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Home2019 (Page 7)
Acts & Schemes – Centre, Dairy

By Dilip Rath, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)

 India continues to be world’s largest milk producer with an estimated milk production of about 188 million tonnes in 2018-19, growing at about 6.5 per cent during last five years. India now accounts for over one-fifth of world milk production and its estimated per capita availability of milk at 394 grams is more than the world average of around 300 grams per day. Milk is now the single largest agricultural commodity surpassing even the total value of output of food grains in the country.

The share of agriculture & allied sectors in total Gross Value Added (GVA) was 17.2 per cent during 2017-18 at current prices and livestock contributing 28.4 per cent to agriculture & allied sector. Within livestock, milk group is an important economic activity accounting for about 67 per cent of the value of output in 2017-18.

Small holder dairy system

Milk production in India is primarily a small holder activity based on family labour contributed by women and crop residue with very little cultivated fodder. About 63 million of rural households are engaged in milk production, of which 90 per cent belong to the landless, marginal and small category owning about 85 per cent of the female bovines and 53 per cent of the farm land.  About 80 per cent of these animal owners own about 1-3 animals.

Dairying can be an effective tool for poverty alleviation in the hinterlands, as animal assets are more equitably distributed than farm lands. According to the Situation Assessment of Farmers (NSSO, 2013) data and a study by the Institute of Economic Growth, 1 per cent increase in share of income from “cultivation” and “non-farm business” will lead to increase in income inequality by 2.7 per cent and 1.6 per cent respectively, whereas 1 per cent increase in share of income from “animal farming” will reduce income inequality by 1.2 per cent.

Dairying is considered as the most important subsidiary activity, which provides an occupation and steady source of income in all seasons, even when the cultivation fails due to vagaries of nature. It also contributes to the livelihood of the poor in many ways – income from products, insurance against drought, emergency cash requirements, household nutrition, fuel for cooking, manure for crops and draught power for farming, etc. Low capital investment, short operating cycle, steady returns make dairying a preferred livelihood activity among the small and marginal farmers. 

Income from dairying

As per the report on Situation Assessment of Farmers, animal farming contributes 12 per cent to the rural income and 85 per cent of income from “animal farming” is reported from milk alone. It contributes significantly to the rural income of poorest farmers’ (farmers with less than 0.01 Ha of land holding) – about 26 per cent. Highest growth was registered in receipts from livestock from 4.3 per cent to 11.9 per cent between 2002-03 and 2012-13, while the contribution from both non-farm business and wages & salaries declined over this period. This was true, especially in states that showed overall higher real income growth.


Increased access to market through producer owned and controlled institutions helps in realizing better price by farmers for their milk. Dairy cooperatives are paying back about 70 per cent of consumer rupee to the dairy farmers – one of the highest across the world.

Reduction of Feed cost

Innovation across the supply chain would help in realizing more income from dairying. Feed cost is the major cost in dairying as it accounts for about 70 per cent of the total cost of production. NDDB is committed in reduction in cost of feed and improve the profitability of farmers. Feeding a balanced ration leads to an increase in daily net income in the range of Rs 15-25 per animal through reduced feed costs and increased milk-fat. Ethno Veterinary medicines have proved beneficial in reducing veterinary expenditure to great extent and thus improving realization in income from dairying. By providing direct market access to milk producers through farmer owned, managed and controlled institutions the gross receipt has increased by Rs 6 per in-milk animal per day – primarily due to relatively higher price paid in comparison to others.

Bovine Manure Management

NDDB has recently taken an initiative for bovine manure management using flexi-biogas technology to augment income of dairy farmers. Effective management of manure through collectives of women farmers owning biogas plants not only can save expenditure on cooking fuel, but the farmers also sell surplus gas to neighbouring households. Under two central sector schemes i.e. National Dairy Plan and New National Biogas & Organic Manure Program, 6,000 farmers are being covered for subsidized biogas plants for an additional income source from manure & output slurry from biogas plants.

Demand growth

Milk and milk products have one of the highest income elasticity of demand amongst food commodity groups and therefore the demand is likely to increase rapidly as the economy grows and incomes rises. The dairy farmers, especially affiliated to producer owned intuitions would benefit further, as they being major stakeholders in the organised supply chain, will have comparatively better bargaining power.

Three drivers of demand – growth in population, urbanization and income together are mainly contributing to rise in demand of milk and milk products. Further, factors such as consumers’ preference for high protein diets, increasing awareness, availability of dairy products through organised channels, etc. are also driving this growth.

Dairy Cooperatives

The Operation Flood (OF), the world’s largest dairy development programme implemented by NDDB demonstrated that a small holder dairy system linked to the Anand pattern cooperative network can help achieve self-sufficiency in milk production and augment farmers’ income.

Currently, there are over 1, 90,000 village dairy cooperative societies with about 169 lakh farmers affiliated to it in 480 districts spread over 28 states. These dairy cooperatives collectively procure about 510 lakh kg of milk per day and sell about 355 lakh litres of liquid milk daily.

