Modi in Israel: 15 of 26 farm projects operational; rest to start in 2018

Modi's visit to dwell on water conservation, Israel's expertise in desalination may also be tapped

India and Israel have been engaged in setting up state of the art centres of excellence in agriculture as part of the India-Israel Agriculture Project (IIAP) since 2008. 

The IIAP is a three-way collaboration between Indian government, the Israel government and a state in India. 

So far of the proposed 26 centres of excellence, 15 have become fully operational, while the remaining are expected to start from early next year. 

These centres are being set up in states such as Bihar for litchi and mango, in Karnataka for mango, pomegranate and vegetables, in West Bengal for vegetables and so on.