Taking to the "next level" the Indo-Israel cooperation in the field of agriculture, 75 Indian villages will be shaped with Israeli cooperation to mark the country's 75th Independence anniversary, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said.
Tomar, who was in Israel on a four-day official visit from May 8, met his Israeli counterpart Oded Forer at the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) on Wednesday.
They discussed various issues related to modern agro techniques, capacity building, transfer of knowledge know-how and support in the fields of agriculture, water management, environment and rural development, keeping in view the scope and potential of agriculture development in both the countries, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said in a statement.
As India and Israel celebrate 30 years of establishment of diplomatic relations, the ongoing bilateral partnership would be further strengthened through "mutual visits and sharing of experiences", the visiting minister said.
Tomar said as India celebrates its 75th Independence anniversary this year, "it has been decided that we will shape up 75 villages of excellence with Israeli collaboration and another 75 to follow thereafter".
Forer expressed Israel's desire to take the Centres of Excellence (CoE) established by his country in different parts of India to the "next level".
There are currently 29 fully operational Centres of Excellence in India providing vital information on emerging technologies in the agriculture sector to boost farmers' yield.
Trade relations between the two countries would also get a boost in the near future, the Israeli agriculture minister said.
India and Israel have agreed to complete the process of finalising a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of June this year.
This was agreed upon during a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid in October last year during Jaishankar's visit to Israel.
A delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare led by Tomar held extensive discussions with premier institutes and technology companies in the field of agriculture and horticulture.
"Learning about application of technology and innovative procedures in farming with focus on high value crops, vegetables and fruits were the highlights of the visit", the delegation said.
Tomar also had a roundtable discussion with more than half a dozen Israeli Agritech Startups at Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute. He extended an invite to the companies to work in India.
The issues of deliberations include crop cultivation in protected environments, freshwater fish farming, advanced plant protection techniques, precision agriculture, remote sensing and post harvest science and technology among others, it said.
The minister also visited a farm owned by an Indian-origin farmer Sharon Cherry growing Indian vegetables in the Negev desert area.
The farmer owns a desert boutique farm, Be'er Milka, in the Negev desert area. He has adopted modern technologies with the technical support of Ramat Negev Agro Research Centre and is growing vegetables, fruits and super food in the heart of Negev desert, the ministry said in the statement.
"Cherry exhibited excellence in growing Indian vegetables in extremely harsh terrain and climatic conditions with the technical support of Ramat Negev Agro Research Centre in the desert area", the delegation told PTI.
The delegation also held discussions with a team from MASHAV, the agency for International Development Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.
MASHAV is responsible for the design, coordination and implementation of the State of Israel's worldwide development and cooperation programmes in developing countries.
Source Name:-Economic Times