New Facility of Netafim Irrigation India Pvt. Ltd. Inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi

AHMEDABAD, India, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Shri Narendra Modi, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Gujarat inaugurated the new facility of Netafim Irrigation India Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. Randhir Chauhan , MD - Netafim Irrigation India Pvt. Ltd. welcomed the gathering of esteemed government officials, Netafim employees from India and abroad, people from venerated organizations and more than 3,000 progressive famers.

Prominent people who attended the program included Mr. Rudolf Weber, chairman of the board of directors - Netafim Ltd., Mr. Torsten Vogt, Member - Board of Netafim Ltd., Mr. Raphael Cimerman, Member - Board of Netafim Ltd., Mr. Igal Aisenberg, President and CEO - Netafim Ltd., Mr. Rami Levy, VP & Head of Emerging Markets Division - Netafim Ltd., Ms. Naama Zeldis, CFO - Netafim Ltd. and Mr. Yahel Vilan, Deputy Ambassador of Israel in India.  Mr. M. Sahu, Principal Secretary (Industries and Mines ) Govt. of Gujarat and Mr. Atanu Chakraborty, MD - GSFC were also present to grace the inaugural function.

The requirement of enhanced crop productivity and farm inputs like fertilizers, water and labour use efficiency has been felt in the country as more important than ever, and drip technology has been a proven solution to address it. The trust Indian farmers have shown towards Netafim products and services has been amazing and Netafim appreciates the same. This new facility will bring improved reach of products to the farming fraternity of Gujarat and outside the state. India is primarily an agrarian economy where 67% of the population is dependent upon agriculture for its livelihood. With 16.7% of world's population, India has only 2.4% of land and only 4% of world's usable water. About 77% of this water is used in agriculture, it has become the need of the hour to change this ratio and drip irrigation technology has emerged as a boon where the farmers can increase water use efficiency to 90 - 95%. This technology not only saves water but also saves power, fertilizer and labor use.

Netafim is the pioneer and world leader in drip technology and has been serving the farming fraternity across the globe since 1965. Through its R&D and presence in 110 countries, the company has accumulated a knowledge base for applications in diverse situations requiring interface of multiple technologies in agriculture. Netafim is a leading micro-irrigation company with largest market share, most advanced technology and product range in the world.

At the inaugural function, the Hon'ble Chief Minister addressed more than 3000 farmers of Gujarat and adjoining states. He also awarded eight farmers who have shown outstanding performance realizing highest yield in various crops like cotton, sugarcane, potato and banana with a " Netafim Krishi Ratna Award". These farmers have set examples by adopting and promoting drip technology in tribal areas and have taken farming to its zenith by using high tech farming - both in green house and open field.

Mr. Igal Aisenberg, President and CEO - Netafim Ltd. and Mr. Randhir Chauhan, MD - Netafim India addressed the gathering and expressed the noble intentions of the company and said that Netafim is committed to serve the nation with quality products and innovative technology ably supported by agronomy and after sales support services and will continue to serve in a more efficient way for years to come.

Primary Media Contact : Pritesh Trivedi, priteshtrivedi@oneadvt.com, 91-9727260309

Secondary Media Contact : Gaurang Darji, gaurangdarji@oneadvt.com, 91-9925038960