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Agrotech

Partnership looks to modernize global food and agriculture system through new technologies

University of Illinois students focused on solving some of the world’s greatest challenges across the global food and agriculture systems will soon have a new space to test their work thanks to a partnership with Cargill.

The Research Park at the Urbana-Champaign campus will be the home of the newest Cargill Innovation Lab, the company announced recently.

Led by Cargill’s digital labs team of data scientists, Innovation Lab students and staff will work directly with Cargill business leaders, operations teams and customers to help move digital ideas – in weeks, not months – to test mode.

Robert J. Jones, chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said, “Cargill’s commitment to engaging our students in its innovation process will add a new dimension to their educational experiences at Illinois. I had the good fortune to visit Cargill’s headquarters and engage with their leadership in this process. I am excited that Cargill has decided to join the dynamic environment in our Research Park.”

In turn, the Innovation Lab provides Cargill with a pipeline of talented software engineering and data science students and graduates ready to modernize agricultural supply chains and food systems across the globe.

Keith Narr, vice president, Cargill’s digital labs team said, “We are on a constant search for new innovations and new talent, whose fresh thinking can help us bring new technologies to life. With an impressive engineering and computer science program, the University of Illinois is an ideal partner to spur the growth and innovation in our digital business.”

“We know our students are motivated by making an impact in their communities. There are few greater ways to do so than by helping Cargill fulfill its purpose of feeding the world”, said Jones

The Cargill Innovation Lab formally opens its doors this fall, following a successful first phase of the partnership, including a 12-week internship program.

 

Partnership looks to modernize global food and

Seeds

Founder Flagship Pioneering was joined in the current round by Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) and global Asian-based investor EDBI, among others

Inari, the next-generation seed company, announced the closing of its $89 million series C financing, bringing the company’s total funding to date to $144 million. Flagship Pioneering, which founded Inari in 2016 to challenge the economic and environmental realities of modern agriculture, was joined in the funding round by Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), global Asian-based investor EDBI and Acre Venture Partners as well as other investors. 

“Stagnating innovation in the seed industry has led to industry consolidation and more limited choice for growers,’’ said Robert Berendes, Ph.D., executive partner at Flagship Pioneering. “This makes it ripe for disruption from both a technology and business standpoint.” 

“Inari is at the forefront of a new wave of innovation that has the potential to completely reshape agriculture. The company has developed leading-edge technologies and a fresh approach to plant breeding. Its products will substantially improve crop productivity, reduce environmental impact and make farming more profitable for everyone in the value chain.”

Inari CEO Ponsi Trivisvavet said the key to creating breakthrough solutions for agriculture lies in the breadth and uniqueness of Inari’s technology, which enables the company to uncover the enormous — and largely untapped — potential of the natural diversity stored in seeds.

“We have the ability to rapidly enhance nature’s genetic diversity and provide ways to increase yields, save water and reduce agriculture’s impact on our land and climate,” said Trivisvavet. “Our technologies address not only the needs of growers, but those of the environment as well.” 

The Series C funding will expand investment in Inari’s unique computational and genomic tools, which allow plant scientists to identify and develop deep knowledge of a seed’s potential to achieve top field performance. In addition, funds will be used to accelerate the commercial introduction of the company’s high-performance corn and soybean seeds in the U.S. market. Inari directly partners with independent seed producers to introduce plant varieties that address local farming challenges. These relationships assist the company in understanding farmers’ needs while offering seed companies and growers an opportunity to help shape the innovation. 

“ICD looks for companies with unmatched potential to change their industries,” said H.E. Mohammed I. Al Shaibani, executive director and CEO. “We believe that with its breakthrough technology and innovative business model, Inari is best positioned to disrupt the status quo and become one of the key seed players of the future.” Chu Swee Yeok, EDBI CEO and president, said Inari captured their interest because of its unique potential to revolutionize global agriculture.

“Their cutting-edge technology in gene editing for a variety of common agricultural crops could yield high-productivity crops in Singapore, across Asia and worldwide. EDBI looks forward to helping Inari harness their technology to capture opportunities in Asia.”

Founder Flagship Pioneering was joined in the

Live Stock

This is CoveMark’s second investment in the agriculture space

CoveMark, the Dallas-based private equity firm, is partnering with Capra Foods to scale their operations to meet existing customer demand. This is CoveMark’s second investment in the agriculture space, expanding operations to capitalize on the significant opportunities therein. 