Further, NDDB is implementing National Dairy Plan Phase I (NDP I), a scientifically planned multi-state initiative through End Implementing Agencies (EIAs) in 18 major milk producing states, which together account for more than 90 per cent of the country’s milk production. The major objectives of this plan are i) increasing productivity of milk animals to help increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk; and ii) providing rural milk producers with greater access to the organised milk processing sector.

NDP-I has brought in a slew of production enhancement technologies which includes production of high genetic merit bulls, strengthening existing semen stations/starting new stations, improving nutrition of milk animals through ration balancing and fodder development programme and also setting up of pilot model for viable doorstep Artificial insemination (AI) delivery services, which contributes to the sustainable dairy development in the country. With these interventions, it will be possible to make our milk production system sustainable so that our country remains self-sufficient in milk and be enable to feed the world’s most populated country in the next two decades or so.

Livelihood opportunities

India’s growing demand for milk can help provide livelihood opportunities for millions of rural households. Income in the rural areas can further be enhanced by providing dairy farmers access to organised markets. It has been experienced that simply providing market access even in low milk potential areas induces milk production and surplus. While dairy has played and would continue to play a significant role in securing the food and nutritional security of millions of our countrymen, government policies providing an enabling environment along with government funded programmes and schemes would continue to help augmenting income of dairy farmers.

 

By Dilip Rath, Chairman, National Dairy Development

Microfinance

The Fund invests in innovation driven growth ventures with potential to transform the agri produce and market ready food products

Innovation in Food and Agriculture Fund managed by Sathguru Catalyser Advisors commits investment up to 4 million Dollars for minority holding in Telluris Biotech India Private Limited, an early stage life sciences company focused on bringing to market path breaking environment sensitive biological control products for the dreaded Plant root knot and cyst nematode related disease complexes. The proprietary biological and bio-molecular products have potential to provide significant savings to crop growers.

Commenting on the commission  Venu Polineni, the Founder of Telluris Biotech India Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are excited to propel our growth to markets with investment from Innovation in Food and Agriculture Fund, the sector focused fund that is a best fit for us to advance our innovation in global markets. Our foray to markets will provide unparalleled environment friendly biocontrol and biomolecular products to farmers in India and elsewhere who face severe challenges from the root knot, cyst nematodes and plant root pathogens. Our extensive research based innovative solutions will result in the farmers’ efforts to protect their crops and enhance yield significantly.”

“Our investment in Telluris is a contribution towards sustainable agriculture with science-based solutions that can provide true health and environment benefit to growers. We perceive the opportunity for Telluris to provide gains to growers through their pipeline of products that are uniquely positioned to application in wide range of crops,” said Mr. Krishna Kumar, Chairman of Sathguru Catalysers.

Innovation in Food and Agriculture Fund is India focused investment Fund sponsored by Sathguru Management Consultants. The Fund invests in innovation driven growth ventures with potential to transform the agri produce and market ready food products.

 

The Fund invests in innovation driven growth

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, E-commerce

The ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar in association with Darbar Sahitya Sansad (DSS), NGO launched the “Bhargabi Fish Farmers Producers Company Limited” at Naroda, Khordha in recent. 

The Chief Guest, Dr. Basudeb Behera, Professor & Head, Agronomy, Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar urged for adopting the innovative practices in cultivation of vegetables and other crops. 

Dr Manas K. Sinha, Senior Executive Director, National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad apprised the participants about various schemes on freshwater aquaculture. He mentioned about Brood bank facilities, capacity building programmes being implemented by NFDB. Dr Sinha regarded the Blue Revolution Scheme as a bouquet of schemes to support the fish farmers. He also encouraged the farmers for coming up with the good proposals for consideration of funding by NFDB.

Padmanava Chaudhury, Director of Bhargabi Fish Farmers Producers Company Limited acknowledged the support of CIFA, NABARD and other stakeholders in establishing the FPO. 

Dr G.S. Saha, HoD, ICAR-CIFA encouraged the farmers for forming the aggregate. Dr Saha accentuated on the great role of the FPOs right from the production to marketing of the produce and in disseminating the market information, technology and innovations.

 The dignitaries also released the Publication on Farmers’ First project operated by ICAR-CIFA. The dignitaries launched Bhargabi Fish Farmers Producers Company Limited. Earlier, Kedareswar Choudhury, Secretary, Darbar Sahitya Sansad welcomed the guests.

 Six selected farmers were felicitated during the occasion for their contribution in aggregating the producers and forming the FPOs.Around 150 farmers including 90 women participated in the meet.

The ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar

E-commerce, R&D, Seeds

Dr C. D. Mayee Former Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ASRB-ICAR), New Delhi

 Indian Agriculture is a vital sector of the national economy with nearly 50 percent population engaged in crop agriculture and allied fields. India’s 1.3 billion population, 17.9 per cent of the global population, lives on 2.4 per cent land and 5 per cent water resources of the world. Despite being highly populous, India has made remarkable strides in agricultural production since independence. India’s agriculture is often quoted as a success story.

