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Israel�s Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Yair Shamir, is scheduled to pay an official visit to Ghana, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. He will first go to Nigeria, and then to Ghana beginning March 2 to 4 after which he will finally proceed to Ethiopia. The Public Diplomacy Coordinator, Embassy of Israel, Mina Okuru, in a statement copied to the GNA said Minister Shamir will be accompanied by a business delegation of Israel�s leading companies in agriculture, irrigation, poultry, fisheries, agro chemicals and large scale agriculture project integrators who are expected to feature in a business seminar and other meetings. The statement said Mr Shamir is expected to hold bilateral meetings with key ministries and stakeholders in the agriculture sector, to discuss ways of boosting Ghana-Israel relations in the agriculture sector. Israel is a major exporter of fresh produce and a world-leader in agricultural technologies despite the fact that the geography of Israel is not naturally conducive to agriculture. Only 20 percent of the land area is naturally arable but today Israel�s agriculture represents close to three percent of its total Gross. Minister Shamir, who is the son of former Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Shamir, is a former military pilot and a member of the Israeli Parliament.