The Israeli ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has spoken of his country’s readiness to deepen its partnership with Nigeria to ensure sustainable agriculture in the African country.

“Israel has a strong partnership with Nigeria, and we are looking to strengthen our partnership with the states of the federation,” said Mr Freeman.

Mr Freeman, also the permanent representative of Israel to ECOWAS, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja on the sidelines of an executive roundtable organised by Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River and the diplomatic community to make the state’s business investment climate more visible.

He said Israel would also partner with the Cross River government on the blue economy and the production of cassava, rice and cocoa.

“We hope there are also other areas we can take advantage of, such as resistant seedlings, fungus-resistant seedlings, and drought-resistant seedlings.

“We are also going to adapt to the climate and the soil that has a very low salinity in Cross River.

“This means there are specific types of plants that will work and specific types of jobs we want to work on to enable the state to become a breadbasket for Nigeria and Africa,” Mr Freeman said.

He said that although no agreement has been signed, the cost implications of the investment between Israel and Cross River will be massive.

“I am not going to put numbers to it because it all depends on what the area of investment is, what the needs are for Cross River, and what the needs are for Israel,” said Mr Freeman.

He noted that stakeholders would be consulted to find “appropriate levels in the places for investment for the mutual benefit of Israel and Cross River.”

“This needs to be a partnership. It needs to be something that both sides are benefiting from.

“If it is a one-way relationship or one-way budget, then it is not sustainable,” he added.

(NAN)