INDIA OFFERS SEEDS, AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY TO AFGHANISTAN
India
has offered special assistance for supply of Agricultural Implements
& Machinery, Seeds and Fertilisers to Afghanistan. India has
also offered the services of two experts in the field of Agronomy
to assist Afghanistan. Mr. Seyyed Hussein Anwari, Minister of
Agriculture, Afghanistan who called on Union Agriculture Minister,
Shri Ajit Singh here today urged his counter-part to rush these
assistance to Afghanistan as soon as possible.
This is the
second meeting of Mr. Anwari with Shri Ajit Singh after
the first one on the 27th Feb., 2002. Following the
first meeting of the two leaders, official level talks were held
and several items were identified for supply to Afghanistan. Agricultural
Implements & Machinery, which have been identified, include
35 HP Tractor, Seed cum Fertiliser Drill, Cultivator, Disk Harrow,
Two-wheel Trailer. Seeds, which have been identified for supply
to Afghanistan, include Vegetable Seeds, Wheat Seeds and Cotton
Seeds which are readily available in India. Besides, India has
also indicated that good quality seed processing plant equipment
such as scalper, air screen cleaner, specific gravity separator
etc. are indigenously available in India and these could be supplied
on demand to Afghanistan.
During the meeting
it was informed by the Ministry of External Affairs Representative
that India is now examining different options on supplying the
one million tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan under the World Food
Programme. India has requested the UN Agency that since India
is not a traditional donor of the programme, transportation and
associated cost should be borne by the International Agency. He
informed the meeting that following objection from Pakistan for
transport of the seeds via Pakistan, India is exploring to send
this consignment via Iran.
