rof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General, participated in the First International Agronomy Congress, held in New Delhi, 22-26 November 1998, as a member of the Governing Board of the Congress.
     H.E. Mr K. R. Narayanan, President of India, was the Chief Guest at the inaugural session, which was chaired by H.E. Mr Sompal, Minister of State for Agriculture. Prof. El-Beltagy delivered a statement at the inaugural session, in which he highlighted the role of dry areas in contributing to increased food production and poverty alleviation. He also delivered a plenary lecture on "Central and West Asia and North Africa: A Regional Vision," emphasizing the role of agricultural

research in ensuring food security and sustainable management of the fragile natural resource base in the dry areas. He illustrated his talk with examples of ICARDA's research work and its impact.
     The DG was accompanied by Dr M.C. Saxena, ADG, who was a member of the International Organizing Committee of the Congress. A veteran agronomist, Dr Saxena is a Life Member of the Indian Society of Agronomy. He chaired a symposium on "Globalization of Agriculture and Policy Imperative," and delivered an invited lecture on "Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation for Sustainable Agriculture in the Dry Areas," during the Congress.
     Besides attending the Congress, Prof. El-Beltagy and Dr Saxena held extensive

discussions with Dr R.S. Paroda, DG, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Secretary, Dept. of Agricultural Re-
search and Education, Govt. of India, to strengthen collaboration between ICARDA and ICAR. ICAR now has funds available for implementing the National Agricultural Technology Transfer Project, which opens avenues for ICARDA's collaboration with the Central Arid Zone Research Institute
(CAZRI) in Jodhpur and the Central
Research Institute for Dry Areas
(CRIDA) in Hyderabad. It was suggest-
ed that scientists from these institutions and ICARDA exchange visits and develop specific research plans.