Israel Keen To Share Its Expertise To Increase Productivity, Improve Soil In North India

By 121 News Reporter

Chandigarh 26^th March:-- Close cooperation between farmers, scientists, governments and industry with thrust on Research & Development (R & D) and adoption of Israel’s innovative technologies and best practices in various areas of farming like irrigation, protective cultivation, water & soil health management, farm mechanization, fertigation ( i.e application of fertilizers, soil amendments, or other water-soluble products through an irrigation system), soil solarisation (i.e an environmentally friendly method of using solar power for controlling pests) can be a  ‘Game Changer’ for growth of North India’s agricultural sector, emphasised  Yonathan Ben Zaken, Head – Commercial Department, Embassy of Israel while addressing a session on Promoting Indo-Israel Agricultural Cooperation, organized by Confederation of Indian Industry here today.

 

Yonathan Ben Zaken added that Israel is committed to offer and share its ultra-modern technologies, machinery, processes, equipment, farm implements and other tools and techniques etc to help bring the 2nd Green Revolution in Punjab region, the food bowl of India. Further, to enhance collaboration and bilateral sharing of knowledge and technologies, we need to establish more and more Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in various agricultural aspects including effective food processing and Agri residue management. Israel is more than eager to work with governments both states and Centre to open as many CoEs as possible. We believe joint CoEs are the best way to promote use of best Agri practices in north India. Regular and structured interactions between governments, experts and most importantly the farming community of the two countries also needs to be strengthened in order to bring about a substantial change in the Agri scenario here, he emphasized.

 

Dr Arjun Singh Saini, Director General Horticulture, Govt of Haryana shared that there is a dire need to produce disease-free seedlings of vegetables and orchards, promote vertical farming, drip irrigation, boost crop diversification and incentivize use of solar energy in order to scale new heights in Agri sector in Punjab & Chandigarh region. He also called upon the farmers to adopt protected cultivation, which allows cultivating out of season crops. This in turn increases yield and decreases pesticide use on the crops. At the same time, intensification and improvement of productivity of horticultural crops by controlling drainage, plant protection and canopy management, introduction of new varieties of hybrid seeds and new rootstock can also play a critical role in revolutionising the Agri sector. Sharing information about Indo-Israel cooperation in agriculture, he added,that with the aim of increasing the productivity of the local farmers and educating them about scientific advancements in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, Israel government signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Government of India for establishment of CoEs across ten Indian States of which two in Haryana are fully operational - one for vegetables in Gharaunda, Karnal and one on fruits in Mangiana, Sirsa.

 

Talking about key role that CII AgroTech plays Gilad Pelad, Director, The Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute mentioned that, CII Agro Tech scheduled from 22-25 November 2014 would play a crucial role in helping the Indian farmer think ahead of the curve and adopt global practices not only for cultivation, irrigation, post-harvest management but also standard investment policies and food safety norms. It should also try to reorganize the retail market and strengthen the supply chain. CII Agro Tech 2014 with its number of concurrent shows like Farm tech, Livestock Expo, Imlementex, Kisan Goshthees and Conferences, will be a great platform for farmers, researchers, stakeholders, for exchange of ideas, technology display, awareness creation, best practices learning and sharing and Agro commerce.

 

Manmohan Singh, Immediate Past Chairman, CII Chandigarh Council said that the Indo-Israel cooperation in agriculture is taking a significant part of the process of India becoming a world leader in food production and supply. The repeated exchange visits of Israeli and Indian experts and the follow-up on mutually agreed recommendations will guarantee rapid growth in the yield and quality of produce, and will surely benefit the Indian farmers and consumers.