Todd Mcclay in India: New Zealand & India to boost Agricultural ties

India and New Zealand have agreed to strengthen and boost their agricultural trade ties. This was agreed upon during the visit of New Zealand’s Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Trade, and Associate Minister for Foreign Affairs, Todd Mcclay, who met the Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in New Delhi on 12 August 2024.

Outcome of the New Zealand Minister’s visit to India 

• Both the ministers agreed to work closely to strengthen economic and trade ties, which was beneficial to the farmers, producers, and consumers in both countries.
• New Zealand has lifted the restriction on the import of Indian mangoes and has agreed to import Indian pomegranates.
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan requested the New Zealand minister to expedite the audit of VHT facilities in Lucknow and Delhi to expedite the export of Indian mangoes to New Zealand.
• New Zealand thanked India for the resumption of the import of Pine Logs from New Zealand, which was put on hold due to fumigation-related issues.
• The ministers also discussed further technical cooperation in Research and Development, especially in horticulture & cage fisheries.

India mainly imports wool, iron and steel, aluminium, fruits and nuts, and wood pulp and recovered paper from New Zealand. Its exports to New Zealand mainly consist of pharmaceuticals, machinery, precious metals and stones, textiles, vehicles, and apparel.

Isabel Casillas Guzman visit to India 

Isabel Casillas Guzman, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, visited the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)-Defence Innovation Organisation(DIO) show organised at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi on 12 August  2024. 

Isabel Casillas Guzman is on an official visit to India to explore tie-ups between American and Indian small businesses, especially in the field of defence.

The Small Business Administration was set up in 1963 by the United States of America government to promote small businesses in the country by providing capital and counselling. 

The Defence Innovation Organisation launched the iDEX(Innovations for Defence Excellence) to provide grants to startups and Micro-Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) to fund technological projects for the Indian Armed Forces. 

It aims to build an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace systems in India.

The Defence Innovation Organization is under the   Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence.