India is cooperating with Israel on irrigation projects in the northern Indian state of Haryana; the project, which is modelled after Israeli techniques, is said to have changed the fate of Israeli agriculture and is set to provide sufficient water supplies for Indian farmers even at “the tail-end of canals”.
Indian press outlets reported on Monday that Haryana – located just northwest of Dehli – would be initiating micro-irrigation projects at 14 sites throughout the state over the course of 2016.
While the new micro-irrigation program is a Haryana government plan and not officially an Israeli venture, Israeli agricultural professionals work extensively in both Haryana and the neighboring state of Punjab, as well as around the country, Ohad Horsandi, the spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in New Dehli, told The Jerusalem Post last week.
The 14 micro-irrigation projects being arranged by the government of Haryana will be based on the model of existing “Centers of Excellence” that Israel has set up throughout India, as part of a larger Indo-Israel Agriculture Project, Horsandi explained.
The centers each focus on different crop types, bringing Israeli know-how to local farmers through hands-on training with Israeli experts and technology.