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Dairy, India

The charge take over is w.e.f December 1, 2020

Varsha Joshi, Joint Secretary (CDD), Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Govt of India has taken over charge of the post of Chairman, NDDB with effect from 1st December, 2020. Joshi took over the position after Dilip Rath, whose tenure as chairman of NDDB ended on 30 November 2020, after he relinquished his post. 

The charge take over is w.e.f December

Supply Chain, Warehousing, Webinar

 Prasanna Rao, MD, Arya Collateral highlighted its efforts in India to tackle the challenges that arrived due to the pandemic 

 Indian Agri-tech startup in the post-harvest solutions domain, Arya Collateral participated in Philippine’s 16th edition of National Corn Congress (PNCC) . Organized by Philippines Maize Federation Inc. (PhilMaize) and the National Corn Board, the event marks the joint celebration of their National Farmers Day. Prasanna Rao, Managing Director, Arya Collateral participated as a resource speaker and showcased India’s work in the field of agri production. He also spoke in-depth on the topic of ‘c.’ The 16th PNCC was organised virtually this year with more than 3000 participants and 20 eminent speakers from the agriculture industry. Prasanna has been among the few Indians to have been invited to the event to date.

 The theme of the event was “Maunlad na Magmamais; Kaakibat sa Pagbangon ng Ating Ekonomiya” translating to “Prosperous Corn Farmers, Key Partner to our Economic Recovery” highlighting the inclusive role of the local corn industry in contributing to the national economic recovery given the challenges of the on-going global pandemic.

On the occasion, Prasanna Rao, Managing Director, Arya Collateral shared, “Arya has evolved to being the largest agri-warehousing service provider in India while servicing mostly the smaller primary and secondary agricultural markets. It also extends its market linkages and financial linkages services in more than 20 states in India. We feel that corn is an extremely important value chain for a country like India where the dependence on commodities like wheat and rice has traditionally been very high. Post-harvest losses can be reduced manifold using innovative farm gate level storage and embedded commodities collateral financing. We believe that more accessible credit and storage can contribute to food security. Such financing is an important component of a holistic approach to making agricultural credit and professional storage more accessible and we are striving for that through all our initiatives.”

Arya also highlighted its efforts in India to tackle the challenges that arrived due to the pandemic and also suggested how the Philippines can opt for them and implement them at the local level. Their recent initiative, A2ZGodaam enables farmers and other value chain stakeholders to easily find agri-warehouses, access credit and other post-harvest solutions across the country. Presently, about 3,000 warehouses (located in 300 districts) are listed on the platform. They have an aggregated area of about 45 million square feet with a storage capacity of 7.0 million tonnes. Besides, there are 76 service providers from insurance to local transportation that could be accessed through the platform.

Roger Navarro, President Philmaize at the event expressed his desire to replicate the Arya experience of Commodity Collaterised finance in the Philippines. He also suggested that it is the way forward for Philippines’s corn farmer and can help stabilise prices and supplies and offer the best price and cost for farmers and consumers.

 Prasanna Rao, MD, Arya Collateral highlighted its

Dairy, E-commerce

HAP plans to open more daily outlets in Maharashtra, Kerala, Orissa and Chhattisgarh 

 

 

Chennai based Hatsun Agro Product (HAP) recently inaugurated its 3000th HAP Daily outlet. Known for their range of high-quality milk products, HAP Daily is the retail concept of Hatsun Agro Product that offers milk, milk products and ice creams at the convenience of the customers.

 

In addition to the entire range of Arun Icecreams, HAP Daily outlets will selectively retail other products such as Arokya Milk, Hatsun – Curd, Paneer, Milk Beverage, Yoghurt Shakes, Ghee, Butter, Skimmed Milk Powder and Dairy Whitener in various markets. Apart from consumer sale, HAP Daily outlets will also supply its products to retail outlets within the vicinity thereby increasing ease of availability of its products and expanding the brand reach. The retail outlets offer tremendous growth opportunities for the franchisees.

 

Speaking at the inauguration, RG Chandramogan, Chairman, Hatsun Agro Product said, “HAP dairy products are seeing good demand and growth with the consumers trust in the quality of our product portfolio. The retail outlet expansion is in line with Hatsun Agro Product Ltd’s growth strategy and its vision of taking high-quality dairy products closer to the masses. Retail expansion in Maharashtra and other regions will augur well for HAP which is augmenting its production capacities with the expected commissioning of a new plant in Solapur, Maharashtra.”

