Under the framework of the four-nation grouping ‘I2U2’, the United Arab Emirates is planning to invest USD 2 billion to develop a succession of integrated food parks across India.
The resolution 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 summit.
The I2U2 leaders’ meeting was dedicated to the food security crisis and clean energy, and they discussed innovative ways to ensure longer-term, more diversified food production and food delivery systems. The grouping is known as “I2U2”, with “I” standing for India and Israel and “U” for the US and the UAE.
India will provide suitable land for the project and will help 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 investments will help maximise crop yields and, in turn, help tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East.
The leaders also expressed their determination to leverage well-established markets to build more innovative, inclusive, and science-based solutions to enhance food security.
I2U2 aims to connect the vibrancy of our society and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle some of the greatest challenges confronting our world. The I2U2 grouping was conceptualised 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.