“We are thrilled to partner with the Capra team and help scale their operations and meet existing customer demand,” said CoveMark CEO, Aaron Cook.  “The Capra team’s commitment to animal welfare and ethical protein production as well as the land along with their long standing relationships with key retailers such as Whole Foods are just a few reasons why we wanted to invest.” 

Capra is an example of CoveMark’s commitment to building a diverse portfolio of investments, across industries and asset types. CoveMark offers a variety of investments across various sectors, focusing on those that they believe to be most profitable in the current macroeconomic environment. The firm ensures they are industry agnostic, allowing for observation of market cycles and the ability to capitalize on a broad range of opportunities. 

“At Capra, we are committed to bringing grass-fed, premium dorper lamb to the market and to the dinner table,” said Craig Jones, Capra CEO. “More importantly, we are focused on meeting and exceeding the highest standards and, along with our more than 120 ranchers, nurturing the animals as well the land.” 

Capra Foods is an industry leader in the lamb proteins market, priding itself in the belief that real food starts with real ranchers. Located in the historic ranching community of Goldthwaite, TX, Capra is operated by long time agriculture professionals with deep roots in the Texas ranching and farming industries. Capra’s lamb is currently sold throughout the U.S., primarily through respected, targeted retailers of high quality, health oriented food products.

Capra is committed to humane handling of its livestock which are 100% pasture raised and domestically produced, 100% Vegetarian grass-fed antibiotic-free diet, and are non GMO, without any antibiotics or growth hormones.

CoveMark’s client-first focus is threefold: Preserve investor capital, provide cash flow to investors and generate high risk-adjusted returns. The firm leverages established relationships with industry experts to provide its’ clients access to exclusive investment opportunities typically only available to investors with significant capital contributions. The CoveMark mission is to offer institutional quality investments to everyday investors.

 

This is CoveMark’s second investment in the

R&D

Through this agreement, Front Range Biosciences (“FRB”) will accelerate its marker-assisted breeding program and develop new traits and varieties to bring continued innovation to the cannabis and hemp industry

Front Range Biosciences (“FRB”), is a US based agricultural biotech company that specializes in tissue culture propagation breeding of high-value crops at industrial scale to improve consistency and efficiency for clone and seed production. The company provides hemp, coffee, and high-value crop producers with high-performing Clean Stock® plants and seed by combining the best practices in agriculture with innovative technologies, has entered into a collaborative licensing agreement with Steep Hill and is acquiring the Steep Hill Genomics Research & Development team.

Through this agreement, FRB will accelerate its marker-assisted breeding program and develop new traits and varieties to bring continued innovation to the cannabis and hemp industry. Steep Hill has developed important markers for cannabinoid and terpene production related pathways, advancing FRB’s breeding platform for both seed and vegetatively propagated or cloned varieties.

These markers will also complement the work currently underway in FRB’s breeding program and the results will greatly expand the library of commercially valuable agronomic traits for dependable crop yields in different climates and regions around the world. In addition, FRB will be collaborating with Steep Hill on the development of improved genomics-based tests for commercial cannabis, benefitting the industry by providing more advanced standards and certifications.

“The Steep Hill R&D team is among the top three cannabis genomics groups in the world, and we are very excited to welcome them to FRB,” said Dr. Jonathan Vaught, CEO and Co-Founder of FRB. “This acquisition is a major value inflection point for FRB, as the intellectual property we acquired significantly expands the value of our current portfolio and provides a multi-year leap in the speed of our IP filings. We look forward to strengthening the viability of the cannabis industry with such a monumental collaboration between leaders of agricultural sustainability through science.”

Led by former president of Steep Hill, Dr. Reggie Gaudino, the ten-person genomics team brings nearly four years of data and intellectual property on cannabis genetics to FRB, adding to its existing IP portfolio and patent filings. By joining the groups, FRB’s breeding program will advance significantly, resulting in additional unique and advantaged cannabis and hemp varieties for FRB’s customers.

Joining Dr. Gaudino will be his entire team, which includes four additional PhD’s. Dr. Gaudino will remain as the Head of the Scientific Advisory Board for Steep Hill and lead the collaboration between the two companies.

