African nations seek collaboration with TNAU

An eight-member team from African nations visited Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here today to explore areas of collaboration in agriculture and research.
At a meeting held at the TNAU campus, delegates from Mali, Seychelles, Uganda, Ethiopia and Botswana spoke about the importance of agriculture in making nations self-sufficient in food production and sought to focus on technology transfer.
Ambassador of Mali Niankoro Yeah Samake in his opening remarks, indicated that irrigation, farm mechanisation, quality seeds, market linkage, post-harvest, ICT tools and farmers co-operatives were some of the technological areas of collaboration, wherein TNAU can be roped in.
The High Commissioner of Seychelles expressed interest on seeking TNAU help on food related imports for Seychelles and to make it become self-sufficient in food production, a varsity release said.

The delegates expressed interest in sending students from their countries and requested TNAU to open up more admissions on agricultural education and research, it said.
TNAU vice-chancellor Dr K Ramasamy said that TNAU had collaborations with more than 150 institutions across the world and was is ready to work with Africa on transfer of technologies.
He emphasised that nutritional security through multi- cropping system aided by integrated farming system can help nutritional security in Africa, for which undergraduate gricultural education is pivotal along with transfer of technologies.
Industry associations like CII, which arranged the visit, can help agriculture by bridging producers and end users, Ramasamy said.