 

Going forward, HAP plans to open more HAP Daily outlets in newer markets such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Orissa and Chhattisgarh and deepen its presence in its traditionally strong markets of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry and Goa. HAP aims to be a pioneer and transform the retail fabric of the Indian dairy industry.

 

 

HAP plans to open more daily outlets

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Trade

The 5 year plan strives to increase exports by 2026

Considering the potential of increasing exports of Millets and Millet products and the focus given by Government for development of Millet sector of Nurti-Cereals, APEDA is formulating a strategy with Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) and other stakeholders like National Institute Nutrition, CFTRI and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) for perspective planning of five years for promotion of Millets and Millet products. In this regard a meeting was organized by APEDA with IIMR on December 2, 2020 under the Chairmanship of Diwakar Nath Mishra, Chairman, APEDA.

APEDA is preparing a perspective Action Plan for increasing export of Millet and Millet Products for a period five years i.e. 2021-2026 to enable all concerned stakeholders for taking necessary action in a time bound manner for achieving the target.

Further, efforts would be made on identification of Millet clusters, creation of platform to consolidate farmers, FPOs, Exporters, Associations, other stakeholders and identification of new Potential International Markets for promotion of Indian Millets.

Millet is a common term that includes small-seeded grasses that are often termed nutri-cereals, and includes Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Ragi, Small Millet, Foxtail Millet, Proso Millet, Barnyard Millet, Kodo Millet and other millets. 

The 5 year plan strives to increase

Agro chems – Fertilizers, E-commerce

Highly concentrated microbial MBX organic cultivation solution is designed for healthy soil, transplanting protection, root development, and max bud quality. 

Plant-Grow Inc., the world’s technology leader in microbial bio fertilizers, has announced the launch of Microbial Growth Product MBX™. This microbial additive addresses the root of cannabis grower’s quest to increase the highest quality buds’ yields. MBX is an ultra-concentrated, proprietary blend of beneficial bacteria proven to increase root mass and quad yield. MBX’s billions of microorganisms benefit plants by working symbiotically with them to create bigger, healthier, more expansive roots, leading to bigger plants that thrive. MBX works for soil-growers, but it also works for hydroponic growers.

 

MBX is incredibly productive during the first two weeks of both grow and bloom phases, so the plants’ root zones get the full benefits of the MBX specially selected microbes. Cannabis growers can harness the power of MBX microbial supplements to increase the yield of the highest quality buds significantly. MBX is patent-pending. Plant-Grow documents its innovations with the TrustyIP invention management solution. Our IP submissions are then perfected and patented by the lawyers at www.patentoffice.io.

 

Mary Kimani, Product Manager in Nairobi, Kenya, said, “I’m proud to be part of a team to launch MBX. We have successfully selected unique microbial profiles that help cannabis root growth and rejuvenate soil depleted of nutrients through in-depth research. Optimizing the microbial communities that live in, on, and around the plants substantially reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. MBX is proven to work great and has increased quad yield dramatically for the cannabis growers. Extensive trials have demonstrated that the product results in large quad buds with excellent pungency, sharp flavor, and smooth, clean-smelling burn smoke. “

Highly concentrated microbial MBX organic cultivation solution

Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce, R&D

New insecticide provides robust dual modes of action for broad-spectrum control

 

BASF‘s Agricultural Solutions division has introduced Renestra™ insecticide for the 2021 growing season. This new tool provides soybean farmers with a complete solution for controlling a wide range of insect pests and soybean aphids that have developed resistance to traditional chemistries.

 Consisting of both a pyrethroid and the unique Inscalis® insecticide active ingredients, Renestra insecticide provides knockdown and residual control of a broad-spectrum of soybean pests, including resistant and non-resistant aphids, as well as a variety of other feeding insects.

“Aphids continue to be a problem for many soybean growers, and Renestra insecticide will give them a unique new option to control these pests,” said Jennifer Archer, Product Manager, Soybean Insecticides, BASF Agricultural Solutions. “This new innovation provides growers with a complete solution for soybean aphids and other troublesome soybean pests.” 

Renestra insecticide is a fast-acting soybean product that is easy to handle, provides a low use rate and is a good tank-mix partner. The combination of a quick knockdown and long-lasting residual control of a variety of pests makes Renestra insecticide a good choice for soybean farmers.

