Gates Foundation Delegation Meets Union Agriculture Minister to Explore Opportunities for Strengthening Collaboration in Agriculture and Rural Development

27 August 2026, New Delhi

A six-member delegation from the Gates Foundation, led by Mr Mark Suzman, CEO and Board Member, Gates Foundation, called on Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, in New Delhi today to discuss opportunities for collaboration and further strengthening the ongoing partnership between the Gates Foundation and the Government of India in the areas of agriculture and rural development.

Welcoming the Gates Foundation delegation, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan reiterated the significance of India’s partnership with the Gates Foundation in advancing food, nutrition and livelihood security. He emphasised the potential of the partnership to contribute to South-South Cooperation, particularly by facilitating the sharing of agricultural innovations and technologies developed in India with countries across Asia, Africa and the Global South.

The Union Agriculture Minister highlighted the importance of leveraging India’s agricultural expertise and innovations to address shared challenges and contribute to sustainable agricultural development in other developing countries.
Mr Mark Suzman expressed the Gates Foundation’s strong support for India’s developmental goals and reaffirmed its commitment to deepening cooperation with the Government of India in critical areas of agriculture and social sector programmes, in alignment with the country’s development priorities.

The Gates Foundation delegation included Ms. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Board Member, Gates Foundation, Ms. Archana Vyas, Country Director–India, Gates Foundation, and other senior officials.

Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR; Mr Atish Chandra, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DoAFW); Mr Amit Shukla, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, along with other senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, DARE and ICAR, including officials from the International Relations (IR) and International Cooperation (IC) Divisions of ICAR/DARE, were also present during the meeting.

(Source: International Relations Division, ICAR)