In a significant step towards strengthening bilateral relations, India and Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in agriculture and food industry. This will foster information exchange, joint scientific research and create joint working groups to enhance mutual cooperation in the field.
Key areas of cooperation in MoU
- Exchange of information on laws, standards and product samples of mutual interest.
- Exchange of information between relevant scientific and research institutes in the fields of agriculture and food industry regarding scientific and practical activities (fairs, exhibitions, conferences, symposiums, etc.).
- Conducting joint scientific studies on genetics, selection, biotechnology, plant protection, conservation of soil performance, mechanization, water resources, etc. and the mutual application of scientific results.
- Sharing experience in the field of animal husbandry on the basis of modern scientific research and technology in order to increase high-performance dairy breeds and the exchange of genetic resources.
- Exchange experience in the field of vegetation, in particular grain and bean crops (growing technologies, research management, storage, processing and eradication).
- Sharing experience in the field of seeds based on modern technologies, sharing information on seed material certification.
- Cooperation in the field of plant varieties expertise and protection of rights to plant varieties exchange of seed samples on favorable conditions.
- Study of the effectiveness and possibility of implementation of various types of irrigation, including micro irrigation such as drip irrigation.
- Conducting scientific research on the effective use of different fertilizers for their further registration.
- Cooperation in the field of trade in agricultural and food products.
- Facilitating the creation of joint enterprises and the exchange of information on the development of food markets.
- Exchange of information and methodologies on the effective use of food and packaging technologies.
- Collaboration in the field of agricultural research and food safety issues, and their standards.
- Cooperation in aquaculture and fisheries, including: sharing experience in the field of aquaculture technologies of fish and invertebrates, management of the National Fund of Fisheries Aquatic Resources of Ukraine and India and their rational use for aquaculture purposes.
Other signed agreements
Senior officials from India and Ukraine signed four documents in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 23 August 2024. Apart from agriculture and food industry other agreements were medical products regulation, community development, and cultural cooperation.
Medical products regulation: An MoU was signed between India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and Ukraine’s State Service on Medicines and Drugs Control. The MoU aims to regulate medical products, ensuring enhanced safety and quality through capacity building, workshops, and exchanges of visits between the two nations.
High impact community development projects (HICDP): Another MoU between the Indian and Ukraine establishes a framework for India to provide grant assistance for HICDP in Ukraine. Projects under the HICDP will be undertaken in partnership with the Government of Ukraine for the benefit of the people of Ukraine.
Cultural cooperation programme: The MoU aims to strengthen cultural cooperation between India and Ukraine including the promotion of cultural exchanges and cooperation in the fields of theatre, music, fine arts, literature, library and museum affairs, as well as protection and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
