Mr. Goyal met Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Avi Dichter, to discuss closer agricultural cooperation. Minister Dichter briefed the Indian delegation on Israel’s 25-year food-security roadmap, advanced seed-improvement strategies and leadership in agricultural water-reuse technologies.
The discussions highlighted practical areas for joint work, including precision irrigation, seed research and scalable water-management solutions that can enhance productivity while conserving scarce water resources.
Peres Center visit: innovation and social impact
At the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, Shri Goyal reviewed Israel’s innovation ecosystem. The Centre showcased technologies spanning precision agriculture and medical devices, alongside immersive demonstrations of emerging technologies.
Mr. Goyal described the Peres Center as an inspiring model of how creativity and social purpose can combine to deliver tangible community benefits.
Mobility, autonomous tech and cooperative models
The Minister observed an autonomous-drive demonstration by Mobileye, underlining Israel’s strengths in next-generation mobility. He also visited Kibbutz Ramat Rachel to study cooperative living models and sustainable agricultural practices, drawing lessons for community-led innovation in rural India.
These visits underscored shared interest in transferring technology and best practices that support urban mobility, rural resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
Business forums and finance talks
Mr. Goyal’s programme included the India–Israel Business Forum and meetings with Israel’s Minister of Economy Mr. Nir Barkat and Minister of Finance Mr. Bezalel Smotrich. The forum facilitated B2B sessions where industry leaders explored partnerships in fintech, agritech, AI, quantum computing, pharmaceuticals, space and defence technologies.
Conversations with Israeli financial officials focused on strengthening investment linkages and regulatory cooperation to ease cross-border business and fintech collaboration.
Industry engagement and sector priorities
During industry visits, Shri Goyal met with senior executives from Check Point, IDE Technologies, NTA and Netafim. Key themes included cybersecurity cooperation, water and sewage management, urban mobility solutions and precision irrigation—areas that align closely with India’s infrastructure and agricultural priorities.
These dialogues aimed to convert technological expertise into joint pilots, capacity building and commercial collaboration with Indian partners.
FTA milestone and diamonds diplomacy
A notable outcome of the visit was the signing of the Terms of Reference for the India–Israel Free Trade Agreement. Both sides reaffirmed their intent to advance negotiations with the aim of boosting bilateral trade and investment.
Mr. Goyal also engaged with the diamond trade community—an enduring pillar of India–Israel commerce—and participated in the India–Israel CEOs Forum to discuss opportunities for deeper private-sector engagement.
Way forward
Shri Piyush Goyal’s engagements signalled a concerted push to broaden the India–Israel partnership beyond traditional domains. By combining Israel’s technology strengths with India’s market scale and implementation capacity, both sides seek durable partnerships in water management, agritech, mobility and advanced manufacturing.