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Acts & Schemes – Centre, E-commerce, Logistics, Trade, Transportation

The shipment contains of 14 metric tonnes of fresh vegetables exported by an export house from Mumbai supported by VAFA and sourced from three FPOs of Ghazipur and Varanasi. 

 Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in its endeavour to promote exports from agriculture produce rich regions of India has sent the first trial shipment of vegetables by sea route from Varanasi to Dubai. The first trial shipment of one container of fresh vegetables was flagged off by Paban Kumar Borthakur, Chairman, APEDA and Deepak Agrawal, Commissioner, Varanasi region in the presence of Kaushal Raj Sharma, District Magistrate, Varanasi recently.

APEDA in association with the Uttar Pradesh government has organised for sending of a trial shipment of one container of fresh vegetables by sea route to Dubai. The container contains 14 metric tonnes of fresh vegetables exported by an export house from Mumbai supported by VAFA and sourced from three FPOs of Ghazipur and Varanasi. 

Setting up Five Agro-export hubs

Considering the potential of production of fruits and vegetables in Varanasi region comprising of five districts namely, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sant Ravidas Nagar, APEDA is in the process of setting up agriculture export hubs in these districts of the region.

In its efforts for setting up of Agri Export hub, APEDA organised an Export Promotion Programme and Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) for fresh vegetables this year in Varanasi which was attended by 100 farmers of the region and exporters from Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh. The BSM provided a platform to link the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and progressive farmers to prominent exporters. The interaction between exporters and farmers of the region was very helpful in terms of understanding the potential of the region, quality of vegetables and fruits produced, infrastructure required and convincing the farmers in cultivating export oriented variety of crops and discussing the concerns of both the stakeholders. Exporters showed their keen interest in exporting vegetables and fruits of the region provided quality of produce is ensured. The BSM was followed by field visits to production sites.

MoU with FPOs

Fresh vegetables and Fruits Exporters Association (VAFA), Mumbai have signed a MoU with four FPOs for sourcing of fresh vegetables and fruits for export to international markets. FPOs have been engaged to ensure supply of quality produce from the region. The initiative of setting up the Agri Export hub in Varanasi is now yielding results with the sending of the first trial shipment of vegetables sourced from FPOs in Varanasi region to Dubai by sea route for the first time.

 

The produce consolidated from the FPOs have been processed and packed at Concor Cargo facility, Rajatalab, Varanasi which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2018.

Varanasi- Export Hub office 

To fast-track the activities taken up for the Export Hub at Varanasi, a project office of APEDA is being set up at Varanasi soon for co-ordination and facilitation of all activities. A committee has also been formed under the chairmanship of Commissioner Varanasi Division, with all the stakeholders. The major task of the committee will be to supervise and fast-track the development of infrastructure, strengthening backward linkage and supply chain for export of agriculture products to international market.

 APEDA is an organisation under Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India and is responsible for promoting exports of Agriculture and Processed Food Products from India.

The shipment contains of 14 metric tonnes

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Organic

Hydroponics provides great opportunities to young farmers for start-up business for the production of nutrient-rich herbs, spices & high value crops that has huge demand in the urban market. 

 Looking at this emerging demand hydroponics can be seen as a better farming method. Considering this fact, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) in Palampur is determined to develop small low-priced hydroponic system that is suitable for urban agriculture, said Scientist at CSIR-IHBT, Dr Ashish Warghat.

 The institute conducted a 4-day training program on hydroponic cultivation system. Dr Bhavya Bhargav, training organizer, CSIR-IHBT said, “Around 43 progressive farmers, unemployed youth & students from states like Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur & Nagaland took part in this programme. The participants were provided with technical knowhow & practical exposure of plant propagation in hydroponic system”.

Dr Warghat, gave practical exposure for cultivation of spice, herbs & floriculture crops under hydroponics system. He told that “Although the initial investment cost for setting up hydroponics system is quite high but in the long run it provides better returns to the farmers”

 High-tech agriculture

CSIR-IHBT Director, Dr Sanjay Kumar said knowledge of latest high-tech agriculture is the need of hour. It is important to empower the youth to grow high value crops of demand under controlled system. Dr Kumar added that hydroponics provides great opportunities to young farmers for start-up business for the production of nutrient-rich herbs, spices & high value crops that has huge demand in the urban market.

Climate-proof system

Principal Scientist and Programme coordinator, Dr Rakesh Kumar said that hydroponic system is not affected by climate, wild animals and any other external biotic /abiotic factors. Besides these benefits hydroponic system also make less & efficient utilization of water.

