India Strengthens Agricultural Cooperation with Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Myanmar at 9th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting
NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Myanmar on September 9, 2026, in New Delhi, on the sidelines of the 9th ASEAN–India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (9th AIMMAF) organized by the Department of Agricultural Research (DARE) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). In the India–Malaysia bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Mohamed Bin Sabu, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, both sides emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge, expertise and best practices, and expressed interest in strengthening collaboration in joint agricultural research, technology and innovation through a Memorandum of Understanding to provide an institutional framework for cooperation in areas of mutual interest, while also noting that bilateral issues relating to germplasm exchange, trade and market access could be addressed through mutual cooperation to strengthen the close and strong partnership between the two nations.
During the India–Timor-Leste meeting with H.E. Mr. Marcos Da Cruz, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry, the Timor-Leste side expressed interest in building a strong institutional mechanism to address various challenges in agriculture and ensure food security, while Shri Chouhan reiterated India's commitment to share its best practices to support Timor-Leste in advancing its agriculture research and innovation capabilities through the exchange of scientists, experts and human resource development, with Timor-Leste also requesting that India consider deputing a team of technical and scientific experts to assess ground-level challenges and provide recommendations in agriculture, forestry, livestock and aquaculture. In the India–Myanmar meeting with H.E. Mr. Min Naung, Union Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Shri Chouhan welcomed the Myanmar Minister and highlighted the strong cultural and people-to-people connect between the two countries, noting that Myanmar shares approximately 1,600 km of border with India, while both sides acknowledged that the MoU between the two countries is at an advanced stage of finalization for strengthening cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors, with discussions also covering trade potential in pulses, cotton, dairy development and agriculture education, as Myanmar suggested favourable investment opportunities to strengthen economic and agricultural ties. The Indian side included Dr. M.L. Jat, Secretary DARE and DG ICAR, Shri Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, Additional Secretary DARE and DG ICAR, Shri A.K. Sahu, Joint Secretary (IC) DoAFW, all DDGs from ICAR and the International Relations Team headed by Dr. Naveen P. Singh, ADG IR ICAR.
Report: Amal K Mathew