editors Conference here.
His comments came even as a delegation of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) is visiting Tehran to attend the Tehran International Industry Exhibition (TIIE).
In Tehran, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Energy for Water and Hydroelectric Power Stations Alireza Daemi has said that Iran is keen for expanding cooperation with India in the agriculture industry.
Daemi made the remarks during a meeting between the visiting Indian delegation and managers of Iran’s water department in Tehran on Monday, said Iran’s Fars news agency.
“The deputy minister said that Iran is keen to cooperate with India to establish large agro-industry complexes.
Assocham in a statement said, that the trade body “has mounted a multi-sectoral business delegation to Iran to explore business prospects for Indian industries in Iran and spread awareness about attractiveness for doing business in India.”
Assocham`s International Affairs Council Chairman Anil K. Agarwal said the visit would strengthen the bilateral trade and co-operation between the two countries. The annual bilateral trade between India and Iran is currently estimated at about USD 15 billion and is heavily in favour of Iran which exports mainly oil, worth over USD 12 billion and imports goods worth a meagre USD 2.5 billion from India.