Moreover, participants were also made aware of the elimination of use of artificial ripening agents, pesticides & herbicides in hydroponic system that helps in creating nutritionally superior harvest of food products. He added that “The overall hydroponics system market is estimated to grow from USD 8.1 billion in 2019 to USD 16.0 billion by the year 2025, at a CAGR of 12.1 percent”.

Hydroponics provides great opportunities to young farmers

AgroPolicy, Pulses, Trade

Pradeep Ghorpade, CEO, IPGA (India Pulses and Grains Association) interacted with Dipti Barve, Assistant editor, www.agrospectrumindia.com  about current scenario of pulses industry. IPGA is the apex body of India’s pulses and grains industry & trade and its membership encompasses market participants along the value chain.  

 

Editorial Excerpts:

 .  How does IPGA operate Pulses value chain across the country?

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), is the apex body of India’s pulses and grains industry & trade and its membership encompasses market participants along the value chain. IPGA is a not-for-profit organisation registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 (earlier Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956) with a membership of over 270 including various regional associations of the Pulses industry. The association has a pan India reach of over 10,000 stake holders involved in the farming, processing, warehousing and import business of Pulses across the entire value chain.

IPGA’s vision is to make Indian pulses and grains industry & trade globally competitive; and in so doing, help advance India’s food and nutrition security. IPGA takes the onus of essaying a leadership role in the domestic agri-business and play a more proactive role in the global domain to foster healthy relations among Indian market participants and between India and all associates overseas. As the apex body of the trade, IPGA constantly strives to bring together all stakeholders along the value chain so as to evolve holistic solutions aimed at strengthening the sector.

In pursuance of its objectives IPGA will seek to address issues that impact production, productivity and marketability of pulses in the country. These include input management, improved agronomic practices, logistics (scientific storage and movement), procurement policy, and inclusion of pulses in the Public Distribution System (PDS), to name a few.

IPGA is also working towards ironing out the various hurdles faced by the multiple stakeholders directly and indirectly aligned with the Pulses trade. These include Importers, Traders, Brokers, Millers, Indenters, Clearing House Agents, Shipping Companies, C & F Agents as well as Transport Companies. 

. What is IPGA’s stand about pulses supply and MSP on the backdrop of decline in pulses production (estimated nearly 8.2 Million tonnes which is about 4.5 % lower than 8.59 MT in previous kharif season) this year?

The figure of 8.23 million tons is as per the 1st Advance Estimate released by the Ministry of Agriculture and there is still time for the final production numbers. However, as we all are aware, pulses are primarily grown in rain-fed territories and any significant change in the monsoon patterns in terms of timing and/or quantity can affect the final production numbers. The prices of pulses are extremely dynamic and fluctuate on the basis of multiple factors including demand, production, availability, etc. and all these factors determine whether the pulses sell at, above or below the MSP. 

. Currently what challenges IPGA is facing in the inclusion of pulses in the public distribution system?

IPGA has been engaging with the Ministries of Agriculture as well as Consumer Affairs for the last few years focussing on inclusion of pulses in the PDS. However, there are a number of modalities that need to be considered in terms of procurement, storage, distribution as well as involvement of State Governments to be able to implement this and are hopeful that all these modalities will get worked out in the near future. 

.   How allowing free exports of all pulses going to impact pulses industry in India?

The free exports of Pulses will definitely help the farmer get a good price discovery and create a good competitive environment in the domestic business. However, it will take some time for the exports to pick-up given the long gap of 11 years after which exports were opened by the Government of India.

 

 

 

Pradeep Ghorpade, CEO, IPGA (India Pulses and

Supply Chain

More than 500 farmers attended the 1st anniversary of Outgrow – agricultural extension program

WayCool Foods and Products Pvt. Ltd. celebrated the first anniversary of the ‘Outgrow’ program at Bagalur, Hosur, Tamil Nadu. On this occasion, WayCool launched its flagship Outgrow Agricultural Research Station (OARS) aimed to improve farm productivity and profitability in a sustainable manner, while growing safe to consume products.

The event was attended by over 500 farmers, 25 leading Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across the country with significant representation from the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, and Telangana, various seed providers, and inputs companies. The event showcased latest technology and latest developments in the food and agriculture sector through product demos, new product launches, new seed varieties, and many more innovations with the aim to help farmers improve their productivity and profitability.