“Following a comprehensive strategic review, we realized that we had amassed an unsurpassed body of deep learning about cannabis genomics that was ready-made for FRB’s high-value crop development program,” said Andrew Rosenstein, Chief Executive Officer of Steep Hill. “Our new partnership with Front Range Biosciences will unlock the crop development potential of Steep Hill’s IP while positioning our core regulatory cannabis-testing business to benefit from FRB’s best-in-class development infrastructure for years to come.”

Through this agreement, Front Range Biosciences ("FRB")

E-commerce

Namaste to Introduce Seedo’s automated home growing device in European Markets as Part of Seedo’s International expansion

Seedo Corp.- “Seedo”, an agritech company providing automated growing technologies for home and commercial use, is pleased to announce a marketing and distribution agreement with a global marketplace leader in online cannabis and related product sales, Namaste Technologies Inc. Through this agreement, Namaste will introduce Seedo’s home growing device in European markets, including but not limited to, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Germany. 

Seedo is a global market leader in the hemp and agriculture industries, developing novel automated growing technologies. The Company’s innovative offerings are uniquely positioned to meet consumer needs, and identifying strategic retail branding and distribution partners within Europe is critical.

Namaste is focused on consistently redefining the e-commerce experience by providing consumers with the best possible choices of cannabis products available on the market. Namaste has developed a series of dedicated websites, and operates one of the most comprehensive online marketplaces for cannabis products and accessories in the world. Multiple global warehouses allow products to be shipped swiftly, safely and securely to nearly two million satisfied customers.

“Given their extensive distribution experience and wide-reach within the cannabis space, we are excited to work with Namaste,” said Seedo CEO Zohar Levy. “We are setting our sights on new market segments and successfully expanding around the world. This relationship will introduce European consumers to our automated growing technology, and will give them the capabilities to grow their own plants – hemp, vegetables, fresh herbs, and flowers – at home.”

Seedo recently ramped up retail distribution and branding efforts in the United States, announcing a partnership with leading retail innovation firm OutForm. OutForm will leverage its strategic relationships with the largest retailers across all industries to introduce Seedo with an innovative approach focused on strategic branding to reach U.S. customers.

“This innovative and ground-breaking product is a great addition to Namaste’s marketplace,” said Meni Morim, Interim CEO at Namaste Technologies. “Our goal is to create the most unique and personalized experience for users seeking innovative devices, and Seedo’s home grow unit is ready for European consumers in the hemp space.”

 

Namaste to Introduce Seedo’s automated home growing

Agrotech

The project is being jointly carried out by Farmmi’s subsidiary, Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd (“Nongyuan”), and Tongxiang Yipinlv Family Farm Co., Ltd

Farmmi, a leading agriculture products supplier in China, has announced the launch of the Farmmi Baba Yipinlv Organic Farm Project. The project is being jointly carried out by Farmmi’s subsidiary, Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd (“Nongyuan”), and Tongxiang Yipinlv Family Farm Co., Ltd (“Yipinlv”), which is engaged in the cultivation and sale of vegetables, fruits, food crops, flowers, and the cultivation and sale of aquatic products.  

The Farmmi Baba Yipinlv Organic Farm Project (the “Farm”) covers more than 18 acres and is located in Tongxiang City of Zhejiang Province.  The Farm focuses on enabling domestic and foreign consumers to better experience and enjoy high quality agricultural products.  In addition to consumption, the Farm will serve as a base for the popular immersive entertainment experience called “Agritainment” or farm-based tourism.  This will include family friendly activities, ranging from educational opportunities and vegetable picking to seasonal activities.  The Farm will also boast green, ecological breeding of native chickens, with fresh eggs available for purchase.

Yefang Zhang, Farmmi Chair and CEO, stated, “With so many consumers adopting healthy lifestyles, there is considerable demand for education and immersive experiences starting at the initial farm level.  In order to make this venture successful, the Farm will be hiring organic specialists to provide technical guidance to create a professional, standardized and typical organic farm demonstration base.  Customers will be able to enjoy high-quality agricultural products while directly interacting with the farm and its green, ecological and organic culture. In the next phase, we will actively develop regional cooperations and product marketing strategies, to leverage the Farmmi Liangpin mall’s cross-border, e-commerce platform.  We plan to expand and improve marketing channels, as we concentrate on providing healthier, high-quality, safe agricultural products to Chinese and foreign consumers.  We also plan to make full use of modern information technology and data systems foster the tourism + new e-commerce model.”

