Indian team to study farm sector tie-ups in Israel

Monday, 15 September 2003, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Coinciding with Israel's largest agriculture exhibition Agritech 2003, two Indian delegations will visit Tel Aviv to study possible cooperation in the farm sector. The visit from September 15-18 comes within days of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's trip to India to study potential economic cooperation, including in the field of agriculture. Since 1998, Israel has been sharing and helping in training Indian farmers in the technique and technology of precision farming and controlled horticulture. While Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will head an official delegation, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will take another team to be led by Y. C. Deveshwar, chairman of ITC Ltd and CII's Agricultural Council. The 24-member business mission will include representative from big and small companies ranging from seed, fertiliser, commodity trading and tractor industries as well as an herbal medicine company. "There are many opportunities for India-Israel collaboration in agriculture, beyond the well-known topic of drip irrigation. These include dairy technology, greenhouse technology, fruit growing, fertilisers, as well as using computers to control the operations of farms," said CII in a statement. Besides seeking opportunities at Agritech, in which 34 countries will take part, the Indian business team will hold one-to-one meetings with potential business partners. Later, the delegation will visit some Israeli agribusiness companies and see a kibbutz, which are agricultural cooperatives that exist in Israel. The industry lobby, which has been regularly attending Agritech exhibition (held in intervals of three years), feels Israel could become a major partner of India in the field of agriculture as it is in the military sector.
Source: IANS
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