Sri Lanka - Israel Agricultural Cooperation Meeting

A meeting was held on May 20, 2025, at the Govijana Mandiraya between Sri Lanka's Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, Mr. K.D. Lalkantha and the Israeli Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Reuven Azar.

During this meeting, special discussions were held regarding technological exchange, investment cooperation and modern agricultural methodologies in agriculture, livestock and irrigation between the two countries.

According to the Ambassador's statement, he emphasized that Israel has successfully overcome terrorism by acting effectively against it, having passed through a challenging period of one and a half years, and that they have faced multiple problems with patience and strength during this time.

Commenting on current economic situation of Israel, the Ambassador stated that the country's economy is currently maintaining sustainable growth, with an annual growth rate recorded at 4%. Furthermore, he emphasized that investment opportunities, particularly in new innovation and technology sectors, are at a very attractive level. Additionally, the Ambassador highlighted that 32 "Center of Excellence" agricultural projects implemented jointly with India are operating successfully, and there is potential to launch such a project in Sri Lanka as well. He further stated that through such a project, modern technical knowledge and professional training could be provided to Sri Lankan farmers. To gain a deeper understanding of an agricultural model suitable for Sri Lanka, the Ambassador invited Minister K.D. Lalkantha to an official visit to Israel. He pointed out that during this visit, by witnessing Israel's modern agricultural technologies, projects, and methodologies firsthand, the necessary vision for modernizing Sri Lanka's agriculture could be obtained. The Ambassador also expressed his readiness and agreement to provide the necessary cooperation to Sri Lanka. Furthermore, he requested to prepare and present a priority list by the Sri Lankan side for this purpose.

Commenting on attracting Sri Lanka's younger generation to the agricultural sector, Minister K.D. Lalkantha particularly emphasized that modernization of the agricultural sector is an essential component for this task. The Minister pointed out that only by building an agricultural sector equipped with modern technology, innovation and contemporary methodologies it would be possible to capture the interest of young people. He also emphasized the need to consolidate the small-scale farmlands existing in Sri Lanka in order to increase the productivity of these lands. For this purpose, the Minister further pointed out that it is essential to create farmer companies while protecting farmers' land ownership rights and that this would enhance the productivity of agriculture and reduce costs through commercial operations.