"We need cooperation": Afghanistan agriculture minister Mawlawi Attaullah Omari seeks assistance from India for modernisation

New Delhi: Afghanistan Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Attaullah Omari, on Friday emphasised the "centuries-old" ties with India and issued a call for Indian technical assistance to modernise Afghanistan's agricultural sector.

Speaking during the India-Afghanistan Trade Opportunities Industry interactive session by PHDCCI, Minister Omari expressed profound appreciation for the hospitality extended to his delegation, highlighting the deep cultural and historical parallels between the two countries.

"I received a warm welcome from the Indian government and whomever I met," the Minister said during his visit. "I feel like it's my own people as our country, and I feel just like you said, our DNA is one."


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Highlighting that 80 per cent of the Afghan population relies on agriculture and livestock, Minister Omari emphasised that the time has come to transform the nation's harvesting, crop collection, and processing techniques. He noted that while Afghanistan produces high-quality fruits, the country currently lacks the modern infrastructure and training required to maximise these yields.

"80% of our people are involved in agriculture and livestock. It is time to modernise them. Friendships that we have are of the century," he said.

"We produce the best types of fruits. Farmers need harvesting. Protecting of the harvest. Collecting the crops. We need to teach our farmers in this regard. We need your help for that," he added.

He noted that the current Afghan administration is working to unify the country's development efforts and is actively seeking foreign cooperation to drive prosperity.

"We have one central, powerful government that controls the entire country. When we took over, there was no development. Our leadership is working day and night for the betterment of our country. We need cooperation."

He highlighted the role of traders as the backbone of the Afghan economy, noting that his ministry has already established a committee specifically tasked with strengthening these economic and technical ties.

He underscored that by supporting Afghan traders and modernising agricultural practices, the two countries can forge a path toward greater regional stability and long-term economic growth.

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"Traders are the backbone of our country. We need to support our traders. If we support our traders, they support the government. I have assigned a committee that will work, and we will work for ties between the two countries. There is one central, powerful, unigovt which controls the entire country; people are living under one govt," he stated.

Earlier on Wednesday, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, today held a bilateral meeting with the Hon'ble Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan Mawlawi Ataullah Omari and the accompanying delegation to review the existing agricultural partnership between the two countries and discuss new avenues for cooperation in agriculture, irrigation, livestock, agricultural research, education, capacity building and agri-trade.

Food security, seed systems and crop productivity emerged as key areas of discussion. The Afghan side highlighted the importance of wheat to its agricultural economy and sought India's cooperation in improving wheat productivity through advanced seed technologies and research collaboration.

Chouhan conveyed India's readiness to support Afghanistan through quality wheat, maize and potato seeds, climate-resilient and biofortified crop varieties, and the scientific expertise of ICAR institutions to strengthen Afghanistan's seed systems and agricultural production.