An Indo-Israel Conference on Women Empowerment in Agriculture under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project was organised here at the Centre for Excellence for Cut Flowers in Thally jointly with the Department of Horticulture on Thursday.
Addressing the women entrepreneurs, Tammy Ben Haim, Consul General of Israel to South India, said women farmers are one of the most basic entrepreneurs, important entrepreneurs, since every woman running a firm, a company was also running a family. “A CEO of a micro, small industry, was also the CEO of her home,” Ms.Haim said.
Stating that the conference was timely held close on the heels of International Women Entrepreneurship Day on November 19, the Consul General of Israel to South India said, investing in women entrepreneur was investing in the future. “The more successful women farmers are the more they can adapt into micro and small businesses such as exporting flowers for decoration, bee keeping.”
According to Ms. Haim, the women farmer-entrepreneurs are also role models for young girls and students, who understand there is a support system, be they experts coming from Israel, and helps them believe that they can grow up to be successful women.
The Centre for Cut Flowers in Thally was established under the National Horticulture Mission at a cost of ₹8.08 crore. Spread over 22 ha, the Centre for Excellence is equipped with poly greenhouses, demonstration fields, open fields, post harvest management equipment, cold storage unit among other infrastructure providing technical support for farmers.
Yair Eshel, Agriculture Attache, Embassy of Israel, New Delhi, introducing the programme, said the Indo-Israel Agriculture project was the longest project cooperation between the two countries. “ India was like a second home for Israel and that is why we are here and that is why you get our technical support. The target of the Centre for Excellence was essentially to make “as many farmers happy”. “The Centre is working very hard, and over 17,000 farmers got licenses and extension, learnt from the project to gain right farming and right incomes, Mr. Eshel said
Over 30 Centres for Excellence were set up across the country under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project envisioning partnership at the national level by infusing the best practices of Israel in agricultural technology in the local communities.
Speaking on the occasion, Collector V. Jayachandra Bhanu Reddy said the social advantages of women empowerment were enormous. “The advantages of women empowerment universally has shown that the incomes accrued to women through empowerment generally get dispersed into the family, across cultures and communities,” said Collector. The Indo-Israel conference on women empowerment will help bring forth the best practices down to the community, so that women have a say in decision making process at various levels.
The conference was also marking the 30th year celebrations of the forging of full diplomatic relationship between Israel and India.
Established in 2017, the Thally Centre for Excellence for Cut Flowers is the only specialised centre for cut flowers in the country and the second Centre for Excellence set up in the State, with one another in Odanchathiram.
Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare M.R.K.Paneerselvam said the Tamil Nadu government was implementing an array of programmes for the empowerment of women.
R .Brindha Devi, Director, Horticulture and Plantation Crops, was present.