The project is being jointly carried out

AgroPolicy

4500 villages in Punjab and Haryana was declared as Zero Stubble Burning Villages during 2018 as not a single crop burning incident was reported from these villages during the year

Highlighting the considerable reduction in crop residue burning incidents in 2018, Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education (DARE) & Director General, ICAR said that India has demonstrated through coordinated public and private efforts such challenges can be addressed effectively.

While addressing the press in Delhi recently, Dr. Mohapatra said that through the various efforts under the Central Sector Scheme on ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the State of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh & NCT of Delhi’ the paddy residue burning events have reduced by 15% and 41% in 2018 as compared to that in 2017 and 2016, respectively in all these States as per the satellite data. The Secretary also added that more than 4500 villages in Punjab and Haryana was declared as Zero Stubble Burning Villages during 2018 as not a single crop burning incident was reported from these villages during the year.

Dr. Mohapatra stated that the Central Sector Scheme was launched with a total outgo of Rs.1151.80 Crores for the period from 2018-19 to 2019-20 by the Government of India to tackle air pollution and to subsidize machinery required for in-situ management of crop residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi. Within one year of its implementation utilizing an amount of Rs. 500 crore, the happy seeder/zero tillage technology was adopted in 8 lakh hectares of land in the North- Western States of India.

Under the scheme, financial assistance @50% of the cost is provided to the farmers for purchase of in-situ crop residue management machines on individual ownership basis. The financial assistance for establishment of Custom Hiring Centres of in-situ crop residue management machinery is @ 80% of the project cost.

During 2018-19, the funds amounting to Rs. 269.38 crores, Rs.137.84 crores and Rs. 148.60 crores have been released to the Governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh respectively, for distribution of in-situ crop residue management machinery to the farmers on subsidy, establishment of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of in-situ crop residue management machinery and undertaking Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities for creating awareness among farmers. During 2019-20, funds amounting to Rs. 273.80 crores, Rs.192.06 crores and Rs. 105.29 crores have also been released so far to the Governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.

ICAR is implementing the scheme through 60 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of Punjab (22), Haryana (14), Delhi (1) and UP (23). In this scheme, awareness campaigns were conducted by organizing 1000s of demonstrations, putting up hoardings, banners and wall paintings all across the States. Almost 700 awareness programs at village levels, 200 Kisan Ghostis and Field days, 86 KPisan Melas and 250 schools and colleges were sensitized in collaboration with State departments and agricultural universities. More than 2 lakh stakeholders were sensitized during one year. More than 400 hands-on training were organized and 18,000 farmers, tractor owner and machine operators were trained.

In addition to the above Scheme, separate funds are being allocated to the States for crop residue management under Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization by the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare. The State Governments have also been directed that Rs. 4000/ Hectare shall be used from the funds available for demonstration of machines under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization for demonstration of straw management machinery at farmers’ fields.

 

4500 villages in Punjab and Haryana was

Seeds

The biological seed treatment stimulates strength in the treated crops and results in enhanced yields. Yielding such crops could push the market to grow over the forecast period

The global biological seed treatment market is likely to witness an astounding growth of 10.2% CAGR between 2017 to 2026, points out an upcoming Transparency Market Research (TMR) report.

The growing trend of sustainable practices in farming is expected to fuel the growth in the global biological seed treatment market over the forecast period. According to the projection, if the market grows at this rate, the market may reach estimated revenue of US$715 Bn by the end of 2026.

The market is segmented into bacteria, fungi, botanical, and others, in terms of treatment types. Among these, the bacteria treatment segment is expected to hold a prominent place in the global biological seed treatment market. In terms of crops, the corn crop segment is expected to proliferate the market. The reason for the same is extensive use of corn in multiple food products.

Increasing Demand for Crop Protection to Bolster Growth

The demand for biological seed treatment is witnessing an upward trend over the past few years. No matter if the farming practices are traditional or organic, biological seed treatment market is expected to grow at a grand rate. This is mainly due to the crop protection and minimal crop loss that the biological seeds offer, thus aiding in the expansion of the market.

Besides, biological seeds enhance the crop pliability against crop stress during unfavorable conditions such as droughts. This might act as a catalyst in the growth of the biological seed treatment market in the upcoming years.

The biological seed treatment stimulates strength in the treated crops and results in enhanced yields. Yielding such crops could push the market to grow over the forecast period.

