The Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi-based think-tank, in collaboration with Pondicherry University and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) recently organised a two-day capacity-building programme to acquaint young researchers and policy analysts in the areas of agricultural trade.
The programme was attended by about 30 scholars from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the BIMSTEC region, the University said in a press release. The programme aimed at highlighting the contemporary challenges in the global, regional and local agriculture sectors with emphasis on the practical training sessions.
Inaugurating the programme, V. Geethalakshmi, Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore, focused on the issue of climate change in agriculture sector and how trade can help in adopting climate-smart agriculture.
Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, highlighted the importance of trade facilitation and investment to boost the agriculture trade in the BIMSTEC region. “BIMSTEC is a read-made machinery for policy action at the regional-level”, he said.
Pondicherry University Vice-Chancellor Gurmeet Singh expressed his views on the global agriculture scenario and India’s role in the world economy through G20. S.K. Mohanty, RIS, New Delhi, noted how the rise of middle-income groups in several developing countries was posing the issue of nutritional challenges, in addition to the challenges of livelihood security amidst trade surplus.
Mamata Pradhan, IFPRI, emphasised the importance of collaborative research, capacity partnership and policy engagement as the main pillar for the capacity building programme. Pankhuri Gaur, RIS also spoke. The dignitaries also released a book on “BIMSTEC: Mapping Sub-Regionalism in Asia”.
