India and Israel have recently made headlines by signing “a three-year work program agreement” to bolster cooperation in the agricultural sector. This joint venture is designed to promote advancements in agriculture and foster self-sufficiency, and will involve the creation of new Centers of Excellence (CoE) and the enhancement of existing ones.
Three-Year Work Program
The crux of this program lies in increasing the value chain of CoE’s, making them self-reliant, and endorsing collaboration between private sector companies. Accomplishing these objectives will involve expanding the existing “INDO-ISRAEL Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence” and implementing the new “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”.
Indo-Israeli Agriculture Project
The Indo-Israeli Agricultural Cooperation Project was launched in 2008 following the signing of a three-year Action Plan. This initiative led to setting up an agricultural fund valued at $50 million, focusing on dairy, farming technology, and micro-irrigation. As of March 2014, ten centres of excellence were functioning across India, providing farmers with free training sessions on efficient farming techniques using Israeli technological expertise. Techniques such as vertical farming, drip irrigation, and soil solarization are included in their curriculum.
INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence (IIVOE)
The IIVOE program is a novel concept aiming to establish a model ecosystem for agriculture across eight states, integrating 13 Centers of Excellence within 75 villages. The program aspires to enhance the net income of individual farmers and transition traditional farms into modern-intensive ones, based on Indo-Israel Agriculture Action Plan (IIAP) standards. The IIVOE program will be focusing primarily on modern agriculture infrastructure, capacity building, and market linkages.
Indo-Israel Bilateral Cooperation
The strategic cooperation between India and Israel can be traced back to the Sino-India War of 1962. Following this, there have been significant developments in terms of economic and defense cooperation – boosting trade relations, fostering investments in multiple sectors, and advancing military collaborations. The bilateral merchandise trade rose to US$ 5.65 billion (excluding defence) in 2018-19 from US$ 200 million in 1992.
Defence Cooperation
Israel has been one of the top four arms suppliers to India for close to two decades now, with military sales averaging around USD 1 billion annually. Indian armed forces have inducted a wide array of Israeli weapon systems over the years, including Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), Harop drones, and Barak anti-missile defense systems.
Covid-19 Response
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, an Israeli team travelled to India in 2020 as part of a mission codenamed Operation Breathing Space. The aim of this mission was to work closely with Indian authorities to improve the Covid-19 response within the country.
