AGRICULTURAL ALLIES
Prospects for Danish-Indian
partnership in Agriculture and Food
I
ndia is one of the world’s largest producers of
agricultural commodities. The agriculture and food
sector forms the very fibre of the socio-economic
structure of India with more than 50% of the country’s
population, directly and indirectly, depending on the
sector for their livelihood. The primary agricultural sector
contributes to India’s food security as well as 17% of the
national GDP while the food-processing sector constitutes
one-fourth of the total national manufacturing GDP. India
is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous
nation by 2030 and is considered the fastest growing major
economy in the world. Considering the growing number of
consumers, the development of India’s agriculture and
food ecosystem is imperative. The overall economy in India
is undergoing a major shift due to increasing urbanization
and growing prosperity. In such times, it is a matter of
national priority to ensure the nutritional security of the
country and at the same time provide employment to the
large urbanising population.
The Indian government with its several visionary initiatives
such as ‘Doubling farmers’ income by 2022’, ‘Make in India’
and ‘Clean India’ is trying to address the major challenges
of the future. Collaboration with Denmark, with its world-
class agricultural sector and food-processing industry,
has great potential in terms of achieving these goals. The
significance of the agriculture and food sector within the
Danish and Indian economy coupled with the countries’
cultural heritage makes the two countries each other’s
natural ally.
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