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Arkansas, India sign agreement to advance clean plant program
The agreement outlines joint work between the Arkansas Clean Plant Center in Fayetteville and Indian agricultural agencies.
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Malvika Choudhary - Wed, 26, Nov 2025
- 15:54 EST
- 14
Priya Ranjan, left, joint secretary of the Indian Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Jean-François Meullenet, senior associate vice president for agriculture-research and director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, sign an agreement to collaborate through the Arkansas Clean Plant Center, which aims to help implement a clean plant program in India. / U of A System Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture signed a five-year agreement with India to support the country’s Clean Plant Program aimed at supplying disease-free planting material to farmers.
The memorandum of cooperation, signed on Nov. 18, with India’s Ministry of Agriculture and National Horticulture Board outlines joint work between the Arkansas Clean Plant Center in Fayetteville and Indian agricultural agencies.
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India is among the world’s largest fruit and vegetable producers, but the absence of pathogen-free propagation material continues to limit yields, particularly for its predominantly small-scale farmers.
Under the agreement, scientists from India will undergo training at the Arkansas Clean Plant Center, which is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The training will cover diagnostic methods for plant viruses, virus elimination protocols, greenhouse operations and implementation of certification systems used to distribute clean planting stock. The partnership also allows for exchanges involving students, researchers and administrators.
Ioannis Tzanetakis, director of the Arkansas Clean Plant Center, has been involved in India’s ongoing effort to create a Clean Plant Program for nearly three years. The plan includes establishing nine clean plant centers across India. “These exchanges will not only strengthen our respective programs but also build lasting partnerships that enhance global agricultural biosecurity,” he said.
Jean-François Meullenet, who heads the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, said the partnership extends existing international research ties and aligns with the division’s wider strategic plan. He noted that improved access to disease-free material could help reduce pesticide use and improve long-term sustainability for Indian growers.
From the Indian side, the delegation was led by Priya Ranjan, joint secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and managing director of the National Horticulture Board. Ranjan said India’s horticulture sector produces around 365 million metric tons annually, with most farms averaging about two acres.
He said the Clean Plant Program aims to reduce pathogen-related yield losses in key crops. Ranjan pointed to international examples — including virus-related declines in U.S. citrus yields — to illustrate the potential economic impact of pathogen-free plant material. “If we are able to eliminate these pathogens to a substantial level … they are not economically going to hamper the productivity and the incomes of the farmers,” he said.
Ranjan said Tzanetakis’ long association with the U.S. National Clean Plant Network will be central to India’s effort. “He knows where things can go wrong,” Ranjan said, adding that the collaboration is expected to help India avoid structural and technical pitfalls as it builds its system.
V.B. Patel, assistant director general for horticultural sciences at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, said the program will initially focus on removing pathogens from grapes. Subsequent targets include pomegranate, apple, pear, walnut and several tropical fruits such as mango, avocado and banana.
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