India, BRICS to set up Agriculture Research Platform

The Dollar Business Bureau 

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between India and BRICS nations for setting up of BRICS Agriculture Research Platform (BRICS-ARP). 

“The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for an MoU signed among India and various BRICS countries for establishment of the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform (BRICS-ARP),” said an official release. 

On October 16, 2016, an MoU for the establishment of agriculture research platform (ARP) was inked by the foreign ministers of the member-countries at the eighth BRICS Summit held in Goa, it said.  

“The Centre will promote sustainable agricultural development and poverty alleviation through strategic cooperation in agriculture to provide food security in the BRICS member countries,” it added.  

BRICS-ARP will serve as a natural global platform for sustainable development based on agriculture and led by science to address issues related to world hunger, poverty, under-nutrition, and inequality, majorly between farmers' income and non-farmers' income, and to boost agriculture trade, climate resilient agriculture and bio-security, the statement said.  

The idea to establish BRICS-ARP was proposed by PM Modi at the seventh BRICS Summit held in Ufa (Russia) on July 9, 2015.