State of

Israel

The Indo-Israeli
Agriculture Project

MASHAV
Israel’s Agency for International
Development Cooperation
 Foreword
MASHAV – Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation is dedicated
to providing developing countries with the best of Israel’s experience in development and planning. As
a country that transitioned from an underdeveloped state in the 1950s, to becoming a new member of
the OECD in 2010 we feel that we can share with others our firsthand experience in development.

We are proud to be one of the oldest international development agencies in the world. Founded
in late 1957, MASHAV is responsible for the design, coordination and implementation of the State
of Israel’s development cooperation programs. Since its inception, over 275,000 professionals from
around the world have participated in MASHAV’s professional activities. In its programs and philosophy,
MASHAV adheres to the accepted international principles.

MASHAV’s programs focus on technical assistance and are closely connected to implementation on
the ground. Since its establishment, MASHAV has promoted the centrality of the individual, human
resource enrichment and institutional capacity building in the development process – an approach
which has attained global consensus.

MASHAV’s activities focus primarily on areas in which Israel has a comparative advantage including
agriculture and rural development; dry lands development; water resources management; micro-
enterprise development; entrepreneurship; innovation and development; community development;
medicine and public health; empowerment of women and education.

MASHAV’s agricultural and rural development programming deals with the introduction of modern
technologies and agro-technical methods designed to increase the levels, sustainability and quality of
agricultural production to ensure food security. It also concentrates on introducing effective support
systems to enhance the economic viability of agriculture in areas such as marketing, storage and
transport, the supply of agricultural inputs, and upgrading the work of extension services.

MASHAV’s approach to agricultural development is based on harnessing science, technology and

extension and adapting it to the local needs and approach of development. Applied research, the
introduction of innovative technologies and the promotion of agricultural crop intensification and
diversification are key elements in attaining food security.

Within this framework, CINADCO – the Center for International Agricultural Development
Cooperation within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – operates as MASHAV’s
professional affiliate for implementing Israel’s cooperation programs in India in the fields of agriculture
and rural development.

Although a modest player in the international assistance arena, MASHAV provides fast, flexible,
hands-on, pragmatic, original and practical solutions to development challenges, thus becoming a
significant contributor to sustainable development.

Israel-India Bilateral Relations

The bilateral relations between Israel and India have deepened and widened since full diplomatic
relations were established in 1992. The two countries share values, interests and similar challenges
in various spheres - from security to food and energy security. Recently, much progress had been
made on the bilateral level and today, both countries cooperate in various levels and fields such
as political issues, commerce and trade, defense, science and technology, education, development,
culture, tourism, agriculture, water and more. In 2012 the State of Israel opened its second consulate
in Bangalore, in addition to its Consulate in Mumbai and the Embassy in Delhi, thus making India third
in the number of Israeli missions globally, after the US and China.
I ndia is presently in the midst of its second “Green
Revolution”. During the first “Green Revolution”, India achieved self-
sufficiency in the supply of food grains, an extraordinary achievement
of its agricultural sector. While dealing with a high rate of population
increase, the issue of food security has become crucial, leading the
country to a compelling need to find alternative ways to feed its 1.2
billion people.

The first goal of the present “Green Revolution” is the transition

towards sustainable agriculture, including implementing agricultural
production practices which take into consideration the protection of
natural resources and the environment; effective utilization of water
resources and the reduction of harmful pesticides.

The second goal is diversification – by diversifying the food basket,

the population will benefit from a larger supply of fruits and vegetables,
a primary source of essential minerals and vitamins. The important task
of achieving this challenge was entrusted to India’s National Horticulture
Mission (NHM).

Throughout the years the State of Israel developed unique expertise and
approaches to sustainable agricultural and rural development under
semi-arid and arid climatic conditions. The management of limited
natural resources is conducted by the integration of appropriate agro-
technologies, water and irrigation, R&D, and agricultural extension
services. Based on these achievements, NHM chose Israel as a partner
to promote the goals of the Indian “Green Revolution”.