New insecticide provides robust dual modes of

AgroPolicy, Schemes - NABARD

It aims to synergize the activities of allied sectors for bringing better value to the stakeholders.

APEDA has been focusing on a collaborative approach to bring synergy with a number of organizations and institutions having inherent professional and specialized expertise in different areas for capacity building of various stakeholders and providing solutions for addressing some of the identified interventions for the development of Agriculture and its export enhancement, in consonance with the objectives set under Agri Export Policy announced by Government of India.

The Agriculture Export Policy was framed with a focus on agriculture export-oriented production, export promotion, better price realization to farmer and synchronization within policies and programs of the Government of India. It focuses on ‘Farmers’ Centric Approach for improved income through value addition at the source itself to help minimize losses across the value chain. Policy, therefore, suggests to adopt the approach of developing product-specific clusters in different agro climatic zones of the country to help in dealing with various supply side issues viz., soil nutrients management, higher productivity, adoption of a market-oriented variety of crop, use of Good Agriculture Practices etc.

APEDA and NABARD have signed MoU at their respective Head offices through online virtual mode to utilize their expertise by mutually working together to synergize the activities in the interest of agriculture and allied sectors for bringing better value to the stakeholders.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is established as a development bank for providing credit for promotion of agriculture, small scale, cottage and village industries, handicrafts and other allied activities in rural areas, with a view to promote integrated rural development and securing prosperity of the rural areas and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

 

It aims to synergize the activities of

Institutions, Start ups

The new round of funding will be used to enhance product features and scale up operations to newer states

Agtech start-up LeanCrop Technology Solution Pvt Ltd (BharatAgri) has raised US$ 2 million in pre-Series A funding from 021 Capital and India Quotient. “This round of funding will be used to further enhance product features and scale up operations to newer states in India. Our unique product offering has been well accepted by farmers on a large scale. We are among the few agri-tech companies in India that have been able to monetize advisory at scale, that too digitally, with over 43,000 farmers using our premium service package,” said Siddharth Dialani, CEO and Co-Founder of BharatAgri.

Alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Sai Gole and Dialani, who founded BharatAgri in 2017 offers farmers season-long plans that are customized to the crop and field conditions to improve farm yield and quality of produce. The plans include real-time actionable insights that cater to weather-related changes during the season, backed by data science and real-time monitoring using satellite imaging.

BharatAgri has a user base of over 400,000 farmers in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh offering both free and premium paid services. Besides advisories, premium users get annual soil and water quality checks. In terms of impact, farmers have seen over a 40 per cent increase in yield and a significant reduction in costs, the organization claims.

The new round of funding will be

North America, R&D, Seeds

The new hybrid combines intermediate resistance with strong market performance

For the new season in Mexico, BASF presents a new tomato variety Grape Indeterminado Teenon F1 (ex NUN 06091) with intermediate resistance against rough tomato virus (ToBRFV). The new hybrid combines intermediate resistance (IR) with strong agronomic and market performance.

“Teenon F1 has demonstrated its performance during two test seasons at different locations in Sinaloa, the El Bajío area, Baja California and central South Mexico,” commented Hiram Gutiérrez Ayala, BASF’s Protected Crops Sales Manager for NAFTA. 

He added, “The variety showed reliable resistance under mild and strong virus pressure and will help contribute to a more stable supply of high-quality Grape tomatoes for the domestic market in Mexico and the important export markets of the United States and Canada. Thanks to its strong, semi-open plant type and reliable fruit setting, it offers excellent field and market performance. Consumers will value the Teenon F1 fruit for its attractive appearance, shelf life and sweetness.”

BASF breeders and researchers used innovative breeding practices like controlled production systems and marker technology to speed up the variety development process and will do so for future varieties. In this way, the development time of tomato varieties can be reduced to 5-6 years.

The company intends to introduce new Roma- type varieties in 2021 and to develop more ToBRFV-resistant varieties for other tomato segments and regions in the coming years. Through this continuous innovation, BASF demonstrates its commitment to offering reliable and well-performing solutions that meet the needs of everyone involved in the value chain and of consumers.

The new hybrid combines intermediate resistance with

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Water

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was addressing the session at the ‘9th Agrochemicals Conference’ organized by FICCI 

 

 

  Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Govt of India said that though agriculture contributes around 14 to 16 per cent of the Indian GDP, still has a huge potential to play a key role in taking India to a $ 5 trillion economy.

