India and Israel jointly inaugurated the 30th Centre of Excellence (CoE) at Grignow village in Bhiwani, Haryana, as part of their agricultural project under their collaborative work programme for the farming sector, the Israeli Embassy said in a statement.

The 30th Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence is dedicated to the cultivation of semi-arid horticultural crops and was established as part of the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project. Israel, renowned for its ability to “make the desert bloom," is a leader in developing sustainable technologies and solutions for agriculture.

With decades of experience in successfully overcoming harsh climatic conditions and maximizing resources in arid environments, Israel is well-suited to share its expertise in this field with India.

“This is a significant milestone in the agricultural cooperation between Israel and India. It is very special as this is the 30th CoE inaugurated as our countries are nearing the completion of 30 years of full diplomatic relations," said Naor Gilon, ambassador of Israel to India, after jointly inaugurating the Bhiwani’s Centre with Jai Parkash Dalal, agriculture minister of Haryana, and Kamal Patel, agriculture minister of Madhya Pradesh.

“With this inauguration, we now have 30 fully-active Centers of Excellence in different states across India. More such centres are in the pipeline. These centres are increasing farmers’ yield and productivity while diversifying local crops and improving the quality of produce," the Israeli ambassador added.

The establishment of the centres has been possible due to the coordinated efforts of the government of India, state governments and MASHAV — Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

These centres provide a suitable platform for a rapid transfer of technology to Indian farmers. New agricultural technologies such as protected cultivation, drip irrigation and fertigation are demonstrated here.

The methods and technologies are adapted to the local conditions and requirements of the Indian farmers, with the intent of significantly increasing their income.

Every year, the centres produce more than 40 million premium-quality vegetable seedlings, and over 500 thousand high-quality fruit plants, and train more than 120 thousand Indian farmers.

MASHAV also brings many Israeli experts to India and trains the trainers of these centers throughout the year. Similarly, Indian agricultural officers heading these centers receive training in Israel. For example, over 60 Indian government officials visited Israel to receive training last year.

The Israel-India cooperation in agriculture has deepened and widened since full diplomatic relations were established in 1992. During the initial period of the establishment of the Centers of Excellence, the newest technologies in a range of agricultural fields were brought from Israel and implemented at these centers.

Over the years, the agricultural cooperation between the two countries has further expanded. Now Israeli technologies and know-how are being transferred and manufactured in India, further boosting the ‘Make in India’ initiative and benefiting the entire world.

The newly inaugurated centre is one such example, which will demonstrate Israel-based agricultural technologies produced in India such as drip irrigation, mulching, greenhouses, etc.

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