"
"
A good seed brings the best produce

3 Indo-Israel Cooperation
The Indo-Israeli Action Plan

The first stage of the Indo-Israeli Agricultural Cooperation Project started in

2008 following the signing of a three-year Action Plan based on a Government
to Government Agreement. The plan was later on extended to include the 2012-
2015 period.

Within this framework, the State of Israel was requested to share best-practices
and knowhow, and provide capacity building through professional training
programs to be conducted both in Israel and in India.

It was established that the implementing partners will be NHM–The National

Horticulture Mission under the Ministry of Agriculture of India and MASHAV-
Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation under the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

To achieve the stated goals of the cooperation agreement, it was decided

to establish “Agricultural Centers of Excellence,” funded by both the Federal
Government NHM and by individual State Governments, that are also responsible
to allocate land and professional manpower.

Based on the approach that enhancing people’s livelihood is paramount

to sustainable economic growth, it was decided that MASHAV’s professional
activities in India, as implemented by CINADCO, will focus mainly on human
capacity building, the transfer of knowledge and professional support to the
agricultural development projects conducted in the different Agricultural Centers
of Excellence.
 Agricultural Centers of Excellence

The Centers of Excellence provide a suitable platform for a

rapid transfer of technology to the farmers. Knowhow and new
agricultural technologies such as protected cultivation, drip irrigation
and fertigation are demonstrated at the centers with the aim to be
adopted by the farmers. This is done in order to increase their yields
and productivity and also to improve the quality of produce. This can
result in a positive impact on the income of the farmers and market
prices, as well as introducing new varieties.

The Centers of Excellence are jointly set up according to the

requirements and needs of the Indian Government. They address
both small and large farm holders thus offering a wide range of
agricultural practices - from Hi-Tech poly-houses to walking tunnels
and net houses, in order to enable all to benefit from the new
technologies. During the establishment and operation of those
Centers, the technologies and methods are adapted to the local
conditions and requirements of the farmers.

The basic concept of the Centers is based on a triangular format:

Applied Research, SMS (Subject Matter Specialist) Field Extension
Officer and the Progressive Farmer.

Applied Research
Applied research provides solutions to the farmers, such as
evaluating local fruits and vegetables varieties to find the best
performing solution in the given climatic conditions.

Seed production companies are requested to bring their commercial

varieties for a comparative test at the Center which includes parameters
such as yield, quality, and tolerance to diseases. The Center will
recommend the best performing varieties for use by the farmers.

Another aspect of the applied research is to analyze the efficiency

of plant protection products and to adapt advanced technologies to
local conditions, pruning periods, fertilization and irrigation.

The central and most important commercial and professional activity

of the Centers of Excellence is the production of high-quality,
healthy, virus and pest-free saplings and plug seedlings. A high
quality seedling is a base for a healthy plant and high yield.

5 Indo-Israel Cooperation
The goal is to expose the farmers to the highest quality and to its benefits
so they will demand it from the private nurseries. This process will elevate
the quality of the industry of sapling and seedling production.

Field Extension - SMS

Field extension service is the linking element between the applied research
and the farmers, carried out by the government extension officers. The
purpose of this important link is double: first, to disseminate the knowledge
and second, to make sure that the new technologies are assimilated and
implemented by the farmers in the field.

This can be seen, for example, in the case of micro-irrigation: the

knowledge about the use of technology and hardware will be imparted
and demonstrated by training at the Centers; later on, the specialists will
follow-up with the farmers in the field to see if the technology is being
properly utilized and taken care of.

Progressive Farmers
The progressive farmers are the ones who implement the technologies
demonstrated at the Centers. They are an important part of the process of
transfer of knowledge by setting an example and becoming role models to
other farmers.
 Implementation

I t was decided to arrange the Centers of Excellence in clusters - vegetables,

mangoes, pomegranates and citrus. Each cluster is headed by an Indian expert,
who is usually the one who runs the most advanced Centre in the cluster.

The head of a cluster has a crucial role in ensuring the sustainability of the
project, for example: providing professional guidance to other project officers
in cultivation, but also by being in charge of every step during the set-up of
new Centers (tenders, field preparations, construction, etc.). Together with
the Israeli expert counterpart, each head of cluster is also responsible for
organizing the cluster’s seminars and for adapting Israeli technology to existing
local needs, which may greatly vary from one Center to another.

A Vegetable Success Story

Gharaunda, Karnal, Haryana State

The success of the Gharaunda Center of Excellence, the first to be established

within the framework of the Indo-Israeli cooperation agreement, serves as
model for the establishment of the additional Centers. At the heart of the
project lies a plant nursery which produces lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of
vegetable plug seedlings annually utilizing plug-seedling technology (young
plants grown in small, individual cells, ready to be transplanted into containers
or a field).

The seedlings include hybrid seeds of tomatoes, cherry-tomatoes, colored

capsicum, cucumbers, eggplant, chili peppers, and more. Each year, several
hybrid seeds of domestic and international commercial companies are tested in
the Center. The nursery has the capacity to produce grafted vegetables, the latest
technological advancement in the field, which allows growing vegetables in soil-
bourn diseased as well as those infected by nematodes (microscopic worms).

Additional technologies demonstrated and available at the Center include:

 Protected cultivation, starting with simple solutions such as tunnels, walking
tunnels, and up to advanced solutions such as net-houses, and poly-houses.

7 Indo-Israel Cooperation
  Open field cultivation which includes mulching and the use of
other methods of plasticulture.

 Computerized irrigation and fertigation (fertilizers + irrigation)

technologies including utilization of green energy.

Over 20,000 farmers visit the Center every year. During its first
3 years of operation, the effectiveness of the Israeli technologies
became evident showcasing a dramatic 5 to 10 times increase in
Dr. Satyender crops as can be seen in this table:
Yadav
Open field Protected Cultivation
Head of Vegetable cluster Crop
(Kg/Acre) (Kg/Acre)

W
and Center of Excellence
of Karnal:
Tomato 16,000 96,000

Cannot be cultivated
Cherry tomato 72,000
in open field
“With the Israeli technology we
managed to increase the harvest Cucumber 3,500 45,000
period of various vegetables
Capsicum 12,000 72,000
from 3 months to 9 months.
We also managed to introduce
in Haryana new varieties such In addition to the increase in crops, there was a reduction of 65% of
as cherry tomato and colored water use, as well as a noticeable decrease in the use of pesticides
capsicum. This contributed and fertilizers:
significantly to the income of
Open field Protected Cultivation
the local farmers of Haryana.” Crop
(Rp/Acre) (Rp/Acre)

Use of Pesticides 45,000 10,000

Use of Fertilizers 25,000 12,000

Presently, farmers all over Haryana State are growing over 1,400
hectares of protected vegetables, with numbers rising annually.

Following a recent profit-economic viability evaluation

independently performed by India’s National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for model
Bankable Projects, it was shown that in Haryana’s case, the
net profit achieved after repaying the loan, recurring cost and
depreciation, is 32% of the total income from selling, thus
making the whole enterprise worthwhile for the farmers.

8 Indo-Israel Cooperation
 A Mango Success Story
Dapoli, Maharashtra State

The
Story
technique of rejuvenating senile mango orchards is being
successfully implemented at the Dapoli Center of Excellence. At
the site, 20- to 60 year-old and over 12 meter high mango trees
underwent a special process of rejuvenation.
Dr. Parag M. During the process saplings are planted between the mango trees,
Haldankar thus increasing the density of planted orchard from 100 trees per
hectare to 400 trees per hectare. The result is a significant crop
Head of Mango cluster

O
increase while improving the fruit quality: In just 2 years, the treated
and CoE of Dapoli:
trees produce fruit with higher weight, better color, less post-
harvest losses, and easier harvesting. After three years only there is
a significant increase in the amount of the fruit which is expected to
grow in the next years.
“Our biggest achievement is
to successfully demonstrate
the rejuvenation in farmers’
orchards without losing even Mango Rejuvenation (per season)
one tree in the process. Now
Before After
the farmers are willing to use it
themselves with the help of the Density 100 trees/hectare 400 trees/hectare
SMS’s. It will bring a change
After 1 year After 3 years
to the whole mango industry
of Konkan area. The flowering
1,500 1,500 4,500- 5,000
season of December 2013 is
Yield Kg/hectare Kg/hectare Kg/hectare
excellent for us and it will give
us a boost to go ahead.”