Speaking at the program, Sanjay Dasari, Co-Founder, WayCool Foods, said, “Our Outgrow program has had an incredibly successful first year, forging new partnerships and experimenting with creative solutions. This “Reverse Santhai” itself is an proof of the same, as we’re honoured to have such amazing participation from leaders and influential institutions in the industry. In traditional Santhais, farmers bring their produce to the cities and customers visit the stalls and buy. But for our anniversary event, continuing the farmer impact theme, we wanted to hold a “Reverse Santhai” where farmers were the guests and companies from the cities came to the farm to showcase their products and services.”

Outgrow is WayCool’s agricultural extension program that engages with farmers through the entire cultivation cycle, from planning to inputs to harvesting. The program engages with farmers through their entire cultivation cycle, from planning to inputs to harvesting to substantially increase profitability of the farmer, reduce their risk, and guarantee farmers 270 days of steady income by leveraging a host of emerging technologies to measure soil health, ensure quality of inputs, capture agricultural practices, and measure output quality. The program partners with several companies, central and state governments, and renowned institutions like the National Agro Foundation and the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research.

In the last one year, since the launch of the Outgrow program, WayCool has worked with more than 200 farmers, cultivated over 250 acres, and harvested more than 20 crops spread across Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

The second year of the program aims to impact thousands of farmers’ lives by transforming livelihoods of small-hold farmers by solving challenges faced during cultivation and facilitate in better crop planning, improved produce quality & productivity, lower cultivation costs, assured returns, and fair pricing.

Speaking on the program, Sendhil Kumar Natarajan, Outgrow Head at WayCool said, “Outgrow aims at being a platform for farmers and all stakeholders in the agri supply chain including seed, fertilizer, pesticide, finance, and agri tech companies to improve farm productivity in a sustainable manner. Through the Outgrow program we can work with farmers as entrepreneurs, specifically targeting each element of their farming operations to enable them to adopt agriculture as a profitable business by reducing costs and increasing per acre revenue.”

Karthik Jayaraman, CEO & Co-Founder, WayCool Foods, commenting on the research station said, “The Outgrow Agricultural Research Station is aimed at bringing cutting edge agricultural technology and techniques to marginal farmers to enable them to increase productivity and reduce cost of cultivation on the one hand, while ensuring sustainable practices that produce safe to consume products on the other.”

 

More than 500 farmers attended the 1st

R&D

Despite of excellent intrinsic value, Indian cotton faces contamination and excess moisture due to pouring of water and poor bale packaging etc., which diminishes the value.

Highlighting the need for yield improvement in cotton cultivation in the country, trade leaders expressed the need for better resource management and protection from pest infestations.

At the 97th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of apex cotton trade body Cotton Association of India (CAI) held in Ahmedabad, Atul Ganatra, President, said that the domestic productivity level of the fibre remains one of the lowest in the world.

“Cotton productivity has increased from around 300 kg/ha in 2002-03 to nearly 500 kg/ha now. However, it is still among the lowest in the world. With an average productivity of 2,028 kgs/ha, Australia is on the top. Even smaller countries such as Syria, Myanmar, Pakistan, etc have higher cotton productivity than India. We need to be more efficient and effective in improving resource management to achieve higher productivity,” Ganatra said in his address.

He also added that India is striving hard to improve its cotton productivity level through implementation of High Density Planting and efficient and better protection from pest infestations. Following robust crop prospects and a production outlook of about 354.5 lakh bales (each of 170 kg), Ganatra expressed confidence that India is likely to retain its numero-uno position this year from China.

 

He also flagged several challenges for Indian cotton, in the form of contamination issues. Even though it has excellent intrinsic value, Indian cotton faces contamination and excess moisture due to pouring of water and poor bale packaging etc, which diminishes the value.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite of excellent intrinsic value, Indian cotton

Machinery - Pre-harvesting, Machinery – Post-harvesting, R&D

India remains a highly lucrative tractor market on account of the decreasing availability of farm labor and the rise of innovative business models such as custom hiring solutions for tractors.

According to the latest report by www. marketinsightsreports.com, India agricultural tractors market was valued at USD 6.97 billion in the year 2018 and the market is projected to witness a CAGR of 6.9% over the forecast period (2019-2024). In terms of units, India is one of the largest tractor markets in the world, selling 600,000 to 700,000 tractors per annum, on an average. The demand for tractors declined during Financial Year 2015-16 due to a contraction in the farm incomes, as the production of major crops and commodity prices reduced with lower procurements by the government, owing to adequate buffer reserves. However, India remains a highly lucrative tractor market on account of the decreasing availability of farm labour and the rise of innovative business models such as custom hiring solutions for tractors.