India ranks second in the world in agricultural production as a leading producer of several commodities like food grains, cotton, spices, fruits, vegetables, dairy, poultry, aquaculture etc. After self-sufficiency in food grain production in early eighties the country witnessed periodical revolutions in all allied sectors. Except vegetable oils, India has achieved true independence in agricultural production. As per the latest estimates from Government of India, the country is likely to produce record production of food grains (285 metres) – rice (116.5 metres), wheat (102.2 metres) and pulses (24 metres). Interestingly the yesteryears policies of promotion of horticulture under Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) have paid rich dividends as the country’s horticulture production has surpassed that of food grains for the seventh consecutive year in a row. It was 310 metres from only 25 million hectares of land in 2017. This was achieved even though there was no dramatic rise in cultivated area or irrigation. Such efforts of diversification have now become India’s inherent strength in agriculture. No country grows as many crops as India cultivates. Family managed small farms and their crop-livestock/fisheries or alternative agriculture type of mixed farming systems and many other specialities are unique to Indian agriculture.

 The success of this kind has come after a long struggle by agriculture researchers, development agencies and of course, the Farmers. The history of agriculture development clearly spells out the contributions of all these stakeholders but specifically mentions the unstinted support of policy makers and the politicians since Independence. Agrarian revolutions, like the green, yellow, golden, white and blue, are a matter of national pride. 

Current Challenges

It is said that in agriculture ‘Past is Perfect, present is imperfect and future is tense.’ The population is expected to grow to nearly 1.7 billion by 2050. Nearly 55 per cent of them shall reside in cities, so urbanization shall alter the food demands to diversified basket. The projections for food grains and other items to meet that demand are enhancing the production by 40 per cent by then. This is already constrained by depleting soil health, issue of crop health due to newer pests, diseases & weeds, climate change and the yield gaps. Major issue today is apathy of the farmers towards farming as they feel it to be a no more a remunerative business.

Therefore, the twin challenge today is to raise productivity to meet the demand of growing population coupled with making the farming remunerative for farmers. Farming has to pursue dual purpose, to ensure both food security of the nation as well as income security of the growers and it has to be achieved without disturbing environment and natural resources.

India is said to be the fastest growing economy. However, its nearly 20 crore people live below poverty line, 40 per cent are suffering from malnutrition, 42 per cent children are underweight and 13 lakh of them die before their first birthday. Therefore, the so-called development in the life of rural inhabitants depresses all of us. This obviously points the finger at the mismatch between resource allocation, governance, management and our developmental claims.

Low national productivity and high regional production disparity can be met with efforts to give quality farm inputs like water, fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc. and ensuring their judicious use. Farmers need to be encouraged to shift to high value commodities in horticulture, fisheries, animal production and so on. Too much emphasis on production and procurement over the years shows that we are unnecessarily obsessed with food security in spite of the fact that our storages are full with food grains.

Innovative Solutions

Research and development in India after independence has helped to grow the per capita production and has gone a long way easing the pressure on meeting the food and nutritional requirement securities. Let us remember that this was the impressive contributions made by agricultural scientists in the past. Unfortunately, the system is under stress with lack of clarity over where to focus and financial resources. Our past experience should be enough for us to keep faith in our R&D systems. They have potential to mitigate the challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity, small farming issues, and market reforms for the benefit of farmers. According to ICAR-NAIP study, returns to investment on research have been found to be highly paying proposition. Internal rate of return on investment in agricultural research is estimated to be more than 42 per cent, which is much higher than any other sector. Then what prevents us from investing in this sector? Investment in generation of new technologies which have direct implications on proper and efficient use of resources, needs to be enhanced. So also in teaching and extension programme. The gap in financial commitments made at the beginning of the plan period and thereafter in annual plans is widening. It is constraining to take the research programmes to the logical conclusions.

To improve productivity and profitability in a sustainable manner our policy needs to be changed from input intensive to technology intensive; rather skill intensive agriculture. In recent years the benefits of new technologies have been experienced and still we are not open to adopt those technologies. For example, GM seeds for Cotton, Mustard, Maize, Brinjal Rice, Groundnut etc. Hybrid technologies in maize, vegetables, conservative agriculture, system of rice intensification (SRI), precision farming, farm mechanization, hi-tech cultivation of fruits, vegetables & flowers, primary and secondary processing introduced in farm produce and many other technologies have already shown that they can deliver the goals of meeting the objectives of higher productivity and profitability. The traditional breeding of crops is now supplemented by new biotechnological innovations like gene editing, genome rewriting, speed breeding. The scientists need to encourage to do research in modern technology areas.

