President Rajapaksa's emphasis on agriculture praiseworthy - Israel envoy

by Ananth PALAKIDNAR

Israel Ambassador to Sri Lanka and India Mark Sofer who represented his country at the recent swearing-in ceremony of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was full of praise of his address to the nation.

"Sri Lanka is entering into a new era after the annihilation of terrorism in the country. Therefore, President Mahinda Rajapaksa's emphasis on economic development and on enhancing the agricultural productivity in particular was praiseworthy. Israel will be working closely with Sri Lanka in developing its agricultural sector. Our country has plenty to offer as far as agriculture and irrigation are concerned. The relations between Sri Lanka and Israel have improved significantly in recent years. We are looking forward to expand it more meaningfully in the future," Ambassador Mark Sofer said.

Commenting on the first batch of Sri Lankan agricultural workers who went to Israel a couple of weeks ago, Sofer said that they were welcome by their employers in Israel. "The Lankan agricultural workers have proved their mettle and they are doing a good job. Even the press in Israel has commended the Lankan workers. While they have displayed their skills they have also learned the new technologies adopted in Israel.

Therefore, it is a win-win attitude between the two countries in the field of agriculture. In January 2011, the Israel's Minister of Agriculture will visit Sri Lanka to obtain first hand information on the agricultural sector in the island", he said.

Israel is also in the process of setting up a model agricultural farm in Sri Lanka with the introduction of high technology. The model farm is expected to provide the latest technological know-how the agricultural sector to the Lankan farmers, Sofer said.

The Farm will have cows from Israel. Each cow could give 40 to 50 litres of milk every day. So with the introduction of our technology, the cows in Sri Lanka are expected to improve their output in milk production, the envoy said.

The Israeli Minister's visit to Sri Lanka in January next year will not only focus on the agricultural sector, it will also concentrate on the trade between the two countries.

A top level delegation from the business community in Israel is also expected to accompany their Minister, according to Sofer.

Elaborating on the trade and business links between the two countries Sofer praised the Lankan business community as being more global and having constructive ideas in their chosen fields.

"We are buying gems from Sri Lanka and the trade links between the two countries are bound to expand in future. We are looking forward to promote tourism has immense potential for development. It brings people together. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country blessed with beaches, mountains and various forms of landscapes. The number of Israeli tourists visiting Sri Lanka is now growing and thousands are expected to visit in the future.

They love water sports such as surfing," Sofer said. Commenting on how Israelis view Sri Lanka, the Ambassador said that the people of his country really felt for Sri Lanka when it suffered for three decades due to terrorism. "Terrorism has now been wiped out from this beautiful country.

The Israelis know the gravity of terrorism. Therefore, they too are happy over the end of terrorism and look forward to interact more extensively with Sri Lanka," Sofer said.