Israel shares experience in water-saving irrigation
Israel is ready to advise Vietnam on irrigation technologies suitable for soil conditions in the Southeast Asian nation, the country's Ambassador Yaron Mayer said at a workshop held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Hanoi on May 10.
Some Israeli delegations are scoping out irrigation needs in a number of Vietnamese localities to seek cooperation opportunities, he said, highlighting the popularity of the drip irrigation technology in Israel.
The Israeli side shared its experience in supplying water to deserts, saying studies in this field were mainly funded by the government previously, yet 97% of them now invested by businesses.
Vu Trung Kien, from Netafim, an Israeli firm providing precision irrigation solutions for sustainable agriculture, said the company’s irrigation technology has been applied on tens of thousands of hectares of crops in Vietnamese localities, including the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong and the south-central coastal province of Binh Thuan.
MARD Minister Le Minh Hoan stressed what Israel has done brings hopes to many countries, including Vietnam that is grappling with drought and saltwater intrusion in many of its areas.
The official warned that such natural disasters will worsen in the future, forcing farmers to change their mindset in production.
Nguyen Tung Phong, head of the MARD’s Department of Water Resources, said 530,000 hectares in Vietnam have been covered by water-saving irrigation solutions, mainly sprinkler irrigation.
According to the official, the ministry has worked out an action plan on water-saving irrigation, and the Government has offered incentives to projects in this regard.
He suggested Israel help Vietnam improve its drought forecasting capacity, build planning schemes for drought-hit areas, and develop water-saving irrigation models.
