By Chris Cooter
I recently returned from a visit to Telangana, where I enjoyed Hyderabad’s iconic biryani and reflected on India’s extraordinary culinary traditions, rooted in its dynamic agricultural systems.
Today, India is the world’s second-largest producer of wheat, rice, and horticultural products, and the global leader in milk, pulses, and spices.
Agriculture and processed food exports neared $50 billion last year, demonstrating India’s growing role in global food markets.
Despite these remarkable achievements, India’s agricultural ecosystem faces significant structural challenges around cold-chain infrastructure, water stress, and fertiliser application, including practices which can damage soil and water quality, while reducing productivity.
These challenges affect farmer incomes, consumer prices, and food and nutrition security. Post-harvest losses alone are estimated to cost India more than $18 billion annually.
India is addressing these issues through investments in agricultural infrastructure, crop insurance, digital agriculture, and farmer-support programmes.
However, climate change, extreme weather events, and global supply-chain disruptions are creating challenges that no country can address alone.
Progress will increasingly depend on trusted international partnerships rooted in innovation and sustainability.
As India’s focus evolves from food security to nutrition security, demand is growing for higher-quality proteins, diversified diets, and innovative food products. This shift creates significant opportunities for Canada-India collaboration, building upon our long-standing partnership in pulses and potash trade as well as agricultural research.
Following the joint statement issued during Prime Minister Carney’s visit to India earlier this year, India and Canada are entering a new phase in their bilateral relationship, with agriculture and food systems emerging as one of the most promising areas for cooperation.
Canada is well positioned to support India’s next phase of agricultural transformation. As one of the world’s leading agricultural economies, Canada is recognised globally for food quality, safety, and innovation.
Advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, precision agriculture, and data-driven farming practices are helping develop solutions that can support productivity while reducing environmental impacts.
As India seeks to enhance nutrition security, access to affordable protein, and strengthen livestock development, Canada can be an important strategic partner.
A notable example is the recently announced Canada–India Pulse Protein Centre of Excellence, co-chaired by the University of Saskatchewan, one of Canada’s premier agriculture and food processing universities, and NIFTEM-Kundli.
The centre aims to support India’s nutrition programmes through research and development of next-generation food solutions that benefit both countries.
More broadly, Canadian universities are deepening agricultural research collaboration with India.
The University of Guelph, for example, has established partnerships with several Indian agricultural and veterinary institutions.
Canada is the world’s largest exporter of pulses and a global centre for pulses production and protein innovation, particularly in the province of Saskatchewan. Companies such as AGT and Roquette are developing alternative-protein products that serve global markets, creating new opportunities for collaboration to develop high quality food products by moving up the value chain.
Beyond nutrition, Canada can contribute practical solutions to some of India’s pressing sustainability challenges.
Canada is the world’s largest producer and exporter of potash, a nutrient that, when used appropriately, can help address soil-health challenges associated with imbalanced fertiliser application.
Canadian farmers have been leaders in conservation agriculture, precision farming, and 4R nutrient stewardship practices, demonstrating that productivity and environmental sustainability can advance together.
Canada and India can also work together to address crop-residue management and winter air pollution. Canadian seeding technology has demonstrated the ability to eliminate the need for stubble burning while improving yields by 28% in field trials conducted in Punjab and Haryana.
Other Canadian technologies, including balers and biostimulants supporting compressed biogas production from agricultural residue, can complement India’s residue-management efforts and help convert waste into economic value.
Beyond commodities, Canada is emerging as a valuable partner in bioeconomy and digital agriculture. Canadian capabilities in artificial intelligence, satellite analytics through RADARSAT, and digital traceability can complement India’s AgriStack ecosystem.
Canadian and Indian companies can co-develop solutions for soil health, water efficiency, and climate-smart agriculture, including drought-resistant seed genetics through collaborative models such as Living Labs.
Canada can provide controlled-environment agriculture and greenhouse technologies to support India’s growing horticulture sector.
To reduce post-harvest losses, Indian and Canadian companies can work together to modernise cold chains, storage infrastructure, and logistics. Canada’s recent investments in food security and agricultural innovation will further strengthen its capacity as a partner in global agricultural development.
Encouragingly, interest in partnership is already growing. Indian companies are exploring new opportunities with Canadian firms, and a large Indian delegation is expected to attend Ag in Motion, Western Canada’s largest outdoor agricultural machinery show. Canadian companies such as McCain and AGT already have significant investments in India and continue to explore opportunities in food processing and value-added agriculture.
As India moves beyond the achievements of the Green Revolution towards a future defined by nutrition security, sustainability, and innovation, the potential for deeper Canada-India agricultural cooperation is substantial.
By building on our shared strengths in agricultural research, nutrition, climate-smart farming, digital agriculture, and food processing, we can create more resilient food systems, generate new economic opportunities, and contribute to global food security. Together, Canada and India can help shape the future of agriculture.
(The author is Canada’s High Commissioner to India)
Disclaimer: The views expressed are the author’s own and do not reflect the official policy or position of Financial Express.