The head of Israel’s aid agency MASHAV is in the Philippines to enhance Israel’s development collaboration.

MASHAV Head Ambassador Eynat Shlein arrived Monday and met with various Filipino private and public stakeholders.

In an interview Wednesday, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said the official met with the GMA Kapuso Foundation, which MASHAV is eyeing to partner with on humanitarian and disaster relief.

The delegation, he said, also went to Tarlac Agricultural University, where Israel is currently providing capacity building and technology transfer support.

“This is a three-day visit where we are looking to enhance our partnerships and collaboration— What we are trying to do is to grow (our development cooperation), to make it higher in a modest way,” he told reporters.

“Israel is a small country and very far but we’re trying to share experiences,” he added.

Fluss said Israel is also in discussion with the Department of Agriculture to facilitate a visit to Israel to share their best practices on dairy farming.

If this proceeds, the envoy said the initiative would add to Tel Aviv’s ongoing support to the country’s agriculture sector.

“Israeli cow produces about 38 to 40 liters a day while a cow in the Philippines does eight to nine liters a day,” he said.

“The Philippines imports 99 percent of the milk that you consume here, so why not do local production? Again, that’s something that we’re happy to do with the Philippines,” he added.

Aside from her trip to Tarlac, Shlein also graced a turnover ceremony of a MASHAV-funded learning center in Taguig City on Wednesday. (PNA)