Can Tho studies Israel’s post-harvest technology
The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho wants Israel, with modern technologies in various fields, to transfer its agricultural technology to help the city reduce post-harvest losses, heard a seminar held in the city on March 7.
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At the seminar, entitled “Post-harvest technology of Israel - Key to success”, Nguyen Phuong Lam, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)’s branch in Can Tho, said that the Mekong Delta region harvests some 20 million tonnes of rice every year, which 20 million tonnes worth VND3-3.5 trillion (US$132-154 million) is lost after harvest.
Local agricultural products have decreased in both volume and value due to environmental pollution, exhaustion of underground water and infertile soil after a long time of cultivation, he said.
Yaniv Tessel, head of the Economic and Trade Office of the Israeli Embassy in Vietnam, underlined that technology innovation has been defined as a key orientation of Israel, especially in agriculture as deserts cover two thirds of its land, resulting in water scarcity for farming.
Drip irrigation, net houses as well as smart management of husbandry have been effectively applied in the country, he said.
Dr. Ron Porat from Israel’s Volcani Centre said genetic modification technology and UV disinfection have been deployed in Israel’s agriculture to extend the shelf life of agricultural products.
Measures to ensure environmental hygiene to control the decomposition of farm produce, he said, adding that these technologies will be gradually transferred to Vietnam via bilateral cooperation agreements.