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Agrotech, E-commerce, Sustainable Energy

The project will use 200 TPD pressmud (sugar plant waste) from the adjacent sugar plant to produce 10TPD CBG. 

 

 

 Dharmendra Pradhan,Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) and Steel, GOI, laid the foundation stone for the first pressmud to Compressed Biogas (CBG) project in Karnataka. Praj Industries will deploy its RenGasTM technology for the project being set up by Leafiniti Bioenergy. The project will use 200 TPD pressmud (sugar plant waste) from the adjacent sugar plant to produce 10TPD CBG. The plant will also produce high quality organic manure certified by Natural Organic Certification Agency (NOCA) as a co-product.

 

The compressed biogas produced in this plant will be utilised by IOCL under the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme. The project is scheduled to be completed in the next six months.

In addition to this development, Praj and Leafiniti have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up nine more CBG projects in southern India over the next three years. The cumulative 10 projects including the one underway will have a total capacity of 100TPD CBG production and will be completed over the next three years.

CBG is a renewable biofuel in gaseous form, derived by processing bio-based feedstock such as biomass, agricultural residue, sugarcane press mud, cattle dung, etc.

These developments are in line with the objectives of the MOU that Praj signed with MoPNG on 2oth November 2020 as a preferred CBG technology solutions provider, facilitating the construction of CBG plants as part of the SATAT initiative. Launched in October 2018 by the MoPNG ministry, SATAT aims to achieve production of 15 MMT of CBG from 5000 plants by 2023. An investment of over 2 lakh crore is expected to be pumped into setting up these plants.

 

Speaking at the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony, Dr Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman, of Praj Industries, said, “We are delighted to partner with Leafiniti Bioenergy to provide technology and plants for their CBG projects. CBG is an important element of our Bio-MobilityTM platform that offers technology solution to produce carbon neutral transportation fuel from bio-based feedstock. Praj is committed to provide innovative solutions to prospective developers so as to create a positive impact on environment and society. The setting up of CBG plants would not only strengthen the rural economy but also align with the goals of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.”  

Wishing the project every success, Murugesh Nirani, CMD, Nirani Group, said, “Praj is a leading technology provider in the bioeconomy space and we are happy to set up this project that heralds a new wave in bioenergy. This project will help reduce GHG emissions and will work as a catalyst for the local rural community. It will provide direct and indirect employment and as a cleaner, greener fuel,  will serve as an alternative to fossil fuels like petrol, LPG, diesel, furnace oil, etc.”

 Subhransu Biswal, Director, Leafiniti Bioenergy, said, “We at Leafiniti are committed to take tangible actions which respect our environment and create a sustainable energy ecosystem for the world.”

 

 

 

 

The project will use 200 TPD pressmud

Agrotech, IT, Start ups

CMO Asia recognizes Simply Fresh for making India’s largest 140-acre ‘Plant Factory’ in Telangana 

 

 

Hyderabad based agritech start up Simply Fresh, has been awarded the ‘Telangana Best Brand’ award by CMO Asia ‘2020. The award was presented at a virtual felicitation ceremony. The awards recognize, identify, and celebrate outstanding brand building & marketing initiatives by organizations, individuals, and teams for their innovation, uniqueness, consistency, and performance.

Simply Fresh, an innovative agri-tech startup, using precision farming techniques, has commissioned India’s largest 140-acre ‘Plant Factory’ in Telangana. The company uses plant profiling & nutrient management in climate-controlled greenhouses. The greenhouses have retractable roofs & walls, are equipped with growing systems (benches, gutters, pots, etc.), and supported by AI-driven fertigation and irrigation system. Simply Fresh leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) through its proprietary software Farm in A Box (FiAB), which tracks the plant’s life cycle from the initial stage of seeding, plant profiling, monitoring plant health, and nutrient level requirement at each stage of growth. This gives the brand ‘Simply Fresh’ the unique attributes of transparency and ensures quality and consistency in the product.

Speaking on the recognition Sachin Darbarwar, Founder and CEO of Simply Fresh India said “It is a great honour to receive the award from CMO Asia this year. The award encourages us to work hard and bring outstanding quality for produce including nutraceutical crops, medicinal & aromatic plants, leafy greens, and vine crops using precision farming techniques; for the customers through sustainable agriculture practices.”

CMO Asia recognizes Simply Fresh for making

Agrotech, Finance

Issued in three tranches, it has brought the total size of the bond to EUR 900 million 

 

 

Syngenta Group has announced that Syngenta AG completed a successful EUR 100 million tap of its existing EUR 800 million Eurobond, announced on 8 April and issued in three tranches on 16 April 2020, 24 April 2020 and 19 October 2020, bringing the total size of the bond to EUR 900 million. Its maturity date is in April 2026.

 

Syngenta Group is one of the world’s leading agricultural technology and innovation companies, with roots going back more than 250 years. Its 49,000 people across more than 100 countries strive to transform agriculture through breakthrough products and technologies that play a vital role in enabling the food chain to feed the world safely, sustainably and with respect for our planet. Swiss-based and Chinese-owned, the group draws strength from its four business units – Syngenta Crop Protection headquartered in Switzerland, Syngenta Seeds headquartered in the United States, ADAMA® headquartered in Israel, and Syngenta Group China – that provide industry-leading ways to serve customers everywhere.

Issued in three tranches, it has brought

Agrotech

The all-in-one hydroponic and aquaponic event will bring leading growers and brands together

Hyderabad-based Plantaerie innovates the most simplified hydroponics systems for 21st-century people to grow clean and fresh food with minimal natural resources of water and land, along with Singapore-based Farm2Hope, has recently organized a two-day AgriTech Festival on November 27 and November 28 2020 on hydroponics and aquaponics.

AgriTech festival is the first of its kind on an online meetup of masterminds with worldwide participation of hydroponics and aquaponics enthusiasts, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

For two days, Agritech Fest will stream hyper-focused speeches, social lounge, networking sessions, and live Q&A sessions to help upgrade to the next level. The all-in-one hydroponic and aquaponic event will bring leading growers and brands together.

Hydroponics is a type of horticulture and a subset of hydroculture, which is a method of growing plants, usually crops, without soil, by using mineral nutrient solutions in an aqueous solvent; the farming is proving to be an attractive proposition in India. The joint effort by Plantaerie and Farm2hope will bring together 1000+ of the world’s brightest minds in hydroponics & aquaponics to learn, share & network online.

The all-in-one hydroponic and aquaponic event will

Agro chems – Fertilizers, E-commerce, Start ups

Collaboration is aimed at digitizing the working of 1, 50,000+ retailers with an expected reach to 20 Mn farmers using Unnati’s technology platform

  Noida-based agri-tech startup Unnati has partnered with Mosaic India, a leading global fertilizer brand. The strategic, exclusive collaboration is aimed at digitizing the working of 1, 50,000+ retailers with an expected reach to 20 Million farmers using Unnati’s technology platform over the coming years. The tie-up encompasses digitizing the retail channel, easing the payments and credit flow to the retailers, delivering education to the farmers backed by the deep experience of Mosaic on Nutrient Management. 

With the tie-up, fertilizer retailers will be provided with tools to manage their stores. Through its tech-led platform, Unnati will also enable the retailers to source products, engage with farmers directly, and extend credit to the farmers. Furthermore, retailers can avail working capital loans and will be trained to enable farmers to sell their farm output through Unnati’s tech platform. 

The tie-up will also extend Mosaics deep understanding of sustainable Nutrient usage to farmers through Unnati’s intelligent platform. This will guide the farmers on optimal nutrient usage and provide them with the ability to get balanced nutrition at fair prices. 

Speaking on the partnership, Ashok Prasad said, “The agriculture ecosystem is progressing rapidly and digitising fast. Unnati has always been committed to extending a wide array of world-class services powered by cutting-edge technology. Through this association, we aim to reach more than 3 million farmers to educate them to increase the quality and quantity of their yield and simplify the working process of the agri input delivery to farmers. Mosaic is one the most trusted brands and we are extremely delighted to partner with them to bring the best in digital services to the farming ecosystem. We look forward to a long-lasting relationship.”

