Farm crisis: CM Devendra Fadnavis looks to Israel for help, invites team to Yavatmal, Osmanabad

Returning from his four-day visit to Israel, Fadnavis told The Indian Express in Mumbai, “I have urged the Peres Centre for Peace to help some districts in Maharashtra in tackling the agriculture crisis that leads to farmer suicides.”

With unmanned aerial vehicle UAV Super Heron at Israel Aerospace Industries. pic.twitter.com/8DIqOOwo14

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) April 29, 2015

He added, “Jethro & Demeter has decided to send a team of experts to visit Yavatmal and Osmanabad to prepare an action plan that would be adaptable to the domestic conditions and help in addressing the farmers’ suicides.”

The state government has recorded 600 farmer suicides between January and April 2015.

Fadnavis was in Israel to address the Agrotech-2015.

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The visit included discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir. He also called upon former prime minister and president of Israel, Nobel laureate Shimon Peres.

Describing the meeting as “extremely positive” he said, “Mr Peres exuded confidence that farmers who are known for being innovative in Maharashtra can overcome the crisis and soon become self-reliant and prosperous like those in Israel with a little help and implementation of research and development in the field of agriculture.”

Acknowledging that Maharashtra needs to re-work the drip irrigation technology that has been successfully implemented in Israel, the chief minister said, “We have to make it more affordable and practical for the farmers.”

On Indo-Israel partnership, he said, “We have invited Israel and its expert delegation for working on advanced agro technology and equipment, which can be deployed for water managements, higher yields. The use of technology for sowing to post harvest is something we can learn from Israel.”

He termed the visit to Agrotech 2015 exhibition as “interesting” as it provided forum for understanding and provided solutions for global hunger, sustainable growth and how to mitigate climate changes.