Afghanistan’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Ataullah Omari, called for greater Indian investment and technology transfer to help modernise Afghanistan’s agriculture sector during a trade forum in New Delhi.
Omari was speaking at an industry session on India-Afghanistan trade opportunities organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the aegis of India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
He said nearly 80 percent of Afghanistan’s population depended on agriculture, irrigation and livestock, making the sector central to the country’s economy.
Afghanistan offered opportunities for Indian companies in agricultural mechanisation, certified seeds, food processing, cold-chain infrastructure, livestock development, irrigation, renewable energy and rural development, Omari said.
“We welcome Indian enterprises to partner with us through investment, technology transfer and innovation,” he said.
Omari said Afghanistan and India shared centuries of friendship, cultural affinity and mutual respect, adding through an interpreter that he did not feel he was in a foreign country.
“This is our own country,” he said.
Afghanistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi, Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor, said recent diplomatic engagement had created renewed momentum for strengthening bilateral economic ties.
He highlighted investment opportunities in agriculture, water management, renewable energy, mining, infrastructure and tourism and said the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi would facilitate partnerships and long-term economic cooperation.