While israel suffers through a major water shortage, it’s good to know that israeli companies continue to develop cutting edge water technology to help solve the problems of other countries around the world. The Israeli firm Netafim won a $22 million tender to install water irrigation systems for Peru.

According to Ynet: “Netafim, jointly owned by Kibbutz Hatzerim, Kibbutz Yiftach, Kibbutz Magal, Markstone Capital Group, and Tene Capital, signed the deal valued at $22 million, good news in light of the economic crisis, which has affected agricultural companies, mainly because of dried up credit sources for financing large-scale agricultural projects. Netafim themselves recently laid off more than 200 employees following a decrease in orders. The deal, signed with Peruvian company Maple Energy, stipulates that Netafim will provide engineering, planning, procurement, and building services, while also being the exclusive supplier of irrigation equipment for the sugar cane project. Maple Energy produces energy for industrial clients from oil, gas, and ethanol and is headed by CEO Rex Canon. The project will be spread over some 20,000 acres in southern Peru, which will be used to grow sugar cane used to produce ethanol and electricity. Infrastructure building is scheduled to be finished in 2010.”

This is a big win for Netafim, and an even bigger win for israeli water technology as a whole.

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Project Better Place continues to build momentum, as the maker of electric cars, has signed up 19 Israeli companies to test the suitability of running their car fleets with electric cars.

According to Globes: “The participating companies cover the gamut of Israeli industry, from high tech to telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, finance, manufacturing, agriculture, and juice. They include Israel Corporation (TASE: ILCO), which has invested heavily in the venture, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA), Pelephone Communications Ltd., Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR), Matrix IT Ltd. (TASE:MTRX), Direct Insurance - Financial Investments Ltd. (TASE: DIFI), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., Netafim Ltd., Keter Plastics Ltd., Orbotech Ltd. (Nasdaq: ORBK), juice maker Jafora Tabori Ltd., Manpower Israel Ltd., SQlink Ltd., Nike Israel Ltd., and Glasshouse Technologies Ltd. Better Place will begin designing the recharging points for the companies’ electric cars and install them at the companies’ parking lots and employees’ homes. It will also work with the companies’ managers and employees in the design and deployment of the infrastructure in order to optimize and customize them to the needs of each company.

Even if it works, the question still remains whether consumers are going to spend more money on an electric car? Also without massive government subsidies, how high will the price of these cars go?

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