Grower-owned representative body Horticulture Innovation Australia (Hort Innovation) and the Indian government’s Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on collaborative research.
The MOU will allow both countries to work on collaborative research projects that will benefit horticulture growers.
“This MoU is significant because ICAR is the world’s largest agricultural research organisation, responsible for guiding more than 100 dedicated institutes and more than 70 agricultural universities,” said David Moore, Hort Innovation research general manager.
“India is a massive research engine that is focused on doubling yields and farmer profitability. ICAR has an enviable record of contribution towards this, helping the nation’s horticultural output skyrocket by 950 per cent between 1951 and 2014.”
Moore said India would benefit from Australia’s research institutions that have excelled in post-harvest management technologies, biotechnology and robotics.
“This agreement is essentially providing researchers from two vastly different jurisdictions the opportunity to share their knowledge and work together to create solutions to horticulture industry issues and crop production.”
This MoU was three-years in the making, and complements on the A$6m Hort Innovation research agreement with India’s Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council announced earlier this year.
