GUWAHATI, Oct 7 – The Assam government and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Wednesday at Lok Sewa Bhawan, aiming to strengthen cooperation in agricultural transformation, climate resilience and rural livelihoods.
The MoU, witnessed by Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Pijush Hazarika and Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, seeks to promote joint research, generate evidence‑based knowledge, build institutional capacity and provide policy advisory support. The partnership will focus on boosting farmers’ incomes and nutritional outcomes, with particular emphasis on climate‑resilient agriculture, flood adaptation, diversification of rice‑based farming systems, and the development of tea, horticulture, livestock and fisheries.
Minister Hazarika highlighted that nearly 75 per cent of Assam’s population relies on agriculture and urged increased production from the state’s limited arable land. He stressed the importance of horticulture for higher returns, and the need to widen the use of research and new technologies among farmers.
Hazarika welcomed the collaboration, expressing hope that it would reinforce the state’s efforts to advance agricultural development through research, evidence generation and institutional strengthening, and support broader objectives of climate resilience, diversification, value‑chain development and the growth of allied sectors.
