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The MoU aims at initiating the knowledge partnership for establishing the secondary agriculture unit to develop the skills like latest technologies. 

 The ICAR-Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research (DMAPR), Anand, Gujarat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat recently. 

Dr Satyajit Roy, Director, ICAR-DMAPR emphasized on the importance of the partnership program that would help in triggering the framing of indigenous technologies of the medicinal plants. This would be a step forward in the sustainable collection and cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants in the country. 

Dr T.R. Ahlawat, Associate Director of Research, Centre for Advanced Agricultural Sciences and Technology (CAAST), New Delhi opined that MoU would be beneficial medicinal farming community in the country.

The MoU aims at initiating the knowledge partnership for establishing the secondary agriculture unit to develop the skills like latest technologies in the different spheres of secondary agriculture, capacity building, competency development, product development and its commercialization for the students and farmers.

The MoU aims at initiating the knowledge

The MoU aims to explore the marketing of VST products through the channel in the global market. 

 

 

VST Tillers Tractors Limited, a leading manufacturer of agricultural multipurpose power tillers and tractors in India signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with ZETOR TRACTORS a.s. from Czech Republic manufacturers of tractors, and other equipment. Zetor Tractors is a brand of tractors, trademark and Czech manufacturer based in Brno, Líšeň. The company deals in farming tractors and tractor components.

 This MoU is signed for the joint development of higher HP tractor, which would further lead to a joint venture for sales and marketing of these products both in India and internationally. Both companies possess years of experience in their respective fields and have now given a nod to the joint product development, manufacturing and business plan for tractors with horsepower greater than 36 HP for Indian as well as for the global markets.

 In this MoU, these critical aspects have been given stress:

The MoU is to promote the joint development of products.

The MoU is signed allowing VST to manufacture tractors at its new higher horsepower manufacturing facility

The MoU is signed to promote the marketing of the jointly developed products in both India and the global markets through a JV between VST Tillers Tractors Ltd. and ZETOR TRACTORS a.s. In India, the jointly developed products would be sold through VST channel partners while Zetor channel partners will handle the marketing in the international market.

 

 

 

The MoU aims to explore the marketing

As Brazil is one of the most important trading partners of India in the entire LAC (Latin America and Caribbean) region trade between the two countries will grow to USD 15 billion by 2022. 

The visit of President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, is a sign of the growing importance of the India – Brazil bilateral partnership said Union Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways, Piyush Goyal, during his address at the inaugural session of the India-Brazil Business Forum held in New Delhi.

 He hoped that as Brazil is one of the most important trading partners of India in the entire LAC (Latin America and Caribbean) region trade between the two countries will grow to USD 15 billion by 2022.

 The 15 MoUs signed during the visit of the President of Brazil shows the power of democracy, demography, leadership, the talent pool available in India, India’s market and the aspirations of one billion Indian citizens for a better life said the Commerce and Industry Minister. The MoUs of cooperation that have been signed during the presidential visit on investments, trade facilitation, social security, agriculture, defense and double taxation makes this the most productive visit by a Brazilian Head of State. 

Commerce and Industry Minister hoped that investments will also grow in the sectors of clean energy, startups, railways and creation of value chains between India and Brazil where goods may be semi assembled in one country and finished in another. Piyush Goyal informed that the entire Indian Railway will be fully electrified by 2024 and by 2030 the railway network in India will run completely on clean energy with zero emission. 

Commerce and Industry Minister welcomed the announcement made during the visit of President of Brazil to India for visa free travel between the two countries. He added that visitors for business and tourism between two countries will benefit greatly from this. 

Commerce and Industry Minister also urged that the India – Brazil Business Leader’s Forum may be activated and reconstituted to make it more relevant and contemporary to businesses in both countries.

Commerce and Industry Minister hoped that India’s services in wellness sector like Yoga and Ayurveda will further grow as Brazil has a strong community of Yoga and Ayurveda practitioners. Brazil has an association of Ayurveda (ABRA), a nonprofit association with offices in 9 states of Brazil and members all over Brazil and the third International Congress on Ayurveda was held from 12 to 15 March 2018 in Rio de Janeiro. The conference saw participation of more than 4000 delegates, including many from India. 

