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Acquaculture, Agro Universities, R&D

Award Winners Nambikkai fish farmers’ group and Sai Aqua Feeds adopted CIBA’s Fish Waste-to-Wealth” and Feed Processing Technology. 

The Nambikkai Fish Farmers Group, Tamil Nadu and Sai Aqua Feeds, Andhra Pradesh bagged the “Best Fisheries Self Help Group” and “Best Fisheries Enterprise Award – 2020” for adopting the ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai’s “Fish Waste-to-Wealth” and Feed Processing Technology. The award was bestowed by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India during the World Fisheries Day – 2020 celebrations held at National Agricultural Science Centre Complex, New Delhi

 Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying conferred the Awards to Shri T. Kennit Raj, Leader, Nambikkai Fish Farmers Group and Shri Vijay, Managing Director, Sai Aqua Feeds, Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh on the behalf of their respective organizations. 

Dr Rajeev Ranjan, I.A.S., Secretary (Fisheries), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India and Dr. Suvarna C., Chief Executive, NFDB, Hyderabad were also present during the occasion.

 

The Nambikkai Fish Farmers’ Group from Pattinapakkam in Chennai successfully adopted the technology-conversion of fish wastes into value-added products – developed by the ICAR-CIBA. M/s. Sai Aqua Feeds, a Start-Up Company in Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh adopted the technology of ICAR-CIBA, Chennai in formulating Desi Shrimp Feeds. The Awards include a Financial Incentive of Rs. 2 Lakh Cash Prize and a Shield.

“Waste to Wealth” Initiative 

Started its functioning during 2017-18 under the aegis of ICAR-CIBA, Chennai, the Nambikkai Fish Farmers’ Group commercialized the ambitious technology of recycling fish wastes to develop value-added  products named Plankton plus (used in aquaculture system to boost and maintain the healthy plankton blooms) and Horti plus (used as an organic manure in horticulture). The products have been developed under the concept of “Waste to Wealth” initiative of ICAR-CIBA in line with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan of the Central Government.

 The Start-Up Processing Unit of Nambikkai Self-Help Group produced 16,345 Kgs of value-added products and attained an annual turnover of Rs. 1.68 Millions. The group has 7 Scheduled Caste Fishermen Members. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the group managed to earn Rs. 2 lakh as livelihood support.

 Low-cost Desi Feed Technology 

The M/s Sai Aqua Feeds commercialized the indigenous shrimp feed Vannamei plus developed by the ICAR-CIBA, Chennai. The feed’s formulation on a commercial scale by the Andhra-based Company helped in reducing the production cost in shrimp aquaculture in the country and effectively contributing towards doubling the farmers’ income.

 Starting its operation in 2017, the Company had an overall production of 7,633 tonnes of shrimp feeds in the brand “Vasanthi Premium” with an average annual production of 2,585 tonnes. An overall turnover of nearly Rs. 5 Crores was earned by it. It is estimated that the production cost could be reduced by 20 % with the Institute’s commercialized desi feed technology.

Award Winners Nambikkai fish farmers’ group

E-commerce

Company expands GoodHemp™ sales to Canada’s industrial hemp market 

 

 Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., a leader in science-based approaches to enhancing the quality and nutritional value of crops and food ingredients, announced it has signed a distribution agreement with Tritium 3H, Inc., a Canadian hemp seed company based in Lethbridge, Alberta, that specializes in hemp field testing, certified seed production, commercialization and distribution of industrial hemp varieties for the Canadian market.

T3H will distribute Arcadia’s GoodHemp seed varieties and genetics in Canada once they have been certified by the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (“AOSCA”) and Health Canada. 

Said Arcadia CEO Matt Plavan, “This agreement solidifies our plans to accelerate the commercialization of Arcadia’s hemp genetics internationally and affirms market demand for our portfolio of superior GoodHemp varieties. We’re proud to partner with a well-respected distributor like Tritium 3H to bring our CBD dominant, short day varieties to Canada’s industrial hemp growers.” 

Continued Plavan, “Our GoodHemp varieties were field-tested extensively in regional and national trials by the T3H and Arcadia teams. Working closely with T3H, we expect AOSCA certification in mid-December, Health Canada certification in February and significant commercial sales in the spring prior to the planting season.”

