Antananarivo: India's Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros, Abhay Kumar, called on the Prime Minister of Madagascar Christian Ntsay and announced the donation of 5,000 tons of rice to the island nation as humanitarian aid.

The rice shipment from India to Madagascar is likely to reach the Malagasy port of Tomasina in July 2022.

Abhay Kumar met Madagascar PM Ntsay on Thursday where they reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties between both the countries.

Earlier, India had donated 1,000 metric tons of rice to Madagascar in March 2021 for the people affected by drought in the south of Madagascar and 600 tons of rice in March 2020 for the flood victims in the north of Madagascar.

Recently, India also announced the donation of 15,000 bicycles to Madagascar on June 3, 2022, on the occasion of World Bicycle Day.

India's policy towards Madagascar is guided by the collaborative maritime vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

Madagascar joined the India-led Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in April 2022 and had earlier supported India joining the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) as an observer in March 2020 and the Djibouti Code of Conduct in August 2020.

Minister of National Defence of Madagascar, Lt. General Rakotonirina Leon Jean Richard led a 4-member delegation to participate in Aero India 2021 and Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers' Conclave in Bengaluru from February 3-5, 2021.

During the visit, the Malagasy Defence Minister held a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed steps for furthering defence cooperation between the two countries.

Ten diplomats from Madagascar participated in the 1st Special Course for Diplomats in the Indian Ocean Region from September 19 to October 2, 2021, organised by the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.