India sees more scope for farm sector tie-ups with Israel

Radha Mohan Singh emphasised that there is potential for further collaboration in areas such as research, dairy and aquaculture

India and Israel have scope for increasing cooperation in areas such as agri-research, dairy and aquaculture, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said.

Singh, who concluded his three-day visit to Israel on Tuesday, led a four-member official delegation to deepen bilateral ties in agriculture.

In his interaction with Israeli Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel on Monday, Singh emphasised that there is potential for further collaboration in areas such as research, dairy and aquaculture, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

His Israeli counterpart concurred that the potential between the two countries in agriculture is untapped.

Singh visited Israel's premium agri institute, Agricultural Research Organisation, where he was briefed about post-harvesting technologies and food processing, areas which offer bright prospects to Indian farmers.

The Minister also visited dairy facilities and a desert agriculture facility. Since productivity levels of Israeli dairy is higher, Singh felt that Indian dairy growers can benefit from Israeli expertise.

Singh also visited the Shafdan water treatment plant, which is Tel Aviv's main treatment plant that also treats waste water from seven surrounding cities.

He discussed the possibility of joining hands with the plant on flagship schemes such as Make in India and smart cities.

Agriculture has been a key area of cooperation between the two countries ever since diplomatic ties were established in 1992.

Under a bilateral agreement, various Israeli centers of excellence have been set up in India covering a wide span of fields such as fruits, vegetables and horticulture.