 Added T3H CEO Jayme Hunter, “We’re pleased to add Arcadia’s high CBD, early maturing varieties to our portfolio. They’ve performed extremely well in our field trials allowing us to offer field proven, feminized, and compliant hemp genetics appropriate for all of Canada’s unique climatic regions. Arcadia’s genetics will provide market leading value to Canadian industrial hemp growers.”

Company expands GoodHemp™ sales to Canada’s industrial

Finance

The Delta Facility will receive $5000000 which will provide full funding to the licensed cultivation areas

AgraFlora Organics International Inc. (AgraFlora) a Canada based leading cannabis company building shareholder value through the development of revenue-generating operating assets in the global cannabis industry, has recently announced that Propagation Services Canada Inc. the Company’s flagship cultivation asset located in Delta British Columbia (the Delta Facility or PSC) has received an Agriculture Loan (the “Loan”) to bring its cannabis cultivation to market and continue Phase 1 of the Company’s cultivation strategy.

As part of the loan, the Delta Facility will receive $5000000 which will provide full funding to the licensed cultivation areas and will allow the PSC team to bring their first crop of low-cost high potency cannabis to market on a wholesale basis in Q1 2021.

The curated portfolio of elite genetics at the Delta facility has been tailored to work with PSC’s Delta-based infrastructure and utilizing 422828 sq. ft. of cultivation space with state-of-the-art semi-pressurized semi-open Venlo greenhouses.

With demand for high potency products trending upward especially within the value pricing segment PSC is uniquely positioned to produce a compelling value proposition for wholesale customers: high potency cannabis with desirable strains at a competitive price.

The Delta Facility will receive $5000000 which

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech, India

To celebrate the success of these 200 Best Under A Billion companies, Forbes Asia Best Under A Billion Virtual Forum and Awards Ceremony was held on November 23 from Singapore

Deepak Nitrite Limited (DNL), one of India’s leading chemical intermediates company has recently received Forbes Asia Best Under Billion Top 200 Award. To celebrate the success of these 200 Best Under A Billion companies, Forbes Asia Best Under A Billion Virtual Forum and Awards Ceremony was held on November 23 from Singapore.

The annual Forbes Asia Best Under A Billion list spotlights top-performing publicly listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region with sales under $1billion. From 18,000 small and mid-sized companies, 200 companies were selected based on a composite score that incorporated their overall track record in measures such as debt, sales and earnings growth over both the most recent fiscal one- and three-year periods, and the strongest one- and five-year average returns on equity. The criteria also ensured a geographic diversity of companies from across the region. By using metrics both quantitative and qualitative, the final list of 200 companies were shortlisted.

Maulik Mehta, CEO & Executive Director, DNL while receiving this prestigious recognition said: “I am delighted to receive Forbes prestigious recognition and ranking at a time- when the company has entered 50th year of operation. I dedicate this award to our employees, customers and partners who have partnered with us to create this legacy. As a company, we look forward to strengthening this legacy and are committed to build a sustainable future.”

 

To celebrate the success of these 200

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Sustainable Energy

It aims at facilitating operation for production of CBG and Organic Compost Manure under SATAT scheme. 

 

 

 

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Praj Industries in presence of Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas & Steel, Government of India. The MoU aims at facilitating technological support to the entities for setting-up and commissioning of multiple number of eligible and qualified CBG plants and their continuous operation for production of CBG and Organic Compost Manure under Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT).

 To boost availability of affordable and clean transport fuels, a MoU was signed between MoPNG and leading oil & gas marketing companies & technology providers to establish Compressed Bio-Gas CBG) plants across India under the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative.

Government of India, under the SATAT initiatives envisages setting up of 5000 CBG plants by 2023-24 with production target of 15 MMT, facilitating the creation of new employment opportunities and enhancing farmers’ income towards further invigorating the rural economy. 

Speaking about SATAT, Pradhan said, “We have developed a clear-cut roadmap for SATAT. I am glad to note that Indian industry players have shown immense interest in SATAT. Letter of intent for 600 CBG plants have already been given and with today’s signing of MoUs for 900 plants, a total of 1500 CBG plants are at various stages of execution. Rs 30,000 Cr of investment is envisaged in these 900 plants. A total of 5000 CBG plants with approximate investment of Rs. 2 lakh crores are envisaged. Biofuels have the potential to reduce our fuel import bill by Rs. 1 lakh crore.”

