Assam CM inaugurates Centre of Excellence under Indo-Israel Agricultural Project

Guwahati, Nov 24 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Vegetables at Khetri in Kamrup (Metro) district under an Indo–Israel project, marking a major milestone in Assam’s effort to modernise its agriculture sector.

The inauguration marked a significant day for the state’s agriculture sector and the centre reflects the strength of cooperation between the two countries by bringing together Israel’s advanced agricultural expertise and Assam’s fertile landscape and hardworking farmers, Sarma said on the occasion.

He said that executing the project involved considerable challenges, as transforming the area into a world-class facility demanded substantial resources, coordination and a clear vision.

The government of India had sanctioned Rs 5.84 crore for the project in 2020–21, while the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) provided an additional Rs 60 lakh for land development and related works.

The centre, built with Israeli technology and central assistance, is also equipped with modern and innovative irrigation systems, he said.

The facility will offer training programmes for agricultural scientists and farmers, which will help accelerate growth in the state’s horticulture sector.

The CM urged young people to take advantage of the training opportunities available at the centre.

The facility has already produced over 7 lakh seedlings of crops such as papaya, tomato, marigold, coloured capsicum, lettuce and broccoli, which have been distributed free of cost across nine districts, greatly benefiting farmers, Sarma said.

Farmers visiting the centre will be exposed to new irrigation practices and modern field techniques that can be adopted in their own farms, he added.

Automated irrigation and fertigation systems was a key feature of the centre and the technology will allow farmers to control irrigation remotely through mobile phones or computers, ensuring timely delivery of water and nutrients to crops, Sarma pointed out.

More than 600 farmers have already been trained at the centre and the agriculturally progressive Dimoria–Sonapur region stands to gain significantly from the technologies available at the Centre, he added.

Sarma thanked Ambassador of Israel to India Reuven Azar and experts from that country for helping in this project which will benefit Assam in multiple ways and further strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Spread across 21.78 acres, the facility includes a 1,200 sq m fan-pad greenhouse equipped with climate and humidity control systems, soil-less cultivation technology and a boom irrigation mechanism capable of producing 4.5 lakh high-value vegetable seedlings per production cycle. PTI DG DG NN