A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi and the Western Sydney University (WSU), Australia at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. The MoU was signed by Shri Bimbadhar Pradhan, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor (DARE/ICAR) and Prof. Barney Glover, Vice-Chancellor, WSU.
ICAR was represented by DDG (Horticulture and Crop Sciences), DDG (Extension) and the Director IARI, ADG (PP&B), ADG (Edu) and Principal Scientist (PP&B). WSU was represented by Deputy VC, Director of Hawkesbury Institute for Environment and others.
Addressing the delegation, Shri Pradhan said the council with 107 federal Research Institutes including 5 deemed Universities and 700 Agricultural Science Centers along with 75 State agricultural universities, spread across the country constitutes, one of the largest national agricultural research, education and extension systems with the highest manpower in the world. ICAR played a pioneering role in ushering green revolution and is instrumental in realizing an all-time high food grains production in India to the tune of 285 million MT and Horticultural produces of 307 million MT during 2017-18, besides playing a major role in promoting excellence in higher education in agriculture.
He also lauded the accomplishment of the WSU, Australia which ranked among the top 2 percent of the Universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The WSU’s Hawkesbury Institute for the environment is one of the Australia’s leading Research Institutes of excellence in agro-ecosystem function and environmental responses to changing climate with a strong reputation of delivering research outcomes of the highest quality.
Both the dignitaries stressed that the understanding between the two organizations would enable each other to learn from experiences and potentials of the sciences and scientists of the two countries and mutually enrich our knowledge to advance agriculture research to greater heights. India and Australia have shared great relations in the past and the convergence forged through this understanding will further strengthen our relations and prove mutually enriching and beneficial to our countries.
The umbrella MoU would facilitate the two countries to collaborate in cutting-edge research to bridge the gaps between potential and realized yield, mitigate the effect of climate change on agriculture, employ artificial intelligence, strengthen pollinator research and enable academic exchange between the two countries.
