Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Quality Council of India to Provide Technical Support to Andhra Pradesh Govt. in Agriculture & Allied Sectors
Posted On:
19 DEC 2023 5:40PM by PIB Hyderabad
VIJAYAWADA, 19.12.2023
The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Government of Andhra Pradesh have forged a landmark partnership by signing an MoU to transform the state’s agricultural sector during the Andhra Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp event, a QCI initiative to foster a quality mission across the states of India.
This collaboration will witness QCI providing extensive technical support across various agriculture and allied sectors, fuelling Andhra Pradesh's journey towards a Viksit Bharat built on quality and sustainability.
The Andhra Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp commenced with lighting the lamp in the presence of Minister for Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh Govt. Shri Kakani Govardhan Reddy; Shri Jaxay Shah, Chairperson, QCI; Shri Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, Chief Commissioner, RBKs, & Special Chief Secretary to A.P. Govt.; Shri Chiranjiv Choudhary, Principal Secretary to Govt. Marketing & Cooperation Development; Dr S.S. Sreedhar, Commissioner of Horticulture & Sericulture and Dr. A. Raj, CEO of the National Board for Quality Promotion, QCI. Hon’ble Minister also launched the QCI IndG.A.P. Portal and presented IndG.A.P. certificates to selected farmers belonging to different villages of the state.
Under this strategic partnership, QCI will lend its expertise in developing and designing a robust conformity assessment framework for the state's agricultural sector. This framework will establish clear quality standards and ensure adherence to best practices throughout the value chain, from farm to fork. It will provide crucial training programs for stakeholders at all levels, empowering farmers, cooperatives, industry players, and government officials with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the quality ecosystem effectively. Additionally, QCI will offer its esteemed accreditation services, further bolstering confidence in the quality and safety of Andhra Pradesh's agricultural produce.
Shri Kakani Govardhan Reddy, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh said, "We are delighted to join hands with QCI in this transformative initiative. Their expertise and support will be invaluable in our vision to make Andhra Pradesh a leader in quality agriculture. Together, we will build a quality ecosystem at the grassroots level for all the stakeholders associated with agriculture and its allied sectors, including farmers.”
Recognizing the importance of integrating the quality mission through state collaborations, Shri Jaxay Shah, Chairperson, QCI, asserted that QCI will actively collaborate with government institutions and agricultural universities in Andhra Pradesh to empower the youth of the state and provide them with an opportunity to contribute in building a holistic quality ecosystem for a Viksit Bharat in its Gaurav Kaal. He further stated, “This collaboration will focus on capacity building and knowledge sharing, ensuring that the state's institutions are equipped to independently handle quality assurance practices in the long run. In addition to this, youngsters of Andhra Pradesh will also benefit from various youth-empowering initiatives of QCI like Gunvatta Gurukul.”
Shri Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, Chief Commissioner, RBKs, & Special Chief Secretary to AP Govt., said, “QCI has been building a quality culture across agriculture & its allied sectors through their multivariate schemes like INDG.A.P. and initiatives like ‘Sarpanch Samvaad’ in order to make rural India take center stage in driving the quality mission at the grassroots level. This strategic collaboration between QCI and Govt. of Andhra Pradesh will certainly benefit the state’s agriculture stakeholders, right from the farmers to the agri-startups."
Dr. A. Raj, CEO-NBQP, QCI, said in his vote of thanks that “this is Part-1 of the Andhra Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp. The second part will come soon which will see deliberations and collaborations on Healthcare, Education, Industry and other sectors.”
The event also featured the presence of eminent speakers who led the discussion on redefining agriculture, revamping the agri-industry by embracing technological revolution, the E-Farm market platform for connecting farmers directly with markets, and other crucial aspects. The Andhra Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp also witnessed the Sarpanch community taking center stage with discussions on leveraging ICT tools, best practices sharing, and capacity building.
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(Release ID: 1988323)
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