Israel shows off hi-tech solutions at Agritech conference

Hundreds of company and state representatives from around the world came to hear about revolutionary Israeli products for the food industry.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Israel has been showing off the cutting-edge technology that local companies offer in the agriculture and food fields to hundreds of representatives from over 40 countries during a four-day conference that will wrap up Thursday.

At Agriisrael 4.0, which describes itself as “the fourth agricultural revolution,” over 100 Israeli companies, including two dozen start-ups, are showing off their wares.

State and corporate agents are being treated to live demonstrations of how sensors, drones, artificial intelligence and satellites can increase yields and protect crops, orchards and even beehives.

In a Western world where farm workers grow ever scarcer, they are seeing how drones can pick apples and robots can collect tomatoes. In a time of global warming, they are being exposed to how big data and satellite imagery can analyze when is the best time to irrigate fields and how much water should be used. And when Colony Collapse Disorder is still a global threat to bees, which pollinate 70 percent of the crops that feed the world, they are learning how Israeli sensors can save hives.

“Israel’s agricultural industry has been a world leader in terms of development and innovation as a whole,” Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute Deputy Director-General Lior Konitzki told The Jerusalem Post. “Nowadays, when we see the real integration of technology into agriculture, Israel will be leading the scene as a real global player. Israeli technology is relevant all over the world, whether it is tackling water scarcity in California or precision farming in Holland.”

Israeli companies are also finding solutions to help the food chain. They are showing off technology that can monitor and supervise inventories of perishables and non-perishables to representatives of conglomerates that sell food all over the world.

The conference is a joint venture of the country’s foreign, agriculture, and economy and industry ministries and the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute.

Currently, Israeli agritech exports are valued at some $9 billion, with 93 percent of it going to Europe, the United States, South America and Australia.

Israeli food technology