New Delhi: Taking forward the ever-growing partnership in agriculture between Israel and India, three Indo- Israel Centres of Excellence were inaugurated in Karnataka recently by the Ambassador of Israel in India, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, and Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka.

These CoEs are a part of the Indo- Israel Agricultural Project and were inaugurated at Bagalkot, Kolar, and Dharwad. A CoE is an advanced and intensive agricultural farm that generates knowledge, demonstrates best practices, and trains farmers based on Israeli novel agro-technology tailored to the local conditions. The newly inaugurated CoEs will help farmers in Karnataka choose the technology that suits them best, with the goal of doubling their income.

The Centre of Excellence for Pomegranates in Bagalkot will introduce irrigation management based on Precision Agriculture by satellite imaging, advanced fertigation i.e. specialty fertilizers applied through drip irrigation, and beneficial demonstration of super Bhagwa canopy management techniques.

The Centre of Excellence for Mangoes in Kolar will generate end-to-end Mango best practices cultivation protocols, including new varieties of Israeli rootstocks based on advanced and commercial hi-tech nursery management. It will also define canopy management guidelines for both rejuvenation of traditional trees and planting of new intensive young orchards. It will implement drip irrigation and fertigation systems that will result in optimal water use, both in efficiency and productivity.

The Centre of Excellence for Vegetables in Dharwad will produce high-quality seedlings, demonstrate best practices in a range of greenhouse structures with Israeli standards, introduce Israeli vegetable varieties, and generate nematode solutions.

In addition, it has been agreed to take forward the India- Israel Development Cooperation in agriculture to establish Indo- Israel Villages of Excellence with the aim to create a model ecosystem in agriculture. This initiative will be implemented in eight states across India of which, Karnataka will be a leading state and will implement it in 10 villages linked to the Bagalkot & Kolar Centres of Excellence.

The IIVOE program will focus on establishing modern agriculture infrastructure, support the farmers with capacity-building activities, and enhance market linkage to optimize the profitability of individual farmers.

BS Yediyurappa, Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka thanked the Government of India and Israel for providing financial and technical assistance for the establishment of these Centers of Excellence under the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project in Karnataka to transfer the innovative technologies for improving production, productivity, and quality of horticulture produce in turn to achieve sustainability and improve the economic status of the farmers”.

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said, “these Centers will help the farming community of Karnataka to get access to the latest innovative Israeli technologies and adopting them to increase production and productivity which will help in increasing the farmer's income. These COEs have the capacity of 50,000 grafts production and 25 lakh vegetable seedlings production annually. About 20,000 farmers have visited these COEs to gain knowledge about the modern cultivation practices in horticulture”.

Dr. Ron Malka, Ambassador of Israel to India, Embassy of Israel said, “We are proud and excited to collaborate with the Government of Karnataka in agriculture, which is a significant part of the Indo-Israeli partnership. 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.”