India and Brazil share close relationship at the bilateral level as well as plurilateral fora like BRICS, BASIC, G-20, IBSA, and International Solar Alliance and in larger multilateral bodies like UN, UNESCO and WIPO stated Commerce and Industry Minister. He further said that the decade long bilateral strategic partnership is based on a common global vision shared democratic values and a commitment to foster economic growth with social inclusion for the welfare of the people of both countries.

 

As Brazil is one of the most

This is the first time that the EPA has approved crop protection products on hemp since the crop became legal to grow under the 2018 Farm Bill. 

Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. (MBI), an international leader in sustainable bio- protection and plant health solutions, today announced that two of its bio-fungicide products — Stargus and Regalia — have been approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for indoor and outdoor use on hemp plants. 

Stargus and Regalia improve hemp plant quality and yield, as well as treat and protect hemp plants from a range of diseases, including powdery mildew, Botrytis bud rot, Sclerotinia white mold, Fusarium rots and wilts and other fungal and bacterial diseases. This is the first time that the EPA has approved crop protection products on hemp since the crop became legal to grow under the 2018 Farm Bill.

 “With more than $1.1 billion in revenues in 2018, the hemp market is projected to more than double by 2022,” says Pamela Marrone, CEO and founder of Marrone Bio Innovations. “This is an exciting opportunity for Marrone Bio to extend our business into a rapidly growing market, which will only continue to grow as the acres continue to expand. With Stargus and Regalia now approved at the federal level for hemp, we are well positioned to grow alongside this burgeoning market.” 

Chemical pesticides dominate today’s $60 billion global pesticides market, but the fastest-growing category of crop inputs is biologicals. When integrated into crop production and pest management programs, biologicals — including Stargus and Regalia — can offer higher-quality crops and better yields. Both products are applicable for organic farming as well.

 The bacteria in Stargus work by colonizing plant root hairs, leaves and other plant surfaces, thereby preventing establishment of fungal and bacterial pathogens. The Stargus bacteria also produce natural compounds that inhibit detrimental bacterial, fungal growth and spore germination. Further, the Stargus bacteria trigger immune responses in the plant to ward off diseases and increase both growth and yield, creating a healthier and stronger plant. 

MBI’s Regalia Biofungicide, based on a plant extract, delivers better yield and improved harvest quality. Regalia helps to increase crop performance by stimulating a plant’s innate ability to fight diseases. This fungicide offers preventative activity and early control of yield-robbing diseases, resulting in increased marketable yield and top profit on every acre.

 MBI is now pursuing state approvals under the Regalia and Stargus labels, with hemp uses added, to ensure product availability for the 2020 growing season.  Please check the following website https://marronebio.com for regular updates on state approvals and product information.

 

 

This is the first time that the

The new investment  will enable Naïo Technologies to further capitalize on its position as a leader in agricultural robotics and reach the next level of technology maturity in order to prepare the robots for mass production.

 

The Escalquens-based startup Naïo Technologies, specialized in agricultural robots, has recently announced the closing of a €14 million funding round led by Bpifrance. Impact investor Pymwymic and its historical shareholders, Demeter and Capagro, flanked Bpifrance in this investment round. 

The French company, founded in 2011 by robotic engineers Aymeric Barthes and Gaëtan Séverac, manufactures and markets agricultural solutions in close collaboration with farmers. Their weeding robots respect both the environment and man: they provide a solution to assist farmers in their daily work, reduce the strenuous physical workload and limit the use of chemical weedkillers.

 Nearly 150 robots (called Oz, Dino and Ted) are already deployed at farms and vineyards both in Europe and in the United States. The promise of contributing to more sustainable agricultural practices, combined with the company’s ability to demonstrate market readiness over the past 18 months, have contributed to the successful closing of this funding round. Continuously innovating allows the company to handle different crops types. To do so, Naïo Technologies has developed a standard navigation system for agricultural robots. This navigation system can be implemented on any off-road robot which allows to address many crop types. 

