India is negotiating agricultural cooperation with the Taliban government in Afghanistan

Afghan Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Attaullah Omari; Chargé d’affaires Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor of the Afghan Embassy; and others at the Industry Interactive Session on India-Afghanistan Trade Opportunities at PHD House in New Delhi on Friday (July 10, 2026). | Photo credit: ANI

NEW DELHI

The Taliban administration in Afghanistan has expressed its desire to strengthen agricultural cooperation with India in areas such as agricultural trade, infrastructure development and irrigation, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday (Jul 12, 2026).

In a statement, the MEA said the discussions took place during a six-day (July 7-12) visit by Abdullah Omari, the Taliban administration’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock.

“Both sides reviewed the ongoing cooperation and explored new avenues of cooperation in agriculture, irrigation, livestock, agricultural research, education, capacity building and agri-trade. Food security, seed systems and increasing crop productivity were at the forefront of the discussions. India reiterated its commitment to support the Afghan agriculture sector through cooperation on climate-resilient and bio-enriched crop varieties,” the MEA said.

During the visit, Mr. Omari met Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Food Industries Minister Chirag Paswan. Mr. Omari also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pabitra Margherita.

Among the topics discussed were cooperation in food processing through value addition, capacity building and the promotion of bilateral trade in agricultural and food products.

The Afghan delegation led by Mr. Omari also met with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mr. Omari is the fourth Taliban minister to visit Delhi in the past year. Earlier, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Public Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali and Commerce Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi visited India.

India has not yet formally recognized the Taliban government in Kabul, but has promoted the “technical team” at the Indian embassy in Kabul to the level of chargé d’affaires.

India is sending food, medicine and other essential items to Afghanistan as the country continues to struggle with shortages of essential commodities and life-saving drugs. Much of the aid was routed through the Iranian port of Chabahar before the route was disrupted by the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Published – 12 Jul 2026 22:19 IST