BASTI: The focus is always on strategic, military cooperation and technology exchange between India and Israel, but the relationship is bringing a big change in the rural belts of east UP. The Indo-Israel Centre for Excellence, 200 metre off the Basti-Gorakhpur highway, has started commercial operations and is helping increase income of farmers.
The setting up of the centre on a Rs 7.5 crore budget had started in October 2018. The aim was to introduce innovations in farming by adopting Israel's technology. The department of horticulture and food processing, which operates the centre, has gone a step ahead within two years and has also started assisting non-farmers. "Any individual interested in planting a mango tree of latest variety or an orchard can pick up ready saplings. Vegetable saplings are also available here. Earlier, we were catering to farmers only but now we provide saplings to everyone," said joint director Atul Kumar Singh.
The centre, situated in Banjariya village of Basti Sadar assembly constituency, is transforming the way farming is done in the area. Anoop Yadav, a farmer from Sant Kabir Nagar (Khalilabad) plans to grow watermelon and muskmelon on his four-hectare land in Urdahwa and has placed order for 53,000 saplings. "All parties used to talk about welfare of farmers and increasing their income till now, but nothing happened on the ground. In the past two years, we have seen innovation in agriculture. Change is visible and one can spot cucumber, okra, sponge gourd and other vegetables being grown in villages," said Yadav.
In 2017, BJP's Dayaram Chaudhary had won Basti Sadar seat by securing 92,697 votes, and defeated SP's Mahendra Nath Yadav, who polled 50,103 votes. Jitendra Kumar of BSP got 49,538 votes.
