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India and Food &
Agricultural Organisation (FAO) have decided to
cooperate for human resources development in the area
of agricultural research and extension. This was
agreed upon in a meeting between Mr. Jacques Diouf,
Director General, FAO and Dr. Mangala Rai, Director
General, ICAR in New Delhi on Monday, the 5th
of Sept 2005. DG, FAO is currently on a three-day
visit to India.
Indian side
flagged the issue of FAO’s Flagship programme on
Education wherein presently India is not a member and
showed keenness in becoming part of this programe. DG,
FAO responded positively to this suggestion and said
he would look into this matter on an urgent basis.
Both sides
identified Seed Programme as a thrust area for closer
cooperation. DG, FAO appreciated the progress made by
India in seed production technology and quality
control and said that this could be an ideal model for
African countries to follow. Dr. Rai assured to extend
all possible help in this regard considering India’s
expertise in the area. “Experience of India could be
of great help in crop improvement progammes also”, he
added.
Identification and cooperation in alternative energy
sources was another area on which both sides agreed to
have closer interaction in terms of sharing of
information. Mr. Diouf highlighted the fact that this
would be a priority area for FAO and it would be
linked to knowledge network of member countries in
their Centres of Excellence.
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