Dr M Chuba Ao
National Vice President
India–Israel relations are often discussed as diplomacy. But a clearer way to understand them is to look at measurable outcomes—what cooperation delivers to farmers, cities, startups, and security institutions.
Start with agriculture, where results are visible on the ground. India and Israel run an Indo–Israel Agriculture Project designed around knowledge transfer and demonstration. A core element is a network of Centres of Excellence—advanced farms that showcase Israeli agro-technology adapted to local conditions. Official Indian government information notes 29 operational Centers of Excellence across 12 states, making it one of the more structured G2G agriculture cooperation models in the country.
These centres act as practical training hubs. Instead of treating technology as an abstract “import,” the CoEs focus on adoption: crop-specific best practices, protected cultivation techniques, and efficient irrigation methods that farmers can observe and replicate. The logic is straightforward—when a farmer sees a technique working in local soil and climate, adoption becomes easier and risk feels lower.
Water security is the second major citizen-facing area. India’s water stress is not only rural; it is also urban and industrial. That is why India–Israel cooperation in water management includes a range of tools: efficient use of water, micro-irrigation, and importantly, recycling/re-use of wastewater and desalination. These are not slogans—these are specific cooperation areas referenced in official bilateral frameworks.
In practical terms, desalination and water recycling matter most in coastal and fast-growing cities that struggle to meet demand during peak seasons. One recent example reported by Times of India is the 100 MLD desalination plant planned for Visakhapatnam (Vizag), with the project being fast-tracked and an Israeli desalination firm, IDE Technologies, serving as technical partner. The report also describes how industrial water supply can reduce pressure on potable water distribution—an approach that directly affects households.
The third pillar is innovation—because technology partnerships create jobs when they scale. India and Israel have institutionalized industrial R&D cooperation through the India–Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F), described by official program sources as a joint initiative between India’s Department of Science and Technology and the Israel Innovation Authority. The fund is widely described as $40 million over a multi-year period, aimed at supporting joint R&D and commercialization.
For startups and industry, mechanisms matter as much as announcements. On the India side, the Technology Development Board (TDB) hosts calls for proposals and supports the process for joint projects. That creates an actionable pipeline—from partner matching to application to pilots—so collaboration does not remain only at the level of events or delegations.
Finally, there is cooperation that strengthens security institutions. The citizen benefit here is indirect but real: better preparedness, better systems, and better institutional capability. Co-development programs like Barak-8 / LR-SAM are widely referenced as examples of joint work in defensive systems.
More recently, global reporting has also highlighted how Indian defence manufacturing partnerships can accelerate domestic capability—Financial Times, for example, reported on an Indian-made ISR drone program developed with Israel’s Elbit Systems as part of India’s broader indigenisation push.
Put together, the story is not abstract geopolitics. It is practical cooperation. Farmers gain access to modern cultivation and irrigation practices through an established network of centres. Cities gain a menu of water-security solutions that include recycling and desalination. Startups gain structured R&D pathways through joint funding. And institutions gain capacity through defence and security collaboration.
That is why the most accurate public communication frame is people-centric: India–Israel ties should be described through what citizens can see, use, and benefit from—one sector at a time.
