Maharashtra's agri dept. signs MoU with USDA to enhance agro-industry sector

MUMBAI, 18 June 2021: Maharashtra’s Agriculture Department signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote and strengthen the SMART (State of Maharashtra’s Agri-business and Rural Transformation Programme) projects for the upliftment of small and marginal farmers.

The collaboration between the state and USDA is aimed at seeking advanced technology to boost the agriculture sector in Maharashtra, according to media reports.

Agriculture Minister Dadaji Bhuse said “Under the Balasaheb Thackeray Agro-Industry and Rural Transformation SMART projects, the state government plans upliftment of small and marginal farmers. The focus is to make farming sustainable and income-oriented.”

The state government is also emphasising ‘Vikel Te Pikel’ (Produce that can be sold) under which it is working on a mechanism to select crops which has a market and then develop the value chain for their flawless disbursement. The state government is also vying to seek help from the World Bank to develop the SMART agro-sector projects.

As a part of the SMART project, the Agriculture Department with the help of the USDA will increase the capacity of the State machinery in agriculture statistics, marketing, market intelligence, organising commodity stewardship council, etc, the report added.

The MoU will provide a framework for technical cooperation in the development of market information systems and potential collaboration in other areas. Through this agreement, the USDA will aid Maharashtra’s efforts to support farmers by enhancing agricultural value chains, facilitating agribusiness investment, and developing resilient production systems.

Bilateral confidence-building effort

Consul General David J Ranz said “This MoU represents the most ambitious bilateral capacity-building effort between the USDA and an Indian government entity to date. Maharashtra is an agricultural powerhouse, as is the United States, and we play an important role in ensuring global food security, as well as meeting the growing demand for fiber and fuel. This MoU demonstrates our commitment to enhancing farmer welfare and making our agricultural production systems more efficient and sustainable through the sharing of best practices and skills.”

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is an agency of the US government that links its agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security. For over 20 years, the FAS has been training Indian officials and agricultural professionals through its Cochran and Borlaug Fellowship Programs.

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