On the verge of a new decade, the Consulate General of Israel to South India partnered with Karnataka government, and held a brainstorming session on Karnataka-Israel agriculture & water partnership. With the various stakeholders of Karnataka leadership, Israeli experts, and representatives of Israeli companies operating in India. The discussion, held in Conrad Hotel, Bengaluru, recapped the current Israel-Karnataka agriculture & Water partnership, and new avenues for future partnership were explored.
India-Israel agriculture & water partnership is a well-established WIN-WIN success story. There are numerous successful projects like the Karnataka Govt. Large irrigation project in Ramthal incorporating Israeli drip irrigation solutions, and the Indo-Israeli Agriculture Centers of Excellence in Bagalkot (pomegranate) , Kollar (mango) & Dharwad (vegetables)_. Success stories are seen in urban water supplies as well, such as Israeli company working on Bengaluru pipe leakage problems. Other Israeli technologies such as desalination plants and wastewater treatment plants, such as exist in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, have not yet materialized in Karnataka.
Dr. Alon Ben-Gal, Senior Researcher, from Israel Agricultural Research Organization gave the keynote address on: “irrigated agriculture in drylands: lessons from the Israeli experience”, and Dr. Ram Fischman, Asst. Professor, Tel Aviv University spoke on: “A plan of action for indo Israeli collaboration on the agricultural water challenge”.
The round table started with opening remarks by Ms. Dana Kursh, Consul general of Israel to south India and Mr. Manoj Rajan, Special Secretary to Government of Karnataka (Food Processing) and Mission Director of Israel technology Based integrated Farming Mission in the Agriculture department. The other attendees included representatives from BBMP, BWSSB, BDA, WRD, WRG, and more. The Consulate General team and the two Israeli expert, were joined by representatives from Israeli companies, who shared their business success stories in India (Netafim, Tahal, Amiad Filtration, Aqwise, and Metzer Skipper).
Consul General, Ms. Dana Kursh: “Karnataka - Israel Agriculture & Water partnership is a remarkable example of what we can do together to ensure food and water security for our children. Today, in our round table discussion, we crafted together the next steps to be taken together, in 2020 and beyond. Ways to scale up our partnership utilizing our nations’ innovation ecosystems for ensuring the quantity and quality of the most pressing necessity – Water. “