New Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday jointly inaugurated three centres of excellence (CoE) established in Karnataka under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project.
After the virtual inauguration, Tomar said, “These centres will help the farming community of Karnataka to get access to the latest innovative Israeli technologies and adopt them to increase production and productivity that will help in increasing the farmers’ income.”
These CoEs have the capacity of 50,000 grafts production and 25 lakh vegetables seedlings production annually. About 20,000 farmers have visited these CoEs to gain knowledge about the modern cultivation practices in horticulture, an official statement quoted him as saying during the event.
Under a bilateral cooperation, India and Israel have about 29 operational CoEs that have been set up across India in 12 states, implementing advanced Israeli Agro-Technology tailored to local conditions.
Out of these 29 fully functional CoEs, three are from Karnataka located in Kolar for mango, Bagalkot for pomegranate, and Dharwad for vegetables. These CoEs generate knowledge, demonstrate best practices and train officers and farmers.
The Karnataka chief minister thanked the Union government and Israel for providing financial and technical assistance for establishment of CoEs under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project (IIAP) in Karnataka.
State Horticulture and Sericulture Minister R Shankar said there is a lot of scope for adoption of new technologies in crop production and post-harvest management, to increase the production and productivity of the horticulture produce in Karnataka.
And, Karnataka farmers are progressive to adopt innovative technologies developed by these centres, he added.
Ambassador of Israel to India Ron Malka said, “This is a milestone in the development of the state’s agriculture sector, and will give local farmers a competitive edge in the national and international market.”
This will also enable them to double their income, aligned with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and senior officers of Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Karnataka government were present in the event.