This new investment round will enable Naïo Technologies to further capitalize on its position as a leader in agricultural robotics and reach the next level of technology maturity in order to prepare the robots for mass production. 

“In the next 10 years, there will be robots in every fields of Europe and North America. We recognize that the challenge is very ambitious, but we are convinced that we can meet it alongside our partners and stakeholders. Our goal is to ensure the ecological and social transition to sustainable agriculture” says Gaëtan Séverac, co-founder of Naïo Technologies. 

“We are very proud to announce our investment in Naïo Technologies as pioneer in agricultural field robotics. Naïo enables farmers to transition their farms using the rise in precision farming and sustainable farming, and allows them to meet both customer demand and current and forthcoming regulatory constraints regarding the limitation of chemical inputs in the fields,” says Laura Panquet, Ecotechnologies Fund of Bpifrance.

The new investment  will enable Naïo Technologies

Total horticulture production in 2019-20 is expected to be 313.35 million tonnes (mt), about 0.84 per cent higher than 2018-19, according to first advance estimates released by Department of Agriculture recently.

Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare has released the Final Estimates of 2018-19 and 1st Advance Estimates of 2019-20 of Area and Production of various Horticulture Crops. These are based on the information received from different State/UTs and other source agencies.

As per the final estimates,  released recently , the total horticulture production of the country in 2018-19 was estimated to be 310.74 mt, only marginally higher than the previous year.

Vegetables production was estimated to be around 183.17 mt, while fruits production was estimated to be around 97.97 mt.

In 2019-20, fruits production is expected to be lower by 2.27 per cent in 2019-20 over 2018-19. It is mainly due to loss in production of grapes, banana, mango, citrus, papaya and pomegranate.

Vegetables production, on the other hand, is projected to be higher by 2.64 per cent than the year before, thanks to increase in output of onions, potatoes and tomatoes.

Onion production is expected to be 24.45 mt (increase of 7.17 per cent) compared to 22.82 mt in 2018-19.

Potato production is expected to be 51.94 mt an increase of 3.49 per cent. It was 50.19 mt in 2018-19.

Tomato production is expected to be 19.33 mt (increase of 1.68 per cent) compared to 19.01 mt last year.

Total horticulture production in 2019-20 is expected

The project JK BovaGenix is an initiative of JK Trust.

JK Trust, promoted by Raymond’s CMD, Gautam Hari Singhania, engaged in livestock breed improvement through its pioneering project in embryo transfer with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), has received a grant of Rs 4.83 crore under the Union government’s Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), as reported by FNB News.

In 2014, the government launched RGM to develop and conserve indigenous breeds of cattle through selective breeding. The scheme comprises of two components: National Programme for Bovine Breeding (NPBB) and National Mission on Bovine Productivity (NMBP).

“This government has given considerable attention to animal husbandry.   Prime Minister Narendra Modi too is also completely aware about our programme. We received Rs 4.83 crore for a three-year period spanning April 2019 to March 2022 as the ministry is impressed with our work,” said Dr Shyam Zawar, chief executive officer, JK Trust,

The Trust is now keen to make inroads into Karnataka which is among the leading milk producers in India. Talks are on with private breeders in Karnataka. The Holstein Friesians (HF) breed of dairy cattle from Punjab are high milk producing varieties. “We are looking at cattle from Karnataka as IVF recipients of these cows from Punjab. University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and ISKCON which has 17,000 cows have also evinced interest in our work,” said Dr Zawar.

 

“As the largest NGO in animal husbandry in India, we operate in around 35,000 villages across 11 states providing the services of artificial insemination to the rural farmers so as to improve the genetic breed and enhance milk production,” he added.

India’s animal reproduction scene was not that developed until JK Trust chipped in its expertise. Normally a cow produces one calf in a year. But with IVF, we have produced 14 calves from the Gir breed donor cow named ’Radha’ in a span of one year for the first time in India. Between April to September 2019, we have also been able to ensure 56 IVF pregnancies from the Gir donor cow, Gauri. Of these 56 pregnancies, 38 were performed at JK Trust IVF centre near Pune and the remaining were at the farmers sheds across India. These calves are expected to be delivered anytime from January to June this year, according to him.

