The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) have singed an agreement to foster cooperation between India and China in identified fields of research and develop action plan on industrial bamboo products.
The MoU was signed in Beijing by V K Bahuguna, director general, ICFRE, and Zhang Shougong, president, CAF.
The MoU between the two institutions will facilitate cooperation between the two neigbouring countries on identified areas of research. Bahuguna and Shougong also discussed emerging areas of mutual interest like climate change, forest ecosystems, forest hydrology etc.
Germ-plasm conservation, sustainable forest management and tree improvement, informed ICFE officials.
The MoU also paves the way to develop an action plan with the primary emphasis on bamboo cultivation and development of industrial bamboo products and improvement programme for important tree species like teak, sisso, sandalwood and eucalyptus among others.
Appreciating the Chinese expertise in the area of bamboo cultivation and technologies for bamboo products, Bahuguna said that same could be shared with the council in an institutionalised manner for livelihood support, especially the people in rural and forest fringe areas.
According to Bahuguna, this long-term bilateral collaborative programme has tremendous scope for exchange of technologies in the area of bamboo improvement, product development and tree improvement in a bid to address livelihood issues and promote sustainable forest management.
India and China are taking long strides in developing linkages and collaborations in the field of forestry and environment, outlined in the objectives under the umbrella of BRICS Cooperation Agreement.
In the 3rd BRICS Cooperative Agreement meeting held in the Ministry of Environment and Forests this year, it was decided that the programme of ICFRE will be given highest priority.
A six-member high-level Chinese delegation, headed by Zhang Shougong, had earlier visited ICFRE, Dehradun, in December 2011, laying the foundation of the collaboration between the two institutions.
The delegation had interacted with ICFRE officials to identify research areas for cooperation in the areas of forestry sciences, developing the draft of the agreement.
