Ahmedabad, Aug 14 (PTI) A nine-member delegation from New Zealand led by the country’s Agriculture Minister paid a courtesy visit to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar on Wednesday and discussed avenues for cooperation in different fields between the two sides.
The delegation, led by Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting and Fishing and Trade Todd McClay, and New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India Patrick Rata discussed scope for strategic partnership with Gujarat during the visit, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a statement.
In the meeting, New Zealand representatives expressed their eagerness to develop long-term cultural relations with the western Indian state. They also showed their desire for cooperation in the fields of agriculture, dairy industry, and renewable energy, the CMO said.
In addition, Gujarat and New Zealand emphasised on launching a ‘Farmer Exchange Programme’ to strengthen cooperation in agriculture and dairy sectors.
Chief Minister Patel maintained India-New Zealand relations have deepened under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and expressed confidence Gujarat will play a role in taking bilateral ties further.
The CM shared his vision to double the income of farmers through cow-based farming in Gujarat. He discussed cooperation with New Zealand in agriculture, dairy cooperative and animal husbandry sectors, said the statement.
Patel pointed out that Gujarat is a leading state in milk production as well as in areas like renewable energy, green hydrogen and electric vehicle manufacturing, and is keen to collaborate with New Zealand in all these fields.
Besides, the Chief Minister also spoke about Gujarati community members living in the island country in the South Pacific Ocean.
He stressed on developing an approach to organise regular meetings to deepen cultural relations between Gujarat and New Zealand.
New Zealand minister McClay discussed scope for collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) located in Gujarat’s Anand city.
The board was created to promote, finance and support producer-owned and controlled organisations.
McClay insisted there are good prospects of cooperation with Gujarat in different fields, including converting waste to bioenergy, and indicated the possibility of starting a veterinary exchange programme for the mutual benefit of the farming community of the Indian state and New Zealand.
