February 25, New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is about to land in Israel, reflections on his earlier visit highlight his long-standing engagement with Israeli agricultural technology.
In May 2006, Chief Minister Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, traveled to Israel to attend Agritech-2006, the country's premier international agricultural technology exhibition. He was part of an Indian delegation including other Chief Ministers and senior agricultural officials.
At the Israel-India Business Forum, Chief Minister Modi presented Gujarat's agricultural vision under the slogan "Per Drop More Crop", possibly the first public articulation of a phrase that would later become the official motto of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, India's national micro-irrigation scheme. Internal delegation reports noted that his presentation received "maximum applause and appreciation."
The slogan echoed Israel's own farming philosophy. During the visit, the delegation toured kibbutzim—Israel's communal agricultural settlements—along with the Volcani Centre, water management facilities, and operational wastewater treatment plants using recycled water for agriculture.
Chief Minister Modi also met with Netafim, already partnered with a Gujarat government subsidiary, discussing drip irrigation for drought-prone districts and the potential use of Netafim systems in the Narmada Canal network. He attended technical seminars by the TAHAL Group on desalination, wastewater recycling, and cloud seeding, building expertise in water engineering that he would later apply nationally.
(Source: @modiarchive)
(Caption: PM Modi's 2006 Israel Visit Inspired India’s “Per Drop More Crop”)