New Delhi, Dec 4 (IANS): With agriculture being one of the major pillars of India-Israel cooperation, Gil Haskel, the head of MASHAV - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation - is visiting India for the launch of the three-year action plan for the Indo-Israeli Agricultural Project (IIAP).

Haskel is paying an official visit to New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai from December 4-7.

He will meet with senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare and MEA and also inaugurate a Centre of Excellence for flowers in Thally, Tamil Nadu. Haskel will award two $10,000 grants to MASHAV Alumni to continue their projects in women empowerment and farmer empowerment in India, a press release from the Israeli Embassy said.

Israel Ambassador Daniel Carmon said, "The IIAP is MASHAV's biggest project outside of Israel, and it holds a significant portion of our bilateral relations. The success story of our agricultural cooperation is second to none, and it is only the beginning. We hope to see the same achievements in the fields of water, innovation and academia."