The Economic & Trade Mission of Israel organised a webinar on 13 September emphasising on “How Indian & Israeli start-ups are transforming agriculture” in association with Trade Promotion Council of India and Israel Export Institute.
The webinar was to focused on how Israel is doing a wonderful job in agriculture industry. Considering Agriculture in Israel is a highly developed industry resulting with Israel being a major exporter of fresh produce and a world-leader in agricultural technologies even though the geography of the country is not naturally conducive to agriculture. More than half of the land area is desert, and the climate and lack of water resources do not favour farming. Only 20% of the land area is naturally arable.
Israel is a well-established leader in water management, desalination and recycling techniques. It has set a template for reusing wastewater for irrigation and treats 80 per cent of its domestic wastewater, which is recycled for agricultural use. Due to the lack of water sources, drip irrigation, water soluble fertilizers, mulching, hybrid seeds, in controlled greenhouses are the norms in any agriculture field in Israel.
Moreover, Israel routinely uses sophisticated technologies such as temperature and moisture sensors, robots, GPS technology, and aerial images, for agricultural activities. These advanced devices and precision agriculture and robotic systems allow businesses to be more profitable, efficient, safer, and more environmentally friendly.
India on the other hand, has the second-largest arable land resources in the world and was 9th largest exporter of agricultural products in 2019, with the total value of exported agricultural products reaching at $37.4 billion. However, Agriculture sector in India faces many challenges- small land holdings, lack of mechanization, low productivity, overuse of water, climate change, less value addition, etc.
The webinar discussed some of these challenges and also how AgriTech companies in India & Israel are, and can potentially address these challenges & transform agricultures in India. The event was a great success due to the participation, knowledge, and technology sharing of industry experts and high potential companies from Israel and India like Punjab Agricultural University, Rivulis, Netafim, SaliCrop, Cropin, Intellolabs, and Total Solutions Group.
The recording of the webinar can still be accessed on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT15YIzUlfY.
To know more about Agriculture industry in Israel, please reach out to:
Mr Ashish Verma
Sr. Trade Officer – Economic and Trade Mission, New Delhi
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