India-Israel agree to further enhance cooperation in the agricultural sector

Tags: National News

Israeli ambassador to India Shri Naor Gilon called on the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan on 27th January 2022. 

• India and Israel have completed 30 years of diplomatic relations. 
• India and Israel signed a three-year work programme for cooperation in Agriculture.
• In the agriculture sector,India and Israel had bilateral relations since 1993.So far, 4 action plans have been completed and this one is 5th Indo-Israel Agriculture Action Plan(IIAP) 
• The aim of the work programme is to grow existing Centres of Excellence(CoE) by.
  • Establishing new centres
  • Increasing CoE’s value chain
  • Bringing the Centres of Excellence into self-sufficient mode
  • Encouraging private sector companies and collaboration

INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence

• The “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”, is a new concept aimed at creating a model ecosystem in agriculture across 8 states,alongside 13 Centres of Excellence within 75 villages.
• 29 operational Centers of Excellence in 12 States of India are producing more than 25 million vegetable plants, over 387 thousand quality fruit plants and  train more than 1.2 lakh farmers per year aboot the latest technology in the field of horticulture.

• Union Minister Shri Tomar informed that it has been decided to convert 150 villages around the Centers of Excellence into Villages of Excellence with technical assistance from Israel.

• Out of which 75 villages are being taken up to convert into 'Villages of Excellence' to commemorate the 75th year of India's independence.