A Glimpse of the Centre of Excellence for Vegetables, an Indo-Israel Agriculture Project

Here’s a breakdown of how farmers can get the best out of the Centre of Excellence for Vegetables, a project under the MASHAV initiative by Israel:

Dr. Sudhir Kumar Yadav, the Deputy Director of Horticulture, CEV (IIAP) Department of Horticulture, Haryana, walks us through the center's fields, explaining the details of the project under which the center of excellence was built. The project got approval in 2009, and in the next 2 years, the center of excellence was inaugurated, with the total cost of the project being Rs 6 crore.

The objectives of the CEV in Gharaunda are to demonstrate the protected cultivation technology of high-value vegetables for farmers to see the result for themselves and be motivated to try the latest technologies available. Among these said latest technologies is micro-irrigation with different systems installed to produce high-quality, disease-free, healthy seedlings in the soil. The project’s vision also includes demonstrating the technical know-how and training the farmers to boost crop productivity and, ultimately, the farmers' income.

The center provides several vertical farming systems ranging from low-cost to medium-cost and high-cost systems. The state is currently giving out a 50% subsidy of the total cost, i.e., Rs 31,250/acre on bamboo staking, and a 50% subsidy of the total cost, i.e., Rs 70,500/acre on iron staking under the low-cost system.

Under the medium-cost system, the state provides naturally ventilated poly houses (NVPH) units at Rs 844 per sqm, anti-insect net house AINH units at Rs 570 per sqm, walk-in tunnel units at Rs 600 per sqm, and poly net units at Rs 710 per sqm.

The hi-tech greenhouse, hydroponics, and aeroponics structures come under high-cost systems. The department is giving out subsidy benefits to interested farmers up to 2000 sqm in the coming financial year; Dr. Yadav said the Krishi Jagran team visiting the CEV.

The Indo- Israel Village of Excellence, a fascinating initiative under the project, aims to disseminate the latest technology of CEV directly to the farmer’s fields, including protected cultivation, micro irrigation, mulching, low tunnel, vertical farming, and organic farming. The center has selected 100 farmers from 20 villages under the village of excellence scheme from three districts of Haryana viz. Karnal, Panipat, and Sonipat.

The CEV has been visited by delegates from around the world and appreciated for reaching out to farmers and helping them access the latest Agri tech, including Reuven Rivlin, Israel president, Naor Gilon, Ambassador, India- Israel, and Ron Malka, Ambassador, Israel-India.