Key Takeaways:
- Australia is intensifying its long-standing partnership with India to boost agricultural productivity through a delegation visit led by Australian High Commissioner Philip Green.
- The delegation, part of the Australia India Business Exchange program, includes Australian agtech companies, universities, and investors from various agricultural sectors.
- The visit vowed to explore partnerships and innovation opportunities in Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, and Bengaluru, culminating in participation at Agri Tech India 2024.
- The collaboration seeks to address shared agricultural challenges, such as climate change and productivity, by leveraging Australia’s expertise in agtech.
Australia is intensifying its efforts to collaborate with India in the agricultural sector, building on a partnership that has spanned four decades. From 20-23 August, Australian High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, led a delegation of Australian agtech companies on a visit to India. The delegation aims to explore new partnerships and innovation opportunities with Indian counterparts, reinforcing the strong ties between the two nations in the agricultural domain.
Focus of the Delegation Visit
The delegation’s visit is part of the Australian Government’s flagship Australia India Business Exchange program. The group will travel to key locations including Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, and Bengaluru to engage with government and industry bodies and conduct farm site visits. The delegation includes representatives from Australian agtech companies, universities, and investors covering sectors such as dairy, grains, horticulture, floriculture, and animal husbandry. In Lucknow, the delegation will meet with representatives from the Uttar Pradesh Government to explore strategic partnerships in the agtech sector before concluding the mission in Bengaluru at Agri Tech India 2024, India’s largest agtech conference.
Strategic Importance of the Collaboration
The visit underscores Australia’s commitment to being a vital partner in India’s agtech ecosystem. High Commissioner Philip Green emphasized the significance of agriculture in the Australia-India relationship, noting that Australia’s agricultural expertise could play a crucial role in improving Indian food security by enhancing productivity, sustainability, and resilience in food systems.
“Agriculture is an important pillar of the Australia-India relationship, and Australia has a lot to offer in agricultural expertise. This can improve Indian food security by increasing productivity, sustainability and food system resilience,” High Commissioner Green said.
Shared Challenges and Opportunities
Australia and India, despite differences in the scale of their agricultural production, face similar challenges, particularly in the context of climate change. The delegation visit is expected to foster collaborative solutions to these challenges, leveraging Australia’s world-leading agtech innovations.
“Australian agtech companies are already active in India, offering technology that combats lumpy-skin disease in cows; organic fertilisers for better crop yields, including sugarcane; and advanced grain storage systems – and this is just scratching the surface,” Green added.
The High Commissioner also highlighted the potential for boosting productivity and ensuring rural incomes through collaboration, which could, in turn, enhance India’s agricultural exports. This visit reflects Australia’s broader strategy to engage deeply with India in various sectors, with agriculture and agtech standing out as critical areas of mutual interest.
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