“Indian Agrodelegation visits Israel to forge agro-
business partnership”

An Indian delegation of Agriculture visited Israel, to explore new technologies and practices to empower the Indian farming community and promote a more progressive and sustainable rural economy. The industry of ‘agricultural inputs’ in Israel is one of the pioneers and leaders of the industries in Israel. “There is a great potential of agriculture cooperation between Israel and India”, Chief Representative of Israel Business Promotion Centre, Kolkata shared with us the Indian Agro-delegation experience and relationship with an Israeli Agricultural entrepreneurs.

The delegation comprising about 8 entrepreneurs from agriculture region is being led by the Economic department of Israeli Embassy in India with the support of The Department of AGROTECHNOLOGY-Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute (IEICI) hosted an Agro-Technology delegation in Israel from December 9-13, 2012.

IEICI promotes Israeli goods and services exports, trade relations, cooperation and strategic alliances with overseas companies .It promotes exports through initiatives and programs in many countries, operating through Israeli commercial and economic attachés, as well as local business development representatives. IEICI initiates and organizes incoming and outgoing commercial delegations and mounts national pavilions and information centres at international exhibitions and conventions throughout the world.

With the world’s population expected to grow from 7 billion today to 9 billion by 2050, the need for improved agricultural productivity has never been greater. One of the most obvious ways to enhance productivity is through the stimulation of innovation in agricultural technology and a general renewal of the technologies on which the agricultural sector is based.

Israel’s Agro technology sector is known by diverse fields of activities, from breeding new crop varieties, to sustainable crop-protection and post-harvest technologies. Other Major industry sectors are: Fertilizers, pesticides, seedlings and multiple materials, veterinary products and food additives, plastics, animal, agricultural advice, livestock health, feed solutions, aquaculture, soil-less agriculture, Dairy Farming and livestock, Horticulture (including Greenhouses), Seeds, Bio Tech (including Bio-insecticides, bio-genetics etc.), Machinery, Irrigation, R&D and Innovation, Poultry, Turn-key Projects (including Planning), Chemicals (including fertilizers and insecticides etc.) and Floriculture and on to irrigation technologies, precision agriculture and even energy production from second generation agriculture.

The constant growth in agro technologies is due to the close cooperation between researchers, extension agents, farmers, and agriculture-related industries. These cooperative efforts have led to breakthrough achievements and methods in all branches of agriculture and have fostered a market-oriented agribusiness that exports its Agro technology solutions worldwide. The result is modern agricultural methods, systems, and products in a country where more than half the area is desert.

The Indian delegation had the opportunity to visit various locations and meet the officials of innovative Israeli companies specializing in Green Houses, Research & Development, irrigation techniques, turnkey projects (agriculture) and experts from agriculture sector and government officials during the visit. The following 6 Indian companies had the opportunity to get introduced to innovative Israeli companies during the visit:

•             Amalgamated Plantations Pvt Ltd, Kolkata

•             Express Weather, Kolkata

•             ICON Food Park, Kolkata

•             Bharti Field Fresh, Gurgaon

•             Exponential Group, Pune

•             Ramelex Engg, Pune

Source: inputs from Tejinder Singh (Chief Representative of Israel Business Promotion Centre, Kolkata)