IN Narendra Modi and Tajikistan president Emomali Rahmon

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi (left) and Tajikistan president Emomali Rahmon 

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has called for increased connectivity between India and Central Asia, including boosting agricultural cooperation with Tajikistan.

Speaking in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, at the end of a week-long tour of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, Modi told delegates at the Workshop of Agricultural Cooperation that India’s own agricultural knowledge would be relevant to Tajikstan.

“We are the world’s largest producer of milk, one of the top producers of fruits and vegetables and one of the three leading producers of fisheries. Along the way, we have created a resource base that will be of great value to our friends in Tajikistan,” Modi said, adding that India had worked to develop affordable and effective farming techniques and equipment.

“We can help in increasing the range of crops you produce and the number of crops you get in a year. Greenhouse cultivation is a process that will be well suited for Tajikistan.”

Modi finished the speech stating that India and Tajikistan are strategic partners, with agricultural cooperation central to the future of both of the countries.