A high-level delegation from Bhutan visited the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. The delegation led by Dasho Thimley Namgyel, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Forest, Bhutan was received by Dr. C. Viswanathan, Joint Director (Research), IARI. Dr. Viswanathan highlighted the pivotal role played by IARI in the Green Revolution in India. He acknowledged the institute’s landmark contributions in developing high-yielding crop varieties and advanced farming techniques. The delegation engaged in an interactive session with officials of IARI, discussing mutual interests and exploring potential areas of collaboration. Mr. Thimley Namgyel, emphasized the importance of building partnerships with India and highlighted key challenges faced by Bhutan, including small land holding, labour shortage, post-harvest losses, rural-urban migration, and climate change. He also noted that Bhutan relies heavily on agricultural imports from India and is keen to foster stronger ties in the agriculture sector. Mr. Namgyel further expressed the delegation’s interest in exploring opportunities for collaborative research. Dr. Viswanathan C. proposed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ICAR and Government of Bhutan to formalize future cooperation. The delegation were taken for field visit to explore some of IARI’s premier research and demonstration sites i.e., (1) Nanaji Deshmukh National Plant Phenomics Facility, (2) Integrated Farming System (IFS) Model of IARI, and (3) Centre for Protected Cultivation Technology (CPCT). The visit provided the delegates with deep insights into cutting-edge agricultural research, sustainable farming technologies, and innovative practices pioneered by IARI.
https://www.iari.res.in/files/Latest-News/Bhutanese_Delegation_Visits_28042025.pdf
