India: Israeli agri project sees year round cultivation
The centre of excellence in vegetable set up by Israel in partnership with India at Gharaunda in Karnal district in 2010 is enriching farmers and is also providing vegetables like tomato, capsicum and brinjal (aubergine), which can be cultivated even in off-season.
Israel has announced a total of 27 Indo-Israeli projects to be set up in different parts of the country, though the bulk of them will be in Haryana. The reason for this is that Haryana has similar climatic conditions and output potential to much of Israel.
Polytunnels are to be set up so that growing can take place even when the vegetables are out of season.
Additional Director, Horticulture of Haryana Government, Mr Arjun Singh Saini said that farmers were getting 90% subsidy for setting up polytunnels. he said that he expected the costs involved to come down as more and more people sought to set up polytunnel cultivation.
Haryana has 38 lakh hectares of agri land out of which almost 85 per cent is under cultivation of vegetables.
Source: www.thehindubusinessline.com