Further, the biological seed treatment helps in fighting against plant pathogens and reduces the crop stress. The treatment increases the nutrient uptake in the roots of the crops, thus contributing towards the growth of the global biological seed treatment market.

Additionally, biological seed treatment helps in lesser use of insecticides and pesticides, thus resulting in reduction of the environmental impact of such compounds. This is mainly because treatment seeds act as a bio fertilizer and bio pesticide, thus increasing preference for seed treatment processes pushed growth opportunities for the global biological market.

The biological seed treatment stimulates strength in

Agrotech

Mr. Forster will assume the role of CFO of International Brands and Mr. Cheetham becomes COO

MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. is an innovative company focused on the global growth of Cannabis and CBD-rich hemp is pleased to announce that the Company has transferred two of its experienced executives to assist in the launch of MYM International Brands Inc. (“International Brands”).

The Company’s CFO, Mark Forster, and its COO, Paul Cheetham have joined the International Brands team to launch global expansion efforts of CBD-rich consumer products in a wide variety of categories, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and health and wellness.

Mr. Forster will assume the role of CFO of International Brands and Mr. Cheetham becomes COO. In addition, at the Company’s request one of its existing independent directors, Mr. Andrew Kent, will also provide assistance by serving on the board of International Brands as an independent director, and accordingly Mr. Kent will step down as an independent director of the Company while in that new capacity.

“The growing global demand for CBD-rich consumer products has presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on,” said Erick Factor, CEO of MYM International Brands Inc. “Our experience and contacts in the CBD-rich hemp cultivation and processing business allow us to be leaders in the procurement and development of CBD-rich consumer products.”

Mr. Forster will assume the role of

Acquaculture

Farm operators can utilize FAI to fine-tune their feeding schedules, ensuring fish are always satiated.

UMITRON PTE. LTD. launches Fish Appetite Index (FAI), the world’s first real-time ocean-based fish appetite detection system.

UMITRON FAI uses efficient machine learning and image analysis techniques to extract relevant data from video streams that can then be used to accurately quantify fish appetite. FAI software has already been rolled out to existing customers to optimize their feeding operations.

Over the past twenty years the aquaculture industry has been expanding at an exponential rate with annual production tripling during this brief time span. At the same time, however, aquaculture feed prices have also risen dramatically. This presents an ever-growing challenge for farmers since feed costs account for a majority of their operational overhead. Farmers must walk a tight line: underfeeding their fish risks lower growth rates and slower time to market, while overfeeding increases costs and potentially harms the environment. New data analytics technologies such as IoT devices and machine learning offer farmers a solution to improve their feeding operations.

The FAI algorithm takes in the same visual information that humans would and then scores fish appetite and presents it in an easy to understand chart. When used in tandem with a smart feeder such as UMITRON CELL, the feed time intervals and amounts can be automatically adjusted with minimal human interference. Farm operators can utilize FAI to fine-tune their feeding schedules, ensuring fish are always satiated. This is easily done via their smartphones with the UMITRON app, where they can check and remotely adjust feed settings based on the FAI feedback.

FAI benefits farmers by reducing wasted feed, improving profitability as well as environmental sustainability. FAI in combination with technology such as CELL allows farmers to stay onshore during dangerous weather conditions or holidays while still keeping a close eye on their fish stocks. Furthermore, it reduces the need for every employee to be an expert at feeding and instead frees workers to focus on other tasks that improve fish welfare.

Existing UMITRON customers have already begun using FAI alongside CELL. “Today, there are many companies developing machine-learning algorithms for a variety of industries but only testing them under ideal conditions. The UMITRON Fish Appetite Index on the other hand is already being embraced by our existing customers at their ocean-based farm sites where it operates under real world conditions. It might be difficult for some of our potential customers to completely trust artificial intelligence at first, but FAI is an important tool that can be used to increase productivity and reduce waste,” said Masahiko Yamada, managing director of UMITRON. 

“Our appetite analysis approach is being developed with customer feedback in mind. UMITRON will continue to develop similar value-added software services that can be automatically rolled out to our existing customer base. Also, we are open to developing other practical applications after discussions with potential customers or equipment partners,”  added Takuma Okamoto, CTO of UMITRON.

UMITRON is looking for partners interested in using FAI for species such as Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, European sea bass, and gilthead sea bream. Similarly, UMITRON is looking for feeding system manufacturing partners who wish to utilize data analysis software such as FAI to improve their current products.

