Union Minister for Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Avi Dicter. The meeting marks the first official visit of Avi Dicter to India in his capacity as Agriculture and Food Security Minister of Israel.
Both countries have taken a significant step forward in strengthening their agricultural partnership with the signing of Agriculture Cooperation Agreement and Work Plan during the high-level meeting held in New Delhi today. This Agreement will strengthen the cooperation in the fields of soil and water management, horticultural & agricultural production, post-harvest and processing technology, agriculture mechanization, animal husbandry and research & development.
He praised the role of MASHAV in the success of India-Israel Agricultural Work Plans, particularly through the network of 43 Centers of Excellence (CoEs) of which 35 fully functional CoEs across India. He noted that Israel’s concept of Villages of Excellence (VoE), aiming to connect 30 villages to each CoE, is a transformative step towards rural outreach. The Hon’ble Minister extended a cordial invitation to Israel delegation for World Food India 2025.
Avi Dicter, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Israel, highlighted that Israel and India share a deep bond and both countries can work together in the development of high yielding seed varietiesand technology among other areas. He also added that given the challenges of climate change innovation in the agriculture sector is required to ensure food security in future.
The two sides agreed on the need to work together on several key areas, including food security, technology transfer, the development of high-quality seeds, the expansion of Centers of Excellence (CoE), research and development, pest management, capacity building, and the advancement of post-harvest technologies. Additionally, they agreed to explore to a Five-Year Seed Improvement Plan (FYSIP) to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability.