In order to further strengthen the ties between Israel and the Philippines,an officer of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture visits the country
Omar Zeidan, Deputy Director for Extension Service of said ministry, met up with his Philippine counterparts in the fields of horticulture and post-harvest.
In 2006, both governments decided to create the Philippine-Israeli Center for Agricultural Training which seeks to promulgate an agricultural and research and development coordinator that will promote farm productivity, profitability and sustainability. The pilot phase started in Nueva Ecija with the cooperation of the Central Luzon State University.
Now in its 8th year, the program has succeeded in sending hundreds of Filipino professionals to Israel to train in multiple agricultural methodologies and trained hundred more in the Philippines. In an age were food security is important, the program can greatly aid the Philippines in achieving food independence.
During his stay, Mr. Zeidan visited various demonstration farms in Central Luzon that were established as part of the PICAT project. He also conducted a high level seminar at the Department of Agrarian Reform on topics such as identifying which factors affect the growing of seedlings, requirements in establishing a nursery and the method of protecting plants from pest.
