In the history of Suriname, 2020 would be remembered as the year of the global pandemic that characteristically altered the Presidential swearing-in ceremony. After his electoral victory, President Chandrika Persad Santokhi silently assumed office, without any public gathering, due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak.

India Empire magazine recently reached out to President Santokhi for his thoughts on bilateral trade between Suriname and India. Besides reiterating his focus on further strengthening cordial ties between the two nations, he expressed keen interest in leveraging India’s expertise in Information Technology (IT) for promoting enterprise and driving growth, especially in traditional sectors like agriculture and mining.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) based agro-advisory services in India have evolved considerably over the years, in line with global developments in the agriculture sector. Availability of huge amounts of data and technologies to assimilate information have revolutionized the way ICT is used for interventions on the field. Short Messaging Services (SMS) - the forerunners of information dissemination - have made way for the ubiquitous smart phone app. Today, there are apps that provide highly customized and localized content about every aspect of farming. Technology has been instrumental in putting Indian agriculture on a growth trajectory.