New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Silvio Erkens, Minister of Food Security and Horticulture of the Netherlands, on Monday discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, horticulture and food security.

“Pleased to meet Minister of Food Security and Horticulture of the Netherlands, Mr. Silvio Erkens, in New Delhi today. We discussed opportunities to further strengthen cooperation in agriculture, horticulture and food security between India and the Netherlands,” Chouhan stated on X.

Last week, Minister for Jal Shakti, C R Patil and the Netherlands' Vice Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management, Jaap Slootmaker, met in New Delhi as they discussed strengthening India–Netherlands cooperation in the water sector.

The two ministers held a bilateral meeting on the strategic partnership on water at Bharat Mandapam, on the sidelines of the 9th India International Water Week (IIWW) 2026.

According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the meeting provided an opportunity to review and further strengthen India–Netherlands cooperation in the water sector with particular focus on advancing technical cooperation for the Kalpasar Project in Gujarat.

As part of the bilateral engagement, two tripartite Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed to facilitate cooperation for the Kalpasar Project between the Central Water Commission (CWC), Kalpasar Department, Government of Gujarat, and Dutch knowledge institutions Deltares and TU Delft.

On September 4, a delegation led by Additional Secretary Vijay Nehra, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, along with India's Ambassador to the Netherlands, Kumar Tuhin, on Friday visited RIVM — the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

“The delegation led by Additional Secretary Mr. Vijay Nehra, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India, with the Ambassador of India, visited RIVM — the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. They met with Dr. Isabel Arends, DG and her team of experts and held fruitful discussions on issues of public health and explored avenues of cooperation between India and NL. The delegation also visited advanced laboratory facilities at the RIVM,” the Indian Embassy in the Netherlands stated on X.

–IANS

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