India-Brazil to Share Latest Technologies in Agriculture

By Financial Express

In days to come, the agriculture sector will become more important for the Indian economy as it would not only provide food but also the raw material for industries, fuel (ethanol) through biomass, and also be able to use the wastewater, writes Sandeep Wasnik at Financial Express. The experience of the last few years shows how poor agricultural performance can lead to high inflation, rural distress, and political restiveness. A lot of factors such as climate change, population growth, and food security concerns, have driven the agriculture sector to seek more innovative approaches to improve crop yielding and get better farming results.

Many developed and developing countries have realized that commercial agriculture can provide a boost to the economy through export of agricultural products and Brazil is one of them. For the South American nation agriculture sector become even stronger since the economic recession and has always been a massive contributor to its economy. The country is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs and is a leading exporter of a wide range of crops, including oranges, soybeans, coffee, and cassava, which are grown mainly in the South and Southeast region of Brazil.

The two countries have much in common in agriculture and both have small and marginal holdings farmers. In Brazil, this is called Family Farmer and recently have been increased by up to 10 times as expected after introduction of project Microbacias II (Microbasins II). Brazil’s success in making agriculture more market-oriented and raising farmer incomes holds many lessons for India.

Continue reading at Financial Express.