Eilat Tech Center (ETC - Eilat Technology Center) owned by Arieli Capital, will plan and lead the establishment of the innovation center that will operate in the Ramat Hanegev R&D Center for Desert Agriculture located near Ashlim and will focus on the area's areas of specialization including: agriculture, desert agriculture, aquaculture, cannabis and more . About 5 million dollars will be invested in the planning and construction of the innovation center led by Arieli Capital and with the participation of the Ramat HaNegev Council and other investors
The holding company Arieli Capital, managed by Eric Bentov, signed an agreement for cooperation with 'Ramat Negev Factories' in the Ramat Negev Regional Council to establish an innovation center for ag-tech fields that will operate within the Council's areas. The move is planned to expand the economic potential of the thriving agriculture in the region and the agricultural R&D capabilities that have been developed there for decades.
Eilat Tech Center (ETC - Eilat Technology Center) owned by Arieli Capital, will plan and lead the establishment of the innovation center that will operate in the Ramat Hanegev R&D Center for Desert Agriculture located near Ashlim and will focus on the area's areas of specialization including: agriculture, desert agriculture, aquaculture, cannabis and more . About 5 million dollars will be invested in the planning and construction of the innovation center led by Arieli Capital and with the participation of the Ramat HaNegev Council and other investors.
In the first phase of the activity, an ag-tech accelerator will be established, in the first cycle of which 5 to 10 leading start-ups are expected to participate, which will be carefully selected by senior officials from the agriculture and investment industry. To help them break into the world market, the participating entrepreneurs will be offered a number of competitive advantages, including: financial support in the amount of millions of shekels, accompaniment and training of technological and business experts in the agriculture and food industry, access to laboratories and R&D centers in the field, including the Ramat Negev Agricultural R&D Center, access Direct to the leading brands in Israel and the world in the food and agriculture industries, participation in a program for business development and raising investments and unlimited possibilities to carry out technological experiments of the new developments in the agricultural fields of the Negev.
The Negev Plateau is one of the largest and most prosperous agricultural regions in Israel and the innovation center will benefit from the unique capabilities developed in the region and contribute to them in the fields of precision agriculture and business development. Agricultural knowledge was developed for 50 years at the Center for Desert Agriculture (Ramat Hanegev R&D) where the Agricultural Experiment Station operates. Over the years, the researchers and technicians at the center have carried out hundreds of applied studies in a variety of fields, including: efficient use of water, solutions to common problems such as soil diseases and pests, development of new products including acclimatization of existing products, development of agrotechnics to increase profitability in cultivation, accompaniment and implementation of international projects in the fields of advanced agriculture, and more. All the developments were used by the area's farmers to improve the crops, to expand the crops and to extract maximum economic value from them.
The area of the Negev Plateau is the largest in Israel - 4.2 million dunams, which make up about 22% of the territory of the State of Israel. Vegetables are mainly grown in the area and the value of the agricultural produce is about NIS 629 million per year. About 70% of the harvest is intended for export to markets in Europe and the USA. In the Negev Ramat there is also a facility for desalination of brackish water from local sources, with an annual output of 3.5 million cubic meters of high quality water, which is used for the needs of the communities and for agriculture.
Or Habib, partner and head of innovation at Ariel Capital: "It's not every day that an opportunity arises to establish an innovation center with the power to promote the Israeli high-tech industry and at the same time promote an essential Zionist vision of the flowering of the Negev. The corona crisis has proven how critical the food industry is to humanity and there is now a huge demand for innovative solutions that will optimize the growing processes and significantly increase the scope of crops and food products. The combination between the agricultural knowledge of the Negev Plateau and the extensive agricultural areas of the region and the international business infrastructure of Arieli Capital and its proven experience in establishing advanced business platforms - will grow leading food and agriculture companies at the national and international level."
Eran Doron, Head of the Ramat Negev Regional Council: "The establishment of the Agricultural Innovation Center in Ramat Negev is real news for the region as well as for start-ups in the field of agriculture. The potential of the innovation platform in agriculture is tremendous and together we will bring great news of innovation and food security to the State of Israel."
Yankel' Moskovitch, director of the Ramat Negev R&D and the Council's Agriculture Center: "For many years, the Ramat Hanegev R&D has been at the global forefront of advanced agriculture and applied agricultural research. The establishment of the innovation center in Ramat HaNegev, which is connected in this project to strategic partners with proven experience in promoting start-ups, is a particularly necessary move these days."
