New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) The India-Israel cooperation in agriculture has received a huge push with the announcement, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jerusalem last month, of setting up more Centres of Excellence as high-tech agricultural hubs and taking these further to the village level to ensure that the use of modern farm techniques percolates directly to the grassroots. At the heart of the India-Israeli partnership have been Centres of Excellence (CoEs) -- high-tech agricultural hubs co-designed by Israeli experts and Indian agricultural institutions. 

While 32 of these are already operational, 18 more have been under development. During this visit to Israel, PM Modi announced their decision to take this number to 100 to ensure enhanced productivity and income for Indian farmers. These CoEs have adapted Israeli innovations and best practices in drip irrigation, fertigation, protected cultivation, pest management, nursery technology, and water-efficient horticulture to local Indian onditions.

These have trained thousands of Indian farmers across states from Punjab to Karnataka in new methods to boost the quality and quantity of crops. While comprehensive statewide income data is still emerging, early field surveys show that farmers participating in CoE and allied programmes have reported higher monthly net incomes thanks to better crop quality and reduced input waste, according to an article in The Diplomatist magazine. 

"It is in this backdrop that Prime Minister Modi, along with his Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced a new grassroots-centric initiative known as 'Villages of Excellence'. This shift -- from isolated demonstration plots to community-level transformation -- seeks to embed Israeli technologies directly into Indian village ecosystems. It means farmers won't merely visit a CoE site; they can experience tailored irrigation systems, satellite-based soil monitoring and real-time decision support right in their home districts," the article noted.

"This enduring partnership in the agriculture sector has ensured mutual benefit for both sides. Indian farmers have learned new ways of saving water, increasing yields and boosting incomes. Israel's precision systems -- from drip and micro-sprinkler irrigation to automated fertigation -- can cut water use by up to 40-60 per cent compared to traditional surface irrigation, a vital improvement in water-stressed regions of India," the article says.

It highlights that in CoE sites, horticulture crops -- tomato, capsicum, and melon -- yields have risen between 20 and 40 per cent within a few seasons as growers adopt controlled environments and calibrated nutrient regimes. Besides, the training in post-harvest handling and integrated pest management reduces losses, has improved market value for smallholders, which has resulted in major gains in states such as Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

"Likewise, Israeli farmers and agritech sectors have also benefitted as Indian demand provides Israeli technology firms -- especially those specialising in Artificial Intelligence-driven crop analytics, sensors, and automated irrigation systems -- with a vast field of laboratories and a commercial pathway which makes their partnership mutually beneficial," the article added.

--IANS