ICARDA News

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105; E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
Website: www.icarda.cgiar.org
8 July 2004
For more information contact:
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
Kyrgyz Parliamentary Delegation Visits ICARDA
After visiting ICARDA headquarters in Aleppo, the Kyrgyz Parliamentary Delegation traveled to Egypt to get acquainted with ICARDA-Egypt collaboration in agricultural research and capacity building. Here, H.E. Mr Aleksander Kostyuk (left), Minister of Agriculture, Kyrgyzstan is seen with (left to right) H.E. Prof. Dr Youssef Wally, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt; Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG; Dr Fadia Nosseir, Supervisor, Foreign Agricultural Relations, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation; and Dr Magdy Madkour, President of ARC and ICARDA Board Member. Prof. Wally showed a large-spiked wheat variety (in glass case) to the Minister.
A delegation of high-ranking officials from Kyrgyzstan visited ICARDA on 31 May-1 June 2004 to get acquainted with the Center's research and training activities and to identify areas of collaboration in improving agricultural systems and alleviating poverty in Kyrgyzstan. The delegation consisted of H.E. Mr Aleksander Kostyuk, Minister of Agriculture; Mr Samagan Mamatov, Chairman of Agrarian Committee of the Kyrgyz Parliament; Mr Kambarali Kasymov, Member of the Kyrgyz Parliament, and Dr Asanbek Ajibekov, Director General, Center for Agrarian Science and Consultative Services, Kyrgyzstan.

Dr Mohan Saxena, ADG (At-Large), and Dr William Erskine, ADG (Research), received the delegation on behalf of the Director General and briefed them on the research activities and achievements of the Center. The visitors watched a video describing ICARDA's mandate, mission, and partnerships before heading on a tour of ICARDA's laboratories and fields to get a first-hand glimpse of research in progress. The delegation also visited the Communication, Documentation and Information Services Unit and H.E. Mr Kostyuk expressed a great interest in the role of multimedia in the transfer of knowledge and information.

During the field visit, the delegation expressed interest in the rainfed winter cereal production. The visitors were greatly impressed by the yield potential of the rainfed cover-crop of bread wheat (‘Cham 4’), which was being harvested at the time of their visit. The farm machinery for conservation tillage and for harvesting attracted special attention. Parliamentarian Kasymov, who is a practicing farmer, identified several promising lines of winter and facultative bread wheat for evaluation under his production areas in Kyrgyzstan. During the laboratory visit, the Minister showed great interest in the area of biotechnology. He engaged the scientists in lively discussion on ICARDA's stand on production of GMOs.
Kyrgyz Parliamentary Delegation with ICARDA senior management.
H.E. Mr. Aleksander Kostyuk (third from right), Minister of Agriculture; Mr Samagan Mamatov (third from left), Chairman of Agrarian Committee of the Kyrgyz Parliament; Mr Kambarali Kasymov (second from right), Member of the Kyrgyz Parliament; and Dr Asanbek Ajibekov (second from left), Director General, Center for Agrarian Science and Consultative Services, Kyrgyzstan.

At a working lunch with the ICARDA senior management, the delegation discussed ICARDA's work in Kyrgyzstan including germplasm improvement, natural resource management, and human capacity building. H.E. Mr Kostyuk identified priority areas for expanded collaboration with ICARDA. These included work on improved water-use efficiency, establishment of water users association, introduction of grain legumes, particularly soybean and Phaseolus beans, for crop diversification and sustainable production under irrigated conditions, and the improvement of technological quality of wheats.
Visit of Kyrgyz Parliamentary Delegation to ICARDA Laboratories and Field Experiments

After a Long, Busy Day...
Prof. El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG, presented a souvenir to H.E. Dr Aleksander Kostyuk in recognition of the support of the Kyrgyz government in collaborative activities with ICARDA.
Prof. El-Beltagy wearing the traditional Kyrgyz hat and robe which were gifted by the Kyrgyz delegation.
In a traditional setting, the visitors enjoyed the evening at a dinner and reception hosted in their honor by Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy.
Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director General, hosted a reception and dinner for the distinguished visitors at his residence on 1 June 2004. He took the opportunity to give the delegation an update on the efforts being made by ICARDA and other CGIAR Centers in supporting the national programs in Central Asia and the Caucasus to develop their agricultural sector in light of their move towards market economy and to achieve sustainable use of their natural resources of water, land and biodiversity, which have been under increasing threat of degradation. He appreciated the support provided by the policy makers in the Kyrgyz Republic for the collaborative research and human resource capacity building efforts of the Center.

In his brief speech at the reception, H.E. Mr Kostyuk expressed appreciation for ICARDA's role in strengthening the agricultural sector in the Kyrgyz Republic and its response to the challenges of poverty reduction and arresting degradation of natural resources in the region. Prof. Dr El-Beltagy thanked the Minister and his distinguished delegation for visiting ICARDA, and assured them of ICARDA's continued collaboration with the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Kyrgyz delegation traveled to Egypt, 3-4 June 2004, to get acquainted with the various research activities and developments in the agricultural sector in the country and to learn more about ICARDA - Egypt collaboration in agricultural research and capacity building.

H.E. Prof. Dr Youssef Wally, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt, in the presence of Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director General; Dr Fadia Nosseir, Supervisor, Foreign Agricultural Relations, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation; Dr Magdy Madkour, President, ARC, Egypt; Dr Habib Halila, NVRSRP Regional Coordinator, and Dr Ismail Ahmed, IFAD Project Coordinator; briefed the delegation on Egypt's progress in agricultural research and development. The delegation members visited the Agriculture Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI) at the Agriculture Research Center (ARC) where they were received by Dr Magdy Madkour, President of ARC and ICARDA Board Member; and Dr Haniya El Itribi, Director of AGERI. The visitors got acquainted with the Institute's activities and facilities for genetic engineering. The areas of collaboration between ICARDA and AGERI were also presented.

On the second day, the members of the delegation visited a modern farm in the newly reclaimed areas of the Nubaria region where they saw modern agricultural production systems targeting export markets. The delegation also visited the Library of Alexandria, Cairo Museum, and the Giza plateau.

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of 62 members and 16 Future Harvest Centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.
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