Piyush Goyal's maiden Israel visit strengthen ties with India in tech, trade, agriculture

New Delhi [India], November 22 (ANI): Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a series of wide-ranging engagements during his official visit to Israel, further strengthening bilateral cooperation across agriculture, technology, innovation and trade.
During his meetings on Friday (November 21), Minister Piyush Goyal met with Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Avi Dichter, for a detailed discussion on advancing agricultural collaboration.
Minister Dichter briefed Indian minister Goyal on Israel's 25-year food security roadmap, its advanced seed-improvement strategies, and the country's global leadership in water-reuse technologies for agriculture.
As part of his engagements, Minister Goyal visited the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, where he was apprised of Israel's pioneering technological ecosystem, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
He was shown several landmark innovations, including drip irrigation systems, stent technologies and the Iron Dome system, along with demonstrations of emerging future technologies and immersive virtual-reality solutions.
He described the Peres Center as an inspiring institution that reflects Israel's journey of creativity, innovation and social impact.
The Minister also experienced Israel's advancements in mobility solutions through an autonomous-drive demonstration by Mobileye, highlighting precision engineering in next-generation mobility.
Minister Goyal also visited Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, where he observed its model of cooperative living, sustainable agricultural practices and community-driven innovation.
"These interactions offered valuable insights into Israel's technological strengths and its approach to rural development and sustainability," the commerce ministry said in the statement.
Earlier, on Thursday, Minister Goyal commenced his official engagements with a meeting with Israel's Minister of Economy, Nir Barkat.
The two leaders reviewed the current trajectory of bilateral trade and explored new areas of cooperation.
This was followed by the India-Israel Business Forum, attended by both Ministers and senior industry leaders from both countries.
The Forum included technical sessions and B2B interactions, reflecting strong private-sector interest in expanding collaboration across technology, innovation, agriculture and advanced manufacturing, the ministry said.
During his address, Minister Goyal emphasised the trust-based foundation of India-Israel relations and highlighted substantial opportunities in sectors such as fintech, agritech, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, machine learning, pharmaceuticals, space, and defence.
Minister Goyal also held a bilateral meeting with Israel's Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, where discussions focused on strengthening investment linkages, expanding cooperation in financial technologies and enhancing regulatory collaboration to facilitate more robust economic exchanges.
As part of his industry interactions, the Minister met senior leadership of leading Israeli companies, including Check Point (cybersecurity), IDE Technologies (water solutions), NTA (metro projects) and Netafim (precision agriculture).
Discussions centred on cybersecurity collaboration, water and sewage management, urban mobility solutions and advanced irrigation technologies--areas closely aligned with India's development priorities.
A significant milestone during the visit was the signing of the Terms of Reference for the India-Israel Free Trade Agreement.
Both Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to boosting bilateral trade, investment, and technological cooperation and expressed confidence that negotiations would proceed constructively towards a balanced, mutually beneficial FTA.
Minister Goyal also engaged with leading Israeli media and interacted with members of the diamond community, which continues to serve as a cornerstone of India-Israel trade relations. He later participated in the India-Israel CEOs Forum with Minister Barkat, where he underlined the resilience, depth and growing potential of the bilateral economic partnership.
Minister Goyal's engagements reflected the shared commitment of India and Israel to deepen economic ties, expand technological collaboration and strengthen cooperation across sectors of strategic importance to both nations. (ANI)