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Acts & Schemes – Centre

Till date, total of 80,474 farmers and 70,581 traders are registered on this App. 

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare had launched “Kisan Rath” App on 17 April  to facilitate Farmers and Traders in identifying right mode of transportation for movement of farm produce ranging from food grain (cereal, coarse cereal, pulses etc), Fruits & Vegetables, oil seeds, spices, fibre crops, flowers, bamboo, log & minor forest produce, coconuts etc. Till date, total of 80,474 farmers and 70,581 traders are registered on this App.

Due to complete lockdown, all the wholesale mandis were closed on 25.03.2020. There are 2587 Principal/Main agricultural Markets available in India, out of which 1091 markets were functional on 26.03.2020. As on 23.04.2020, 2067 markets were made functional.

The procurement of Pulses & Oilseeds on MSP is currently in progress in twenty (20) States. A quantity of 1,79,852.21 MT of Pulses and 1,64,195.14 MT of Oilseeds has been procured by NAFED and FCI valued at Rs 1605.43 Crores through which 2,05,869 farmers have been benefited.

 

 

 

Till date, total of 80,474 farmers and 70,581

E-commerce

Operations in its all three manufacturing facilities located at Sanand (Gujarat), Udhampur (J&K) and Keshwana (Rajasthan) have resumed. 

After a temporary shutdown amid Covid-19, the agrochemicals services provider Dhanuka Agritech on Friday informed that they have reopened their operations in various regions. However, not all offices of Dhanuka will be opened and employees there will continue to work from home.

In a notification to exchanges, Dhanuka revealed that operations in its all three manufacturing facilities located at Sanand (Gujarat), Udhampur (J&K) and Keshwana (Rajasthan) have resumed.

Dhanuka said, “we would like to inform the exchange that Company started to operate it’s all there plants and depots, to keep the essential manufacturing activities on to ensure the global supply chain of pesticides/crop protection products as the Company falls under the “Essential Commodities and Services list, issued by Govt. of India.”

However, Dhanuka also informs that personnel based at its corporate offices located at Gurugram and registered office at New Delhi are working from home and providing the required support to other functions.

For Gurugram and Delhi corporate offices, Dhanuka states the situation will continue to be closely monitored and appropriate actions initiated will also be communicated at the appropriate time as required.

 

Operations in its all three manufacturing facilities

Agro Universities, R&D

New maize hybrids have been recognized as promising for the release in different seasons & agro-ecologies of the country. 

 

 The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said that it has identified 8 new hybrid varieties of maize as promising for release in different seasons & agro-ecologies in the country.

 It said that the maize varieties were identified after discussion with the agri scientists through a digital training of the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) attended by as many as 150 participants from across the nation.

 While addressing the workshop, Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, ICAR Director General appreciated the efforts of maize scientists for continuing with the research work amid COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Mohapatra asked the ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research (ICAR-IIMR), Ludhiana to carry out basic, strategic and applied research for improving production, productivity & sustainability of the crop. 

He added that AICRP on maize needs to play the lead role in making maize as the future crop of the country. 

ICAR in a statement said, “In this workshop, eight new maize hybrids have been recognized as promising for the release in different seasons & agro-ecologies of the country”.

’Makka’ app 

 A bilingual mobile app known as ’’Makka’’ was launched for the farmers, industries & other stakeholders in maize. This app (Hindi and English) contains video, static & dynamic features on the crop varietal selection, crop cultivation practices, pest fertiliser/pesticide calculation, mechanisation, news or updates & advisories to the farmers, the ICAR said.

 In addition, demos were held in over 1,500 hectare on enhancing maize productive practices in various parts of the country. 

Besides this, the workshop suggested zero-tilled maize after rice; sensor-based nitrogen management; post emergence herbicide for weed control to increase farm profitability, input use efficiency & reduce drudgery in maize production.

 The workshop also discussed about the outbreak of Fall Armyworm (FAW) that had threatened maize crop last year. The ICAR said, to control the pest disease, around 102 training programmes were conducted in India, benefiting more than 10,000 stakeholders for management of FAW.

New maize hybrids have been recognized as

Dairy, E-commerce, Supply Chain

The company has deployed 28 vehicles for supply of milk and other products to 107 hotspots across Delhi-NCR. 

Mother Dairy, the milk and milk products major and subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has stepped up its efforts to be able to reach more people and ensure supplies of essential commodities like milk and milk products in more localities of Delhi NCR as government extends the Covid-19 lockdown.  

The company has doubled its temporary kiosks set-up across Delhi-NCR to 50. Additionally, it has made dedicated arrangements to make essential commodities available at nearly all the hotspots in the region. The company has made special arrangements at government declared hotspots in collaboration with the various RWAs for ensuring its supplies. Additionally, it is also cooperating with local administration to overcome supply challenges in movement and so on to ensure that consumers in lockdown have easy access to their daily essentials of milk and milk products.

 The company has deployed 28 vehicles for supply of milk and other products to 107 hotspots across Delhi-NCR. The vehicles start operating from 6.00 am onwards and cover multiple routes to reach out to all locations. In order to ensure supplies, the company has been making efforts to put requisite infrastructure such as asset placement in locations while devising route maps and assigning dedicated sales force to manage the consumer demand while ensuring strict adherence to safety norms. 

“We are making all effort to ensure that people do not face any challenges in availability of essential items like milk, milk-products, edible oil, fruits and vegetables. In order to achieve this, our on-ground team is working round-the-clock. We are thankful to our team, as well as farmers, truck-drivers and booth concessionaries for putting their lives on line in their call of duty. Without their support, Mother Dairy would not have been able to reach all the areas,” Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd, spokesperson said. 

Since the lockdown, the company has been making all efforts to maintain adequate supply of its products to all consumers. Through the set-up of kiosks and mobile vans, the company is offering its entire range of its products including edible oil. 

In order to serve consumers, the company has aligned procurement network across locations to make requisite arrangements at all levels to ensure timely delivery with strict adherence to quality norms. “As an essential commodity of daily nutrition, we are also making alternative arrangements to address challenging situation due to Covid-19,” the spokesperson said.The company sells more than 30 lakh litre of milk per day in Delhi NCR and operates a network of around 850 milk booths in the National Capital Region.

The company has deployed 28 vehicles for

Webinar

Watch on Demand Webinar Available on “The Impact of COVID 19 on Food Processing Sector and Road Ahead”

Agrovision is one such genuine initiative, which is providing an integrative framework and a platform to bring all the stakeholders consisting of farmers, Government, NGOs, Scientists, Industry under single umbrella to deliberate and debate at different levels for all around growth of agriculture.

The vision of Agrovision is to create a more knowledgeable, practical and a smart famer. Agrovision’s basic objective has always been to Educate, Encourage and Empower the farmers through its major activities i.e. Free Workshops for farmers, International Exhibition, Expert Panel Discussions, Conference etc.

 Webinar Available  on “The Impact of COVID 19 on Food Processing Sector and Road Ahead” 

Watch Now

 

Watch on Demand Webinar Available on

Agro Universities

The Ministry of Commerce is in the process of forming a high level search committee to identify successor to Prof Dhanakumar

The tenure of Prof VG Dhanakumar, Director of the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM), has been extended until March 2021. He has been serving as director of IIPM since April 6, 2006. The Ministry of Commerce is in the process of forming a high level search committee to identify successor to Prof Dhanakumar, said a press release.

 With over three decades of experience in agri-business and service sector, Dhanakumar held positions at University of Wisconsin-Madison and Cornell University, Ithaca, USA and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

The Ministry of Commerce is in the

E-commerce, Finance, Start ups

Other investors Sequoia Surge and Omidyar Network have infused Rs 15 crore and Rs 17 crore, respectively. 

 

 

B2B agritech startup Bijak has raised about $12 million (Rs 90.76 crore) in its Series A funding round led by Russian venture capital firm RTP Global. Sequoia-backed Surge Ventures, Omidyar Network, AL Trust, Tempo Ventures and Omnivore Partners also participated in the financing round, according to the company’s regulatory filings.

 While the round was led by Moscow-based Ru Net Enterprises, which pumped in Rs 38 crore, it also saw participation of its existing backers Sequoia Surge and Omidyar Network. They have infused Rs 15 crore and Rs 17 crore, respectively.

Bijak, which was part of Sequoia’s accelerator programme Surge 2.0, had raised Rs 20 crore in its seed round. The startup was founded in 2019 by Nikhil Tripathi, Mahesh Jakhotia, Nukul Upadhye and Jitender Bedwal. It currently has a 50 member team which works out of Gurugram. It operates across 22 states and 400 districts.

 

The start-up raised $2.5 million as part of seed funding from Sequoia’s SurgeAhead, Omidyar Network, Omnivore and other angel investors last December. At that time, the company’s founder Nukul Upadhye had said: “We are targeting a $200 billion market in India, which has almost five million-plus middlemen”.

Bijak is trying to digitise and organise the agro procurement market by connecting buyers and sellers through a single platform. It runs a marketplace which offers transparent pricing, easy payments, complete documentation and record keeping for participants in the agro procurement chain.

Other investors Sequoia Surge and Omidyar Network

E-commerce, Seeds

FSII members have donated over Rs 1.97 crore towards PM Cares Fund and Rs 2.44 crore to Chief Minister Relief Funds 

In midst of the nationwide lockdown, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) along with its members have been taking active participation in India’s fight against COVID-19 and at the forefront of the efforts to maintain seed supply lines to the farmers. 

Moreover, FSII has been constructively engaging with the Central and State Governments in representing needs of the seed industry and in getting the necessary policy support for the processing, packing and transportation of seeds necessary for the Kharif season. With the help of quick policy support from the governments, the members of FSII are now certain that there will be no shortage of seeds for the upcoming planting season. 

Taking their contributions to the fight against COVID-19 and social responsibility a step higher, the FSII members have now pledged donations of over Rs 9 Cr towards PM Cares Fund, Chief Minister relief funds and towards other measures like PPE, Safety measures, Food distribution and Awareness programmes. This humanitarian aid is for scaling up healthcare support, sanitisation at containment zones, feeding communities and treatment of the disease.

As per reports, FSII members have donated over Rs 1.97 crore towards PM Cares Fund and Rs 2.44 crore to Chief Minister Relief Funds of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. FSII members Mahyco, Rasi, Syngenta, Crystal and Corteva have pledged more than Rs. 1 crore each in relief measures to fight COVID 19. 

Additionally, in Jalna (Maharashtra) Mahyco is providing food and grocery to villagers, meals to healthcare workers and medical equipments. The Group has also offered Eye Care Hospital for setting up COVID Care treatment and a College hostel for setting up Quarantine facility.

 Tamil Nadu based Rasi Seeds have contributed in various ways in the state like providing boom sprayers for disinfecting places, providing Rs 1 lakh COVID insurance coverage to 2000 villagers and Rasi employees, relief to women farmers in tribal areas through NGO called ALC, distribution of 25000 masks, PPE and sanitizers to villagers and health workers. 

Corteva is committed to helping individuals and communities impacted by COVID-19. This year, Corteva will donate to PM Cares Fund in India and global food security organizations around the world that are helping those that are food insecure during these challenging times. The company is also donating supplies and materials that can be used by professionals who are working to treat and prevent the COVID-19 spread.

 Syngenta has initiated a national helpline to support farmers during these distressing times. The company is also providing PPE kits to frontline health workers and farmers, undertaking sanitization drives in Uttar Pradesh, providing relief material such as packed food through an NGO to farmers at Mandis, groceries to the underprivileged in villages. Under a rehabilitation program, the company has committed Rs 1.73 crores.

 Other FSII members like BASF, Bayer, Bioseed, Enza Zaden, HM Clause, I&B, JK, Kalash, Nirmal, Noble, Rallis, Rijkzwan, Seedworks, Savannah,  Takii, Tokita are pledging over Rs 2.56 Crores towards PM Cares Fund, CM’s Relief funds and are also reaching out to the municipalities, health officials and hospitals by providing them with PPE kits, sanitisers, gloves, face masks, sanitising cities, feeding people, providing health care support and running awareness campaigns across the country. Voluntary contributions are also made by employees of FSII member companies which are being donated to the relief funds. Further, the member companies are also supporting their own employees at their factories with full healthy and safe work environment.

 Certain large groups who are members of FSII are also contributing at a much larger scale. Bayer India, as part of the CSR, has dedicated INR 7.2 crores that includes overall contribution from the company as well as employees. Bayer is providing PPE kits, masks, sanitizers, disinfectants and arranging for meals by supporting frontline healthcare workers, doctors, migrant laborers, quarantined patients and police personnel in all the major communities the company serves. Additionally, Maharashtra Government is also supported by developing a digital tool for assessment and overall management of the pandemic.

 Large efforts are made by DCM Sriram group who has committed Rs 10 crore towards PM Cares Fund, Rs 5 crore for initiatives directly taken up by the company to help communities and towards contribution to the funds set up by state Governments. The staff and workers of DCM Sriram have raised Rs 82 lakhs from their salaries, which will also be donated to the PM Cares Fund. 

JK Group has committed Rs 10 Crore towards PM Cares Fund. They are also reaching out at various locations across the country to help communities with food, water, masks, sanitisers, isolation wards/beds at health centres, development of ventilators and is running social distancing and awareness campaigns in more than 150 villages across the country.

FSII members have donated over Rs 1.97

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy, Inputs, Seeds

The farmers has been given 50 per cent subsidy on seeds and fertilizers till now which will be extended to 90 per cent. 

 

 

In midst of the nationwide lockdown, the government has initiated different relief measures for the farmers keeping in mind the current crisis and upcoming Kharif Season. Moreover, the government of Jharkhand announced that the farmers will be given a subsidy up to 90 per cent on the purchase of seeds and fertilizers. As per reports, a proposal is being prepared in this regard. This proposal will be presented in the state government cabinet meeting. However, the farmers of Jharkhand has been given 50 per cent subsidy on seeds and fertilizers till now which will be extended to 90 per cent.

The economic condition of farmers and labourers has deteriorated due to COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Keeping in mind these conditions, preparations are being made to give subsidy on seeds and fertilizers, so that farmers do not have to bear the extra burden. The Agriculture Minister assured that farmers will get this benefit before the harvesting of Kharif crop.

Moreover, the government has strictly tightened the middle man during the allocation of seed-manure. The government has also ordered to give them permission to sell who holds a license. In this way, farmers will be able to get government benefits. Apart from this, good quality seeds will also be available.

The positive side is that preparations are being made to give seeds to the farmers of the state from 15th May. Tenders have also been taken out for seed distribution. It is being told that the process of selecting the company will start as soon as the government’s proposal of subsidy passes in the cabinet. Right now all the decisions are being taken in the interest of the farmers so that the farmers get more benefits and they do not have to face any kind of financial loss amid the nationwide lockdown.

 Around 15 lakh hectares of land is used to cultivate paddy by 1.40 lakh farmers in Jharkhand. If farmers get 90 per cent subsidy in seeds and fertilizers, then farmers will get a lot of relief in farming. Moreover, the farmer doesn’t need to take a KCC loan for their farming. However, an instalment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme has also been sent to the farmers between Corona and lockdown. Around 15 lakh farmers of the state are taking advantage of PM KISAN Scheme, says reports.

The farmers has been given 50

Interaction, Webinar

AgroSpectrum hosted a webinar on. ’Impact of COVID-19 on the agricultural sector’ Friday, April 24, at 3 pm

COVID-19 lockdown is disrupting some activities in agriculture and supply chains. Few reports show that the non-availability of migrant labor is interrupting harvesting activities. There are disruptions in supply chains because of transportation problems and other issues. As a result, a number of questions are arising regarding the implications of the COVID-19 situation on food production and agricultural supply chains and markets..AgroSpectrum is reaching out to the experts to assess the impact of COVID-19 on agriculture and allied sectors.’

Watch on Demand Available Now 

 

For any query on webinar , please email us at ankit.kankar@mmactiv.com

AgroSpectrum hosted a webinar on. ’Impact of COVID-19

Acts & Schemes – Centre

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar shared the decision in virtual meeting of G-20

Tomar shared the decision of Government of India to exempt all agriculture operations during lockdown period and ensuring continued availability of essential agriculture produce and supply, while adhering to protocol of social distancing, health and hygiene.

The G-20 Agriculture Ministers virtual meeting was organized through video conferencing by the Saudi Presidency to deliberate on the ways and means of ensuring continuity of food supply value chain including livelihood of farmers.

It was attended by Agriculture Ministers of all G-20 members, some guest countries and International organizations. Tomar welcomed the initiative taken by Saudi Arabia to bring the G-20 countries together.

Later, a declaration of G-20 agriculture ministers was accepted. The G-20 nations resolved to have international cooperation in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic, to avoid food wastages and losses, maintain the continuity of food supply value chain across borders.

They also resolved to work together for food security and nutrition, share best practices and lessons learnt, promote research, responsible investments, innovations and reforms that will improve the sustainability and resilience of agriculture and food systems.

The G-20 nations also agreed to develop science based international guidelines on stricter safety and hygienic measures for zoonosis control.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar shared

Finance, World

 IFAD aims to raise at least $200 million more from member states, foundations and the private sector 

 With the Covid-19 pandemic and economic slowdown threatening the lives and livelihoods of the world’s most vulnerable people, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) committed US$40 million, and launched an urgent appeal for additional funds, to support farmers and rural communities to continue growing and selling food. 

IFAD’s new multi-donor fund, the Covid-19 Rural Poor Stimulus Facility, will mitigate the effects of the pandemic on food production, market access and rural employment.  As part of the broader UN socio-economic response framework, the facility will ensure that farmers in the most vulnerable countries have timely access to inputs, information, markets and liquidity. 

On top of its own contribution, IFAD aims to raise at least $200 million more from member states, foundations and the private sector. “We need to act now to stop this health crisis transforming into a food crisis,” said Gilbert F Houngbo, president of IFAD. 

 “The fallout from Covid-19 may push rural families even deeper into poverty, hunger and desperation, which is a real threat to global prosperity and stability. With immediate action, we can provide rural people with the tools to adapt and ensure a quicker recovery, averting an even bigger humanitarian crisis,” he added. 

With their movements restricted to contain further spread of the virus, many small-scale farmers are unable to access markets to sell produce or to buy inputs, such as seeds or fertiliser. Closures of major transport routes and export bans are also likely to affect food systems adversely. 

 As entire production chains are disrupted and unemployment rises, the most vulnerable include daily labourers, small businesses and informal workers, who are very often women and young people.

 The return of workers from cities affected by lockdowns will put further strain on rural households, which will also stop receiving much-needed remittances.About 80 per cent of the world’s poorest and most food insecure people live in rural areas. Even before the outbreak, more than 820 million people were going hungry every day. 

A recent United Nations University study warned that in a worst-case scenario, the economic impact of the pandemic could push a further half-billion people into poverty. 

“This pandemic is threatening the gains we have made in reducing poverty over the past years. To avoid serious disruption to rural economies, it is essential to ensure agriculture, food chains, markets and trade continue to function,” said Houngbo. 

“A majority of the world’s most impoverished people are already suffering the consequences of climate change and conflict. An economic downturn in rural areas could compound these effects, generating more hunger and increasing instability, especially in fragile states,” he added. 

The Rural Poor Stimulus Facility will focus on the following activities:

  • Provide inputs for production of crops, livestock and fisheries to small-scale producers so that they can weather the immediate effects of the economic crisis.
  • Facilitate access to markets to support small-scale farmers to sell their products in conditions where restricted movement is interrupting the functioning of markets, including providing logistics and storage support.
  • Provide targeted funds for rural financial services to ensure sufficient liquidity is available and to ease immediate loan repayment requirements to maintain services, markets and jobs for poor rural people.
  • Use digital services to share key information on production, weather, finance and markets.
  •  IFAD has significant experience in working in fragile situations improving the resilience of rural populations. 
  • For example, in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak, IFAD-supported banks were the sole providers of banking and financial services in affected areas.
  •  They provided timely assistance during the outbreak and supported the renewal of the rural economy after the crisis passed. 
  • Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, IFAD was already stepping up its programmes and calling on member states to increase investments in rural development to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 – ending hunger. 

“A timely response to the pandemic is an opportunity to rebuild the world’s food systems along more sustainable and inclusive lines and build the resilience of rural populations to crisis, whether related to health, climate or conflict,” said Houngbo. 

IFAD has received requests from governments in more than 65 countries to help respond to the impact of the pandemic. It has already adapted its projects and diverted funds to support this.

 IFAD aims to raise at least $200

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agro chems – Fertilizers

Rs 22,187 Cr will be given for FY 2020-21

The Centre has cut the subsidy on non-urea fertilisers, to reduce the burden on the exchequer to Rs 22,186.55 crore for FY21 during the COVID-19 lockdown. This decision was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) which was headed by PM Narendra Modi.

 Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Information & Broadcasting said, “The CCEA has given its approval for fixation of nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) rates for phosphatic & potassic (P&K) fertilisers for the year 2020-21. The expected expenditure for release of subsidy on P&K fertilisers during 2020-21 will be Rs 22,186.55 crore.” 

The fertiliser ministry has said in a statement, the nitrogen subsidy has been reduced to Rs 18.78 per kg, phosphorous Rs 14.88 per kg, potash Rs 10.11 per kg & sulphur Rs 2.37 per kg for the present financial year. 

For 2019-20, the subsidy for nitrogen was fixed at Rs 18.90 per kg, phosphorous at Rs 15.21 per kg, potash at Rs 11.12 per kg & sulphur at Rs 3.56 per kg. The expected expenditure was Rs 22,875 crore in year 2019-20. 

Adding to it, the CCEA has also approved the inclusion of a complex fertiliser called ammonium phosphate (NP 14:28:0:0) under the NBS scheme. In the year 2010, the government has started the nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) programme. Under it, a fixed amount of subsidy, decided on an annual basis, is given on each grade of subsidised phosphatic & potassic (P&K) fertilisers, except for urea, based on the nutrient content present in them. 

The retail prices of non-urea fertilisers like Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Potash (MoP) and NPK are decontrolled. They are determined by manufacturers, while Centre provides a fixed subsidy each year. 

The government is also making available fertilisers, such as urea & 21 grades of P&K fertilisers to farmers at subsidised prices via manufacturers or importers. For urea, the MRP (maximum retail price) are fixed by the government. The difference between the production cost & the MRP is reimbursed to manufacturers.

 

 

Rs 22,187 Cr will be given for

E-commerce, R&D

The partnership aims to evaluate the performance of Amoéba’s biocontrol solutions 

Amoéba (FR0011051598 – AMEBA), producer of a biological biocide capable of eliminating the risk in water and human wounds, and of a biocontrol product for plant protection, still in the testing phase, announces the signature of a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) with Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. The purpose of this partnership is to evaluate the performance of Amoéba’s biocontrol solutions and, if tests are conclusive, could lead to a possible business development partnership.

 Bayer wishes to test, through its research partnership with Amoéba, biocontrol solutions containing the amoeba lysate Willaertia magna C2c Maky.

 These trials, conducted by the Crop Science division, in accordance with Bayer internal procedures, will be carried out on various pathogens affecting crops.

“Because crops protection must be associated with the environment and populations safeguard, Amoéba has demonstrated, through several partnerships latest signings, the validity of its research to offer new natural alternatives. The evaluation phases of our biocontrol products are scaling up through these research agreements with major players in the sector, who could become our customers if tests are conclusive.” explains Fabrice Plasson, Chairman and CEO of Amoéba.

 Amoéba points out that the company is still in the testing phase for its biocide and biocontrol applications and does not currently market any products.

 

The partnership aims to evaluate the performance