In a significant step toward enhancing agricultural collaboration, Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW), held a bilateral meeting with Piret Hartman, Estonia’s Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture. The meeting took place at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi on December 4, 2024. The discussions focused on sustainable practices, technological advancements, and enhancing cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors.
Dr. Chaturvedi highlighted India’s key priorities in agriculture, including ensuring food security, leveraging technology for better service delivery to farmers, and promoting crop diversification for increased farmer incomes. He underscored the importance of climate-resilient and organic farming, along with boosting agricultural exports and value addition in horticultural products. Special attention was given to empowering small farmers through initiatives like Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), contract farming, and diversification into livestock and fisheries. The Secretary also detailed strategies to combat climate change, such as promoting efficient water use, sustainable soil health management, and traditional natural farming practices under schemes like Catch the Rain.
Estonian Minister Hartman highlighted her country's achievements in organic farming, food safety, and technology-driven solutions for agriculture. She emphasized Estonia’s innovations in water optimization and precision farming, expressing a strong interest in collaborating with India on food processing, value addition, and advancements in technology-driven agriculture.
Minhaj Alam, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), emphasized the significant growth of India's food processing sector as an excellent opportunity for collaboration. Joint Secretary Ajeet Kumar Sahu highlighted the potential for partnerships within the agri-tech start-up ecosystem, aiming to integrate the expertise from both India and Estonia.
Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable agricultural practices, technological exchange, and capacity-building initiatives. Institutional mechanisms will be leveraged to explore these opportunities further.
Senior officials from India, including Minhaj Alam (MoFPI) and Ajeet Kumar Sahu (DA&FW), and the Estonian delegation, led by Ambassador Marje Luup, participated in the meeting.
