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Acquaculture, R&D

The MoU aims to initiate the knowledge partnership for the production of indigenous Penaeid shrimps (viz. Indian white shrimp, Kuruma shrimp) seed production.

 

ICAR-CIBA inks MoU with Private Shrimp Hatchery for Knowledge Partnership and Production of Indigenous Shrimp Seeds. The ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the A.R. Shrimp Hatchery Pvt. Ltd., Tamil Nadu recently.

Dr K.K. Vijayan, Director, ICAR-CIBA emphasized that the partnership program would trigger the framing of indigenous shrimps, a step forward in the sustainable shrimp farming in the country. He highlighted about the usefulness of the model in leveraging the diverse expertise between the Government Research Institute and Industry for addressing the current issues in the Brackishwater Shrimp Aquaculture.

 

Suresh Naik, A.R. Shrimp Hatchery expressed his confidence in bringing the positives through the MoU that would benefit the shrimp farming sector.

 

Dr. C.P. Balasubramanian, Scientist In-Charge, CCD briefed about the ICAR-CIBA’s initiatives in the shrimp farming sector. He also highlighted about the goals of the programme that facilitate the future domestication and genetic improvement programmes in the native shrimps.

 

The MoU aims to initiate the knowledge

Agro chems – Chemicals, E-commerce, Trade

It is a single-window agricultural solution provider, and partners with Indian farmers for progress and prosperity.

Leading fertiliser firm Zuari Agro Chemicals Ltd on Thursday said its NPK plant has been shut on account of non-availability of raw material. “NPK – a plant of the company has been shut down due to non-availability of raw material.

“We will inform you once the plant operations resume,” the company said in a BSE filing. The shares of the company were trading at Rs 104.70 apiece on the BSE, up 0.62 percent from the previous close.

Zuari Agro Chemicals Ltd was founded in 1967. The products of Zuari are being sold by the brand- Jai Kisaan. It is a single-window agricultural solution provider, and partners with Indian farmers for progress and prosperity. It provides fertilisers that are both affordable and effective.

 

 

It is a single-window agricultural solution provider,

E-commerce, R&D

The App will minimize risk factors with real-time weather forecast and relevant advisory to growers.

 Tea Board has released a mobile app called ‘Chai Sahyog’ to integrate small growers and trace green leaf movement, besides circulating advisory on agricultural practices and weather forecast.

 The Board has already issued identity cards with memory chips to small growers. Tea Board Executive Director M Balaji said the process would be completed by January 31. Led by him, senior officers of the Board’s Zonal Office in Coonoor – Deputy Director CS Hariprakash and Assistant Director B Pagalavan – organised a special training programme in Coonoor to familiarise the stakeholders with the features of the app.

The stakeholders were oriented to trace the supply chain from green leaf to made tea and also interact with the technical staff of the Board. They were also familiarised with the process for uploading the quantity and price details of their teas, including minimum benchmark price every month.

Balaji assured them that the new app will ensure traceability of the green leaf and lay the foundation for achieving the required quality and MRL (maximum residue level). It will also facilitate digital payment and information sharing.

Given the fact that weather is the most unpredictable external factor that affects small growers, the App will minimise risk factors with real-time weather forecast and relevant advisory to growers.

The App will minimize risk factors with

E-commerce, Machinery – Post-harvesting, R&D

T6 Methane Power tractor was capable of the same performance as diesel models at up to 30pc lower running costs.

New Holland Agriculture have launched the first commercial T6 Methane Power tractor, boasting the same performance as a diesel equivalent with up to 30 per cent lower running costs.

The CNH Industrial brand launched the tractor in November at Germany’s Agritechnica. New Holland brand president Carlo Lambro said the T6 Methane Power was the culmination of the companies work on alternative fuels as part of its clean energy leadership strategy.

“It is a significant step forward on the path to decarbonising agriculture, and it is happening now, as the development of this sustainable tractor has reached its production phase,” he said.

New Holland head of tractor product management said the tractor unveiled was the first production unit and the Methane Power would be available in Europe this year.

“With the economic and practical advantages it brings, further enhanced when using biomethane, we expect a lot of interest from biogas plant operators and suppliers, and also farmers with access to the gas network,” he said.

“Municipalities are also showing a lot of interest in adding this tractor to their fleets of compressed natural gas vehicles to further reduce their emissions footprint.”

CNH Industrial said the T6 Methane Power tractor was capable of the same performance as diesel models at up to 30pc lower running costs.

“In real field conditions the T6 Methane Power tractor produces 99pc less particulate matter than an equivalent diesel, and reduces CO2 emissions by minimum 10pc and overall emissions by 80pc,” it said.

