Paramaribo: Suriname on Tuesday received the first shipment of fruit processing machinery funded under the $1 million Small and Medium Enterprises grant announced by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar recently.  

"Under the $1mn SME grant aid announced by EAM S. Jaishankar, the first shipment of fruit processing machinery, received in Suriname. Once operational, the processing facility will enhance value addition to local agricultural products," the Embassy of India in Suriname posted on X.

India had offered USD 1 million as grant assistance for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) projects during EAM Jaishankar's meeting with his Surinamese counterpart Albert Ramdin during the India-Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) in Guyana on April 21, 2023.

Under the grant aid, developments are ongoing for establishing a passion fruit packaging unit in Suriname by supplying machinery from India. The NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS), implementation partner in the project, carried out a feasibility study in July 2024 and found the project fit for implementation, and accordingly the machines were shipped to Suriname.

Reinforced by cultural and people to people contacts bridged by Indian diaspora's arrival dating back to one and half century, India enjoys close, warm and friendly relations with Suriname.

India and Suriname have bilateral mechanisms to enhance bilateral cooperation, such as Ministerial-level Joint Commission Meetings and Joint Working Group on Agriculture. Both countries have actively cooperated on development partnership, and India has offered Line of Credits (LOCs), Grants-in-Aid.

Under the Social Welfare initiative of India, India has also extended food security assistance to Suriname for the value of about US $10 million.

President of India Droupadi Murmu's maiden foreign visit to Suriname in June 2023 marked a significant milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries. President Murmu was State Guest at the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Suriname. During her visit, President Murmu was bestowed with the prestigious 'Grand Order of the Chain of the Yellow Star', the highest civilian honour of Suriname. Several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in the regulation of medical products, recognition of the Indian Pharmacopeia, and the formulation of a Joint Work plan for Agriculture and Allied Sectors for the period of 2023-2027 were also signed during President Murmu's visit. (IANS)