By IANS
New Delhi : India Wednesday called for more cooperation among the Saarc member-countries in research and development in agriculture to meet the region’s growing food grain demands.
“Investments and regional cooperation in research and development must be at the top of the policy agenda of Saarc countries,” Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said in his inaugural address at the international conference on ‘Science-based Agricultural Transformation towards Alleviation of Hunger and Poverty in SAARC countries’ here.
Representatives from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations are participating in the three-day conference, organised by the agriculture ministry, the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
“The non-availability of quality and cost-effective inputs, fast deteriorating soil health, water resources and bio-diversity are the critical concerns for agriculture in the region,” Pawar said.
“We need science and technology interventions at a much larger scale at all stages of the agricultural chain,” he stressed.
“The urgency of enhancing agricultural productivity, bridging yield gaps and strengthening regional agricultural research, extension and farmer linkages can hardly be overemphasized,” the minister said.