Drip irrigation, illustration (Photo: Hanania Herman, GPO) Photo: Hanania Herman, GPO
Conference brings together business people, politicians, academics from both countries to talk technology, agriculture, increase cooperation. ‘Economic potential between Israel, India, specifically within high tech sector, is huge,’ Israeli attendee says
The ties between Israel and India are growing stronger each year. India is buying Israeli companies and establishing more joint ventures between the nations.
“We work with small and marginal farmers and we have a lot of problems in terms of water and productivity,” Dr. Suchita Bhandari, the business head of Bold Tree Tech Ltd.
“We find Israel has managed these things very well so we are looking to have the transfer of technology from Israel to India.” Some 80% of India’s population of 1.1 billion works in agriculture.
“We do agro-forestry, so we are good with trees,” she said. “But we are looking to increase the production of the vegetable crops in between. I am looking for better seeds, better water management, better harvesting, and better value chain management.”
She was one of 23 Indian businesspeople, politicians and academics who met their counterparts in Israel this week for the sixth India-Israel forum, sponsored by the Aspen Institute of India and Tel Aviv University. The meeting aims to deepen ties between the countries, and in some cases, to cut out the middle man.