 

Adding to this, Robin Edwin, the managing director of Mosaic said, “Our combined knowledge will go a long way in assisting agri input delivery channels and farmers switch to the digital way of working. We are thrilled to join hands with Unnati, a leading agritech platform and hope to build on this first of its kind partnership to bring the benefits of digital farming to Indian agri ecosystem. This partnership also takes inspiration from the vision of our prime minister on digital India, where the country has been witnessing human-centric approach to technology development, specially targeted at the upliftment of rural population. We look forward to engage digitally with our channel partners and farmers and offer the best of agri solutions to them through direct connect with them”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collaboration is aimed at digitizing the working

Finance, Japan, Seeds

Totam is an innovative seed company active in research, breeding, and the sales & marketing of hybrid tomato seeds for the fast-growing active greenhouse segment

Tokyo-based Mitsui & Co., Ltd. has recently reached an agreement to take a 75% stake in Totam Seeds B.V. (Totam), and signed a share purchase agreement on November 25, 2020. Totam is an innovative seed company based in the Netherlands, active in research, breeding, and the sales & marketing of hybrid tomato seeds for the fast-growing active greenhouse segment. Tomatoes represent the largest crop segment in the vegetable seed market, and Totam has a proven track record in developing high-quality tomato seeds.

Active greenhouses with climate control enables year-round production and stable supply against the backdrop of the changing climate while minimizing labor which is an issue for the global agriculture industy.

Mitsui will partner with Prominent U.A. (“Prominent”), the largest tomato growers’ association in the Netherlands, a leading country in the area of active greenhouse production technology. This partnership will enable Totam to leverage Prominent’s vast experience in the production of tomatoes under active greenhouse conditions and insight into latest consumer trends, and strong research and development capabilities of Mitsui’s seed ecosystem such as Top Seeds International Limited to develop new and innovative varieties.

Mitsui plans to supply active greenhouse farmers around the world with tomato seeds developed by Totam, alongside comprehensive solutions based on Prominent’s know-how (e.g. irrigation, sytems, sensors, etc.).

Mitsui is placing a focus on responding to increased demand for food due to growth of the world’s population, as well as ensuring a stable supply of food in response to climate change, and addressing the increasing demand for vegetables to improve people’s health and living standards.

Totam is an innovative seed company active

Agro Universities, North America, R&D

The team will develop 1- to 2-foot worm-like robots that emulate how a bore drill into the ground, combined with a peristaltic motion that mimics how worms move through soil

Scientists of Cornell University, New York are recently planning to develop worm-like, soil-swimming robots to sense and record soil properties, water, the soil microbiome and how roots grow.

A $2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant led by the principal investigator (PI) Taryn Bauerle, an associate professor in the Horticulture Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will focus on the plants and soil perspective.

Meanwhile, a $750,000 NSF National Robotics Initiative grant to PI Robert Shepherd, associate professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering, will develop the soil-monitoring robots.

Furthermore, the project will focus on maize, with the ultimate goal of incorporating factors related to root growth to improve breeding efforts and soil management that directly affect food productivity and security.

To acquire those measurements, the team will develop 1- to 2-foot worm-like robots that emulate how a bore drill into the ground, combined with a peristaltic motion that mimics how worms move through soil.

The team will experiment with a number of sensors and strategies. A robot’s ability to push through soil can reveal such properties as soil density and compactness. Robots will also be fitted with small temperature and humidity sensors.

Another goal of the project will be to evaluate how plants might respond to the effects of climate change, such as water availability. Measurements of root growth, factored in with environmental data, can provide insights into how roots grow based on external conditions, such as droughts.

The team will develop 1- to 2-foot

AgroPolicy, Europe, Trade

To showcase India’s strength in export of fresh fruits and vegetables and strengthen the confidence of the German buyers in Indian agri products 

 

 

 Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under Ministry of Commerce and Industry, facilitates export of its scheduled agricultural and processed products through several export promotional activities.

 During the Covid19 pandemic period, APEDA continued its endeavour to promote export of agricultural products through the virtual medium.  Several virtual buyer seller meets were organised with the importing countries in association with the Indian Missions abroad.

 In this series, a virtual networking meet with German importers was organised on 25.11.2020 to promote export of fresh fruits and vegetables from the country.  The event was organised by APEDA in collaboration with Embassy of India, Berlin and German Agribusiness Alliance.More than 70 participants participated in the event.

 

 On the occasion Paramita Tripathi, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of India, Berlin, Dr. M Angamuthu, Chairman APEDA and  Julia Harnal, Chairperson, German Agribusiness Alliance addressed the participants.

 Chairman APEDA in his address gave emphasis on the potential of Indian GI and Organic products as well as processed products. Paramita Tripathi, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of India, Berlin laid emphasis on larger presence of Indian horticulture for their unique taste & qualities.  

The event comprised of presentations by the Indian side on the strength of Indian agricultural products in exports specifically grapes and fresh fruits and vegetables.  From the German side, there were presentations on the requirements and expectations of the German market.

