The second round of discussions between the Ministry of Cooperation, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan, was held at Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan, New Delhi, to further deepen bilateral cooperation in promoting sustainability and circularity in the dairy sector, with a particular focus on the establishment of Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants through dairy cooperatives.

The meeting was attended by Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, along with Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Additional Secretary; Raman Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation; Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board; and other senior officials of the Ministry of Cooperation and NDDB.

The Japanese delegation comprised Masayoshi Arai, Director General, METI; Masafumi Senda, Chief Representative, NEDO; Toyokazu Nagamune, Regional Representative, METI; and other senior officials from METI, Japan.

The discussions focused on strengthening technical cooperation and leveraging the cooperative model to promote sustainable dairy practices, clean energy generation, resource efficiency and circular economy principles in rural areas. Both sides exchanged views on the development of CBG infrastructure through dairy cooperatives, which has the potential to create additional value for farmers while contributing to environmental sustainability and energy security.

The second round of discussions marks another significant step in the growing India–Japan partnership and reaffirms the shared commitment of both countries to advancing innovative and sustainable solutions for the dairy sector through cooperative-led development.