India promises assistance to Myanmar in agri sector

The assurance was given by Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat to a visiting Myanmar team led by its president U Thein Sein here.

The team comprised Agriculture minister U Myint Maung and entrepreneurs, who interacted with scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).

Myanmar sought Indian help in increasing yield of its key crops of rice and pulses to which Rawat reacted positively, IARI sources said.

The team also sought India's technical assistance in the livestock sector to boost milk productivity.

India is the world's largest milk producer.

The sources said the Myanmar President appreciated the fact that IARI has signed an MOU with a group of private seed producing companies, and sought details to repeat the experiment of sectoral convergence in the important area of seed production in his country, the sources added.

He requested New Delhi to send a team of scientists to train his men at Advanced Centre for Agriculture Research and Education set up there with the help of India.

Mayanmar evinced interest in buying Tractors from India.

Later, the team visited IARI's biotechnology centre and an exhibition in genetics division.