GM seeds have emerged as a powerful new technology promising high productivity with less use of natural resources and also chemicals in the last two decades. The GM technologies have gained increasing acceptance around the world. The technologies are likely to play useful role in addressing some of the intractable problems that the current methods of improvements in stocks of crops, animals and fisheries, cannot answer. It is also worth noting that the new methods and materials are being discovered practically every day in production of new GM seeds that are bio-environment safe and largely acceptable. As a part of strategy therefore, to bring second evergreen revolution, India must return to permitting proven and well–tested GM technology with adequate safeguards. When we are importing heavily the vegetable oils, still we stop the entry of GM mustard is a fact not easy to digest. The technologies may also be useful in groundnut, pigeon pea, chick pea and some other oilseeds and pulse to resolve the intractable biotic and abiotic problems that are hampering the productivity of these crops.

Doubling Income of Farmers 

The major challenge is to double the income of farmers in three years, rather making the farming remunerative so that the young generation may be attracted towards it. Today’s paradox is that on one side we have enough production, stores are full, middlemen and consumers are happy that they get what they want at reasonable prices but on the other hand the farmers are driven to suicides as they are unable to  maintain their families on their farm income. We have adopted a classical model of minimum support price (MSP) for a long time to help farmers from price distress and market fluctuations. We are also ensuring to fix the prices above the cost of cultivation. Unfortunately, MSP operation is limited to states and crops.  For perishable goods it is difficult to be used. Therefore, the farmers are throwing the vegetables, milk and such perishable commodities on road as a protest for better returns. To improve the share of farmers in the price paid by consumers, a different strategy has to be adopted. The solution lies in market reforms and altering the structure of APMC Act.  Model APMC act has never been implemented in spite of several efforts made in the past. The all-round market reforms can ensure better price through direct negotiations between the producer and consumer.

There are several good examples of such marketing reforms, which are needed to be universally implemented. Similarly, the Essential Commodity Act has created an environment of uncertainty and discourages entry of large players into agriculture infrastructure in the country. Maharashtra has shown the way as to how small holder farmers can come together in the form of ‘Gatsheti’ (Farmers’ Producing Groups) that can scale up production and then bargain for remunerative price returns, a win-win situation for both, the farmer and consumer.  

Investment and Technology

Investment and technology creation are two major drivers of growth. A major cause of present agrarian crisis is somewhere lies in inadequate investment in agriculture sector and restrictions on the use of modern technologies.

Investments in farm connectivity, irrigation facilities, roads, markets, cold storages, rapid transportation for perishables coupled with development of new technologies to improve resource use efficiency could mitigate the current agrarian distress. Unfortunately, investment in agriculture R&D has been reduced from 0.8 to 0.4 per cent of total agricultural GDP. Considering that there is a resource crunch which will continue then it is imperative to prioritize the resources to ensure their optimum allocation and use.

The current focus of R&D investment appears to be misplaced. If we do not invest in new generation technologies instead of evaluating, promoting and exploring the traditional ones then we will be too far behind the world. Similarly, any delay in agricultural investment is going to be costly to meet the goal of doubling farmers’ income.

 

Dr C. D. Mayee Former Chairman, Agricultural Scientists

Foodgrains, Pulses

The 5th edition of The Pulses Conclave will be held at Aamby Valley City, Lonavala from February 12th to 14th, 2020

Mumbai, November 6, 2019: India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the nodal body for India’s pulses trade and industry today announced that the 5th edition THE PULSES CONCLAVE, their biennial global pulses conference will be held from Feb. 12th to 14th, 2020 at Amby Valley City in Lonavala, Maharashtra. IPGA expects close to 1500 trade stakeholders from India and key pulses exporting countries like USA, Australia, Canada, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, etc. to participate in The Pulses Conclave 2020 (TPC 2020).

 The Pulses Conclave 2020, as a part of its agenda will not just discuss increasing domestic production and consumption but will also bring to fore other areas of the trade like Improving Processing efficiencies, increasing Consumption, Exports, Value Addition, Protein Extraction, Post-harvest Crop Management, etc.

 Mr. Pradeep Ghorpade, Chief Executive Officer, IPGA said, “The Conclave programme typically is built around dissemination of global and domestic pulses production numbers, global and domestic prices, supply and demand scenarios. However, at TPC 2020, while covering these aspects of the trade, IPGA is looking to go beyond and IPGA’s focus, by the end of the Conclave, will be to try and put together a roadmap that will help the Indian Pulses Trade be able to contribute to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of making India a $ 5 trillion economy through retail sale of pulses, processed pulses, pulse derivates and value additions, all  of which will drive investments in the entire value chain.”

 Pulses are the key source of proteins in India and IPGA believes that apart from addressing the availability of pulses ensuring affordability of pulses is equally important. The Indian Government needs to work to creating a plan that allows both farmers and consumers to be benefitted. IPGA will be engaging with the Government to pursue the inclusion of Pulses in the PDS to make the affordable for the BPL population, leading to an increase in demand and drive increase in production.

 The Indian Government over the  last year and half has introduced a number of tariff and non-tariff barriers on the import of pulses to ensure that farmers get appropriate prices for their produce and are encouraged to try and increase domestic production levels. IPGA will be stepping up its efforts in engaging with key Ministries like Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Health & Family Welfare, Commerce to discuss various initiatives to devise and implement programs that yield win-win results for farmers as well as consumers. 

