India to implement $250 mn agriculture innovation projec
New Delhi : India Thursday approved the implementation of $250-million National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP). The World Bank is to provide $200-million credit for the project and the remainder will be contributed by the central government.
"The cabinet has approved the project for promoting basic and strategic research in the frontier areas of agricultural sciences," Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Dasmunsi told reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The six-year project will be implemented from July 1.
The project will have four components with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) acting as the catalysing agent for the management of change in the Indian National Agricultural System.
The other components will be research in production and consumption systems, research on sustainable rural livelihood security and basic and strategic research in the frontier areas of agricultural sciences.
A large network of public research institutions, private sector, NGOs and other stakeholders will implement the different components of the project.
The decision will result in about 15 value chain development reports serving as models for other potential areas and planning for investment, the minister said.
About 20 sustainable rural livelihood models for replication in other disadvantaged areas, generation of about 25 patents of scientific and economic significance and about 100 high quality research papers are also expected as the outcome.