 The event provided a platform to showcase India’s strength in export of fresh fruits and vegetables to further strengthen the confidence of the German buyers in Indian agri products and facilitate exports.

 

 

To showcase India’s strength in export of

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech

NAFED will address these issuesi n beekeeping supply chain and ensure price remuneration to the beekeeping farmers.

The Honey FPO Programme of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited. (NAFED) was inaugurated by Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar. The inauguration programme was hosted online and attended by the new Honey FPOs, farmers and FPOs from various parts of the country.

 

Inaugurating the programme, the Minister stated that “Beekeeping in India is highly predominant in the unorganized sector among the rural and tribal population. Despite having a huge potential of honey production in the country, the beekeeping industry is still underdeveloped. The adoption level of beekeeping is also quite less due to various constraints. NAFED will address these issues by acting as an intermediary and filling up the gaps between the elements of the beekeeping supply chain and also ensure price remuneration to the beekeeping farmers. Through these Honey FPOs, NAFED will also work for promotion of beekeeping as an occupation for unemployed women and tribal populations and uplift their livelihood”. Tomar also said that honey beekeeping will change the lifestyle of small and marginal farmers and help in achieving the goal of increasing farmer’s income.

 

Govt. of India is promoting the creation of FPOs in view of their significant role in fulfilling the mission of implementing agricultural reforms in the country. Promotion & Formation of FPOs is the first step for converting Krishi into Atmanirbhar Krishi. For this purpose new Central Sector Scheme for Formation & Promotion of new 10,000 FPOs was launched.

 

Under the new FPO scheme, so far National Level Project Management Advisory and Fund Sanctioning Committee (N-PMAFSC) had allocated 2200 FPO clusters for 2020-21 to all Implementing agencies. N-PMAFSC allocated 500 FPOs to SFAC, 600 FPOs to NABARD & 500 FPOs to NCDC, 100 FPOs to Watershed Development Department of Karnataka, 50 FPOs to SFAC-Haryana, 50 FPOs to Tamil Nadu SFAC, 50 FPOs to North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC), 100 FPOs to NRLM Division of MoRD for the current FY (2020-21). Additionally specialized FPOs to be formed, 100 Organic FPOs by INM, DAC&FW, 100 Oilseed FPOs by DAC&FW and 50 commodity specific FPOs by NAFED with value chain development.

 

Implementing Agencies had also identified the block wise clusters. FPOs will be developed by specialist ’Cluster Based Business Organizations (CBBOs)’ engaged by Implementing Agencies. NAFED had already empanelled the CBBOs and other IAs are in the process of empanelment of CBBOs. 

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited.(NAFED) has been appointed as the 4th National Implementing Agency other than SFAC, NABARD and NCDC for the creation of 10,000 FPOs by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW). NAFED has recently taken over the national level Federation of Indian FPOs and Aggregators (FIFA) with the aim of creating sustainable small holder institutions to enhance collective capacities, shortening of agri produce value chains for equitable returns to all stakeholders and leveraging technology for enhanced transparency, scale and seamless agri. produce trading. Creation of Honey FPOs is one of the thrust areas of FIFA’s business plan.

 

NAFED, through its empanelled Cluster Based Business Organisation (CBBO) Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (ISAP) has initiated the formation and promotion of FPOs of beekeepers and honey collectors in 5 States of India. The areas covered under the programme are Sundarbans in West Bengal, East Champaran in Bihar, Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, Morena in Madhya Pradesh and Bharatpur in Rajasthan.

The Honey FPOs made by ISAP under the aegis of National Bee Board (NBB) and NAFED will help its members in not only upgrading their skills in Scientific Bee Keeping but will also help in making its members set up state of the art infrastructural facilities for processing honey and allied beekeeping products like bee’s wax, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom, etc., quality control laboratories, collection, storage, bottling and marketing centres. These FPOs will benefit by the schemes of Mini Mission – 1 and Mini Mission – 2 of National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) of National Bee Board. The beekeepers / honey collectors of all the 5 states would be helped in branding and collective marketing of their Honey and other allied products of bee keeping through the marketing channels of NAFED. Efforts will also be made to explore the overseas market for improving the returns to the Bee Keepers and Honey collectors.

 

 

NAFED will address these issuesi n beekeeping

R&D

It is estimated that the APAC gene editing market may register more than 15% CAGR with Japan, China and India being the prominent players.  