 Mr. Jitu Bheda, Chairman – IPGA speaking on the occasion said, “Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision is to double the farmers income by the year 2022 and a huge effort has been put into achieving the same. The result has been that India’s pulses production has steadily grown every year from around 19 million tons in 2013-14 to 23 million tons in 201-19 and the target for 2019-20 is of 26.30 million tons. IPGA’s agenda and road map going forward will be to encourage its members to take advantage of the increased domestic production, balance imports vis-à-vis the production and demand thereby ensuring that the Indian consumer does not face any availability crunch nor high retail prices.” 

The 5th edition of The Pulses Conclave

E-commerce, Finance, Trade

According to the estimate of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), cotton production is likely to increase 13.6% to 35.5 million bales (170kg) for the October 2019-to-September 2020 season

 

High cotton production due to more-than-average rainfall in the country and increased sowing by farmers may closely impact prices. According to the estimate of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), cotton production is likely to increase 13.6% to 35.5 million bales (170kg) for the October 2019-to-September 2020 season. Area under cotton cultivation has increased by 6 per cent  y-o-y during the current season, said India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) in its latest report. 

It is also to be noted that India’s raw cotton exports fell by 75% during 1HFY20 owing to high domestic prices and the availability of cheaper cotton from Brazil, the US and Vietnam, hence, the prices will take a hit, the Ind-Ra report mentioned. 

 The report also highlighted the trends in the sub-segments of the textile sector, including cotton, man-made fibres, yarns, fabric with a focus on commodity prices, imports/exports, production and recent rating actions. 

Reduction in cotton prices

Cotton prices witnessed a moderate reduction in September 2019, with the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) buying at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan. CCI has purchased approximately 1.2 million bales (around 1 per cent) of the total arrival in the ongoing cotton season (October 2019-September 2020). The cotton crop in Maharashtra is estimated to be delayed, as unseasonal rains damaged around 1.9 million bales in the state. The damaged crop is estimated to fetch prices that would be 30-35 per cent lower than the MSP (Minimum Support Price) due to high moisture content.

 The spinning industry saw disruptions in production in 2QFY20 owing to reduced demand and volatility in cotton prices. While demand from China demand improved marginally in August and September 2019, a further improvement would be healthier for the spinning industry, which has been facing margin pressure and low capacity utilisations.

 Manmade fibres (MMF) saw the second consecutive month of stabilisation on the back of stable crude prices; however, the short-term instability in prices in September 2019, following the attack on the refinery of Aramco, Saudi Arabia, led to temporary pressure on the margins of synthetic fibres. With the recovery of the attacked oil sites, crude prices returned to stable levels, with a corresponding impact on MMF prices. 

Rise in fabric export

Fabric exports improved in 1HFY20 owing to an improvement in the quality of Indian fabrics and addition of newer markets. During 1HFY20, exports amounted to INR124.89 billion (1HFY19: INR116.11 billion), with the main markets being Bangladesh (19 per cent), Afghanistan (7.4 per cent) and Sri Lanka (6.2 per cent).

A sharp rise in imports of cheap apparel from Bangladesh has rendered the Indian textile value chain uncompetitive. Readymade garments recorded de-growth of 14 per cent mom in September 2019 due to a steep fall in demand from the US and UK.

According to the estimate of Cotton Corporation

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce

UPL Limited (“UPL”), has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% shares of Yoloo (Laoting) Bio-technology Co.Ltd. (“Laoting Yoloo”), an agrochemical company based in Heibei Province, China,

UPL Limited (“UPL”), through one of its subsidiaries at Hong Kong, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% shares of Yoloo (Laoting) Bio-technology Co.Ltd. (“Laoting Yoloo”), an agrochemical company based in Heibei Province, China, from Beijing YolooBio-Technology Corp., (“Beijing Yoloo”) and  to issue 25% shares out of its Subsidiary to Beijing Yoloo.

Laoting Yoloo Bio-technology Co, Ltd has more than 100 product registrations, about 1200 distributor contacts, and 240+ employees. The closing of the transaction is conditional upon receiving certain regulatory approvals and fulfilling other conditions.

As world’s largest food producer, China is an important market for UPL. Laoting Yoloo has built strong  relationships with multinational companies over many years and has developed a large customer base.

As a UPL affiliate, Laoting Yoloo will benefit from UPL’s progressive offerings, broad financial  resources, global footprint, product technology, manufacturing know-how, and leading market presence.

UPL will gain from Laoting Yoloo’s broad distribution base, product registrations and access to the  Chinese domestic market creating a strong footprint for growth in China. The company also intends to  optimize Laoting Yoloo’s manufacturing facilities to augment our global production capabilities.

UPL will build on the relationships that Laoting Yoloo has cultivated and serve their customers with a wider portfolio.