The T6 Methane Power tractor features an FPT Industrial NEF 6.7 litre engine. CNH Industrial said the tractor could be powered by bio-methane, enabling farmers to move towards zero-carbon farming by producing fuel on farm.

T6 Methane Power tractor was capable of

E-commerce, Machinery - Pre-harvesting, R&D

It will increase the wear life of many components, simplify maintenance, improve performance and reduce the overall cost of planter ownership.

Beginning with the 2021 model year, Kinze will have a new series of enhanced planters available for growers — and they’ll be easy to spot as the 05 Series, meaning each model number will end in “05.” These planters — such as the 4705, a 24-row, 30-inch planter being introduced — offer a number of enhancements that will increase the wear life of many components, simplify maintenance, improve performance and reduce the overall cost of planter ownership.

 

Changes with this series include:

  • Row unit double parallel arm bushing with impregnated lubrication and double row bearing disc openers for extended wear life
  • High-efficiency vacuum fans that run quieter with less hydraulic demand, utilizing 1.5” diameter vacuum hoses
  • Redesigned bulk-fill seed delivery system that works with more crop types and at higher planting rates
  • Large frame planter models 4905 and 4705 feature a variable displacement piston PTO pump, which provides a simpler planter operation and higher efficiency to reduce tractor HP demands
  • Simplified hydraulics on the model 4905 planter improves serviceability and decreases planter lift times
  • Firestone IVF radial tires on planter model 4905 for reduced compaction

 

Along with the 05 Series planters, Kinze is introducing a 24R30 configuration of the 4705 planter. This configuration features tires in front of the toolbar in a front fold configuration with industry leading 600 gallons of liquid fertilizer capacity. The 4705 is offered with Blue Drive electric drive and True Rate meters for Model Year 21.

 Kinze previously announced that its 4700 narrow-row planter series (which we learned about at the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show) will debut this coming planting season in a 36-row 20-inch configuration. In addition to all the planter models, Kinze is introducing three new configurations of Mach Till that feature a narrow-transport design to allow farmers to easily transport the units from field to field. Offered in 30-foot, 36-foot, and 41-foot sizes in a three-section frame, the units will fold for transport down to 13-feet-2-inches and 16 feet for the 41-foot unit. The unit model numbers are 302, 362, and 412 with the number 2 representing the second generation of the Kinze Mach Till.

These three models will feature maintenance free bushing design like the current 201 and 262 bi-fold Mach Till. This offers the customer a very low maintenance unit that is easy to operate and maintain. Introduction of the narrow transport Mach Till will be spring 2020.

 

 

 

It will increase the wear life of

Acts & Schemes – Centre, E-commerce, Logistics

Tomar was speaking in First National Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Agri- Logistics in e-National Agriculture Market (e-Nam) held in New Delhi.

The Ministry for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare organized the first National consultative workshop on Strengthening Agri- Logistics in e-National Agriculture Market (e-Nam) in New Delhi recently. Speaking on the occasion Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar said that agriculture is very important for the country as there is a large population engaged in agriculture. He stated that strengthening agriculture and the rural economy will strengthen India so that the country can face challenges victoriously. The government is also committed to realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

 Strengthening Agri-logistics

Strengthening the e-NAM platform and making it reliable is the constant effort of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The Minister said that it is priority of the government that small farmers in large numbers join this platform. On strengthening Agri- Logistics the Minister suggested that Agri- Logistics starts with harvesting. Along with harvesting cleaning, grading, segregating, quality inspection, packaging and marketing have to be done so that the journey from production to consumer is completed. The workshop addressed all these problems that farmers face and the suggestions given by Prime Minister  Narendra Modi.

Tomar told the audience the greatest challenge in present times is to provide farmers the correct price for their produce. For this the Prime Minister has envisioned e-NAM (Electronic National Agriculture Market) that envisages a pan-India e-trading facility for agricultural commodities through integration of existing APMCs. Market integration through e-platform facilitates transparent and competitive bidding by enabling inter-mandi trade of the agricultural produce thereby giving advantage to the farmers for better price discovery. Presently 585 markets across 16 states and 2 Union territories have been integrated on e-platform. It is expected that 415 other mandis will soon be integrated. On this portal more than 1.65 crore farmers and 1.27 lakh traders have registered. Through this platform trading of Rs. 91000 crores has already taken place and in the near future it is expected to reach 1 lakh crores.

Tomar emphasized that technology should reach the farmer, micro irrigation should be used to save water, there should be less usage of chemical fertilizers, input cost should be reduced, and farmers should get a good price via MSP. He expressed hope that through this workshop the entire food value chain could be linked resulting in an effective Agri-Logistics infrastructure which will help strengthening e-NAM for the farmers.

