Announced 13 July 2025 by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, a project led by Western Sydney University has been awarded a Maitri Grant – administered by the Centre for Australia-India Relations – to drive transformative growth in agribusiness and strengthen policy dialogue between Australia and India.
Dr Vanita Yadav, from the Urban Transformations Research Centre (UTRC), secured $425,0000 through the grant to lead the project, 'Enhancing Agribusiness and Strategic Policy Dialogue between Australia and India.' This international research project is transdisciplinary, action-oriented and user-driven, bringing together academia, industry, farmers, and policymakers to unpack agribusiness trade barriers and foster collaborative sustainable growth through evidence-based grassroots insights, bilateral partnerships, and a roadmap for Australia-India agribusiness innovation.
Professor Ian Anderson, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) congratulated all involved in this funding success.
"This project reflects Western's reputation as a world leading partner of choice and commitment to creating impactful solutions to escalating global challenges in sustainable agriculture, food security and technological innovations," said Professor Anderson.
The interdisciplinary research team includes Western's Professor Nicky Morrison from the Urban Transformations Research Centre (UTRC), Professor Basant Lal Maheshwari, Professor Brajesh Singh and Professor David Tissue from Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE), and Associate Professor Maria Estela Varua from the School of Business.
External partners include the National Institute of Agriculture Management (NIAM); Ministry of Agriculture; Government of India; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India; Development Support Centre (DSC), India; Rainforest Alliance (RA), India; and the Australian Farm Institute (AFI), NSW Australia.
The 2024-25 Maitri Grant Program supports projects that will strengthen the Australia-India relationship across a number of sectors. The program is administered by the Centre for Australia-India Relations under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Government.
