•Gurmeet Singh Khudian meets Fares Saeb; Israel expresses keen interest in importing food grain seeds from Punjab
- Punjab to integrate cutting-edge agricultural technologies under academic exchanges, says Khudian
Chandigarh, December 22:
Punjab is set to emerge as a global seed capital as the state government is mulling to enter a strategic partnership with Israel to integrate cutting-edge agricultural technologies. This was discussed during a high-level meeting between Punjab’s Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Minister, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Israel, Mr. Fares Saeb, here at Punjab Bhawan, on Monday.
S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that the collaboration will focus on four key areas including exporting food grain seeds to Israel, academic exchanges between Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and Israeli institutions, exchanging citrus stocks and adopting advanced water-management technologies.
Punjab Agriculture Minister informed that a key focus of the deliberations was introducing Israel’s precision ‘N-Drip’ irrigation system, saving up to 70% water and significantly reducing energy consumption. The state will also explore modalities to adopt Israeli’s expertise in treating and utilising sewage and village pond water for irrigation, mirroring Israel’s model where 95% of treated wastewater is reused in agriculture.
S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian stated, “This tie would be a visionary leap for Punjab’s farming community. Merging Israeli innovation with our agricultural strength, we aim to secure water resources, boost farmer profitability and position Punjab as a leader in seed production and sustainable practices globally.”
While extending the invitation for a high-level delegation from Punjab to deepen collaboration in agricultural Research & Development and water reuse, Mr. Fares Saeb expressed keen interest in importing food grain seeds from Punjab. He also highlighted improved connectivity, announcing that a direct flight from Delhi to Israel, shortening travel to about six hours, will start in January 2026.
Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Mr. Arshdeep Singh Thind, MD Punjab Agro Ms. Hargunjit Kaur, Special Secretary Agriculture Ms. Baldeep Kaur, Director Agriculture Mr. Jaswant Singh and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.