Addressing the session on ‘Role of water and Agrochemicals in envisioning a globally competitive, modern, sustainable & inclusive Indian Agriculture Industry’ at the ‘9th Agrochemicals Conference’ organized by FICCI, Shekhawat said that we have started working with a profitability-centric approach in the agricultural sector with systematic reforms to make the Indian agriculture sector more successful.

“Indian economy is directly related to agriculture and agriculture is directly related to water,” said Shekhawat. In India the management of water is of utmost importance. The government has taken a ground-breaking initiative for ensuring long term sustainability of groundwater resources in the country through the Atal Bhujal Yojana, he added.

Elaborating further, Shekhawat said that the scheme has been designed with the principal objective of strengthening the institutional framework for participatory groundwater management and bringing about behavioural changes at the community level for sustainable groundwater resource management.

Urging the industry for investment in the agricultural sector, he said, the industry needs to support the government in its initiative to save water. “We need to have a futuristic vision for agriculture,” said Shekhawat. The minister also spoke about efforts being made by the centre to solve specific issues of agriculture and water and said this is high time to invest in the post-harvest system and supply chain management. “The government’s call for vocal for local will provide a new roadmap to agriculture,” he further added.

 Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides India limited said that the farmers need a complete solution for their crops to get the best yield. They expect the latest technology at an affordable cost.

 Jay Bryne, President, V Fluence said, pesticides have surpassed biotechnology, and the key challenges of the Agrochemical industry are power profit and politics.

 

Neel Kamal Darbari, Managing Director, Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium, Govt of India said that there must be a culture that moves away from flood irrigation. The issue for policymakers and the industry is to work together in terms of creating a demand in farmer community on basis of water availability.

 R G Agarwal, Chairman FICCI – Sub Committee on Crop Protection Chemicals and Group Chairman, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd; Dr SK Goel, Former Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Marketing, Government of Maharashtra also put forth their views.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was addressing the session

Agro Universities, Foodgrains, R&D

Additional 500 products to be added and mapped soon

Millets have sometimes been hailed as the next quinoa but researchers collating a global database of millet products have found this ancient grain to be orchestrating a silent food revolution that could see quinoa outstripped. The “Millet Finder” launched, discovered a surge in the use of millets, with over a thousand modern convenient products being marketed and sold across all the inhabited continents.

Launched at the FoodTec Expo by ICRISAT and the Indian Institute of Millets Research of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR-IIMR), the “Millet Finder” will help users find over 500 products across 30 countries. Another 500 products are identified and set to be included and mapped by end of the year by the Smart Food team at ICRISAT, who created the database and will continue growing it.

“Unless there is a consumer-driven demand and movement to diversify diets, farms cannot diversify and agriculture cannot be sustainable. By diversifying staples, we can have a major impact on diets, farms and the environment. ICRISAT strongly believes in creating awareness and helping consumers make informed choices while keeping their health and the environment in view. In that respect, millets check every box,” said Dr Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT, and Chair, Smart Food Executive Council.

 

 

 

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Additional 500 products to be added

Acquaculture, Live Stock, R&D, Singapore

The approval, granted to global food technology company Eat Just, follows years of exploration in the alternative protein space 

 

 

The Singapore government’s food regulation authority Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has approved the sale of meat cultivated from animal cells in the city-state. The approval, granted to global food technology company Eat Just, follows years of exploration in the alternative protein space and careful consideration of the best approach for regulating cultivated meat, poultry, and seafood products. 

Eat Just, which last month also revealed plans to jointly open their largest plant protein isolate production facility in Singapore, appears to be the first company to have secured such cultivated meat approval. Singapore currently imports over 90 percent of its food, but through investment in local production and innovation, the country is aiming to meet its “30 by 30” goal of producing 30 percent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. 

According to SFA, Eat Just’s cultivated chicken was recently allowed to be sold in Singapore as an ingredient in the company’s chicken bites. Other products reportedly in the pipeline include Indian-born Dr. Sandhya Sriram’s company Shiok Meats’ cultivated shrimp, and Ants Innovate’s cultivated meat.

