India has reached a draft agreement with the Israeli government to open a horticulture centre in Gir, Gujurat, to train Indian farmers to cultivate mangoes, reports www.indianexpress.com.
Israel’s Consul-General in Mumbai Orna Sagiv said in an interview on Tuesday that the horticultural cluster project, which involves setting up training centres in Gir, would also involve setting up similar clusters for vegetables in Ahmedabad and a centre for post-harvest management of dates and bananas in the Kutch district.
Sagiv said Israel hopes it can effect changes in Gir as it has in Dapoli, where Israeli agricultural scientists demonstrated the benefits of trimming and pruning, thereby increasing mango productivity in the region.
Joint director of horticulture C M Patel confirmed that in-principle agreements have been reached for these clusters, although the exact location of the Kutch centre has not yet been finalised.