 

Market by Top Leading Players

Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, John Deere India Private Limited, CNH Industrial (India) Pvt. Ltd, TAFE Ltd., International Tractors Limited (Sonalika), Escorts Group, Eicher Motors Limited, Kubota Corporation, Force Motors Limited, Same Deutz-Fahr India Private Limited, CLAAS Agricultural Machinery Private Limited, Preet Group.

 

Increasing Trend of Mechanization in Agriculture Industry

According to thirteenth Five-year Plan (2017-2022) of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the pace of mechanization is more than the national average in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, western parts of Rajasthan and Punjab. In the rest of the country, it is comparatively low, which necessities the stimulation of farm mechanization as a special mission. The Ministry of Indian Agriculture states that farm mechanization adoption would increase production by 20% and reduce the cost of cultivation by 20-25%. The main strategy of this mission is to provide financial assistance to small and mid-scale farmers to hire machinery in less mechanized areas. This is done by establishing farm machinery banks in selected villages of low mechanization.

 

Rising Need for Operational Efficiency and Profitability

Being predominantly an agrarian economy, India owes 17% of its GDP to farming and about 60% of India’s rural households depend on agriculture or other associated activities for a living. Despite having the second largest arable land after the US, the country is way behind some developed as well as developing nations in terms of agricultural productivity. This is the result of some operational inefficiencies typical to the country, for example, dependence on rainwater for irrigation of fields. The government, as well as the bigshot players in the private sector, are seeing this as an opportunity to invest in. Hence, it is expected that with favourable government policies and the introduction of better and enhanced tractors in the market, there will be significant growth of the industry in the forecast period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India remains a highly lucrative tractor market

Cold Storage, R&D

Under the MIDH, government had allocated Rs. 31.50 crore to northeast state of Nagaland in 2016-17; Rs. 41.50 crore in 2017-18 & Rs. 32.00 crore in 2018-19.

The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare has decided to implement the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture or MIDH for holistic development of Horticulture in India that includes aid for development of Post-Harvest Management like setting up of cold storages for farmers.

Under the MIDH, government had allocated Rs. 31.50 crore to northeast state of Nagaland in 2016-17; Rs. 41.50 crore in 2017-18 & Rs. 32.00 crore in 2018-19 for different horticulture activities including construction of cold storages. But, Nagaland has reported that no funds have been used for construction of cold storages during this period.

Hence, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI) is implementing the yojana for “Integrated Cold Chain & Value Addition Infrastructure” as one of the elements of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana with the purpose of reducing post-harvest losses of horticulture and non-horticulture produce & providing remunerative price to growers for their produce.

The MoFPI, under the scheme has approved 1 cold chain project in Dimapur, Nagaland in 2017-18 with a financial assistance of Rs.8.10 crore that has been completed & is functional. Another cold chain project in Dimapur has been approved in 2018-19 with an assistance of Rs. 9.67 crore that is under implementation. This information was provided by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare last week.

 

Under the MIDH, government had allocated Rs.

Acquaculture

Strategic Transaction Benefits and Improves Aquaculture Health and Performance

Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co.has announced the completion of its acquisition of Vaki, a leader in fish farming and wild fish conservation monitoring equipment and real-time video monitoring technology to advance fish health and welfare, from Pentair, a leading global water treatment company.

Today’s announcement further positions Merck Animal Health as a global leader in broadening its aquaculture portfolio by expanding into complementary fish farming and conservation areas to generate outcomes with precision farming and fish welfare solutions, which complement its existing portfolio of vaccines and pharmaceuticals. Vaki will be a leading brand under the Biomark business within Merck Animal Health, focused on a range of equipment, products and technology for fish counting and size estimation from freshwater to saltwater rearing, while collecting data and analytics for each stage of fish production.

“Animal health intelligence and enhanced technology play an increasingly important role in animal health and care, providing access to real-time actionable data and insights to help, improve or enhance animal management and health outcomes,” said Rick DeLuca, president, Merck Animal Health. “We continue to execute upon our strategy to expand and add breadth to our portfolio and its technology. We are at the technological forefront of shaping the future of animal health through our commitment to leveraging our scientific capabilities and expertise through comprehensive solutions to manage the health and well-being of animals. We are excited to take this step forward with Vaki, as we add leading technology and services, which extend the range of solutions in aquaculture we can provide to our customers.”

