Israel and India's agriculture cooperation deepens
Vadrad, Gujarat 16/8/2015: Chief Minister of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel and Ambassador of Israel, Daniel Carmon, inaugurated today another Agriculture Center of Excellence, under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Cooperation Project. State Minister for Agriculture Mr. Mohanbhai Kundariya, and Consul General of Israel in Mumbai, Mr. David Akov also attended the event.
The vegetable Center of Excellence in Vadrad, Gujarat, one of three expected in Gujarat, incorporates in one Center many different methods of protected cultivation, thus providing the farmers of Gujarat a wide spectrum of new technologies and possibilities to learn and to later adopt and use use in their own fields in order to increase their produce and resource efficiency.
This Center is the first one to be inaugurated in the state of Gujarat and is part of the second phase of the Indo-Israel Agriculture Cooperation project that includes setting up close to 30 Centers of Excellence in 9 states across India.
This Indo-Israeli initiative was launched in 2008 and operates under the partnership of the Department of Horticulture in the Ministry of Agriculture and Mashav, Israel’s Agency for Development and Cooperation. It aims at increasing farmer’s yield and productivity while diversifying local crops in various regions across India and optimizing resource efficiency of individual farmers by using advanced micro-irrigation systems and other adapted technologies.
During the inauguration ceremony, Ambassador Carmon said:
“We inaugurate this center at times that the relations between our two countries are growing and expanding rapidly. These relations are also translated to actual things. Partnership you can see with your own eyes like the one that we see here today.
At the core of these centers, of this project, is something very simple. The seed of all of what we see here today is partnership and friendship. This is where it all begins.”
“When Prime Minister Modi visited Israel in 2006 as the Chief Minister of Gujarat he witnessed with his own eyes how far advanced methods and smart usage of resources can take you. He saw that it is possible to grow more with less.”
The third phase of the Indo-Israel Agriculture Cooperation is expected to be launched soon and will include more states under the project. New crops and technologies are also expected to be introduced in the third phase as well as a significant addition of new Centers of Excellence.
Regarding the third phase, Ambassador Carmon said:
“We are all excited to start this new phase in the coming months since we truly believe it has great importance for both our countries. I’m sure that in the third phase the state of Gujarat will have a paramount and meaningful role to extend and expand this incredible project to new avenues and new horizons.”
Ambassador Carmon and Chief Minster Patel discussed in length about strengthen ties between Israel and Gujarat by collaborating in areas of water conservation, post harvest management as weel as education. In the month of October, Israel is hosting WATEC - one of the biggest events in the world on water technologies and solutions.