Guizhou agriculture to benefit from Israeli links

Israel has agriculture technologies that can be applied to Guizhou's agricultural development, said Xiao Rongjun, the deputy director of Guizhou Agriculture Commission, at the 2015 Israel-Guizhou agriculture seminar held in Guiyang, the capital city of southwest China's Guizhou province, on Wednesday.

"Israeli agricultural technologies lead the world, especially drip irrigation technologies in the field of fruit and vegetable cultivation, and seed breeding, aquaculture and stock farming," said Xiao.

Guizhou, which is in the initial stage of agriculture development, stands to gain huge benefits from the technologies from Israel, which will enhance the quality of agriculture products, according to Xiao.

Cobi Yanovsky, the deputy general consul at the Israeli consulate in Chengdu, who introduced three Israeli agricultural enterprises, said, "Guizhou is one of the most developing provinces in China. We see a great development potential."

Guizhou like Israel has arid areas and problems of water conservation.

Yanovsky said: "We know how to cultivate in dry areas with scientific solutions. The cooperation potential with Guizhou leads us here, and we will promote relevant technologies and solutions that Guizhou needs".

Israel will encourage enterprises to visit Guizhou and cooperate with Guizhou companies in agriculture field, according to Yanovsky.

In the past 60 years, farm land has decreased dramatically in Israel, but agricultural productivity is increasing, according to Eitan Neubauer, the counselor of technology and agriculture at the Israeli embassy in China.

"Israel has made great achievements in the field of water management, waste water treatment, irrigation, fertilizer, agriculture machinery, seed and stock farming," said Neubauer.

The Guizhou seminar was attended by more than 50 Guizhou enterprises involved in stock farming, aquaculture, farm machinery, and food processing.

An agreement between the Israeli embassy and Guizhou Agriculture Commission will see 66.7 hectares set up as an agriculture demonstration zone in Zunyi, in the northern part of Guizhou.