Israel Ambassador to India Reuven Azar on Friday called on Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Secretary Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi and discussed opportunities for strengthening cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors.
The discussion focused on food security, sustainable supply chains, and innovative agricultural technologies.
Chaturvedi emphasized the longstanding partnership between India and Israel in agriculture and allied sectors.
He also highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for recycling sewage water for agricultural use, as well as key trade and grain storage issues.
“The meeting focused on the upcoming visit of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Israel, the impact of Centers of Excellence (CoEs) across 20 states on productivity, precision irrigation, post-harvest management, and market access issues,” read a statement issued by the Indian government.
The Indian government said the discussions concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening Indo-Israel cooperation in agricultural innovation, technologies, and the horticulture sector, emphasizing mutually beneficial outcomes for both nations.
The Israeli delegation included Fares Saeb, Deputy Chief of Mission.
The Indian side was represented by senior officials from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW), including Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Joint Secretary (MIDH) and Additional Commissioner (Plant Protection).
India-Israel Bilateral Bond
“The bilateral political ties are warm and forward-looking,” read a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Israel.
India announced its recognition of Israel on September 17, 1950.
Soon after, the Jewish Agency established an immigration office in Bombay (Mumbai), which was later converted into a Trade Office and, subsequently, a Consulate.
Regular embassies opened in 1992 when full diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.
In 2022-23, the two countries jointly celebrated 30 years of the elevation of bilateral ties to full diplomatic relations.
“Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, India-Israel bilateral trade and economic ties have progressed rapidly,” the Indian Embassy website said.
From around USD 200 million in 1992 (comprising primarily of diamonds), merchandise trade diversified and reached around USD 10.77 billion (excluding defence) in FY 2022-23, with Indian exports at around USD 8.45 billion.
In FY 2023-24 (April-March), the bilateral trade was USD 6.53 billion (excluding defense) with India’s exports at USD 4.52 billion and Israel’s exports at USD 2.0 billion.
(With inputs from IBNS)
