Under the Indo-US Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture Education, Research, Services and Commercial Linkages, a joint Board has been constituted.  The Board has identified priority focus areas namely:

q       Education, Learning Resources, Curriculum Development and Training,

q       Food Processing, Use of Byproducts and Bio-fuels

q       Biotechnology

q       Water Management

A detailed Work Plan has also been drawn up.

The third meeting of the Board is scheduled in the second week of June in Washington, USA.  Wide consultations are being held by the Indian Council of Agricultural research with different stakeholders in this regard.  As part of the process, ICAR organized an interface last week in New Delhi with the private sector in which industry associations, industry representatives including important individual players participated.  The Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia chaired this important interaction.  Dr. Ahluwalia emphasized the need for Indian industry to be far more involved in this Knowledge Initiative and called on the participants to identify the thrust and priorities which should be brought upfront in the Board’s deliberations in relation to research, human resource development and commercial linkages.           

            The industry representative observed that the Initiative is welcome, timely and has many positive features.  However, the features of Indian farming have to be kept in view while designing the activities under the Initiative.  The Indian market also has to be kept in view and value addition through processing and packaging should receive much attention.  There should be more linkage of ICAR with Industry.  The suggestion of the industry to have an internal advisory committee of about 10 to 12 members representing private sector and other stakeholders to provide feed back and advise for Indo-US Knowledge Initiative was appreciated.  There was suggestion on the need for food safety regulation and implementation, protecting the IPRs etc.  It was clarified that IPR portfolio management would essentially be as per the stipulations and provisions of National Law as per Indian Patents Act and Plant Varieties Protection and Farmers’ Rights Act.  Obviously, this would be on mutually agreed terms.  On genetic resources, it emerged clearly that there is no exchange of germplasm as envisaged in the Work Plan.  Moreover multilateral system is already in place.  It emerged that far more stronger partnership between public and private institutions would highly be rewarding in commercialization of a number of technologies.   

For enhancing productivity, profitability and well-being of the Indian farmers, it was felt that far greater emphasis could be laid on processing, product development, and value addition.  It emerged that biotechnology would play pivotal role and transgenics could be highly rewarded on which much needed far more awareness be brought in the public so that the benefit could be appreciated on a changing time scale.  The industry also suggested technical backstopping from research system on SPS compliance.

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