In addition, saline water and calcareous soils tolerant-rootstocks

were especially brought from Israel to allow growing mangoes also
in areas where there is a problem of salinity.

This is a breakthrough in mango cultivation which is a result of

joint collaboration in applied research. The technology that had
been used in Israel was modified to the local climatic conditions by
Dapoli’s experts.

9 Indo-Israel Cooperation
Dr. D. M. A Citrus Success Story
Panchbhai Nagpur, Maharashtra and
Head of Citrus Cluster Mangiana, Haryana
W
and CoE of Nagpur:

“Mother plant protected plots

Thirteen varieties of citrus were planted in Mangiana in order to
evaluate their compatibility to the local conditions. The different
varieties include easy peeler, early season and late season oranges
and the state-of-the-art disease and grapefruits, in order to extend the harvest period and to decrease
free sapling nurseries – that is the dependence on one specific variety. For the consumer, this brings
the biggest accomplishment of a more versatile fruit basket to choose from local production.
our activities alongside fighting Ridge and high density planting is demonstrated in Nagpur and in
Phytophthora.” Mangiana. In Nagpur, the success of the ridge planting in comparison
to the traditional flat terrain planting was embraced by the farmers
who visited the demonstration plot. This technique will also be a
tool in controlling the devastating Phytophthora which threatens the
cultivation of citrus in India.

Planned Activities

A s the Indo-Israeli Agricultural

Cooperation Project continues, there are plans
for implementing an animal husbandry project
and the establishment of beekeeping Centers
in Haryana; as well as the development of
post-harvest Centers for dates in Gujarat and
Rajasthan.

10 Indo-Israel Cooperation
 Centers of Excellence

Produce Location Produce Location

Maharashtra
Bihar

Mango and Lichi Vaishali Alfonso Mango Dapoli

Vegetables Nalanda Citrus Nagpur

Pomegranate Rahuri

Produce Location Keshar Mango Aurangabad

Mango Junagadh
Produce Location
Gujarat

Punjab
Vegetables-Protected
Vadrad, Sabarkhantha Fruits Ghanora, Hoshiyapur
Cultivation
Date and Banana- Vegetables Jalandhar
Palm Post-harvest Nani, Reladi, Bhuj
Management
Produce Location
Citrus Kota
Produce Location Rajasthan
Vegetables Gharaunda, Karnal Pomegranate Bassi

Fruits Mangiana Date Palm Jaislamer

Haryana

Beekeeping Kurukshetra Vegetables Bassi

Animal Husbandry
Hisar
and Milk
Produce Location
Tamil Nadu

Mango Ladwa
Flowers Thally, Krishnagiri
Flowers Hisar
Reddiyar Chathram,
Vegetables
Dindigul

Produce Location
Karnataka

Produce Location
Uttar Pradesh

Mango Kolar
Vegetables Basti
Pomegranate Bagalkot
Mango Basti
Vegetables Dharwad
Vegetables Kannauj
West Bengal

Produce Location

Adi Saptagram,
Vegetables
Hoogli District
MASHAV
Israel’s Agency for International
Development Cooperation
http://mashav.mfa.gov.il
[email protected]
Tel. 972-2-5303220
Fax. 972-2-5303727

Embassy of Israel
New Delhi, India
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[email protected]
[email protected]
Tel. +91-11-30414559; +91-11-30414585
Fax. +91-11-30414555
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Twitter: IsraelinIndia

Consulate General of Israel – Mumbai

http:// embassies.gov.il/mumbai
[email protected]
Tel: +91-22-61600500/7
Fax: +91-22-61600599

Consulate of Israel – Bangalore

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[email protected]
Tel: +91-80-49406500
Fax. +91-80-49406555

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