 Open network for agriculture

Commenting on the acquisition, UPL’s Global CEO Jai Shroff said, “Through our purpose “Open Ag”, our goal is to create an open network for agriculture, activating connections across the world’s agriculture system. It aims to power new levels of sustainable growth – for farmers, for producers, for customers, for partners and for societies everywhere. UPL’s acquisition of Laoting Yoloo will enhance our ability to achieve this purpose”.

Shroff further added: “Farmers need technologies that help them to be more resilient and enhance  performance even in the face of climate change, and to meet the increasing demands of ever more complex food systems”.

With over five decades of experience working with smallholder farmers, UPL has a deep understanding  of farmer needs worldwide and is very excited about the prospect of bringing its platform of technologies to Chinese farmers. UPL will offer broader choice, greater value and increased sustainability to food  growers in China, helping to contribute towards greater food security for the world.

About UPL

UPL is a leader in global food systems and with the acquisition of Arysta LifeScience, is now one of the top 5 agricultural solutions companies worldwide. With a proforma revenue of US$ 4.7 billion, UPL has a presence in over 130 countries. With market access to 90 percent of the world’s food basket and focused on high-growth regions, UPL represents a compelling value proposition for growers, distributors, suppliers and innovation partners in a consolidating market. The company offers an integrated portfolio of both patented and post-patent agricultural solutions for various arable and specialty crops, including  biological, crop protection, seed treatment and post-harvest solutions covering the entire crop value chain.

UPL Limited (“UPL”), has entered into a

Agrotech

The conference to host innovative trends and technologies addressing various changes involved at agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry through sustainable solutions evidenced by international experts

The International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry and Environment – ICAFE 2019 has been organized by V Sivaram Research Foundation, Bangalore, India between 27th to 29th Nov 2019 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The conference aims to propose viable solutions to problems emerging due to persistent climate change globally. With the objective of serving foster communication among researchers and practitioners working in various scientific areas with a common interest in achieving a sustainable environment and climate resilience, the forum encourages global innovators and experts at Agri-tech to share their expertise during the conference. The prestigious international conference is organized with an intention to provide an excellent international platform for the academicians, researchers, engineers, industrial participants and students with a futuristic vision to share their research findings with the specialists.

Participants have been invited for oral and poster presentation in the major area of agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Biological resources utilization & conservation, Environmental management and many more. By tackling the issues at sustainable agriculture like pest and disease management, quality food production and environmental sustainability the forum will witness emerging industry trends in Agri-technology. International experts will navigate into the procedure to improve economical yielding approaches, novel techniques to refine & calibrate traditional pesticides in disease control and other refined revolutionary trends.

The forum will be an exclusive enriching experience for a series of technical discussion on the proposed topics.

Precision agriculture and smart farming technology
Animal science, advances in Livestock production and management
Agronomy and industrial Crop production
Aquaculture and Fish production
Quality food production, food safety and food security
IPM, Biopesticides and Organic agriculture
Medicinal plants, photochemistry and drug discovery
Water management technology in agriculture and forestry
Agribusiness and Agri economics
Biotechnology in sustainable agriculture
Impacts of climate change on agriculture and forestry women in agriculture
Bioresources conservation for environmental sustainability
Impact of climate change and global warming on the ecosystem
Forest products and rural livelihood
Forest management, forestry education and information system
Ecotourism and nature conservation
Recent advances in agroforestry
Post harvesting technology and marketing
Horticulture, landscaping and urban agriculture
Mitigation of air water and soil pollution
Environmental toxicity and health safety
Alternative energy and waste resource management
Green chemistry and recycling
Trends in wildlife management
Agriculture, sericulture and dairy farming in rural developments
Advances in hydroponics

The conference to host innovative trends and

Cold Storage, Machinery – Post-harvesting, R&D

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and MSME Nitin Gadkari stressed on encouraging the use of bio fuels such as ethanol that can be procured from bamboo oil and used in fuel generation.

Biofuel is the future of next gen agriculture: Nitin Gadkari

 

 

Inaugurating the 11th Edition of Agrovision , Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and MSME Nitin Gadkari  stressed on  encouraging the use of bio fuels such as ethanol that can be procured from bamboo oil and used in fuel generation. He further highlighted the fact that ethanol using two wheelers are going to be the future which creates huge opportunity and need for high production of these fuels.

 

Need of better cold storage

Nitin Gadkari, also pointed the need of better cold storage facilities in the country.” By using the new cold storage technology, we can export our farm produce all over the world if we use cold storage facility in better way”, he said.

 

One stop Honey Processing unit

Gadkari also added that industry of honey production should be encouraged in Gadchiroli and Bhandara districts. “Central Food Technological Research Institute has recently developed honey cubes which will certainly help bee -keeping business for future honey production. We will start one stop honey processing centre in Gadchiroli that will provide employment to local farmers.”

 

Training institute farmers

Gadkari said that there is a need for permanent training institute for farmers. He also said that the Centre will offer technical know-how and training to the farmers of the region. Various workshops and seminars, training sessions, will be conducted in the training centre so that Vidarbha could be made free from farmers’ suicides.

Gadkari said that based on the feedback from farmers, he is planning to establish the training institute.  The training institute will be a boon for farmers as they will have access to highly qualified faculty members, lab, R&D facility, experts, officials, latest technology, Government schemes, project and other agriculture related information. The Agrovision Foundation will form a special committee to plan and work out the details of the Farmers Training Institute.

Former Agriculture minister Anil Bonde stressed on the use of sustainable energy for agriculture production cost. “Use of solar pumps is one of the examples of usage of sustainable energy. Agri-industry should explore and manufacture the solar based pumps for the better future of agriculture industry.”

Former member of Maharashtra legislative council, Pasha Patel said that oranges can effectively be used as a raw material for wine production using fermentation which also can be carried out in small scale level.

 

Union Minister for Road Transport and

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Cold Storage, Machinery – Post-harvesting, R&D

Pashya Patel, chairman of Maharashtra Commission of Agriculture cost and prices shares his views on encouraging processing industry in tribal and rural agriculture area.

 

How agriculture produce can be used to encourage agro-processing industry in the country?

In Maharashtra, we have a variety of fruits in Konkan and Gadchiroli which can be processed on the spot and can be sent directly in market. The fruits like Jackfruit, Jamun, Cashew apple,Mango  can be processed on the spot. As the farmers’ do not have proper cold storage facilities, many times fruits like Jamun and Cashew apple can get rotten within short span of time. Government should encourage the wine making processing unit in Konkan and Gadchiroli so that the fruits will be processed in time and on the spot .It ultimately it will save farmers from loss of agricultural produce.  Government should also wave off excise duty on wine processing industry so that it will encourage the processing industry in rural and tribal area. Farmers can become part of processing industry.

 

Do you think encouraging export of agricultural produce will help in doubling farmers’ income?

In India, total need of edible oil is 230 lakh metric tonnes and domestic production of edible oil is 70 lakh metric tonnes. Government have to import 150 lakh metric tonnes from other countries.  In our country, farmers did not even get MSP (Minimum Support Price) in open market for Soybean seeds which are used for the production of edible oil. After our follow up, last year, Government has increased tax on import for four times to encourage the production of oil seeds in the country. In 2000, there was 44 per cent import tax on refined oil and 16 per cent on crude oil. In 2001 these duties on import were revised as 75 per cent crude oil and 82 per cent on edible oil which ultimately gave increased the rate of Soybean seeds and farmers received good MSP for Soybean.  In recent when I became  chairman of Maharashtra Commission of Agriculture cost and prices the duty on import was 7.5 per cent on crude oil and 12.5 per cent which later on changed to 44 per cent on crude oil and 54 per cent on edible refined oil which again increased the profit of soybean growers. 

What changes government should make in agro-commodity trade policies to boost agro- industry?

Like US had appointed its representative officers world to collect the information about the climate changes. It helps them in increasing trade opportunities. When we communicated this point with central government, our government has appointed one agriculture officer in Indian embassy in each country to collect the information related to demands of world-wide agricultural market. It will help not help farmers but also increase the export of agriculture produce.

 

 

 

Pashya Patel, chairman of Maharashtra Commission of

Agrotech, Interaction

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways; MSME, Government of India launched AgroSpectrum, a new venture by MM Activ Sci Tech Communications Pvt Ltd, at the 11th Agro Vision Summit on 22nd November 2019 at Reshimbag Ground of Nagpur, Maharashtra.

MM Activ, who has been successfully running BioSpectrum India, BioSpectrum Asia and NuFFooDS Spectrum for the past few years, has introduced another B2B media platform AgroSpectrum catering to the agriculture and allied business community.

 “AgroSpectrum is committed to offer to the readers the latest news, unbiased reporting, balanced coverage of the agri sector, analysis of developments in the sector, valuable & reliable information, emerging trends – all that will create meaningful content for effective business decision-making”, said Ravindra Boratkar, Publisher, AgroSpectrum; MD, MM Activ Sci Tech Communications Pvt. Ltd. 

 Its integrated B2B digital media platform agrospectrumindia.com has already been uniquely positioned as a specialized online portal for the Agriculture Industry and has been receiving excellent page views and hits. A veteran in the field of agriculture, Prof (Dr) C D Mayee, former Chairman of Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board, New Delhi, is the advisor for the digital platform.

Theme for Inaugural Issue

The theme of the special print issue is ‘Doubling Farmers’ income; Agri-business indicators for success’. All the articles will be woven around this theme.

www.agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine-request 

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport &

Cold Storage, Supply Chain

The state government admitted in the Assembly that around 62 per cent of the existing cold storage in the state are non-function.

 

 

 

According to a written reply submitted by Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Arun Sahoo, there are 128 cold storages in the state of which 80 (62.5 per cent) are lying defunct. 

Sahoo also told the House that the state government has been extending its support to the growth of these cold storage units managed by private players. The minister boasted of the 55 per cent capital incentive given by the government for setting up of such centres up to Rs 220 lakh. 

The reply of the minister comes at a time when the cold storage operators are fumed at the government for not extending required support to the cold storage units and not agreeing to their long pending demands. The cold storage operators had recently staged agitation to press for fulfilment of their demands.

 The Cold Storage Association of Odisha claimed that the much hyped Potato Mission of the state government has failed and as a result the whole cold storage system has come to the verge collapse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The state government admitted in the Assembly

Interaction, Text Blog

MM Activ Sci Tech Communications brings out another publication for its viewers- AgroSpectrum- ‘Envisaging Future- Updating Present’ at the 11th edition of Agrovision:  India’s Premier Agri Summit on 22nd November 2019.

As you are aware that MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications, an Integrated Media Organization is committed to create brands that enable knowledge sharing and business collaboration across various areas of Science & Technology through its various key business verticals of Media, Events and Partnering since its inception. Over the years, MM Activ’s media division has been proved to be a Global Media Platform in order to facilitate businesses for relevant industry verticals.

It has a proven track record of publishing various B2B premium monthly magazines like NuFFooDS Spectrum; BioSpectrum India and BioSpectrum Asia since many years. These magazines also have a presence on digital and social media. NuFFooDS Spectrum deals with nutraceuticals, functional foods, dietary supplements, health foods and food processing. BioSpectrum deals with life & health sciences, pharma & biopharma, MedTech and healthcare sectors.

The agriculture sector is one of the mainstays of the Indian economy. New age farming practices are at the centre stage for all agricultural reforms. However the Indian market is quiet nascent amounting to only 0.66 billion. There are several key issues to be addressed right from doubling farmer’s income, to structural reforms to make it a profitable business. Innovation is the key to give a new lease of life to the Agriculture sector.

As Government of India has been focusing on promoting Agri-entrepreneurship & incubation of Agri start-ups and developing new business models in order to bring about a transformation in this sector, we take immense pleasure to inform you that the inaugural Print issue of our premium Agriculture B2B magazine “AgroSpectrum” has been planned to be launched in Nov 2019.

The magazine will provide informative articles for Agri business, latest reports, case studies, new emerging trends and in-depth analysis on key issues of national and international importance in agriculture and high-end farming industry.

The magazine will be officially unveiled during Agro Vision 2019, India’s Premier Agri Summit, which is scheduled to be held from 22-25 November, 2019 at Reshimbagh Ground, Nagpur, Maharashtra. The copies will be distributed to most of the key participants & visitors of the event.

Its integrated B2B digital media platform agrospectrumindia.com has already been uniquely positioned as a specialized online portal for the Agriculture Industry and has been receiving excellent page views and hits. A veteran in the field of agriculture, Prof (Dr) C D Mayee, former Chairman of Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board, New Delhi, is the advisor for the digital platform.

Theme for Inaugural Issue

The theme of the special print issue is ‘Doubling Farmers’ income; Agri-business indicators for success’. All the articles will be woven around this theme.

Coverage on Key issues of different Verticals

The magazine will also analyze sectoral issues involving new age farming, farm mechanization, seeds, fertilizers, high-tech agriculture, Agri Biotechnology, Contract Farming, farm credit, Crop protection, Corp processing, agribusiness, research and extension, marketing, etc.

Reaching out to Key readers & target groups

AgroSpectrum will be widely circulated to most of the professionals of agriculture industry, Agri equipment manufacturers, seeds Producers, policymakers, Govt. officials, industry associations, Research & Academic institutions, Banks, financial and rural institutions, Insurance companies, agriculture experts and other stake-holders in the agriculture sector.

 AgroSpectrum

  • AgroSpectrumIndia provides a unique B2B platform to disseminate advertisers’ message, showcase their products, services, achievements, future activities, partnership/expansion plans or financial results to their core audience.
  • AgroSpectrumIndia is the best medium to generate business leads, offer solutions and seek collaborations in the Agro and allied industry.
  • AgroSpectrumIndia gives an opportunity to engage with discerning professionals in the industry.
  • AgroSpectrumIndia has unmatched reach among decision-makers, top management, analysts, experts, policymakers, regulators and influencers.

View Launch Issue – http://www.agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine-request

 

 

MM Activ Sci Tech Communications brings out

Agrotech

The MoU renewal takes place at the Bengaluru Tech Summit

Karnataka Hague Innovation corridor Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between The City of Hague and the Government of Karnataka (GoK), for collaboration in fields of healthcare, agritech to name a few.

The MoU will focus on identifying partnerships for tech innovation, startup exchanges and nurturing talent on both sides. This partnership has been already ongoing for a few years in the areas of cybersecurity, healthcare and startups.

This time the area of agri-tech has been added to the list. “We are inded delighted to see our partnership deepen with The Hague. This MoU’s renewal is a result of efforts from both the sides to set up an ecosystem to promote innovation”, shared Ramanna Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Dept of IT, BT, GoK.

The MoU was signed in the presence of the Deputy Mayor of The Hague, the Netherlands, Saskia Bruines.

The MoU renewal takes place at the