On October 31, 2023, the eighth Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on Agriculture between India and the Netherlands took place at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. Shri Priya Ranjan, Joint Secretary (Horticulture), Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, and Mr. Guido Landheer, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Netherlands, co-chaired the meeting.
Both sides exchanged views on current priorities, challenges, and new initiatives in their respective agriculture sectors, appreciating the role of the JWG mechanism in deepening cooperation between the two countries. Discussions highlighted the contribution of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) established under bilateral collaboration. Ongoing areas of cooperation and potential new avenues were reviewed, including phytosanitary cooperation, the seed sector, animal husbandry and dairy, food processing, food safety, circular agriculture, greenhouse technologies, knowledge exchange, innovation, and naturally ventilated polyhouses.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation. The Netherlands delegation included Ms. Marion van Schaik, Agriculture Counsellor; Ms. Sarah Visser Ravichandran, Senior Policy Officer; and Mr. Sritanu Chatterjee, Policy Advisor, Embassy of the Netherlands. The Indian side was represented by senior officials from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Key Entities Referenced
Joint Working Group (JWG) on Agriculture between India and the Netherlands: A bilateral mechanism for agricultural cooperation between India and the Netherlands
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW): The Indian government department primarily responsible for agriculture and farmers' welfare.
Centres of Excellence (CoEs): A network established under bilateral collaboration, which have demonstrated advanced technologies, facilitated the production of high-quality planting material and seeds, and provided training to thousands of farmers.
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Netherlands: Counterpart ministry from the Netherlands involved in the meeting.
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Eighth Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting on
Agriculture between India and the Netherlands
Posted On: 31 OCT 2025 7:33PM by PIB Delhi
The eighth meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Agriculture between India and the
Netherlands was held today at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Priya
Ranjan, Joint Secretary (Horticulture), Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of
India, and Mr. Guido Landheer, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Netherlands.
Both sides exchanged views on the current priorities, challenges, and new initiatives in their
respective agriculture sectors. Emphasizing the significance of the JWG mechanism, both sides
appreciated its role in deepening the longstanding cooperation in agriculture between the two
countries.The discussions underscored the contribution of the Centres of Excellence (CoEs) established under
bilateral collaboration, which have demonstrated advanced technologies, facilitated the production of
high-quality planting material and seeds, and provided training to thousands of farmers. The success
of this model has inspired efforts to scale up similar initiatives across additional states and subsectors
of horticulture to benefit more farmers.
The meeting also reviewed ongoing areas of cooperation and explored potential new avenues,
including phytosanitary cooperation, the seed sector, animal husbandry and dairy, food processing,
food safety, circular agriculture, greenhouse technologies, knowledge exchange, innovation, and
naturally ventilated polyhouses.Both sides expressed satisfaction with the constructive and result-oriented discussions and reaffirmed
their commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the agriculture and allied sectors.
The Netherlands delegation included Ms. Marion van Schaik, Agriculture Counsellor; Ms. Sarah
Visser Ravichandran, Senior Policy Officer; and Mr. Sritanu Chatterjee, Policy Advisor, Embassy of
the Netherlands.
The Indian side was represented by senior officials from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers
Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Department of Animal
Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
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