A Team of 27 Members from Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), Nepal sponsored by United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), visited Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida Campus, along with a delegation of Scientists from Nepal, to present their views on “Postharvest Technologies” related to fresh produces.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Purushottam P. Khatiwada, Horticulture Specialist for Value Chain development of fruit and Vegetables Project (VCDP), averred, “Fruit and vegetable crops are considered as high value commodities in Nepal. Though, a good progress has been achieved in terms of area coverage, total production and productivity of fruit and vegetables in last decades but still, there is a scope of increasing the area as well as the productivity of these crops. The marketed volumes of fruits and vegetables are still low compared to the production potential. Limited knowledge of pre-harvest as well as postharvest practices and a lack of appropriate storage facility are contributory to postharvest losses. Therefore, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Federal Republic of Nepal is executing ‘Value Chain Development of Fruit and Vegetables Projects’ in the vicinities of Nepal aiming to increase productivity, minimize the postharvest loss and strengthen the market linkage through mobilizing producers’ cooperatives. The project includes a list of activities to be implemented by the technicians of the local government. However, the technicians working on the ground are relatively fresh and have low level of exposure outside the country. Considering this, we planned to organize an educational tour to Amity, so that the local level agriculture technicians can learn about the established system of agriculture production, postharvest management, and market linkages, from the scientists of Amity, which can benefit the poor farmers of Nepal.”
Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice-Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, said, “Research and innovation has always been of utmost importance at Amity and we would like to extend our support to Nepal and build a strong partnership which can lead to great advancement in the field of agriculture, which constitutes a huge part of our economy.”
Highlighting the importance of the visit, Dr. W. Selvamurthy, President, Amity Science and Technology Innovation Foundation (ASTIF), stated, “The visit of this delegation is highly significant for us as Indo-Nepal strategic partnership is vital for the growth our country and this visit will be another step to foster and strengthen the bond between India and Nepal. This distinguished delegation includes experts in various disciplines who will enrich us with their knowledge in the field of science and technology. The visit has been sponsored by UNDP and we are thankful to them for choosing Amity for this visit.”
Sharing her views on the occasion, Dr. Nutan Kaushik, Director General, Director General Amity Food & Agriculture Foundation, averred, “Agriculture plays a vital role in the Indian economy. Over 70 per cent of the rural households depend on agriculture. Agriculture is an important sector of Indian economy as it contributes about 17% to the total GDP and provides employment to over 60% of the population. Our country can develop only by the growth of the agriculture sector and this visit will be highly beneficial for us through which we can mutually grow and learn from each other.” She also made a presentation on “Agriculture and Allied Domain of AUUP and Post-Harvest Technology” and highlighted the growth of the Horticulture Sector, demand for healthy foods and emphasized on the new technological advancements in the field of agriculture in India.
The visit of the members of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), Nepal, was followed by an hour tour to the Technology Park and Postharvest Research and Extension Facilities at Amity University.