An Emirati delegation, led by Khadim Abdulla Aldarei, co-founder and the vice-chairman of Al Dahra Holding, has visited Israel upon an invitation from Netafim, one of Israel's leading companies in the field of innovative irrigation solutions and advanced agriculture, under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel. During the visit, which is part of the recently signed peace accord between the UAE and Israel, both sides discussed ways of reinforcing the cooperation and strategic partnership in agriculture and technology. The Emirati delegation first visited Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel Alon Schuster to discuss available investment opportunities and ways of strengthening their commercial and agricultural cooperation, in addition to various topics related to food security. The delegation also met several officials at the Volcani Centre, the agricultural research center of Israel's Ministry of Agriculture, and was briefed about the latest solutions and innovations in irrigation and agriculture. The delegation also met with officials from Netafim and other companies operating in the sectors of dairy production, digital agriculture, atmospheric water generator, post-harvest technologies, pollination techniques, hydroponics and fish farming, fertilizers, and fresh products and olive oil. At the end of the visit, four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two countries. The first was signed with Netafim to inaugurate its regional office in the UAE while the second MoU was signed with Grapa Varieties to promote cooperation in new types of fresh produce with copyrights. The MoU will create further cooperation opportunities between the two sides, especially in countries where Grapa operates. The third MoU was signed with the Volcani Centre to facilitate the launch of studies on the effects of salinity on agricultural production. The Al Dahra Agriculture Company signed a fourth MoU with WaterGen, which develops advanced technologies in the field of water generation from the air. — WAM