 Elucidating the benefits of SATAT, Minister Pradhan said, “Benefits out of the SATAT will go to our farmers, rural areas and tribals. With inclusion of forest waste, Agri-waste, animal husbandry waste and marine waste, SATAT involves a multi-pronged approach. With liberalized policy regime ensuring ease of doing business for entrepreneurs, off-take guarantee, financing and technology support, SATAT is all set to contribute towards doubling farmer’s income, generating employment for the youth and ensuring clean energy for sustainable development.

 

It aims at facilitating operation for production

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech

Training will be imparted in primary cooperative institutions with 45 new training modules 

 

 

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and Food Processing Industries, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar unveiled Sahakar Pragya.The 45 new training modules of Sahakar Pragya of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) will impart training to primary cooperative societies in rural areas of the country along with Lakshmanrao Inamdar National Cooperative Research and Development Academy (Linac).Sahakar Pragya embodies enhancing NCDC’s training capacity by 18 fold through an elaborate network of 18 Regional Training Centres across the country by the dedicated, Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC) set up and fully funded by NCDC.

 Tomar called upon the cooperative sector to play a role in making the village-poor-farmers Atma Nirbhar.Shri Tomar said that today India boasts a huge network of over 8.50 lakh cooperative societies with about 290 million members and around 94% of the farmers in India are member of at least one cooperative society. He said that cooperatives have a major role in Atma Nirbhar Bharat and it lends strength to farmers to minimize risks in agriculture and allied sectors and act as shield against exploitation by unscrupulous traders.

Tomar said that NCDC has emerged as a financial powerhouse giving the client cooperatives a wide range of products and services. So far it has advanced loans to the tunes of Rs 1.58 lakh crores to cooperative societies of various categories across the country. Sahakar Pragya is the latest in the series of farmer focused steps by NCDC.

These 45 training modules of Sahakar Pragya to be delivered at LINAC and its countrywide network of Regional Training Centres will address the need for training of Primary cooperatives, FPO-Cooperatives and Self Help Groups federating. The training programmes will be supported under NCDC schemes, 10000 FPO formation scheme of Government of India, Agri Infra Fund scheme of Government of India , PM-FME scheme of Min of Food Processing Industry,  Dairy Infra Dev Fund scheme of Government of India, Fisheries Infra Dev Fund scheme of Government of India, PM Matsya Sampada Yojana of Government of India, Min of Rural Dev schemes State/UT schemes  Other organizations’ schemes.

NCDC has been created for the purpose of planning and promoting programmes for the production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock, certain other commodities and services like hospital & healthcare and education etc. on cooperative principles. It extends financial assistance to cooperatives at all the three tiers, Primary, District and Apex / Multi-State.

 

Training will be imparted in primary cooperative

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech

These projects will leverage private investment of Rs. 173.81 Cr and are expected to generate employment for 7750 persons. 

Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Narendra Singh Tomar, chaired the IMAC meeting through video conference to consider the proposals received under the Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Cluster (APC) of Pradhan Mantri KisanSampada Yojana (PMKSY). The promoters of projects also participated through Video Conference.

 

IMAC approved 7 proposals with total project cost of Rs. 234.68 Crores including grants-in-aid of Rs. 60.87 Crores in the States/UTs of Meghalaya, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. These projects will leverage private investment of Rs. 173.81 Crores and are expected to generate employment for 7750 persons.

 

The scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Cluster (APC) has been approved on 03.05.2017 under the Pradhan Mantri KisanSampada Yojana to incentivize the setting up of agro processing clusters in the country.  This scheme aims at development of modern infrastructure to encourage entrepreneurs to set up food processing units based on cluster approach. These clusters will help in reducing the wastage of the surplus produce and add value to the horticultural / agricultural produce which will result in increase of income of the farmers and create employment at the local level.

 

 

 

These projects will leverage private investment of

Foodgrains, R&D, Warehousing

It aims at advancing a solution for the food storage industry particularly for potatoes and grains 

 

 

 Canada based MustGrow Biologics Corp., has announced the exclusive patent licensing from the University of Idaho pertaining to a natural bio pesticide mustard-based treatment of stored produce and other foods, particularly sprout suppression of potatoes. 