 

Farm operators can utilize FAI to fine-tune

Industry Reports / Analysis

Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East

Precision Viticulture market worldwide is projected to grow by US$809.6 Thousand, guided by a compounded growth of 8.4%. Staying on top of trends is essential for decision makers to leverage this emerging opportunity.

The report addresses this very need and provides the latest scoop on all major market segments. Guidance Systems, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 8.7%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$866.4 Thousand by the year 2025, Guidance Systems will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth.

While global megatrends sweeping through the market influence the primary direction of growth, regional markets are swayed by more granular locally unique business drivers. Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 7.2% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$33.3 Thousand to the region’s size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years.

Over US$64.6 Thousand worth of projected demand in the region will come from other emerging Eastern European markets. In Japan, Guidance Systems will reach a market size of US$50.5 Thousand by the close of the analysis period. As the world’s second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 11.6% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$208.5 Thousand in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders.

Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies.

Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Ateknea Solutions (Spain); Groupe ICV (France); John Deere (USA); QuantisLabs ltd. (Hungary); Teejet Technologies (USA); TerraNIS (France); Topcon Corporation (Japan); Trimble, Inc. (USA)

 

Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces

Agro chems – Fertilizers

Executives will gather to trade agricultural inputs and discuss investment, partnership, and innovation across the African supply chain

The premier fertilizer marketplace returns to Cape Town International Convention Centre from 1-3 October 2019. The three-day conference is now established in the fertilizer trading calendar and is highly respected by those working in the region for the quality of the agenda and premium networking. The conference is collaboration between CRU and the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP).

The CRU Africa Fertilizer Agribusiness conferences regularly attracts more than 300 attendees, including senior executives from the international fertilizer supply chain and key stakeholders in African agribusiness. Omri Van Zyl, Executive Director, Agri SA is the voice of 28,000 commercial farmers across South Africa and will give the keynote presentation. He is joined on the agenda by other well-known thought-leaders and strategists in the African agriculture sector such as Dr. John Purchase, CEO, Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) and Frans du Plessis, Managing Director of GWK AGRI.

Ma’aden is the conference’s lead sponsor and the global fertilizer supply chain is once again sending senior representatives to conduct meetings with traders and distributors. Companies such as Arab Potash, Dangote Industries, Evergrow, OCP Africa, Omnia, PhosAgro, Sabic, Sirius Minerals, Toyota Tshusho and many more, have already confirmed their participation.

The conference is officially endorsed by the Western Cape Government – Agriculture Department, and WESGRO, plus key industry associations such as: FERTASA, the Agrodealers Association of South Africa (ADASA), and the International Fertilizer Association (IFA). The conference will be opened by Her Excellency Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Former Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at The African Union. Policymakers from across Africa, representatives of SME hub agrodealers from across the continent, and SME farmers from the Western Cape will be sponsored to attend, courtesy of our partners AFAP, and the support of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture.

Attendees value the conference for the excellent networking opportunities with hard-to-reach senior decision-makers. Networking opportunities are plentiful –  during frequent networking functions in the lively exhibition, or in the many available private meeting rooms, all facilitated by an online networking platform including the delegate list with full contact details.

Tom Willatt, Portfolio Director at CRU Events said “We are delighted to be working so closely with key industry partners, and it will help ensure the discussions meet the needs of the whole sector, whether they are smallholder farmers, large commercial agribusinesses, fertilizer producers, or policymakers from across Africa. I am sure the 2019 conference will build on all of the excellent connections and discussions started at our previous events.”

Presentations at the conference will include: the latest updates on strategies to boost fertilizer trade, understanding the agribusiness landscape, key drivers of fertilizer demand, agri-input and finance strategies for smallholder farmers, case studies from major agribusiness stake holders on how to boost trade, and supply chain developments. This year will also feature a site visit to the Langgewens Research Farm, operated the Western Cape Government – Department of Agriculture, where visitors can see conservation agriculture in practise.

The event is supported by key sponsors such as Ma’aden, Bagtech and Evergrow for Speciality Fertilizers, and boasts a large exhibition which includes AGI, EMT, Ensymm, Global Conveyors, Kimleigh, Nectar Group, and the United Fertilizers Company.

