India to Launch Pilot Project to Promote Agro-industries in Rural Areas

While inaugurating the Global Agro Industrial Forum (GAIF) in New Delhi, Sh. Sharad Pawar, India's Minister of Agriculture, announced the launching of a pilot project to promote agro-industries in rural areas and the production of catchments for sustainable agricultural growth. He said that a large number of post harvest technologies had been introduced in the recent past. Agro-processing enterprises based on these technologies would be developed for specific production catchments, established in collaboration with self help groups and operated with adequate hand holding by the knowledge partners. The program will be upgraded based on the success of these pilot enterprises.

Urging the agricultural scientists to work for suitable use of harvested biomass, Shri Pawar said that only about one-third of the harvested biomass is used as the main produce. The remaining two-thirds is generally classified as residue or 'waste'. If the total biomass is suitably processed in production catchments, it would add significantly to the income and employment of the farm-families and thereby to their quality of life. The GAIF 2008 is jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, in close collaboration with the Government of India.

Visit http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=37233 for additional details. For more information on biotech developments in India contact Bhagirath Choudhary at b.choudhary@isaaa.org