Israel has been equipping Vietnamese farmers with modern technology in several agricultural projects in a bid to develop hi-tech agriculture in the country.

Vietnam has a lot of potential in agriculture development, and enhancing the cultivation techniques and productions of farmers is the first step to develop hi-tech agriculture, Israel Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Yair Shamir remarked at a workshop on Monday.

Shamir said Israel is cooperating with partners in the Central Highlands to implement several hi-tech agricultural projects.

One of the most remarkable projects is the watering and drainage system for coffee farms that uses alternative sources of water such as desalinated or recycled water.

The system will also apply Israel’s signature cloud seeding technology to create artificial rain.

The high technology is being implemented at the 400-hectaure Eatul Center for Industry and Agriculture in Dak Lak Province. It is powered by investments from coffee giant Nguyen Group totaling of US$15 million.

Israel is also running a dairy cow-breeding project in Ho Chi Minh City with new technology that will increase productivity by 10-20 times compared to Vietnam’s current techniques.

In a previous meeting with local government officials, Shamir suggested that the two countries set up a joint fund for agricultural research and development.

The fund will create a framework for expanded partnerships in the Israeli and Vietnamese agricultural business sectors, he said.

Accordingly, Israel will send its experts to work on specific projects in Vietnam, and assess the results of each project to determine whether they should be expanded or not, he explained.