India-Ukraine 1stJoint Working Group Meeting on Agriculture Held

India-Ukraine 1stJoint Working Group Meeting on Agriculture Held

The first Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on Agriculture was held between India and Ukraine today in virtual mode. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Joint Secretary (IC), Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfares and Ms. Oksana Osmachko, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine. Officials from both countries emphasized that the meeting marks an important milestone in strengthening bilateral cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors.

Shri Ajeet Kumar Sahu provided an overview of the agriculture and allied sectors emphasizing India’s remarkable agricultural achievements. He highlighted a series of innovative initiatives launched by the government to strengthen the agricultural sector, which includedthe use of digital solutions, promotingclimate-resilient agricultural practices, risk mitigation, and credit initiatives of the government. Other noteworthy programs mentioned by him included the National Mission on Edible Oils Oilseeds, National Food Security Mission Pulses, and e-NAM, which aims to foster growth in the agriculture sector and rural development.

Ms. Oksana Osmachko, emphasised Ukraine’s commitment to strengthening its valued partnership with India. She expressed Ukraine’s strong interest in deepening cooperation in key areas such as food processing, agricultural mechanisation, digital agriculture, genome editing, plant breeding technologies, soil fertility, and soil mapping. She further emphasized that both countries, with their rich agricultural experience, have the potential to complement each other in enhancing productivity, promoting mechanisation, and improving farmers’ welfare.

Both sides discussed key issues related to cooperation in horticulture, technology transfer, knowledge sharing, capacity building, research collaboration and market access among other issues.

The meeting was also attended by senior officials from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the Department of Fisheries, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Ministry of External Affairs.