A major agribusiness roundtable in Jaipur has brought together industry leaders, policymakers and farmers from Australia and India, as efforts intensify to strengthen collaboration between the two countries’ agricultural sectors.
The second AgriMaitri India Roundtable, convened by Western Sydney University and led by Dr Vanita Yadav, gathered 53 participants for a field-focused dialogue aimed at linking policy, markets and on-ground farming realities.
Held on 19 March 2026 at the Marriott Jaipur, the event brought together senior government officials, researchers, agribusiness entrepreneurs, startups and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), alongside farmers, to co-design pathways for deeper Australia–India cooperation.
The roundtable featured the formal launch of the AgriMaitri Strategic Brief, with keynote addresses from Rajasthan’s Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Manju Rajpal and Investment NSW’s Trade Commissioner Malini Dutt.
Dr Vanita Yadav, project lead for AgriMaitri, said the Delhi and Jaipur events were important in bringing together diverse stakeholders from both countries to co-design actionable solutions for the agribusiness sector. She said delegates represented government, industry, AgTech, research institutions, academia, chambers of commerce and trade bodies, creating a dynamic forum for dialogue between Australian and Indian experts.
Discussions focused on practical challenges faced by farmers and agribusinesses, with participants sharing experiences on market access, policy frameworks and innovation at the grassroots level. Representatives from the Government of Rajasthan, the Government of India and the NSW Government took part in the policy dialogue.
AgriMaitri is led by a transdisciplinary team including Dr Yadav, Professor Nicky Morrison, Professor Basant Maheshwari, Professor David Tissue, Associate Professor Maria Estela Varua and Professor Brajesh Singh, working alongside partner organisations in both countries.
The initiative is supported by the Centre for Australia-India Relations through the Maitri Research Grants under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It aims to address gaps between India and Australia’s complementary strengths in agribusiness by bringing together academia, industry, policymakers, farmers and trade bodies to identify shared opportunities.
The roundtable was also held in collaboration with key Indian partners, including the National Institute of Agricultural Marketing and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
Organisers said the Jaipur discussions added strong regional depth to the AgriMaitri initiative, which is now moving from dialogue to implementation, with a focus on connecting policy, markets and farm-level realities across both countries.
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