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An agreement reached between Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar and visiting US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said that the two countries stood united for removal of asymmetries and distortions in international agricultural trade as emphasised in the Doha round of talks.
Both the countries are for enhanced market access with adequate and effective safeguards for food and livelihood security along with the establishment of level playing field, it added.
In a meeting held on Tuesday, they reviewed the implementation of the Indo-US Knowledge-Initiative in agriculture and resolution of bilateral trade and related sanitary and phytosanitary issues. They expressed satisfaction over the progress made in these areas.
They recognised the long history of cooperation between the two countries in agriculture and hoped that the knowledge initiative would provide the much needed impetus to address the new challenges and opportunities facing modern agriculture.
In a short period of five months, 19 Indian agricultural scientists have received training in the US in the areas of biotechnology, water management, food processing, distance learning and library systems.
For 2007, about 12 additional Indo-US Borlaug Fellowships are planned.
The knowledge shared between India and the US in agriculture will be put in practice through joint collaborative projects aimed at development of cool chain for food, vegetables and fish with the involvement of research bodies located at Ludhiana and Kochi.
A project on pea genomics has been initiated in India as a follow up of a workshop on genomics-enabled molecular breeding in legume organised by University of California, Davis.
Besides, the two countries agreed to start research projects on introducing resistance to drought, salinity and virus diseases in crop varieties through transgenic modes. Four projects have been identified under the Indo-US collaboration in water management.
Opportunities for the US investment in post-harvest infrastructure are to be identified by both sides in preparation for the setting up of a trade and investment mission.
Bilateral issues in agricultural trade, notably sanitary and phytosanitary norms, are being addressed by the sub-group on agriculture under the India-US Trade Policy Forum. The two sides reviewed the status and agreed to move forward expeditiously.
On Plant Quarantine issues, the two sides expressed satisfaction over the resolution of problems relating to import of almonds from the US. For export of Indian mangoes to the US, India urged that country to complete all formalities before the start of 2007 mango season.
In the field of agricultural marketing, the two sides hoped that the work plan prepared under the memorandum of understanding signed between the US department of agriculture, the National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Jaipur, in July, 2006 would be complementary to the agricultural reforms being carried out in India.
The US expertise in creating modern marketing infrastructure could be used for capacity building and creating model markets in selected states.