 

 

 In the history of Nobel prizes, it’s been awarded to 57 women 58 times, with Marie Curie being awarded twice. The 2020 Nobel for chemistry is the first time an all women team has been awarded the Nobel. The only other instance being the Nobel peace prize in 1976 to founders of the Northern Ireland Peace Movement.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) were discovered in bacteria in 1987, but their function as an antivirus defence system of bacteria was elucidated in the 2000s. Bacteria take sections of a virus’s DNA into their own genome using Cas enzyme. The resulting CRISPR sequences allows them to detect a subsequent viral attack and fight back.

Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier showed in 2012, that the bacterial defence system could be turned into a ‘cut and paste’ tool for editing gene sequences. The tool is cheaper, less laborious than other available tools for editing genes and is more precise. Beyond just reading and synthesizing gene sequences, CRISPR empowered scientists to edit genes to modify and correct changes.  This application in editing was put forward in 2012 for the first time and has won the scientists a Nobel within eight years. This prompt acknowledgement and awards reiterate the potential of the technology in various aspects of scientific study.

“Gene editing technology can help eliminate human inherited disease, protect endangered species, address climate change and improve crops for resilience and better yields. Of the various gene editing techniques, CRISPR is widely accepted and adopted due to its simplicity as well as efficiency. Asia Pacific is considered to be a prominent region for gene editing providers. It is estimated that the APAC gene editing market may register more than 15% CAGR with Japan, China and India being the prominent players” said Dr. Ratna Kumria, Director- Biotechnology, AAI.

Dr Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) said,” The technology can have the most positive impact in agriculture. It can improve yield, increase food diversity, improve nutrition, develop disease and pest resistance, and control food waste and support sustainable agriculture. The above listed ongoing improvements will make crops high yielding while using minimal soil resources by making their efficient use. The gene edited plants would require minimal pesticide sprays, reducing GHG emissions, increased shelf life to reduce wastage and enhanced vitamin, protein and mineral levels for consumer health”.

However, its success as an efficient and inexpensive tool rests at the hands of the regulators who make the policies of the use of this technology. A prompt recognition of this tool by the Nobel committee is a testament of its potential, which is also a clear direction of the future research and product development.  A cautious approach will make it inaccessible and expensive, therefore, unattractive for small size enterprises. On the other hand, a more practical technology management, aligned with major economies in Asia Pacific and around the world will allow the optimum usage of CRISPR as a tool to improve agriculture.

 

India can take leadership in the region with available competency and intense demand for technology to improve agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner. Our farmers are dealing with salty soils, lowering water tables over and above the vagaries of climate change, including drought, flooding and increasing temperatures. They need traits in their crops that ensure yields as well as have enhanced consumer traits for better market acceptability and profits. Our trading partners may follow our lead in regulating and managing the products of gene editing in agriculture. Therefore, the technology presents an opportunity for self-reliance and to take up a leadership role in innovation and trade in the region.

 

Alliance for Agri Innovation is a special interest group of Federation of Seed Industry of India.

It is estimated that the APAC gene

Agro chems – Fertilizers, North America

Commerce is currently scheduled to announce its final CVD determinations on or about February 9, 2021

The US Department of Commerce has recently announced affirmative preliminary determinations in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of phosphate fertilizers from Morocco and Russia.

Commerce preliminarily determined that exporters received countervailable subsidies rates of 23.46 percent, and 20.94 percent to 72.50 percent, respectively.

As a result, Commerce will instruct US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of phosphate fertilizers from Morocco and Russia based on these preliminary rates.

In 2019, imports of phosphate fertilizers from Morocco and Russia were valued at approximately $729.4 million, and $299.4 million, respectively. 

The strict enforcement of US trade law is a primary focus of the Trump Administration. Since the beginning of the current administration, Commerce has initiated 306 new antidumping (AD) and CVD investigations – this is a 283 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.

The CVD law provides American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of unfair subsidization of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 539 AD and CVD orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.

Commerce is currently scheduled to announce its final CVD determinations on or about February 9, 2021.

 

Commerce is currently scheduled to announce its

Agro Universities, R&D

BGU is among the world leaders in the field of desert agriculture and water related research

Israel-based Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev and ABAN Group has recently announced the launch of a new initiative to build an agricultural research institute in Chennai, India in a virtual ceremony.