 

Executives will gather to trade agricultural inputs

Schemes - NABARD

The senior officials of the State Governments, Commodity Boards and other stakeholders made presentations on their initiatives in increasing the agricultural exports and integrating the export value chain with the primary stakeholders

The Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India and APEDA, in association with NABARD and with the support of other Govt. of India departments such as Agriculture, Food Processing, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry and the State Governments recently organized the National Stakeholders Consultation Meet on Agri-Export Promotion- Opportunities, Challenges & Way Forward.

Secretary, Commerce, GoI; Secretary, MoFPI, GoI; Additional Secretary, Agriculture, GoI; Chairman, APEDA; Joint Secretary, Fisheries; Joint Secretary, Commerce; Senior officers from Coffee Board, Tea Board, Spices Board and MPEDA; senior officials from State Governments and Banks participated in the consultation meet.

Anup Wadhawan, Secretary to Govt. of India, Ministry of Commerce, during his opening remarks focused on the potential and opportunities in the agri export sector and initiatives of the Government of India. Emphasizing a coordinated effort being the key mover for ensuring growth in export of agri produce and processed food products he urged the States to identify nodal agencies, initiate measures to establish the entire logistic chain, traceability and other supportive measures. He also urged upon banks to support through credit.

Pushpa Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI) in her address emphasized the importance of food processing and the need for large number of aggregators at village/cluster level for all kinds of agricultural produce including allied sectors. She informed that the Ministry of Food Processing is promoting a chain of clusters for food processing and various line departments need to encourage supporting necessary infrastructure for agro processing and exports in a more coordinated manner. She mentioned that NABARD being a key player in agriculture and rural development, need to play a critical role for facilitating the credit support to boost agri-export value chain.

Addressing the consultation meet Dr. H K Bhanwala, Chairman, NABARD emphasized on the linkage of exports and enhancement of income of farmers. He also stressed on the need to ensure ecosystem support for enhancing export of agricultural produce and processed food products. Pointing to the need for a collaborative effort, he urged the participants to contribute effectively in development of a road map for promotion of agri exports especially in view of the target of doubling of agri exports.

Dr Alka Bhargava, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India focused on the need for ensuring market linkages for farmers to enable realization of remunerative prices of their produce. She mentioned that the Agriculture Ministry is coming out with a comprehensive policy for promoting 10000 FPOs in the country. However, the production of market driven quality produce of processable varieties is the need of the hour through appropriate policy interventions. She urged the State Governments to adopt the model contract farming act and APMC act for facilitating demand based production and appropriate market linkages.

The senior officials of the State Governments, Commodity Boards and other stakeholders made presentations on their initiatives in increasing the agricultural exports and integrating the export value chain with the primary stakeholders.

The meet ended with vote of thanks from the CGM, NABARD and the resolve on the part of all stakeholders to work together in a coordinated and supportive manner to achieve the goal of the Agriculture Export Policy.

 

 

The senior officials of the State Governments,

Agrotech

As part of the effort, the company is testing two brick and mortar stores using its Farmmi Baba brand

Farmmi, Inc. a leading agriculture products supplier in China, has announced it is testing offline stores to expand its brand presence and revenue growth.  

As part of the effort, the company is testing two brick and mortar stores using its Farmmi Baba brand.  The initial brick and mortar stores are located in Hangzhou in the Puyan agricultural market in the Binjiang District and the Dinghai agricultural market in Jianggan District.

Yefang Zhang, Farmmi’s Chairwoman and CEO, stated, “We are always working to increase brand awareness of our e-commerce platform and seeking to expand our profitable growth.  As has been seen in other product categories, physical stores can play a hand-in-hand role in the success of online e-commerce platforms as consumers can gain higher confidence by seeing and trying products before buying.  In our case, we are able to open a physical presence on a very cost effective basis because the stores we are testing are located in agricultural markets rather than higher priced shopping malls.  The location suits us well because it is a natural location with built in customer foot traffic for the agricultural products Farmmi specializes in providing.  We are optimistic about the potential for physical stores but will be conservative in our expansion plan in order to limit our potential financial exposure.”

Farmmi’s brick and mortar stores will initially feature Sanpin Yibiao agricultural products and a variety of fresh vegetables.  Sanpin Yibiao agricultural products are high-quality geographical indication products that are organic, pollution-free and environmentally friendly.  While these products have typically been reserved for high-end consumers, the stores will increase access to a broader base of consumers. 

As part of the effort, the company