Indian High Commission, IITA Harps on Improved Smart Technologies for Agricultural Devt

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Indian High Commission (IHC) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture IITA (IITA) have emphasised on the need for Nigeria to invest aggressively in smart improved technologies to drive the nation’s agricultural sector.

The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Benin, Chad, and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr Abhay Thakur, stated this while leading his team to IITA’s headquarters to launch the Indian book collection and partner with the Institute.

According to Thakur, collaborating with IITA will put forward the agricultural system, which can be done through improved technologies and youth engagement in agriculture.

He noted that the book launched on art, culture, and history donated by the Indian High Commission (IHC) was to promote Indian culture and expose users of the knowledge center to its literature.

The High Commissioner also stated that partnering IITA could be a platform to promote agriculture in India and Africa.
Representing IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga, the Deputy Director General, Corporate Services, Hilde Koper, introduced the guests to the activities and different hubs of the Institute, including youth programmes that deal with the commercialisation of agriculture.

In response, IITA Molecular Geneticist Ranjana Bhattacharjee, suggested that India build a partnership with IITA in the seed sector.

She also suggested that there should be a pilot project on oil palm production in Nigeria which could be done on five thousand hectares of land with seedlings from India.

She added that the move would be established via a bilateral or multilateral agreement, starting with Oyo State and later scaled out to other states in Nigeria and countries in West Africa.