Although, India is one of the largest milk producing countries globally, the per capita availability of milk is poor as compared to global standards. Hence with IVF, India can maintain less number of dairy cattle which are genetically superior to produce more milk. “This is one way to decrease the number of non-productive animals with less pressure on grazing and feeding cattle,” noted Dr Zawar.

Stating that India dairy farmers need access to good breed of cattle, Dr Zawar said, “There was need for training in bovine IVF. In this regard, JK Trust had approached the government to offer a month of training in IVF under its guidance to produce embryos.”

The project JK BovaGenix is an initiative

It will provide real-time technologies for managing the agri space, in line with its multiple award-winning Agri Reach technology.

Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM), India’s leading agri services solutions provider with operations across India and Myanmar, has digitally transformed the 24X7 call centre dedicated to its agri-warehousing operations in India and Myanmar into a paperless entity integrating artificial intelligence (AI), to make it more efficient and seamless. 

The call centre, which was established in 2010, is a part of SLCM’s endeavour to provide real-time technologies for managing the agri space, in line with its multiple award-winning Agri Reach technology. It will have a dedicated team of customer support executives who will provide support to the field staff.

The system uses real-time data integrating it with artificial intelligence to provide seamless experience to the field staff, thus adding a much-needed human yet smart element to the technology-enabled platform Agri Reach, an algorithm which combines series of processes, audits and real-time tracking of the facilities to give error-free results and deplete the risk of crop damage.

SLCM is the only company in this domain which has a centralised real-time process management system, and the patent for Agri Reach is pending. It uses techniques like geo-fencing to real-time tracking, bar-coded storage receipts to avoid thefts/pilferage and internal audits, along with a maker and checker policy at each level.

 

In an archaic industry like agriculture, SLCM has once again showcased its ability for innovation. Through this call centre, it strives to enhance service standards and constantly raise the bar on scientific storage by eliminating paperwork and providing the evidence of the calling details. It will also help in reducing the timelines, which will lead to an overall improvement in the efficiency of the system.

Talking about the initiative, Sandeep Sabharwal, group chief executive officer, SLCM, said, “In a marketplace model, intelligent call centres have an extremely important role to play, as they create a physical touchpoint. The idea behind augmenting this dedicated 24×7 call centre is to create an interface that warehouse managers may be more comfortable using.”

 

“It builds upon our centralised real-time process management system Agri Reach, and integrates it with artificial intelligence for real-time monitoring, thus enhancing the level of service,” he added.

 

“So far, the interactions with these warehouse managers have been through online portal and e-mails. Now, through this call centre, they will have a dedicated customer care person to talk to, to discuss issues related to inventory, and other logistical issues,” Sabharwal stated.

 

“As all of our warehouses are now online, we wanted to setup a virtual customer service network which complements our digitisation efforts. This call centre is a step in that direction,” he added.

The call centre will be equipped to provide the evidence of the calling details and will have technical features like MySQL Version: 5.1.73 – Backend Database Interface Coded in PHP 5.3.3, perl v5.10.1 used for automation process, Asterisk 1.4.32 – Dialer HTML5 – Graphic User Interface.

 

Additionally, it will have all warehouse contact details predefined for auto dialling, besides all incoming or outgoing call divided into three types – morning, afternoon and evening. All the calls will also get automatically recorded across the platform. These calls will later be verified for quality and training needs of the back office and field staff.

 

To make things convenient for the call centre representative, the call centre will come with a landing page, for incoming and outgoing call, which will be prefilled with balance stock and basic details. For unhindered service, it will have manual entry option in case phone lines are not working.

It will provide real-time technologies for

The company has set for itself a turnover target of ₹12 crore from Maharashtra region alone in the first year and an overall target of ₹50 crore in FY 20-21.

 Singapore-headquartered start-up Samudra has forayed into the Indian agricultural and domestic pumps space with the launch of open-well and bore well submersibles, slow speed self-priming mini monoblocs and control panels.

