By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 26 Jun: A meeting was held at the Raj Bhavan here, today, under the chairmanship of Governor Lt General Gurmit Singh (Retd) in connection with the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Uttarakhand in collaboration with the Indo-Israel Agri Project.
Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi was also present at this meeting. The Agriculture Minister informed the gathering that India and Israel have strategic cooperation in the field of agriculture at the G2G level. This partnership evolved into the India-Israel Agriculture Project based on an MOU signed in 2006. The project aims to promote crop diversification and increase productivity with minimum use of water. The idea is to disseminate technical knowledge by developing Israeli agricultural technologies according to local Indian conditions.
On this occasion, Yair Eshel from the Embassy of Israel, New Delhi, stated that 24 Centres of Excellence have been established in India under the Indo-Israeli Agriculture Project. Keeping in view the possibilities of subtropical horticulture in the plains and valleys in the state of Uttarakhand, a Centre of Excellence would be established, in which cooperation of Pantnagar Agricultural University would be obtained.
The Governor said that Israel is the world leader in agricultural technology and agriculture is established as a highly developed industry there. With the setting up of the Centre of Excellence, there would be a revolution in the field of agriculture in Uttarakhand. The Governor appreciated the work being done by Israel and said that dry land farming there is producing maximum production through the proper use of less water.
During a visit to Israel, research and development work being done there was seen, which has brought a revolution in the field of agriculture and horticulture. Governor Singh said that to do this work in the state of Uttarakhand, there is a need to work with full commitment while preparing a clear objective, vision and road map in mission mode.
It was also stated by Ganesh Joshi that special cooperation and coordination were undertaken by former MLA Rajesh Shukla to complete the said programme within time.
The Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Dipendra Chowdhary assured timely action for the establishment of the Centre of Excellence.
Project Officer, Israel Embassy, Brahma Dev, Additional Secretary Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Govind Ballabh Pant Agriculture and Technology University Vice Chancellor Dr Manmohan Singh Chauhan, Additional Director Dr RK Singh and other officers were present on the occasion.
