Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence to boost agriculture inaugurated in Haryana

Chandigarh, Jan 22 (PTI) A Centre of Excellence established as part of the Indo-Israel agricultural project was on Sunday inaugurated at Gignow village in Haryana's Bhiwani district, a move that will help increase farmers' income.

The centre was inaugurated by Haryana's Agriculture Minister J P Dalal, Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel, and Ambassador of Israel to India, Naor Gilon.

The centre established as part of the Indo-Israel agricultural project is dedicated to semi-arid horticultural crops, a press release said.

Israel is a pioneer in developing sustainable technologies and solutions for all agricultural sectors. For many decades, Israel has successfully overcome harsh climatic conditions and knows how to maximize resources in an arid environment, it said.

“This is a significant milestone in the agricultural cooperation between Israel and India. It is very special as this is the 30th Centre of Excellence inaugurated as our countries are nearing the completion of 30 years of full diplomatic relations.

"With this inauguration, we now have 30 fully-active Centres of Excellence in different states across India. More such centres are in the pipeline. These centres are increasing farmers' yield and productivity while diversifying local crops and improving the quality of produce," Naor Gilon said.

Establishment of these centres has been possible due to the coordinated efforts of Government of India, state governments and MASHAV – Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the release said.

These centres provide a suitable platform for a rapid transfer of technology to Indian farmers. New agricultural technologies such as protected cultivation, drip irrigation and fertigation are demonstrated here.

The methods and technologies are adapted to the local conditions and requirements of Indian farmers, with the intent of significantly increasing their income.

Every year, the centres produce more than 40 million premium quality vegetable seedlings, over 500 thousand high-quality fruit plants, and train more than 120,000 Indian farmers, it said.

MASHAV also brings many Israeli experts to India and trains the trainers of these centres throughout the year. Similarly, Indian agricultural officers heading these centres receive training in Israel. Over 60 Indian government officials visited Israel to receive training last year.

The Israel-India cooperation in agriculture has deepened and widened since full diplomatic relations were established in 1992.

During the initial period of the establishment of Centres of Excellence, the newest technologies in the field of agriculture were brought from Israel and implemented at these centres.

Over the years, the agricultural cooperation between the two countries has further expanded. Now Israeli technologies and know-how are being transferred and manufactured in India, further boosting the 'Make in India' initiative and benefiting the entire world, said the release.

The newly inaugurated centre is one such example, which will demonstrate Israel-based agricultural technologies produced in India such as drip irrigation, mulching and greenhouses, it said. PTI SUN VSD ANU ANU