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India, New Zealand hold first joint working group meeting on horticulture cooperation
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Monday, 23 February, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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India and New Zealand recently convened the inaugural Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on horticultural cooperation, marking a key milestone in bilateral agricultural collaboration under the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed on 12 March 2025.
The meeting, co-chaired by Priya Ranjan, Joint Secretary (Horticulture), Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), and Steve Ainsworth, Divisional Manager, Bilateral Relations and Trade from New Zealand (joining virtually), brought together senior officials and technical experts from both countries. The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in the horticulture sector, with priority given to kiwifruit and pip fruits such as apple and pear.
Ranjan highlighted the identification of kiwifruit as a priority crop for India and underscored key areas under the Kiwifruit Action Plan. These include establishing Centres of Excellence (CoEs), enhancing orchard management practices, improving productivity, and ensuring access to quality rootstock and planting material. Strengthening post-harvest management and supply chains also emerged as critical components of the collaborative agenda.
The meeting also reviewed procedural aspects for importing kiwi rootstock from New Zealand and discussed plans to organise specialised training programmes for Indian farmers and agri-entrepreneurs in New Zealand, aimed at building technical know-how and capacity.
Ainsworth assessed the current production landscape and challenges in kiwifruit, apple and pear cultivation in India and stressed collaborative research, capacity building, and enhanced grower training. He emphasised strengthening quality standards, supply chain linkages, and market positioning to support farmer incomes and productivity.
The JWG concluded by finalising implementation timelines and an action roadmap, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to deepen horticultural cooperation. Immediate next steps and follow-up review meetings were also scheduled to maintain momentum in bilateral engagements.
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