Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, met Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Avi Dichter, to further strengthen agricultural cooperation, focusing on Israel’s expertise in precision farming, drip irrigation, desert agriculture, and sustainable practices. Sharing the meeting on X, Goyal said, “Glad to meet with Mr. @AviDichter. We discussed ways to enhance our strong cooperation in agriculture, leveraging Israel’s expertise in precision farming, drip irrigation, desert agriculture, and sustainable agricultural practices.” During his visit, Goyal also toured the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation in Jaffa, calling it an “inspiring hub” that showcased Israel’s journey in creativity, technology, and social impact, offering insights into how innovation drives growth and development.

He emphasized that India and Israel will deepen collaboration in technology and innovation, exploring new avenues including a potential “startup bridge” between the two countries following the signing of the Terms of Reference (ToR). Speaking to the media, Goyal said, “We have just entered into the Terms of Reference yesterday. Now we will look at all the different elements, and one of them could be a startup bridge between Israel and India.”

On November 20, India and Israel formally signed the ToR to begin Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. Goyal highlighted technology and innovation as key elements of the comprehensive partnership, noting significant potential to strengthen India’s startup ecosystem. He added, “We can collaborate with Israel to promote our startup ecosystem, aiming for deep tech and high-quality innovation at competitive prices, leveraging India’s economies of scale. We are looking at a deep partnership with Israel.”

Goyal expressed India’s ambition to become the global startup capital, noting strong interest from Israeli startups, innovators, and businesses to engage with India for scale and opportunities. He identified sectors for collaboration including cybersecurity, mobility, climate action, green steel, and med-tech. “Whether it is cybersecurity, mobility, climate action, low-carbon steel production, or med-tech devices, India and Israel can partner to ensure innovation finds purpose, scale, and becomes a new way of working and living,” he said. Goyal’s visit to Israel, on the invitation of Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, is scheduled from November 20-22.