 

In the National Consultative Workshop more than 200 prominent professionals, educationists, practitioners of Agri-Logistics, Cleaning, Grading, productivity analysis, quality management, warehousing and transportation and logistics start-ups participated. Senior officials from various states across the country were present. Union Minister of state for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Purushottam Rupala and Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Aggrawal also participated in the workshop.

 

 

Tomar was speaking in First National

E-commerce, Trade

Acquisition helps to expand RFG’s total potential addressable market for its core fresh-cut fruit business.

Calavo Growers, Inc. announced that its Renaissance Food Group (RFG) subsidiary has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SFFI Company, Inc. doing business as Simply Fresh Fruit (SFFI).

Founded in 1999 and based in Vernon, California, privately held SFFI is a processor and supplier of a broad line of fresh-cut fruit, principally serving the foodservice and hospitality markets that generated more than $30 million in annual sales in its most recent fiscal year. Its focus in those industries is anticipated to be highly complementary to the retail-grocery expertise of Calavo’s RFG business segment.

The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in Calavo’s first half and to be accretive to the company’s fiscal 2020 adjusted earnings per share. Further transaction terms were not disclosed.

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Lee E. Cole stated: “The purchase of Simply Fresh Fruit and its combination into the larger RFG platform makes sense on every level. SFFI has built an impressive business, both operationally and financially. It enables Calavo to efficiently add volume on favourable terms across existing RFG production facilities. With its concentration in the foodservice and hospitality industries, SFFI provides us with a profitable, ‘pure-play’ vehicle for accelerating the company’s growth in these additional categories, and expands RFG’s total potential addressable market for its core fresh-cut fruit business. We look forward to SFFI becoming part of the Calavo family.”

Acquisition helps to expand RFG’s total potential

Agrotech, Interaction

The Biopesticide Summit 2020 And AgroSpectrum as a Strategic Media Partner is delighted to announce the Global Biopesticide Awards 2020 will be presented as part of its gala dinner on 19th May. Over 300 industry colleagues and guests are expected to attend and celebrate achievements in the field of bioprotection.

After the success of the first Biopesticide Summit and Awards in July 2019, the executive and steering committee of the World BioProtection Form (WBF) is delighted to announced that the 2nd Biopesticide Summit & Awards will take place on 19-20 May 2020, at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, United Kingdom. 

The Summit will connect industry and academia to create novel ideas and services, next generation formulations and delivery systems and provide support for accessing investments to commercialise novel products for horticulture, forestry and sport turf. The event brings together the international bioprotection community, including innovators, academics, commercial providers and end-users, to discuss and address the most pressing issues in crop protection and pest control. Testament to the quality of the programme, and the event’s unique approach to gathering all stakeholders across the entire biopesticides chain, the Summit is delighted this year to partner with leading media in the field, such as AgroPages, IHS Markit | Agrow, Agrospectrum and Planteria.

A key part of the two-day event is the Biopesticide Awards, which recognise and showcase the achievements of innovators working across the bioprotection industry. This year, eight awards will recognise outstanding achievements in the development of new bioprotection products (those launched within the past 2 years) and their impact in crop protection. 

Award categories are:


  • New Bioinsecticide Product
  • New Biofungicide Product
  • New Bionematicide Product
  • New Biochemical Product
  • Outstanding Achievement

    • Industry Collaboration
    • Innovative Research Project of The Year
  • BioTech Start-up Business of The Year

 

Last year’s winners included leaders in innovation such as AgBio Systems, Bionema and the University of Birmingham, Ecoflora Agro, Ecolibrium Biologicals, Ecop-FP, Ecospray, Maxtim and Russell IPM. 

Dr Minshad Ansari, Chairman of the Biopesticide Summit & Awards said: “The Awards and gala dinner offer a truly unique opportunity to recognise the achievements of the latest and most innovative new products on the market, the best research projects and the brightest start-ups that the global bioprotection industry has to offer.”

To enter the Global Biopesticide Awards 2020 or to discuss sponsorship of an award, please visit https://biopesticidesummit.com/awards-2019/awards-2020/ or email  events@biopesticidesummit.com for an application form. 

The deadline for nominations is 31st March 2020. 

 

The Biopesticide Summit 2020 And AgroSpectrum as

Environment, Nature, Sustainable Energy

Global warming is a challenge for mankind on earth. Sustainability discussions primarily focus on energy consumption of devices

International Freezer Challenge 2020: Optimizing your cold storage practices?