Samudra headquartered in Singapore with manufacturing capabilities in the city, has set a conservative target of Rs.12 Cr in the Maharashtra region alone in the first year of its launch, which was held at Pune in that State.

The state-of-the-art pumps will be manufactured at 18.000 sq. ft highly specialised manufacturing and R & D facility here and the products will be distributed through its dealer and sales network in all the states.

With another additional 35,000 Sq. ft production facility to be operational by April, Samudra  plans to enter six states – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan and Punjab in another 18 months and aims to establish strong pan India presence by 2022 and targets Rs. 50 Crore turnover in 2020-21.

Samudra aims to be a leading player in the hydraulics segment by offering top quality pumps and motors catered to varied needs. Its Founder and CEO, Shivan Ramachandran said in a release.

Shivan Ramachandran, founder, Samudra said, “We will look to expand into other States in a phased manner, and hopefully establish a pan India presence by 2022.” To keep pace with expansion plans, Ramachandran is planning to invest ₹25-₹30 crore by April 2021.

Though based out of Singapore, the company has a 14,000 sq ft unit at Athipalayam near Ganapathy in Coimbatore, a 4,000-sq ft R&D centre and testing unit at Varadharajapuram and an upcoming facility spread over 33,000-sq ft in Peelamedu.

“We would have established 50,000 sq ft of manufacturing space in the next two months with daily production capacity of 300 plus products. We intend to expand this further by adding another 30,000 sq ft to support component manufacturing and product assembly,” he said.

 

 

 

 

 

The company has set for itself a

Company’s sales volume has grown by 44 percent on the Year-On-Year basis to 0.7 million tonnes in the quarter ended December 2019, as compared to 23 percent of the industry.

One of India’s largest phosphate fertilizer companies, Coromandel International has received an increase of 20 percent, thanks to the company’s focus on bringing unique grade products and rising backward integration.

These grade products, which usually fetched higher margins, have contributed to the 38 percent to the total revenue in the financial year 2019. The company is also planning to raise it to half its output in the next few years.

As per recent data, the company’s sales volume has grown by 44 percent on the Year-On-Year basis to 0.7 million tonnes in the quarter ended December 2019, as compared to 23 percent of the industry.

Coromandel International Limited produces a broad range of fertilizers and specialty nutrients. It also deals in the business segments of crop protection and retail. The company is a part of the Murugappa Group, which is worth Rs 36,893 crore.

The company is working aggressively towards its growth. Their major focus is on creating products with a new and unique chemistry. Recently, the company came up with a revolutionary insecticide called ’Astra’ and a product named ’Prospell’ in fungicides.

Satish Tiwari, who earlier used to be Coromandel’s Senior General Manager – Crop Protection, has recently been promoted as National Head – Marketing. As a new marketing head, he envisions to work towards renovating their services and products that can please the farmer community. The core markets of Coromandel International are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Gujarat.

 

Company’s sales volume has grown by 44

This acquisition is one step in simplifying technology for the grower while also bringing them new capabilities.

Ten years after its founding, CropMetrics has been acquired by CropX.  Both companies have been building their businesses on remote sensing capabilities to enable agronomic decisions.

The acquisition will deepen CropX’s product offering says President John Vikupitz.  “We are the only company in the world today that has a software team, hardware team, and agronomy team all under one roof to provide the whole package to farmers,” he says. “Growers are dealing so many companies with very little coordination between the companies. The industry is going through a phase where we should expect to see some consolidations.”

He also added, this acquisition is one step in simplifying technology for the grower while also bringing them new capabilities.

“Look at the industry of data-driven agronomy, and you’ll see it needs to evolve so growers can find platforms that are friendlier when it comes to making decisions in the field,” he says. “A lot of companies provide a lot of data, but it’s too confusing and overwhelming. In the soil sensing arena, we are committed to provide highly accurate data that can automate decisions.”

He says CropX saw a lot of “nice synergies” in CropMetrics and they also appreciated the existing sales footprint in the Corn Belt. CropX was founded in 2015 and has its headquarters in Israel.

