Visit to India by Federal Minister Aigner strengthens German-Indian cooperation

Federal Minister Aigner and Subodh Kant Sahai, the Indian Minister of Food, with the signed supplementary protocol, Source: BMELV

With the signing of a supplementary protocol, Minister Aigner and her Indian counterpart agreed in future to extend cooperation in the bilateral working group beyond the fields of agriculture and food to include consumer protection as well.

The trip also took the minister and delegation to Bhopal and Chennai. On her visit to a rural development project being carried out by the Karl Kübel Foundation near Bhopal, Federal Minister Ilse Aigner was impressed by the commitment shown by the women. They join together to form saving and credit groups, and learn in this manner to manage their own money and increase their funds.

In Chennai, the delegation visited the Swaminathan Research Foundation, a think tank that picks up on important rural-development themes in India. Another item on the itinerary was a visit to the consumer advisory agency in the Federal State of Tamil Nadu. The agency grew out of a German-Indian cooperative arrangement aimed at improving consumer protection in India.

Talks indicate desire to strengthen trade and investment

In talks with Subodh Kant Sahai, the Indian Minister of Food, it became clear that India hoped the intensified cooperation would lead to a technology transfer from Germany and to German investments in the food industry. There are, however, also deemed to be good opportunities in both countries for imported processed goods. The Joint Declaration signed at the conclusion of the talks attracted a lot of attention in the Indian media.

Prof. K.V. Thomas, the Indian Minister of State for Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, and Federal Minister Ilse Aigner, Source: BMELV

In his talks with Federal Minister Ilse Aigner, Prof. K.V. Thomas, the Indian Minister of State for Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, emphasised the great possibilities that existed for achieving growth in the bilateral exchange of goods. India is considering liberalising regulations governing foreign direct investments in agricultural infrastructure. The aim behind this consideration is to increase productivity and reduce post-harvest food losses. Growth is expected to be particularly strong in fruit and vegetable growing and in animal husbandry. Federal Minister Ilse Aigner highlighted the constructive talks held on the occasion of the second session of the German-Indian working group on 1 September 2010, and said that work was currently being carried out on implementing the results. She highlighted in particular the cooperation in the areas of seeds, animal genetics, farm machinery and the development of research cooperation. With regard to the farm machinery sector, she announced that a new project would be launched to train service personnel in India.

India keen on cooperation with Germany

The first Ministerial-level visit to India from the German agricultural ministry met with great interest from the Indian side. India is one of the largest agricultural producers in the world and is keen on cooperating with Germany. India is particularly interested in the sectors upstream and downstream from the agricultural industry. There are good opportunities for German companies that can offer solutions adapted to the Indian and Asian markets.

Over the last three years, India has become an important partner for cooperation with Germany in the agricultural sector. It is Asia’s third largest national economy and plays a leading role as an agricultural producer, its agricultural sector accounting for almost 16 percent of the country’s gross domestic product and for 52 percent of the overall workforce.

2nd Session of the German- Indian Working Group

Dr. Gerd Müller and Shri P.K. Basu, State Secretary at the Indian Agriculture Ministry, Source: BMELV

Chaired by Parliamentary State Secretary Dr. Gerd Müller and his Indian counterpart Vice-Minister of Agriculture Basu, the second session of the Working Group on Agriculture took place on 1 September in a very open, constructive and friendly atmosphere. Both sides identified the following areas as core themes for cooperation: research (potato research, increase in productivity, organic farming), plant variety protection, bovine genetics, dairy sector (environmentally friendly packaging materials), cooling technology in the food sector, and farm machinery. Both chairs signed a protocol of the session commissioning a concept paper to be drawn up on putting this into practice.

The forthcoming agricultural trade fairs in India and Germany are to be used to prepare the way for cooperative arrangements to be finalised in the fields named and to continue the dialogue with decision-makers and experts. An initial step will be taken during the AgroTech agricultural trade fair in Chandigarh in December 2010, where the German Cattle Breeders' Federation (ADR) will conduct a workshop on German cattle breeds. German companies from the food-machine and packaging-machine sectors also showcased themselves at the International PackTech in Mumbai in November 2010 and in doing so took advantage of the opportunities they have in this booming branch of the Indian food industry.