New Delhi [India], July 10 : Afghanistan's Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Attaullah Omari on Friday thanked India for the warm welcome extended to him and underlined the need to modernise the country largely dependent on agriculture.
He made the remarks while attending the India-Afghanistan Trade Opportunities Industry Interactive Session by PHDCCI, under the aegis Of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Omari said, "This is my first trip to India. From the very first day I landed in India, I received a warm welcome from the Indian government, the Minister of External Affairs, and everyone I met. It feels as if I am among my own people...It feels like our own country, and as you mentioned, our DNA is one so that is the idea."
He called Indian hospitality a beacon of hope for Afghanis and said at the press conference, "This warm welcome which we received is like hope for people of Afghanistan and their betterment... 80 per cent of our population is involved in lifestock, agriculture, and irrigation it is now the time to modernise them with new technology."
He noted that while Afghanistan produces high-quality fruits, the country currently lacks the modern infrastructure and training required to maximise these yields.
"We produce the best types of fruits. Farmers need harvesting. Protecting of the harvest. Collecting the crops. We need to teach our farmers in this regard. We need your help for that," he added.
He noted that the current Afghan administration is working to unify the country's development efforts and is actively seeking foreign cooperation to drive prosperity.
Meanwhile, India and Afghanistan took stock of the bilateral ties during the 4th round of India-Afghanistan Joint Committee Meeting, here in the national capital on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
India also reassured its continued commitment towards supporting the development of Afghanistan.
As per the MEA, the two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including cooperation in the fields of humanitarian assistance, development partnership, food security, healthcare, capacity building, education, sports, trade, visa and connectivity.
On Wednesday, he held a bilateral meeting with Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, to review the existing agricultural partnership between the two countries and discuss new avenues for cooperation.
Food security, seed systems and crop productivity emerged as key areas of discussion. The Afghan side highlighted the importance of wheat to its agricultural economy and sought India's cooperation in improving wheat productivity through advanced seed technologies and research collaboration.
Chouhan conveyed India's readiness to support Afghanistan through quality wheat, maize and potato seeds, climate-resilient and biofortified crop varieties, and the scientific expertise of ICAR institutions to strengthen Afghanistan's seed systems and agricultural production.
Afghanistan's Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Ataullah Omari, arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday.