Indo-Israeli partnership blooms in Tamil Nadu fields
Israeli experts are in the state, showing farmers how to grow taller plants and exotic variants of their daily yield
By : migrator
Update: 2015-11-07 09:47 GMT
Chennai
The India-Israel friendship is yielding fruit, both literally and figuratively. Israeli agriculture experts are advising TN farmers on how to grow better quality fruit and vegetable crops and also share tips on how to save water.Taller tomato plants, seedless fruit and vegetables as well as exotic variants of capsicums and melons are some of the produce that TN farmers are being trained to grow.
Two experts, Dan Alluf and Ziv Shalvi, from MASHAV — Israel’s agency for International Development Co-operation -- are in Tamil Nadu to share their expertise as part of the India-Israel Agriculture Co-operation. They are experimenting with new variants of vegetables and fruits that can be grown 365 days a year instead of being restricted to a season only, an exercise that has the support of the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the Embassy of Israel and State Governments in India.
Training
The Indo-Israeli Agricultural project that was launched with an objective of strengthening bilateral co-operation in the field of agriculture, operates in 26 centres across nine states, including Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Rajasthan. The aim is to improve food security and the quality of the produce and increase productivity.
Experts from Israel are holding seminars and imparting direct training to farmers and agricultural officers to educate them about the types of seeds, cultivation methodologies and techniques used in their country to get high yield in farming, and in cultivation of plantation crops.
Diversity
Dan Alluf, MASHAV Attaché at the Embassy of Israel, who spoke about his work here, described it as being aimed at introducing diversity in agriculture so that farmers could choose from value crops instead of the usual cash crops, such as paddy and wheat. He said that the stress was on higher yields in terms of both quantity and quality and they were introducing drip irrigation, fertigation and intensive cultivation methods for maximum utilisation of resources.
Technology
Multiple crop cultivation, cultivation of seedless aubergine and international cabbage breeds and cultivation in arid lands are other topics that the foreign experts are covering in the training, besides teaching the cultivation of export quality flower varieties and exporting techniques.More experts and farmers practicing high end techniques are expected to visit Tamil Nadu under the MASHAV training scheme.
EXPERT ADVICE
Israeli agriculture experts are in TN to provide the following inputs:
- Better produce: TN farmers are being taught to grow better quality fruit and vegetable crops
- Fruitful results: Taller tomato plants, seedless fruit and vegetables, exotic variants of capsicums and melons are expected results
- Irrigation: Drip irrigation, vertigation and intensive cultivation methods are being introduced
- Training: Seminars and direct training is being imparted to the farmer
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