Indo-Israel Centres of Excellence provide holistic approach to farmers, disseminate technology: Israel Deputy Chief of Mission

By Ayushi Agarwal
Karnal (Haryana) [India], December 1 : Farmers are being imparted knowledge about increasing productivity, crop diversity and water use efficiency through Centres of Excellence set up under Indo-Israel Agricultural Project, Israel's Deputy Chief of Mission Ohad Nakash Kaynar has said and noted that these are suitable platforms for the rapid transfer of technology to farmers, especially for those who do not have means to procure such technological innovations. The Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP) is the largest agriculture project in which the Government of Israel is involved anywhere in the world.

He said Indo-Israel Centres of Excellence provide a holistic approach to farmers who are not able to procure high-quality technology. Protected cultivation, drip irrigation and fertigation, canopy management, nursery production, and Integrated Pest Management technologies are demonstrated at the centres and later adopted by the farmers to increase their yields and income.
"It's the 30th year and that's a high point in our bilateral relations. We are also going to inaugurate the 30th centre, I think during December in Haryana. What these centres do is try to bring a holistic approach to assistance, meaning that some farmers have the ability to purchase technology, and some don't have a high ability to purchase technology. In these centres, we show everything. We show technologies that are available to the farmer, increase yields and make crops more sustainable," he said.
Kaynar said there are medium-range solutions and top-of-the line solutions as well.
"The idea is to give a horizon to the farmers, they can see that there is something that they can strive for and also allow them to have some technologies that will assist them on a day-to-day basis to have better yields and better crops," he said.
Highlighting the role of women farmers, Kaynar said there are courses to empower them.
"A lot of farmers and workers these days are women. We understand that you have your own social structure, not all of them are owners of their own lands but we try to offer courses and assistance that are meant to empower women. We had a course finalized this week. We are talking about options for better farming and try to bridge the gap in knowledge and information," he said.
This year marks 30 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and India. The Centre of Excellence in Karnal, one of the 29 fully-active Centres of Excellence across India, offers technology options for farmers to benefit them.