Karl Frykman, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Pentair, said, “We are proud of Vaki’s transformation over the past years. Vaki has significant potential to continue to spearhead development in the aquaculture industry and we believe that Merck Animal Health is an ideal partner to support the next stage of its growth.”

Biomark specializes in electronic identification technology used in fisheries, wildlife and aquaculture research, including product sales, custom manufacturing, installation and extensive data management and analysis.

Strategic Transaction Benefits and Improves Aquaculture Health

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Pulses

This will help government procurement agencies offload their existing stocks to make way for fresh procurement 

 In order to control the rising trend in pulse prices in many States and to improve their availability, the Centre has recently offered to sell 8.47 lakh tonnes of pulses to States at average market rates.

 The decision, which would also help government procurement agencies offload their existing stocks to make way for fresh procurement, was taken at a meeting chaired by Department of Consumer Affairs Secretary Avinash Srivastava, said an official statement.

 Improved availability of pulses would ease the prices, which have firmed up on account of a projected shortfall in production this year.

While there are no official estimates of kharif pulses output available, projections made by private agencies such as Skymet Weather show a decline in pulses production.

 According to a recent Skymet report, the pulses output during the kharif season is estimated to be nearly 8.2 million tonnes, about 4.5 per cent lower than the 8.59 million tonnes in the previous kharif season.

 As per the break-up decided at the meeting, States can purchase a maximum of 3.2 lakh tonnes of tur, 2 lakh tonnes of urad, 1.5 lakh tonnes of moong, 1.2 lakh tonnes of chana and 57,000 tonnes of masoor. 

In September 2018, too, the Centre had announced a sale of 34.88 lakh tonnes of pulses to States under several welfare schemes such as mid-day meal, the public distribution system and the integrated child development scheme with a subsidy of ₹15 per kg. The scheme was available for 12 months.

 

This will help government procurement agencies offload

E-commerce, Trade

India will sell at least 5 million tonnes on the world market in the 2019-20 season, nearly a third higher than the previous year. 

 

 

India, the world’s biggest sugar producer, is poised to break its own export record this year thanks to a flurry of overseas sales in the past few months, prompted by attractive global prices, trade and industry officials said in recent. 

Sugar mills have done deals to export 2 million tonnes in the new season that began on October 1, raising hopes that the country will sell at least 5 million tonnes on the world market in the 2019-20 season, nearly a third higher than the previous year.

 “Looking at the current trend, I can tell you with a lot of confidence that we’ll be able to export at least 5 million tonnes this year,” said a New Delhi-based dealer from the Indian unit of a global trading firm.

 At 5 million tonnes, Indian exports would surpass their previous peak of 4.96 mt in 2007-08, according to trade and industry data. This was spurred by a rally in international prices, a weak rupee and a clutch of government subsidies which made exports lucrative.

A sharp increase in exports from India could weigh on benchmark prices in New York and London and trim the market share of rivals Brazil, Thailand and Australia, the world’s top sugar suppliers.

India will sell at least 5 million

R&D, Trade

The distillery capacity expansion will increase Dwarikesh Sugar’s ethanol production and strengthen forward integration 

 India’s sugar firm, Dwarikesh Sugar Industries Ltd has commissioned a new 100 kilo litre per day (KLPD) distillery at its Dwarikesh Nagar unit, Bundki, in Bijnor District of Uttar Pradesh, mentioned in a company statement. 

The Rs 145 crore project, commenced late last year, uses state-of-the art technology, besides having facilities for waste water recovery and zero liquid discharge.

 “This expansion comes at a time that Indian sugar business is undergoing a paradigm shift. The distillery capacity expansion will increase Dwarikesh Sugar’s ethanol production and strengthen forward integration. Besides, this initiative will enable the company to optimise the use of molasses generated within its cane crushing facilities and help moderate the impact of volatility of the sugar sector,” the statement said.

 “The ethanol capacity expansion will help in strengthening our sugar manufacturing business and is in line with our vision to expand our business vertically while creating a multi-product foundation. The capital expenditure of approximately Rs. 145 crores will enable benefits to accrue across the foreseeable future,” said Vijay S Banka, Managing Director of Dwarikesh Sugar.

The distillery capacity expansion will increase Dwarikesh

Agro Universities, R&D

International conference was organised for a purposeful dialogue for getting the deeper insights into the current dynamics and for drawing the future roadmap for the agricultural extension in the country. 

