The ‘I2U2’, which is a grouping of India, Israel, United Arab Emirates and United States has come up with measures to battle the food security crises. Innovative methods for the long term and more diverse food production and delivery systems are being worked on. For the same, The United Arab Emirates will be investing 2 billion USD to develop a series of institutional food parks across India. The decision was announced after the leaders of the grouping – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan – held the first virtual meeting. On the project relating to food parks, the statement said India will provide appropriate land.
“India will provide appropriate land for the project and will facilitate farmers’ integration into the food parks. The US and Israeli private sectors will be invited to lend their expertise and offer innovative solutions that contribute to the overall sustainability of the project,” the I2U2 said. The investments will help maximise crop yields and, in turn, help tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East also. The I2U2 group will advance hybrid renewable energy project in Gujarat consisting of 300 megawatts of wind and solar capacity, in the process as well. The leaders claimed that immense determination will be provided to support and build more innovative, inclusive, and science-based solutions to increase food security. The aim of I2U2 is to enhance the entrepreneurial spirit and tackle challenges of the world.
The I2U2 grouping became a concept during the meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries held on October 18 last year.India’s bilateral strategic ties with each of the three countries have been on an upswing in the last few years and they are working to establish more reliable ties.