Post-harvest sprout suppression is a key element of potato storage. The current annual European sprout suppression market is estimated at US$64 million and over US$100 million globally. The leading agrochemical product for sprout suppression, chlorpropham (“CIPC”), was banned by the European Union on Oct. 8, 2020. CIPC has long been the major global sprout suppressant, widely applied to stored potatoes. 

With this ban now effective, growers will be forced to refrigerate produce, adding an estimated US$150 million expenditure annually in the European Union. The additional capital expenditure and refrigeration energy consumption make this temporary approach unsustainable. Although the ban was anticipated, no effective treatment alternatives have emerged – creating a major problem for existing potato storage sites. 

MustGrow has exclusively licensed from the University of Idaho, U.S. utility patent number 10,588,321 titled “Mustard Meal to Inhibit Sprouting”, which was issued/granted on March 17, 2020 (the “Patent”). The Patent makes matter and method claims to utilize the mustard plant’s active ingredient, allyl isothiocyanate (“AITC”), to control vegetable and potato sprouting without the use of harmful synthetic chemicals. 

MustGrow is advancing a solution for the food storage industry (particularly potatoes and grains), combining expertise in mustard-derived AITC with the newly secured Patent. MustGrow has identified logical partners in relevant global regions based on food product characteristics and economics. 

Emerging literature, from a range of sources, has confirmed a broad array of AITC applications outside of its proven bio pesticide function, including treatment of stored grains and sprout suppression. MustGrow’s intellectual property suite is a platform for several crop protection categories and now stored food protection, aiming to disrupt global agriculture markets that have traditionally been dominated by synthetic chemicals. MustGrow’s existing patent portfolio protects both method-of-use and composition-of-matter claims for its signature mustard-derived approach to controlling soil-borne pests, diseases and weeds.

 Additionally, MustGrow has announced the appointment of Dr. Matthew J. Morra, a leading world expert on value-added products derived from oilseeds, as Scientific Advisor. One of three inventors on the Patent, Dr Morra has extensive expertise in developing mustard-based bio pesticides and is professor emeritus of soil biochemistry at the University of Idaho.

It aims at advancing a solution for

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech, Environment

BASF Mexico will help farmers achieve a 30% reduction in CO 2 emissions per ton of crop produced

BASF’s Agriculture Solutions division is committed to clear and measurable goals to promote increasingly sustainable agriculture by 2030. Focusing on its capacity for innovation, BASF Mexico will help farmers achieve a 30% reduction in CO 2 emissions per ton of crop produced, as well as committing to increase its offer of solutions that contribute significantly to sustainability by 7% per year.

Furthermore, BASF will bring digital technologies to more than 400 million hectares of agricultural land and will continue to ensure the safe use of its products through good agricultural practices. 

BASF will support farmers to become more carbon-efficient and resilient to changing weather conditions through technologies that allow them to increase productivity, make agricultural management more effective and reduce environmental impact. Those technologies include: 

  • Nitrogen management products, such as Vibelsol and Vizura, reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Crop protection products, such as the herbicide Kixor that allow farmers to produce without the need for tillage, reducing CO 2 emissions from the soil and the use of diesel.
  • New crop varieties, such as InVigor canola seeds, which provide greater stability to productivity, especially in adverse weather conditions.
  • Biological inoculants and innovative digital solutions.

With these products and solutions, BASF will help reduce CO 2 emissions per ton of crop produced by 30%.

Furthermore, the company continually invests in its solid portfolio of Research and Development innovations, systematically guided by sustainability criteria. It contains solutions that promote the efficient use of resources and reduce the environmental footprint. Some examples are:

  • Solutions based on the fungicide Revysol, which allows increasing wheat productivity by 4%, allowing the farmer to protect the natural habitat.
  • The targeted application of Biosolutions, such as RAK pheromones, which interrupt the mating of certain moths, protecting the crop throughout its entire cycle, as part of integrated pest management.
  • Plant breeding innovations like Pingo Doce watermelon that help consumers avoid food waste.

BASF Mexico will help farmers achieve a

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech

MFP to benefit 25000 farmers and generate employment for 5000 persons

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

MFP to benefit 25000 farmers and generate

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Spiropidion is an innovative new technology that

Agro chems – Chemicals, North America

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sami-Sabinsa analyses both Glyphosate and also its

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Seeds

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

With the entry of private players, the

Acquaculture, Agro Universities

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

 

 

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

The Webinar was aimed at disseminating the