1. EGYPT
(A) Training in Agriculture.
In this period, 60 Egyptian trainees arrived in Israel for courses and
there was also one field course.
Under the trilateral agreement on agriculture (Denmark, Israel, Egypt) a
study tour was conducted in Egypt for the first time (in March) for
Israeli experts instructing trainees there, in coordination with the
Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture.
At the end of March, a mission from the Egyptian National Library of
Agriculture visited Israel as guests of Mashav, to familiarize itself with
the latest technologies and study possibilities of joining agricultural
libraries in Israel.
(B) Projects.
The "Block 20" region: This is a project which will focus on developing
about 20 family farms in the Nuberia district, serving as models of farms
linked to support and marketing systems. The project will be managed by a
long-term Mashav expert.
Nuberia: Developing water resources. Mashav responded to the request of
the Counsellor of Egypt's Minister of Agriculture to aid in dispatching a
hydrologist to examine water resources and their qulity in an area of
12,000 "fidans" in the Nuberia region. These are plots of land owned by
the Ministry of Agriculture and meant to be sold to people in the business
sector.
Setting up model plots at the training center in Maryut: A professional
proposal has been prepared and confirmed by the Egyptian Ministry of
Agriculture to establish an irrigation system in the area. The
preparations for setting it up are approaching completion.
An agricultural farm at Nubaseid: Mashav will complete the acquisition of
Israeli equipemtn to the value of $120,000 to construct the nursery. A
nursery expert will be dispatched to the area in May to continue the
operation.
2. JORDAN
(A) Training:
Since the beginning of the year, 50 trainees have come to Israel from
Jordan.
At the beginning of March, 13 military doctors arrived from the King
Hussein Hospital and the Queen Aliya Hospital, for an international
congress on emergency medicine. The mission came as the guests of the
Israeli Foreign Ministry (Mashav and the Jordanian Affairs Division) and
of the Israeli Defense Forces.
(B) Projects:
Establishing the joint commercial farm project in the Jordan River Valley:
it was decided to advance the next stage, preparing about 250 dunams (or
about 60 acres) in the Fifa area through advanced agricultural technology.
Both sides confirmed the implementation of preparing a development plan to
be financed by Mashav. At the end of April, Israeli and Jordanian experts
went to the area to conduct a ground survey.
3. THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
(A) Training:
Since the start of this year, about 250 Palestinians have attended Mashav
courses in Israel, in cooperation with Ben-Gurion University, the
Palestinian Child and Family Counselling Center, and the Palestinian Child
Heath Community Research Center, as well as the Fund for Economic
Cooperation. A plan was drafted to train Palestinian experts in the field
of "the war against drugs."
4. MOROCCO
(A) Training.
Since the beginning of 1998, three Moroccan trainees participated in
Mashav courses in Israel on agriculture and cooperation.
(B) Projects.
A cooperative-rehabilitation-agricultural farm in Morocco: The Moroccan
non-governmental organizations "Bitti". It enjoys the support of the Royal
Family and various government ministries: It requested our aid in setting
up the farm, meant for distressed youth, neeting rehabilitation, in the
Casablanca and Makhnes districts.
The chairman of the organization visited Israel in mid-April as the guest
of Mashav. She visited similar institutions in Israel and plans were draft
to continue the cooperation.
5. REGIONAL ACTIVITIES
The regional plan for agricultural cooperation: Denmark, Israel, Egypt,
Jordan and the Palestinian Authority : under this program, two meetings of
experts were held
(A) Between March 16 and 19, there was a meeting of "Women in Agriculture"
held in Ramallah.
(B) A meeting of the Technical Committee (March 22-24) on "Dealing with
Produce and Marketing" was held in Amman.
As part of the activity of the Netherlands-Israel Research Program, set up
in 1992 under an agreement between the two governments, a meeting was held
toward the end of April with research personnel in Amman, in order to
advance joint research activity.