India and Italy Forge New Path in Agriculture Collaboration: Dr. Chaturvedi and Ambassador Bartoli Join Forces

Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi today met with H.E. Ambassador Antonio Bartoli of Italy at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi today . The discussions focused on exploring potential areas of cooperation in the agriculture sector between India and Italy.

Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi underscored the strong and friendly relations between India and Italy, highlighting the significant potential for collaboration in areas of mutual interest such as trade, investment and technology in the agriculture and allied sectors. He suggested that this cooperation could be further strengthened by leveraging the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two nations, particularly through regular Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings. He also pointed out opportunities for Italian companies to invest including in India’s food parks.

Both sides recognized the importance of advancing cooperation across several areas, including technical and legal collaboration on plant variety protection and the seeds sector, agricultural research and education, protection of Geographical Indications, organic and natural farming, the application of innovative technologies in precision agriculture, skill development for Indian migrant workers and fostering industry interaction.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of External Affairs, and senior officials from various divisions of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.