Co-ops in India and Nepal should collaborate to improve food production and farmers’ welfare, says the managing director of fertiliser co-op IFFCO.
Dr U S Awasthi, managing director of the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative – one the world’s biggest co-ops – made the remarks at a national conference in Kathmandu, organised by the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal (NCF).
Reporting on the event, Indian Cooperative said Dr Awasthi stressed the importance of continued innovation to raise food production around the world. IFFCO has been working for the welfare of Indian farmers, he added, and is ready to help farmers in Nepal as well.
The conference was inaugurated by Nepal’s minister for land management, co-operatives and poverty alleviation, Padma Kumari Aryal, who recently called upon co-ops to invest in industries.
Also present at the event were Om Devi Malla, global board member of the International Co-operative Alliance, Keshav Prasad Badal, chair of NCF, and G K Gautam, director of co-operative relations at IFFCO
During the conference, ideas were shared between co-operators from the two countries on the future of agriculture and how IFFCO can help Nepalese farmers to increase their yields.
IFFCO’s marketing director Yogendra Kumar shared information about the co-op’s newest agriculture products and soil nutrients.
