New Delhi, Jul 9 (UNI) Five Indian officials from the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare traveled to Australia last month to participate in a specialised training that could help boost India’s agricultural exports, a release from the Australian High Commission said here on Tuesday.

The training focused on the use of biosecurity treatments, particularly on in-transit cold treatment for the export of horticultural products, including table grapes.

Australia’s High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu said the training was a "practical example" of how Australia and India work together to strengthen the economic partnership.
“These initiatives not only promote valuable knowledge exchange between our officials, but also build strong people-to-people connections," she said.
This training mechanism supports India’s goal of increasing exports of safe, quality agricultural products, as well as developing Indian capabilities in using this treatment for other exports as well as for imported goods.

“Use of these treatments can ensure the biosecurity risks associated with pests not found in Australia are managed in a robust manner. It also ensures that the produce stays as fresh as possible and ready for the consumer to eat,” said Ms Sidhu.

“The development of India’s capability to provide these treatments for exports and to know what to look for on incoming shipments here in India will enable greater trade so Australian and Indian consumers can enjoy the produce of both our countries," the envoy said.
She further said: "We look forward to further cooperation activities and continuing to build on our unique bilateral agricultural partnership".

As part of the program, Indian officials visited the state of Victoria including the Mallee region, one of Australia’s key agricultural areas, to learn how Australia’s biosecurity and export systems operate.

It was the second round of a training program which commenced with an initial session delivered to 30 Indian officials by Australian Government Department of Agriculture officers in Nashik, Maharashtra earlier this year, the release said.
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