“The government of Singapore is at the vanguard of food innovation globally, and sees alternative proteins as a key piece of the nation’s food security story” said Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, The Good Food Institute India. “Cultivated meat will enormously advance global efforts to create a food supply that is safe, secure, and sustainable, and Singapore is leading the way on this transition. It’s critical for cultivated meat companies to be extra-careful and to go beyond public expectation in ensuring safety and consumer comfort with their products, and we are pleased to see the rigour that went into this science-forward approval process.” 

GFI India worked with the Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB) and National Research Centre on Meat (NRCMeat) to secure 4.6cr in funding for cultivated meat research from the Government of India Department of Biotechnology in 2019, and also has an agreement with the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai to set up a Centre of Excellence focused on advancing the sector. Delhi-based cultivated meat startup Clear Meat was formed from some of these early incubation activities, but with the industry growing rapidly globally, more investment will be needed to realise its potential in India.

 

“India stands to benefit immensely from these transformative technologies, with the promise of a highly sustainable, affordable supply of protein to target malnutrition, and the creation of a sunrise industry to support resilient, future-proof jobs. This is the 21st century space race. Just as India has shown our capabilities in innovating highly affordable, high-quality space technology, we can also be at the forefront of alternative proteins – but it will demand a forward-looking research and business environment to make this a reality,” added Deshpande.

 

The approval, granted to global food technology

Agro chems – Fertilizers, China, E-commerce, North America

It aims at reducing nitrogen application by 7.5 million metric tons annually in China

California based Sound Agriculture and Switzerland-based Syngenta have recently formed a strategic partnership to explore opportunities to decrease nitrogen fertilizer use in China by up to 30% while maintaining on-farm productivity. Sound Agriculture’s flagship product SOURCE stimulates microbes in the soil to provide access to more nitrogen and phosphorus at the root zone, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer.

The collaboration has the potential of reducing nitrogen application by 7.5 million metric tons annually in China alone. This is the equivalent of removing 220 million tons of CO2, or 50 million cars from the road each year.

The partnership brings together two leaders in sustainable agriculture to tackle one of the biggest challenges being faced by farmers. Nitrogen is the most essential nutrient for plant growth, yet the overuse of nitrogen fertilizers can have environmental consequences, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Plants frequently take in only 50-70% of applied nitrogen fertilizers. When nitrogen is not fully utilized by the growing plants, it can be lost from the fields and negatively impact air and downstream water quality. SOURCE gives growers the confidence to not over apply because they will be able to pull from the nutrients stored in the soil.

SOURCE uses a proprietary technology to activate soil microbes and give plants access to more nitrogen and phosphorus. The product was launched commercially for the 2020 growing season after three years of successful field trials that showed a positive yield increase across the US Syngenta will trial the product and, if the trials are successful, commercialize SOURCE in China. The product will initially be used on corn and wheat with future expansion to rice, potatoes, and potentially other crops.

Syngenta will be responsible for product formulation, field development, sales and marketing of SOURCE in China. Sound will manufacture SOURCE and collaborate on future product development for subsequent crops. If successful, the partnership has the potential to expand throughout Asia and beyond. 

It aims at reducing nitrogen application by

Animal Health

APHIS is awarding $14.4 Mn to 76 projects to strengthen programs to protect animal health

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is awarding $14.4 million to 76 projects with states, universities, and other partners to strengthen our programs to protect animal health.

This critical funding supports projects focused on increasing practical livestock biosecurity measures or advancing rapid depopulation and disposal abilities to be used during high- consequence animal disease outbreaks. It will also support projects to enhance the early detection of high-consequence animal diseases and improve emergency response capabilities at NAHLN veterinary diagnostic laboratories.

“We continue to use our Farm Bill funds to increase our capabilities and prepare for potential foreign animal disease incursions,” said USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach. “Our consultation board and leaders in animal health and laboratory diagnostics provided recommendations for the type of projects we would fund, to make sure we were targeting these funds where they can make the most impact. Our partners across States, laboratories and industry alike will benefit from the projects we are funding today.”

The 2018 Farm Bill provided funding for these programs as part of an overall strategy to help prevent animal pests and diseases from entering the United States and reduce the spread and impact of potential disease incursions. This is the second year APHIS is providing this Farm Bill funding. Last year, APHIS provided $10.2 million that funded 44 projects.

APHIS is awarding $9.3 million through the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP). The 46 NADPRP funded projects will individually and collectively address critical livestock biosecurity and large-scale depopulation and carcass disposal concerns in all major livestock industries across all regions of the United States.

APHIS is awarding $14.4 Mn to 76