India and Israel Strengthen Strategic Ties to Enhance Agricultural Innovation and Productivity.

In April 2025, the Government of India (GoI) and the Government of Israel signed significant agreements to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture, focusing on enhancing agricultural productivity, innovation, and sustainability.

      - The agreements were signed in New Delhi (Delhi) between Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (MoA&FW), and Avi Dichter, Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, during his first official visit to India in his current role.

      - As part of the engagement, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan extended an invitation to the Israeli delegation to participate in World Food India 2025, scheduled to be held from September 25th to 28th in New Delhi.

      - The strategic partnership between India and Israel aims to tackle the dual challenges of climate change and population growth impacting agriculture. A key highlight of the discussions was the proposal of a Five-Year Seed Improvement Plan (FYSIP), which focuses on developing high-quality, high-yielding seed varieties. This initiative is expected to significantly enhance food security by increasing productivity.

Main Point :-   (i) Both nations emphasized the vital role of technological innovation and capacity building in modernizing agriculture. As part of the agreement, they committed to expanding the use of advanced agricultural technologies such as pest management and post-harvest solutions. Additionally, the plan includes setting clear guidelines for technology transfer, boosting capacity development, and improving market access.

      (ii) To implement the agreement effectively, India and Israel will form a Joint Working Group (JWG). This group will be responsible for preparing a detailed roadmap with specific goals and timelines. Key focus areas will include the enhancement of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and scaling the Villages of Excellence (VoE) initiative to broaden the outreach of modern farming practices.

(iii) A notable contributor to this cooperation is MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation. MASHAV has played a pivotal role in strengthening Indo-Israeli agricultural ties. So far, 43 Centres of Excellence have been set up under this initiative, with 35 of them currently operational, serving as hubs for knowledge sharing, innovation, and capacity enhancement in agriculture.
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