“We like that CropMetrics positions the trusted advisor close to the farmer to help them adopt new technologies and optimize how it can improve their farm,” Vikupitz says.

Of note, the company is already working to integrate CropMetrics’ variable-rate irrigation and soil moisture product into their hardware. “We will continue to provide user friendly and data rich products,” he said. CropMetrics was founded in 2009 by Nebraska farmer Nick Emmanuel.

 

This acquisition is one step in

Ownership of West Central positions CHS as a leading supply partner to cooperatives and retailers serving growers through out US

CHS Inc., recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of West Central Distribution, LLC, and a full-service wholesale distributor of agronomy products headquartered in Willmar, Minnesota.

“Completing the acquisition of West Central demonstrates our commitment to provide more of the products, services and technologies cooperatives, retailers and our farmer-owners need to compete,” said Gary Halvorson, senior vice president, CHS Agronomy. “Ownership of West Central expands our agronomy platform, positions CHS as a leading supply partner to cooperatives and retailers serving growers throughout the United States and adds value for CHS owners.”

 

About west Central Distribution

West Central offers crop protection, nutrients and other specialized agronomy products to cooperatives and independent retailers. With 30 locations, West Central expands the distribution assets, capabilities, and expertise of CHS Agronomy, which currently offers a globally-integrated wholesale crop nutrient supply chain and an array of retail seed, crop protection, fertilizer and agronomic technologies and services.

“Joining CHS builds on our shared values and history of collaboration,” said Mike Fiebelkorn, West Central president. “With the combined strengths of both organizations, we can better meet the needs of CHS and West Central customers.”

CHS has owned 25 percent of West Central since January 2015. With the completion of the transaction, West Central’s more than 200 employees become CHS employees.

 

 

Ownership of West Central positions CHS as

This will enable APEDA to continuously expand its recognition network of laboratories across the country

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has added 135 laboratories to existing 51 recognized laboratories. 

With this initiative APEDA recognition of laboratories has reached 186 laboratories across the country. The number of laboratories have increased in states with exporting potential like Maharashtra (35), Gujarat (23), Andhra Pradesh & Telangana (10), Tamil Nadu (23) and Karnataka (17). Laboratory testing requirements are crucial in agri export supply chain.

For increasing the laboratory network further, APEDA has taken a policy decision for simplification of APEDA recognition of laboratories.  It has been decided that the laboratories which are NABL accredited will be recognized by APEDA and same will be added in the network of APEDA recognition laboratories. 

This will enable APEDA to continuously expand its recognition network of laboratories across the country and will enable the exporters to have an easy access to the laboratories for testing of APEDA scheduled products for exports.

This will enable APEDA to continuously expand

The symposium emphasized on the importance of the researches in the frontier areas like genomics, robotics and bioinformatics for meeting the national food security.

The ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar in association with the Association of Aquaculturists’ organized the “3rd International Symposium on Genomics in Aquaculture” at its Kausalyaganga Campus from 21st to 23rd January, 2020.

The Chief Guest, Prof. Dr Soumendra Mohan Patnaik, Vice-Chancellor, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar emphasized on the importance of the researches in the frontier areas like genomics, robotics and bioinformatics for meeting the national food security. He urged for more collaborative works among the researchers for producing the useful products / technologies for the benefit of the stakeholders in aquaculture.

The Guest of Honor, Dr Victor Martinez, Director, FAVET-INBIOGEN, Chile stated that the research in genomic science requires huge investment, however, it pays. He said that we are already reaping its advantages in agriculture and animal husbandry.

 

Dr. B.R. Pillai, Director, ICAR-CIFA outlined about the genetics research being done in the Institute for the better growth and aquaculture production enhancement. She also highlighted about the collaborative research works being carried by the Institute with the other ICAR Institutes, DBT, DST and other national and international Institutions.

 

Earlier, in his welcome address, Dr K.D. Mohapatra, Organizing Secretary of the Symposium briefed about the symposium’s genesis and thematic areas. Over 200 researchers from the various parts of the country and abroad participated in the symposium.

The symposium emphasized on the importance