As BGU is among the world leaders in the field of desert agriculture and water related research, BGU will be consulting regarding the establishment, development, launch and operation of the joint Academic Research Institute.

Interested students who have completed their undergraduate studies in an academic institution in India and meet the academic and administrative requirements of BGU can apply to study towards a certificate course, postgraduate Diploma or master’s degree at BGU. The research part of the degree will be carried out at the ABAN-BGU Academic Research Institute under the guidance of the faculty of the University and / or staff trained by BGU, in one of the following fields: dryland agriculture and biotechnology, hydrology and water quality, desert studies, or ecology and conservation.

BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz said, “As part of the international research community, it is our obligation to share our scientific knowledge for the benefit of all of the world’s citizens. We have been deepening our knowledge and researching myriad aspects of desert agriculture up close for more than 50 years. We are proud to be leading global research in these fields and therefore it is natural for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to direct the academic establishment of an agriculture institute in India. The institute will assist in developing appropriate solutions to the agriculture of India. In addition, the students will benefit from studies at BGU at our Sde Boker Campus, and then carry out relevant research in the new Institute under the mentorship of BGU scientists.”

BGU is among the world leaders in

Nature, Schemes - Govt

India has achieved its voluntary target of reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 21% over the 2005 level

India and Finland have recently signed an MOU for developing cooperation between two countries in the field of Environment protection and biodiversity conservation.

The MoU is a platform to further advance Indian and Finnish partnership and support, exchange best practices in areas like prevention of Air and water pollution; Waste management; Promotion of circular economy, low-carbon solutions and sustainable management of natural resources including forests; Climate change; Conservation of Marine and Coastal Resources; etc.

The MoU was signed virtually by Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change from the Indian side and Krista Mikkonen, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Government of Finland from the Finnish side.

Javadekar informed that India has achieved its voluntary target of reducing emissions intensity of its GDP by 21% over 2005 levels, by 2020 and is poised to achieve 35% reduction well before the target year of 2030.

As part of its Nationally Determined Contributions submitted under the Paris Agreement , India has taken three quantitative climate change goals viz. reduction in the emissions intensity of Gross Domestic Product  by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level, achieving about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030 and creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

The MoU will strengthen technological, scientific and management capabilities and develop bilateral cooperation in the field of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit with due respect to promotion of sustainable development.

 

India has achieved its voluntary target

Agro Universities, Agrotech

The center will impart training and provide incubation facilities to farmers as well as entrepreneurs in agro-processing and value addition 

 The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will establish Food Industry Business Incubation Centre at Abohar in Punjab to impart training and provide incubation facilities to farmers as well as entrepreneurs in agro-processing and value addition. The development was disclosed by Dr Poonam A Sachdev, Head, Department of Food Science and Technology, during a live programme of PAU.

 

Dr Sachdev said, “Processed products hold a good value in the market and farmers and young entrepreneurs can earn 10-50 per cent profit, if they adopt it as a venture.” Many entrepreneurs, farmers and farm women are receiving training as well as availing incubational facilities at Food Industry Business Incubation Centre, at PAU, Ludhiana and Bathinda, she informed. The department has commercialised 38 technologies, such as bottling of sugarcane juice, multigrain flour, porridge, potato snacks, frozen peas, rollable chapatti, etc. she added. The department is also sharing technologies with Punjab Agro, Markfed and Sugarfed regarding sugarcane juice, Kinnow and guava blend, and Kinnow and mango blend, she noted.

 

Explaining the extension set up of PAU, Dr Kuldeep Singh, Head, Department of Extension Education, said the University transfers technologies through various extension modes like Kisan Melas, field days, workshops, adaptive research trials, on farm trials, demonstrations, specialized trainings (short, vocational and in-service), exhibitions, campaigns, technical guidance, sale of farm literature, TV/radio talks, social media, etc. Farmers can seek solutions to their agriculture related problems by consulting PAU experts, Ludhiana or experts from Krishi Vigyan Kendras, located in their nearby districts, he added.

 

Dr MS Bhullar, Head, Department of Agronomy, while discussing weed control in wheat, advised the farmers to follow PAU recommendations for the management of gulli danda in wheat.

 

Dr Paramjit Kaur, Assistant Entomologist, and Ravinder Bhalooria, mobiliser, Skill Development Centre, threw light on recommended varieties and production-protection technologies of various crops.

The center will impart training and provide