 Dr A.K. Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR inaugurated the three-day International Conference on “Extension for Strengthening Agricultural Research and Development (eSARD – 2019)” in Mysure. The conference was jointly organized by the ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Bengaluru; Extension Education Society, Coimbatore and ICAR-JSS Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Mysuru. His Holiness Jagadguru Shivaratri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji was also present during the occasion. 

Dr P. Chandrashekhara, Director General, Chaudhary Charan Singh National Institute of Agricultural Management deliberated on the Value Chain and Market led Extension.

Dr P. Das, Former Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR delivered the Keynote address during the inaugural session. Prof Murari Suvedi, Michigan State University and Fulbright Scholar at IGNOU, New Delhi deliberated on the Global Extension System and its relevance for Indian context. 

Dr Govind Kelkar, Senior Advisory, Landessa Development Institute addressed the gender perspectives. The senior officials of ICAR and State Agricultural Universities were also present during the occasion.

 The main objective of the conference was to bring together the agricultural extension scientists, researchers, academicians, professionals, students and stakeholders for a purposeful dialogue for getting the deeper insights into the current dynamics and for drawing the future roadmap for the agricultural extension in the country.

International conference was organised for a purposeful

E-commerce, Finance, R&D, Seeds, Trade

Utkal plans to increase the production by investing in research and development, introducing new high-quality proprietary varieties of seeds 

 Bengaluru-based Utkal Tubers India Pvt Ltd, a potato seed producer, proposes to raise additional capital of $5 million over the next 12 months to fund its expansion plans.

 The company plans to raise its annual production of high-yielding, disease-resistant seed potatoes to 50,000 tonnes over the next three years across Gujarat, Assam, Punjab, UP, Haryana and Karnataka, the company said in a statement.

 In 2019, the Bengaluru-based company produced 4,800 tonnes of high-yielding disease-resistant potato seeds across 450 acres of farmland. Utkal plans to increase the production by investing in research and development, introducing new high-quality proprietary varieties of seeds and utilising technology advancements such as coco peat and aeroponics technologies for seed multiplication.

 “This is an important advancement towards improving agricultural yield in India. Utkal’s best farming practices can now be implemented to grow potato seeds in areas where seed production is challenging,” said Abhijeet Kudva, Director, Utkal Tubers.

 Yields in India are only half the global average with over a million farmers engaged in potato farming. Utkal has secured exclusive rights from IPM Potato Group Limited (IPM), a leading European potato company, for the import of high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties of potatoes which are suitable for harsher climates, such as in India.

 CapAleph Indian Millennium SME Fund, Zephyr Peacock India Fund and IPM are the existing investors in Utkal Tubers. Utkal said it has invested in research to develop and cultivate high-yield disease-resistant seed potatoes in regions where they were not previously cultivated.

Utkal plans to increase the production by

Foodgrains, R&D

The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry has granted a biosafety permit for direct utilization of vitamin A-enriched rice variety – Golden Rice as food & feed or for processing (FFP). 

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) announced the FFP approval recently, saying that the Golden Rice ’has been found to be as safe as the conventional rice’ after thorough biosafety assessment.

Dr John de Leon, Executive Director of PhilRice welcomed the regulatory decision as the rice variety can be seen as a complementary intervention to deal with the health problems associated with VAD (vitamin A deficiency).

Leon said that “With FFP approval, we bring forward an accessible solution to our country’s Vitamin A deficiency problem that has been affecting many pre-school children & pregnant women”.

 It must be noted that Golden Rice is a new variety of rice, which contains beta-carotene (pro- vitamin A) that is converted into vitamin A as required by the body & gives the grain its golden colour. It is developed through genetic engineering & produces 2 new enzymes that complete beta-carotene expression in the rice grain. 

Matthew Morrel, Director General of IRRI said that the beta-carotene content of Golden Rice aims to offer 30 to 50% of the estimated average requirement (EAR) of vitamin A for young children and pregnant women. Morrel said, “IRRI is happy to partner with Philippine Rice Research Institute to develop this nutrition-sensitive agricultural solution to tackle hidden hunger. This is the core of IRRI’s objective – to tailor global solutions to local needs”.

 Morrel further said that “The Philippines has long recognized the prospective to harness biotechnology to address food & nutrition security, environmental safety and improve the livelihoods of farmers”. In order to complete the Philippine biosafety regulatory procedure, Golden Rice will need approval for commercial propagation before it can be made available to consumers.

 

The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant