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Home2020November (Page 3)
Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech

MFP to benefit 25000 farmers and generate employment for 5000 persons

 Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj virtually inaugurated Mega Food Park (MFP) at Phagwara in Kapurthala district of Punjab. Tomar said that Punjab and Haryana have significant role in development of agriculture sector of India.

 He added that due to untiring efforts of farmers of these two states, India is not only self-reliant in food grains but is food surplus. He said that Punjab has been ahead in production of rice and wheat however, due to reduced ground water levels, diversification of crops is required for which Punjab farmers have taken several steps.

 He said that food processing sector needs to be focussed upon so that farmers get fair prices and related sectors can also benefit.

 

This Mega Food Park is built at project cost of Rs 107.83 crores and spread over 55 acres of land. It is expected to benefit about 25000 farmers and likely to generate employment of about 5000 persons. It is equipped with Raw Material/Finished goods Warehouses (3944Sqm), Silos (20000 MT), Cold Storage (3000 MT), IQF & Deep Freezer (IQF: 2 MT/hr + Deep Freezer: 2000 MT) & other related food processing facilities.

 

He added that a 10,000 crore fund has been created under Aatmanirbhar Bharat, for development of food processing sector which will benefit farmers and create employment opportunities. Till date, 37 MFPs have been sanctioned and 20 have already started functioning. 

Tomar said that Sukhjit Mega Food Park would prove to be a milestone in the progress of food processing sector.

 

MFP to benefit 25000 farmers and generate

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

Spiropidion is an innovative new technology that can be used to protect crops from  most damaging, and difficult to control, sucking pests

 Syngenta has unveiled Spiropidion, an innovative new insect control technology that will help farmers protect their crops against damaging sucking pests in an effective and environmentally sustainable manner.

 

Sucking pests, such as aphids, whiteflies, and scales, devastate high value fruit and vegetables like tomatoes, oranges and melons, as well as important arable crops like cotton and soybean. Spiropidion is safe to natural beneficial insects and pollinators, offering farmers a new tool for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.

 

Spiropidion is the result of chemistry-driven innovation within a rare class of insecticides that helps crops from the inside, protecting the whole plant body from attack of damaging sucking pests, thereby securing crop quality, yields and the livelihood of farmers.

 

“We are excited to offer farmers a new active ingredient that provides more targeted protection against some of the most difficult and damaging sucking pests. The best way I can describe this new innovation is that it’s kind to nature but hard on pests!” said Jon Parr, President Global Crop Protection at Syngenta. “Spiropidion is another clear example of how we are accelerating investment to deliver plant health innovations that support farmers, across the world, to grow productively and sustainably.”

 

The first global registration of a formulated product containing Spiropidion was obtained in Guatemala in September 2020, where the product will be marketed under the brand name ELESTAL® Neo in the coming months. Planned launches of Spiropidion containing formulations also include Paraguay and Pakistan in 2021, and Brazil in 2023 (pending registrations). In the European Union, regulatory submission is anticipated for 2022-2023. Future launches across a broad range of crops in more than 60 countries across all continents are expected in the next six years, with peak sales estimated above $400 million.

Spiropidion is an innovative new technology that

Agro chems – Chemicals, North America

Sami-Sabinsa analyses both Glyphosate and also its major metabolite AMPA

Sami-Sabinsa headquartered in the US, a pioneer in the nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industry, is offering glyphosate test results to customers, using a proprietary method for testing glyphosate developed by Sami-Sabinsa’s scientists. In October they began testing for residual herbicide in 20 nutraceutical ingredients as a routine practice, along with all other USP listed pesticides, and are widening the scope to all products the company sells. Spices must be below 7 ppm and herbs below 0.2 ppm. 

Glyphosate, which Monsanto patented in the mid-1970s and sells under the name RoundUp is common and controversial. Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that controls broadleaf weeds and grasses and has been registered as a pesticide in the US since 1974.  It is also used to dry crops out before harvesting, speeding up maturation.

Initial industry testing reported low toxicity for Glyphosate in mammals, leading regulatory authorities worldwide to set high acceptable exposure limits. However, in the intervening years, new information has raised profound concerns with many organizations and consumers as to its safety.  

Multiple organizations, such as the WHO’s International Agency for Research of Cancer have stated that it is carcinogenic to humans, and there have been multi-million-dollar awards in lawsuits against the company for cancer found to be from exposure to that material. Monsanto is now owned by Bayer.

The residue definition for glyphosate in wheat for the US and the EU requires measuring the amount of glyphosate in the product. Codex, on the other hand, requires also measuring the amount of N-acetylglyphosate, which is a metabolite of glyphosate; Australia requires glyphosate, N-acetylglyphosate, and AMPA (another metabolite). Sami-Sabinsa analyses both Glyphosate and also its major metabolite AMPA. The total of these two is reported as Glyphosate. Glyphosate rapidly gets converted to AMPA after absorption in soil, which is why Sami-Sabinsa’s scientists decided to monitor AMPA as well.

Sami-Sabinsa analyses both Glyphosate and also its

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Seeds

With the entry of private players, the farm sector would see higher involvement of digital technology and entrepreneurships. 

When the Union Finance Minister proposed 16-point action plan to boost agriculture and farmers’ welfare while presenting the budget earlier this year, the stage was set for liberalisation of the farm sector. There has been a long-pending demand of the comprehensive reforms to make agriculture a sustainable and scalable industry, and the new farm laws are the steps in the right direction. Farmers will not be able to lift out of poverty unless the agriculture sector sees heavy investment in the entire food supply chain. Much like 1991, the year 2020 will be marked as the watershed moment in India’s agriculture history.

 

The new farm laws is a step in the right direction to correct the anomalies that had affected the growth of farm sector for decades. For long farmers have been selling their commodities for an inflated price and are not getting the right price for their produce.

 

Dr. Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), said, “The newly enacted Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act grants farmers’ much-needed freedom to sell their produce wherever they want, which ensure farmers can look for the best prices. Similarly, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to tie up with private players and seek better prices. These laws unshackled Indian agriculture from the ruinous practices, making way for successful liberalisation story.”

 

Agriculture employs over 54 percent of workforce in India but its contribution to the GDP has been around 17 percent. About 86 percent of farmers in India are small and marginal, which means they cultivate less than 2 hectares of land. The shrinking and fragmented lands and the strict regulations had affected the agriculture sector significantly, making us one of the countries in the world with the lowest crop productivity. The new laws allow farmers to enter into agreements with private procurement agencies, food processors to grow different varieties and sell them at assured prices.

The scope for the cluster farming is set to widen after the private procurement agencies especially food processors would seek to buy bulk amount of crop produce of uniform quality, same nutritional value as well as without chemical traces. It would support the efforts of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to capture overseas markets where regulations are quite strict.

The amendments in The Essential Commodities Act will bring investment in the food supply chain. The ambitious plan of doubling farm income by 2022 now appears more practical with the government opening up the agriculture sector for the diversified reforms.

Moreover, the farm liberalisation is going to benefit consumers as well. Since the role of middlemen is gone, the agriculture produce would be made available at lower cost. In the due course, when the roust food supply chain is built, the end prices would go down further as the amount of wastage would reduce substantially. Besides, the nutritional value of the crop would also become better.

 

With the entry of private players, the farm sector would see higher involvement of digital technology and entrepreneurships. It would help offer a wide array of agricultural commodities and food items for end consumers. There is huge scope for entrepreneurship, which would help farmers, consumers and start-ups alike. Various small companies can buy crop produce such as vegetables and fruits and deliver it to the nearby areas. It would help the local rural economy to flourish.

Most of the farmers or their family members possess a mobile smartphone. The digitisation of supply chain would help farmers to take decision about which crop to grow based on the demand in the local, national or even international markets. The start-ups can make investments in different areas such as yield estimation models to boost productivity, data-driven diagnostics for determination of soil and crop health.

Owing to the changing market demands, farmers would be in search of good quality seeds, pesticides, agriculture tools and equipment. This opens up several opportunities for start-ups in delivery of certified micronutrients, seeds through online interface and in custom hiring area. To sum up, the farm liberalisation is set to enhance the ease of doing business and implementation of flexible policies. The transformation of the farm sector is set to usher over 44 percent of Indian population that is dependent on agriculture into the era of modernisation and prosperity.

With the entry of private players, the

Acquaculture, Agro Universities

The Webinar was aimed at disseminating the science, technology and practice of biofloc farming. 

 

 

 

The ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai conducted a National Webinar on “Biofloc based aquaculture: A way forward”.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Joykrushna Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries), ICAR impressed upon the immense potential of the biofloc technology in Indian aquaculture sector that is enabling hundreds of fish farmers from across the country. Dr. Jena also released the “CIBAFLOC”, a readymade inoculums developed by the Institute for developing and maintaining biofloc.

 

The technology was transferred to the Industrial Partner – M/s Salem Microbes Pvt. Ltd. on a virtual mode by the DDG.

Dr. K.K. Vijayan, Director, ICAR-CIBA, Chennai highlighted the need for scientific understanding and approach on the novel technology for suitably customizing to the Indian techno economic conditions.

The Webinar was aimed at disseminating the science, technology and practice to thousands of farmers and young Start-Up entrepreneurs who wanted to enter into biofloc farming.

More than 2,800 participants of different capacities across the country virtually participated in the event.

The Webinar was aimed at disseminating the

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains

Govt purchased 297.51 LMTs of paddy by November 21 against the last year corresponding purchase of 252.69 LMT

 

In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes.

 

Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra with purchase of 297.51 LMTs of paddy up to 21.11.2020 against the last year corresponding purchase of 252.69 LMT showing an increase of 17.73 % over last year. Out of the total purchase of 297.51 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 201.73 LMT which is 67.80 % of total procurement.

About 26.15 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 56168.95 Crore.

 

 

Govt purchased 297.51 LMTs of paddy by

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech, E-commerce

 It will establish additional bio-fermentation manufacturing capacity in Thailand and expand sales and distribution channels in Southeast Asia 

Cambridge based Manus Bio Inc. (Manus Bio), a leader in the production of complex natural products through advanced fermentation, and BBGI Public Company Limited (BBGI), a leading manufacturer and distributor of bio-based products, announced the formation of a new joint venture for the manufacture and distribution of high value natural ingredients in Southeast Asia. The new entity, called WIN Ingredients, will establish additional bio-fermentation manufacturing capacity in Thailand and expand sales and distribution channels in Southeast Asia for a variety of new ingredients.

 Manus Bio leverages rapid advances in Biology to produce complex natural ingredients used in our daily lives as flavours, fragrances, food ingredients, cosmetics, vitamins, pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals. 

Dr. Ajikumar Parayil, Chief Executive Officer of Manus Bio, commented, “We are pleased to join forces with BBGI, which shares our vision of leveraging the power of biology to provide economical and sustainable sourcing of bio-based products around the globe. This joint venture accelerates the growth of Manus Bio’s business by extending our manufacturing and distribution reach into Southeast Asia with a strong regional presence. By adding a second manufacturing site for many key ingredients, Manus Bio provides an unrivalled value proposition to customers by ensuring global supply chain redundancy and stability.”

BBGI is a leading manufacturer and distributor of bio-based products headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. The company was recently formed through the amalgamation between Bangchak Corporation Plc., Thailand’s leading green energy group, and KSL Group, Thailand’s leading sugar and bio-energy group. 

“Manus Bio has developed an advanced fermentation technology for the production of a wide range of bio-based products. We are thrilled to work together with Manus Bio to leverage their platform and to enable innovative and sustainable product solutions. This is well-aligned with the Bangchak group and BBGI’s long-standing mission of a BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) Economy Model, which seeks to find creative bio-solutions and products that improve economics, reduce the use of scarce natural resources, and satisfy the consumer’s needs,” said Kittiphong Limsuwannarot, Chief Executive Officer of BBGI. “This joint venture provides an exciting new avenue for BBGI to expand the range of our product offerings and manufacturing capabilities towards this goal.”

 

 

 It will establish additional bio-fermentation manufacturing capacity

Agrotech, Webinar

Anna Roy, Senior Adviser (DM&A, Industry) NITI Aayog was addressing the webinar on ’Deep Tech for Smart Agriculture in India’ by FICCI. 

 

 

 Anna Roy, Senior Adviser (DM&A, Industry) NITI Aayog, said that digital innovation will transform Indian agriculture and the focus should be on spreading awareness about the potential of such technologies in the agriculture sector, not only from the user and consumer side but also to the governance and policy side.

Addressing the webinar on Deep Tech for Smart Agriculture in India, Roy said, “The real challenge for us is not the development of technology, but instead the deployment of technology, and we as a nation has to come together for the development and deployment of such deep-techs for the agriculture sector.”

She further mentioned that in this era of Digital Transformation, Deep-Techs are powering Smart Agriculture or Agriculture 4.0, which no longer depends on traditional farming activities. Instead, farmers can leverage Deep-Tech and can grow crops in arid areas, making use of technology and other resources more effectively and efficiently.

 Farms and agricultural operations will run very differently, primarily due to advancements in technology such as sensors, devices, machines, and information technology. Future agriculture will use sophisticated deep techs such as AI and ML, robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images, and GPS technology to maximize their output, she added.

Her address was followed by a panel discussion on the topic ‘Deep Tech for Smart Agriculture in India’ which was moderated by Prakash Jayaram, Partner, Digital Government Advisory, EY, and was attended by some of the subject matter experts like Vijaykumar. N. Kale, Additional Commissioner (M&T), Department of Agriculture Cooperation, and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Dr Anil Rai, Head and Principal Scientist, Centre for Agricultural Bioinformatics, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Government of India, Manav Sehgal, Head of National Cloud Innovation Programs, Amazon Web Services, Nirvan Biswas, Chief Technology Officer, National Bulk Handling Corporation, and Shamik Joshi, Head – Products, Amnex Infotechnologies.

Anna Roy, Senior Adviser (DM&A, Industry) NITI

Schemes - NABARD

To facilitate the states in availing an interest sub vented loan for expanding coverage of micro irrigation by taking up innovative projects  

Micro Irrigation Fund with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crore created with NABARD was operationalised in 2019-20. The objective of the Fund is to facilitate the States in availing an interest sub vented loan for expanding coverage of Micro Irrigation by taking up special and innovative projects and also for incentivising micro irrigation beyond the provisions available under PMKSY-Per Drop More Crop to encourage farmers to install micro irrigation systems.

 

Steering Committee of MIF has approved projects for loan of Rs.  3971.31 crore comprising  Rs. 764.13 crore for Gujarat, Rs. 1357.93 crore for Tamil Nadu, Rs. 616.13 crore for Andhra Pradesh, Rs. 276.55 crore for West Bengal,  Rs.790.94 crore for Haryana Rs. 150.00 crore for Punjab and Rs. 15.63 crore for Uttarakhand.

 

NABARD released loan of Rs 659.70 crore to Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Thereby a total amount of Rs. 1754.60 crore has been released so far, comprising Rs.  616.13 crore to  Andhra Pradesh, Rs. 937.47 crore to Tamil  Nadu, Rs. 21.57 crore to Haryana  and Rs. 179.43 crore to Gujarat.

 

To facilitate the states in availing an

North America, R&D

University studies show adverse planting conditions often pushing that number beyond 5-bushel/acre or more

Saving American farmers up to 50 percent on high-quality seed treatment while providing the peace of mind of a 100 percent replant benefit is the mission behind a new offer from Meristem Crop Performance, Ohio was announced recently.

By creating a replant reinsurance program that fits with a seed company’s untreated or “naked” soybean policy, he says, Meristem is able to bring savings to more growers who currently might be reluctant to try RACEREADY, Meristem’s premium seed treatment product.

Benefits of seed treatments are clear from research, according to The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA). They report a 3.6 percent yield benefit in treated soybeans versus un-treated, or about 1.7 bushel, given the national average yield of 47.4 in 2019. But university studies show adverse planting conditions often pushing that number beyond 5-bushel/acre or more. At $10/bushel, that represents an income difference of $17,000 – $50,000 across a thousand acres.

Meristem adds savings on top of those yield benefits with quality seed treatment customized for more local field conditions, at the same time making the price transparent so producers can evaluate the yield advantage and ROI on their own.

University studies show adverse planting conditions often

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy, E-commerce

The GSFC has introduced five products in Himachal Pradesh including liquid boronated calcium nitrate, calcium nitrate, nutri plus, ammonium sulphate and boronated calcium to facilitate the farmers and horticulturists of the State

Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur has recently launched the domestic liquid boronated calcium nitrate fertilizer, a joint venture of HIMFED and Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd. (GSFC) under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ on 19th November 2020. The GSFC has introduced five products in Himachal Pradesh including liquid boronated calcium nitrate, calcium nitrate, nutri plus, ammonium sulphate and boronated calcium to facilitate the farmers and horticulturists of the State.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM congratulated the GSFC for introducing the liquid boronated calcium nitrate fertilizer in the country which was earlier being imported from other countries. He said that liquid fertilizer was a new concept that would help the farming community as this fertilizer would be prepared as per the requirements of different areas of the country.

Jai Ram Thakur further added that the fertilizer friendship between GSFC and HIMFED would prove beneficial to the farmers and increase production. He said that the State has over Rs 4000 crore economy of apple and these fertilizers would specifically benefit the apple growers. He stressed the need to make awareness about these products to achieve maximum benefits.

Chief Managing Director of GSFC Arvind Aggarwal said that “The agreement between GSFC and HIMFED would give a new dimension to horticulture and agriculture sectors in Himachal Pradesh. He said that GSFC has started in-house production of calcium nitrate and boronated calcium nitrate which were earlier being imported to the country.”

He added that “GSFC would provide fertilizers amounting to Rs 20 crore to Himachal Pradesh during current financial year and fertilizers amounting to Rs 31 crore during next financial year.”

The GSFC has introduced five products in

Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce, Finance

The Regina facility will produce over half of BASF Canada’s crop protection products 

BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions (BASF) unveiled its modernized formulation, packaging and distribution facility in Regina, Saskatchewan. More than $14 million was invested in facility transformations, making it the division’s single biggest agriculture infrastructure investment in the last decade. Located in the heart of Canada’s agriculture industry, the Regina facility will produce over half of BASF Canada’s crop protection products, helping ensure farmers across the country and the northern United States have access to the products they need, when they need them. 

 

“For decades, farmers have relied on our portfolio of solutions to help them overcome agronomic challenges on their fields,” said Jonathan Sweat, Vice President, Business Management, BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions. “Situated in Western Canada, the transformed facility will further support our customers and enable us to produce more than 30 million litres of agricultural solutions annually. This significant investment highlights our ongoing commitment to innovation, ensuring we can continue to provide farmers with the solutions they need to succeed today, while setting ourselves up to produce, at our Regina site, the solutions they will need for continued success tomorrow.”

 Major enhancements to BASF’s Regina facility include upgrades to mechanical operations, automation systems, quality control and safety protocols and performance. The transformation also supports greater segregation among products, further safeguarding against cross-contamination and upholding BASF’s commitment to quality control.

 These significant improvements will allow BASF to produce high-quality products more efficiently, while supporting future production of new solutions. Viper® ADV, one of the most important herbicides for field pea farmers, is among the first solutions to be produced at the facility this fall and will now be 100 per cent produced domestically at the Regina facility. Offering broad-spectrum weed control and multiple modes of action, Viper provides farmers with reliable and consistent weed control in field peas, further supporting Canada’s pulse industry as the global demand for pulse crops continues to rise.

 

“The transformation of our Regina facility is not only a milestone for our company, but also for our customers and the community at large,” said Sweat. “The upgrades allow us to efficiently deliver product to our retailers, in many cases within a 24-hour period, to help ensure we are responding to farmers’ requirements and are able to get them the products they need, when they need them most. We are incredibly proud of our team’s hard work and dedication throughout the two-year upgrade process, and we’re excited for the future as we continue to provide farmers with the innovative solutions they need to get the most out of every acre.”

 

 

 

The Regina facility will produce over half

E-commerce, IT

The world’s largest digital agriculture e-marketplace, Agri10x has turned the fortunes of more than one lakh farmers within a short span of time 

 

 Pune-based agtech major Agri10x is expected to clock a whopping GMV of INR 100 crore by December 2021, making it not just one of the fastest growing agtech companies globally, but also rightfully earning the title of the ’Alibaba of Agriculture’.

Agri10x is the world’s first Artificial Intelligence & Blockchain enabled global e-marketplace connecting farmers with traders. The fastest growing agritech company worldwide with an extensive data bank, Agri10x offers 360 degree agricultural solutions, ranging from pre-harvest to post-harvest.

The world’s largest digital agriculture e-marketplace, Agri10x has turned the fortunes of more than one lakh farmers within a short span of time. This has been possible thanks to the recent path-breaking Indian Agriculture Reform Bills 2020, which has opened the floodgates for farmers to explore promising selling channels across the country.

 

The 24×7 digital platform is creating waves amongst the farming community, thanks to the ease of conducting business. Backed by innovative technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain, Agri10x platform offers transparency, traceability and sustainability.

 

Its key features like instant payment, quality assaying, competitive pricing, warehousing and logistics support have made Agri10x platform a preferred partner for farmers, FPOs as well as traders. Its clientele also includes various corporates and processing units with whom they aspire to bring a positive change in the agricultural realm.

 

The portal connects farmers with sellers both in domestic and international markets and offers a wide range of fruits, vegetables, grains, pulses, dry fruits and spices. Agri10x has a strong foothold in commodities like onion, potato, tomato, lemon, ginger, chillies, garlic, pomegranate, pineapple, soyabean, maize, corn, etc. and regularly exports to various Southeast Asian and Middle East countries.

The company has managed to generate volume-based business, which shows a promising future for Indian agriculture. Agri10x is also fast expanding its base in local trading across various states including Maharashtra, Bihar, UP, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Tripura to name a few. 

 

The founders deeply believe that a ’farmer is the king’, who deserves to earn a respectable livelihood. “With technological advancement and reforms, farmers can now easily sell their produce at farmgate level without the hassle of going to a mandi physically or waiting for their dues endlessly. At Agri10x, we have consciously worked towards eliminating the middlemen who have threatened the livelihood of farmers for ages. Through our platform, we provide global market accessibility for farmers along with favourable pricing,” said Pankajj Ghode, CEO, Agri10x.

 

The agtech firm is also closely working with the Common Service Centre (CSC) across India — a government set-up that supports farmers and offers e-governance on a massive scale. Agri10x is also building a strong network of Village-Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) and actively contributing in employment generation across rural India.

 

With even the sky not being the limit, Agri10x is indeed a market disruptor that lives up to its motto of ’Ten Times Gains, Ten Times Happiness’ for farmers.

 

 

The world’s largest digital agriculture e-marketplace, Agri10x

China

The festival aims to tap the specialty radish’s dietary and medical functions

On November 18, the 13th Shawo Fruit Radish Festival, organized by The Publicity Department of Xiqing District, opened in Shawo Fruit Radish Intelligent Demonstration Zone, Xinkou Town, Xiqing District, north China’s Tianjin Municipality.

Designed to promote the landmark produce and healthy lifestyles, the festival aims to tap the specialty radish’s dietary and medical functions and promote the healthy food amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

After the opening ceremony, there will be a two-month-long package of activities such as radish harvesting and produce holiday markets. The festival will last into the Spring Festival, during which period visitors can enjoy these activities in over 500 greenhouses in Xinkou Town, according to the Publicity Department of Xiqing District.

Shawo fruit radish is a well-known produce brand in Tianjin and a national geographical indication product. It has been cultivated for more than 300 years. Since the 1930s, Shawo fruit radish has been exported to Hong Kong, Japan and Southeast Asian countries, and is well-known at home and abroad. The radish has also been awarded the intangible cultural heritage of Tianjin, a Tianjin time-honored brand and a nationally well-known trademark, among others.

 

The festival aims to tap the specialty