Israeli Agriculture Minister to visit Sri Lanka

Israel’s Minister of Agriculture Orit Noked, will be visiting Sri Lanka, accompanied by a top level Israeli agro-business delegation, from 3 - 7 May 2011.

This visit, taking place during a highly dynamic period in the warm bilateral relations between Israel and Sri Lanka, is expected to enhance the cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture.  

Minister Noked is planned to meet Prime Minister Jayaratne and other top ministers in the Sri Lankan government (Ministers of Agriculture, External Affairs, Foreign Employment, Irrigation, and Livestock & Rural Community Development). In her meetings with the highest government officials and with the farming and business communities of Sri Lanka, Minister Noked will reiterate Israel’s intention to become a full-fledged partner in Sri Lanka’s development efforts.

Minister Noked and her Sri Lankan counterpart, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, will inaugurate an Agro-Business Seminar and sign a MoU to further augment the agricultural cooperation between the two countries and develop areas of mutual interest in the agriculture sector. The various topics of cooperation included in the MoU are: capacity building and transfer of know how; technology transfer; development of R&D Systems; exchange of scientific and agricultural technology information; promotion of Public Private Partnerships (PPP); water management and innovative irrigation technologies; rural development; land conservation and precision agricultural practices.