Even environmentally friendly and energy efficient ultra-low temperature freezers traditionally consume a large amount of energy as they maintain extremely low temperatures 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for years.

The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) and MyGreenLab have partnered again to reward the best concept to improve cold storage regarding sustainability: The Freezer Challenge 2020.

The users can earn points by taking actions from Good Management Practices, Temperature Tuning, and other areas, as well as for sharing information about best practices. Awards will be given to those who have done the most to save energy and improve their sample storage.

More information in the Freezer Challenge 2020 at https://www.freezerchallenge.org.

 

Based on our responsibility for the environment, Eppendorf is proudly sponsoring the 2020 International Freezer Challenge the third time after 2018 and 2019.






Global warming is a challenge for mankind

Agro Universities, R&D

The MoU aims to provide the opportunities for scientists and post graduate students of VNMKV, Parbhani to use of the state-of-the-art facilities for the research at ICAR-NIASM.

The ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Baramati, Pune has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani. 

Dr. Jagdish Rane, Director, ICAR-NIASM and Dr. D.P. Waskar, Director of Research, VNMKV, Parbhani signed the MoU on the behalf of their respective organizations. 

Dr. Waskar highlighted the opportunities for collaboration where experience and breeding material generated at VNMKV can be immensely useful in the complementary research efforts at ICAR-NIASM in the area of abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. 

Dr. A.S. Dhawan, Vice-Chancellor, VNMKV, Parbhani, Maharashtra urged for the collaboration for enhancing the stability of crop productivity through tolerance to the abiotic stresses. 

The main objective of the MoU is to provide the opportunities for scientists and post graduate students of VNMKV, Parbhani for making the best use of the state-of-the-art facilities for the research at ICAR-NIASM by involving the different disciplines with an aim to make available the best combination of mitigation and adaptation options for areas prone to abiotic stresses.

 

As per the MoU, the scientists of the ICAR-NIASM will also participate in the academic activities intended to update the Post Graduate and PhD students with the advances in abiotic stress sciences.

The MoU aims to provide the opportunities

E-commerce, Trade

 This investment will enable the multinational to expand its prominence in global avocado supply. 

 Westfalia Fruit International has recently announced an investment by Boston-based Harvard Management Company (HMC), which enables the multinational to expand its prominence in global avocado supply. 

The acquisition by HMC of a minority stake in South Africa-headquartered Westfalia Fruit gives the fruit specialist capital for funding key initiatives while enabling collaboration with HMC’s accomplished team of natural resource investors.

 “Westfalia is a global leader in the avocado market with a commitment to environmentally sustainable management,” says Colin Butterfield, HMC’s managing director of natural resources. “It’s vertically integrated operations are uniquely positioned to benefit from the growth in global avocado consumption and make it a great fit for our portfolio. We are excited to have the opportunity to join them in this latest stage of their growth.”

 Westfalia Fruit’s future capital investments in global production and distribution are aimed at meeting the growing market demand for avocados and expanding the current availability of fruit.

 Alk Brand, the newly-appointed CEO of Westfalia Fruit, says: “The decision to partner with HMC was an easy one, given our similar values and commitment to sustainable business principles.” This transaction positions us well for pursuing strategic objectives within the global Group and significantly contributes towards our vision of being a leader in the global avocado industry.

 About Westfalia Fruit Group

 Established more than 70 years ago, the Westfalia Fruit Group supplies fresh produce and related value-added products to international markets. An integrated supply chain incorporating all activities ‘from pip to plate’ enables it to market quality fruit from across the globe throughout the year.

 This investment will enable the multinational to

E-commerce, Trade

 The combined Pinnacle and Simplot teams will operate as Simplot Grower Solutions.

The J.R. Simplot Company, a privately held food and agribusiness company headquartered in Boise, Idaho, announced it has finalized the acquisition of Pinnacle Agriculture. The acquisition, first announced in November, unites two market leaders in the distribution of agricultural crop inputs and related services. 

“Completing this acquisition represents a significant and important milestone for the J.R. Simplot Company, our employees, partners and customers,” said Garrett Lofto, Simplot President and CEO. “We look forward to shaping an exciting future with our new team members on board as we focus on delivering unique solutions to our customers. Strategically, this investment is another step that prepares us for a future where we can leverage our unique capabilities across the global food and global agricultural systems.” 

Simplot’s AgriBusiness Group now has more than 240 crop input locations throughout the U.S. and Canada with more than 4,400 employees and 500 crop advisors. In total, the Company now provides products and services to more than 40,000 North American farmers. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome Pinnacle employees, customers and partners and look forward to growing our knowledge with the addition of their insights and expertise,” said Doug Stone, President of Simplot’s AgriBusiness Group. “Our aim is to bring the best of both of these complementary businesses together to create even greater value for our customers.” 

The conclusion of the Pinnacle Agriculture acquisition represents a significant opportunity to bring the combined capabilities of Simplot and Pinnacle to growers, ensuring they receive the highest quality advice, products and services. The combined Pinnacle and Simplot teams will operate as Simplot Grower Solutions, led by Vice President & General Manager Troy Bolt.

 

“Our combined retail store footprint increases our ability to provide leading products, services and advice to our joint customers and farm communities throughout the U.S. and Canada,” Bolt said. “By expanding our services further into the Midwest and Southern regions of the U.S., we can serve more farmers in more areas who have the important job of growing food to feed the world.”

 About Simplot

The J.R. Simplot Company, a privately held agribusiness firm headquartered in Boise, Idaho, has an integrated portfolio that includes phosphate mining, fertilizer manufacturing, farming, ranching and cattle production, food processing, food brands, and other enterprises related to agriculture. Simplot’s major operations are located in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, South America and China, with products marketed in more than 60 countries worldwide. The company supports 4R Nutrient Stewardship – using the right source of fertilizer at the right rate at the right time and in the right place.

 The combined Pinnacle and Simplot teams will

E-commerce, Supply Chain, Trade

The pilot project with fresh food in Hyderabad aims to get a better understanding of customer behavior and the supply chain.

Walmart owned Bengaluru-based e-commerce Company, Flipkart has launched a pilot project in Hyderabad for delivery of fresh vegetables and fruits in partnership with vendors on its marketplace, according to ET Report.

Sources told that the company has applied for a food retail consent for its newly registered entity Flipkart FarmerMart. This will also help the Walmart-owned company’s food inventory in the country, as directed under the foreign direct investment (FDI) rules. 

In addition, Flipkart is planning to start 6 brick-and-mortar grocery stores after receiving the license, a procedure that could take 6 months, the report said. So far, Flipkart has partnered with Waycool Foods and Products & other sellers on the platform, the report mentioned.

 It added that Ninjacart that recently received a joint investment from Flipkart & Walmart, is likely to support a part of the supply in future.

The company also said that “Grocery is one of the key categories at Flipkart…the pilot project with fresh food in Hyderabad aims to get a better understanding of customer behavior and the supply chain that we are developing to address the demand for this category”.

 Flipkart FarmerMart at present has an authorized equity capital of Rs 1,845 crore. This new development comes in face of tough competition in the food & delivery segments in India.

 It is important to mention that the food retail license will be given by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade or DPIIT.

The pilot project with fresh food in

Poultry

Software solution helps manage the poultry production process in a dynamic and animal-centric way

Evonik will present Porphyrio®, the leading global software solution to improve and optimize poultry production, at IPPE in Atlanta on 28 – 30 January 2020.

Visitors to Hall A – Booth A1325 can take a closer look at Evonik’s Precision Livestock Farming approach, including Porphyrio®. This cloud-based software solution enables professional poultry producers worldwide – from breeders through to the processing plant – to enhance their production process by analyzing livestock data in poultry meat and egg production.

The Porphyrio® solution enables poultry producers to better manage, predict and optimize their operations with the help of instantaneous big data, biostatistics and self-learning algorithms. Its unique predictive optimized slaughter planning application addresses the daily challenges of the slaughter house.

Dr. Kristof Mertens, Managing Director at Evonik Porphyrio® said: “Our solution supports daily poultry production management and this from an animal centric approach – we put the animal central in the process. This includes flock and welfare management, predictions on performance, health management in terms of vaccinations and treatments, and feed stock management, which can all be approached more precisely. And we link the complete production chain from GPS till processing.”

“As such, our customers can take better strategic decisions based on short-term and long-term predictions of the production process. We believe the best way to improve your future production is to predict it with Porphyrio®.”

During the exhibition, Dr. Mertens will discuss the key factors for success in digital optimization of modern poultry production at the seminar, “Program Poultry Precision Farming” The seminar will be led by Fabian Brockötter, Chief Editor at Poultry World, with further contributions from David Speller, CEO of OPTIfarm, and Maarten De Gussem, DVM, Global Poultry Consultant Vetworks.


Evonik will also be showcasing its probiotics – the good bacteria in animal feed – including GutCare® and Ecobiol®, along with its analytical services such as AMINONIR®, which can be used to predict crude protein, dry matter, essential, and non-essential amino acids for all major feed ingredients.

Software solution helps manage the poultry production