: First I2U2 projects to promote agriculture, food, green energy in India #IndiaNEWS #International,Diplomacy,Politics,Top Story By Arul LouisNew York, July 15 (IANS) The first projects of the I2U2

First I2U2 projects to promote agriculture, food, green energy in India #IndiaNEWS #International ,Diplomacy,Politics,Top Story
By Arul LouisNew York, July 15 (IANS) The first projects of the I2U2 will be located in India and help with agriculture, food and green energy, according to the joint statement of the four leaders after the groups launch.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan along with the US President Joe Biden launched the Middle East Quad known as I2U2 from the initials of the participants.
The UAE will invest billion in the agriculture and food project that aims to maximise crop yields and, in turn, help tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East, the statement said on Thursday.
Biden claimed that the project that will utilise US and Israeli expertise has the potential to sustainably increase Indias food yield in the region threefold in just five years.
Gujarat will be the beneficiary of the 300 megawatt wind and solar energy programme and projects like that have the potential to make India a global hub for alternate supply chains in the renewable energy sector, the statement added.
Speaking through a videolink from India, Modi said, The I2U2 has established a positive agenda from its very first summit on Thursday.
We have identified joint projects in several areas and have also made a roadmap to take them forward, he added.
The I2U2 will work in six areas water, energy, transport, space, health and food security combining the expertise and the resources of the four nations, Modi said.
With political and strategic divergences among the four countries, the emphasis was on economic and technical cooperation.
Unlike in the Indo-Pacific region, where the other Quad of India the US, Japan and Australia face direct aggressive conduct by China, in the Middle East the challenge for I2U2 is from Chinas Belt and Road initiative to extend its power more subtly through predatory lending and trade practices.
The US President, who was present in person with Lapid in Jerusalem for the launch, said, The first two projects that were tackling together on food security and clean energy are designed to take on two of the most urgent crises affecting people around the globe: food insecurity.
Our nations represent some of the most innovative, technologically capable, and entrepreneurial people on the planet, he added.
The mobilisation of the strength of the I2U2 nations can be seen in the two projects in India.
UAE will invest billion in the agriculture and food project, and the US and Israeli private sectors will lend their expertise while India will provide the land facilitating farmers integration into food parks, the joint statement said.
The project will develop a series of integrated food parks across India that will incorporate state-of-the-art climate-smart technologies to reduce food waste and spoilage, conserve fresh water and employ renewable energy sources, it added.