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Agro Universities, Foodgrains, R&D

Study was led by Prof K C Bansal, Former Director, ICAR-NBPGR

Landmark research study led by Prof K C Bansal, Former Director, ICAR-NBPGR has been published in the world renowned journal, ’Crop Science’, published by the Crop Science Society of America, USA. It has been also featured on the Cover Page of the journal. The study involved scientists from the ICAR-NBPGR and wheat researchers across the country and it was completed at the national level at different hotspots from resistance to diseases and heat stress and identified promising lines.

The national wheat improvement programme in the country has contributed significantly towards achieving the food security since the advent of the green revolution in the 1960s. However, there has always been a need for sustainable wheat production in this era of climate change by developing high yielding thermo-tolerant varieties with durable disease resistance and with the capacity to produce more with less of water and fertilizers. To address these challenges, it was always desired to evaluate all the lines of wheat germplasm conserved in the National Gene Bank at ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi for identifying promising lines for use by breeders and researchers using the modern genomics tools. However, this was a gigantic task and never attempted before involving all (about 22,000) wheat accessions conserved in the Genebank. 

Study was led by Prof K C

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Start ups

Stress on local production and manufacturing

Inauguration of the capacity building component of the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises scheme (PM-FME Scheme) was undertaken by Union Minister for Food Processing Industries (FPI) Narendra Singh Tomar on November 18, 2020 in the presence of Rameswar Teli, MoS, FPI. 

Speaking on the occasion, where the GIS One District One Product (ODOP) digital map of India was also launched Tomar said, “Our Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve is to make India self-reliant. The way forward is in local – local manufacturing, local market, and local supply chain. Under the PM-FME scheme, capacity building is an important component. The scheme envisages imparting training to food processing entrepreneurs, various groups, viz., SHGs / FPOs / Co-operatives, workers, and other stakeholders associated with the implementation of the scheme”.

The training of Master Trainers aims to benefit nearly 8 Lakhs beneficiaries from micro-enterprises including members of Farmer Producer Organizations, Self-Help Groups, Cooperatives, Tribal communities, and others. The digital ODOP map provides detailed information about ODOP product to all stakeholders. Under the capacity building component of the PM-FME scheme, training of the Master Trainers would be delivered through online mode, classroom lecture and demonstration, and self-paced online learning material. 

Stress on local production and manufacturing Inauguration

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Trade

Punjab alone accounts for 199.32 of the total 286.79 LMTs of total Paddy Procurement

In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes. Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh with purchase of over 286.79 LMTs of paddy upto 17.11.2020 against the last year corresponding purchase of 241.78 LMT showing an increase of 18.61 per cent over last year.

Out of the total purchase of 286.79 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 199.32 LMT which is 69.41 per cent of total procurement.About 24.78 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 54147.38 crore.

Further, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded for procurement of 45.10 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme (PSS). 

Punjab alone accounts for 199.32 of the

E-commerce, R&D, Start ups, Supply Chain

Tech-enabled methods such as automated drip irrigation have been used to achieve the finest grade of fresh produce through Residue-Free methods.  

 Ninjacart, India’s largest B2B fresh produce supply chain company has, produced its first set of Residue-Free Tomatoes in partnership with agri-tech platform Kilofarms. The set has been tested and cleared by Shiram Institute for Industrial Research, Bangalore, and also meets the 2013-14 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) testing list criteria in order to be safely tagged as residue-free consumable produce.

 Ninjacart along with its associate partner Kilofarms, is optimistic in cultivating 8 more crops that will be residue-free including muskmelon, watermelon, chillies, potatoes, ridge gourd, ladies finger by February 2021, and 18 more crops by mid of next year. 

Residue-free vegetables are grown with optimal farm inputs that do not contain any harmful chemicals and are not necessarily organic. Residue-free vegetables and fruits are exported from India, but for local consumers, these methods were not being utilized to the fullest potentials. Ninjacart and Kilofarms have leveraged each other’s strengths to devise tech-enabled methods such as automated drip irrigation to assist farmers in achieving the finest grade of fresh produce through Residue-Free methods.

This technology will help farmers with moisture sensors that give a predictive estimate of the water content of the soil as it influences the yield of the crop. It helps reduce the amount of water used in the field by telling the farmers which part of the field has less water, thereby bringing more efficiency to the entire process with minimal wastage. This entire system is controlled through an app wherein farmers can look after 30 to 40 acres of land in a single day, without having to spend the entire day in the field.

 

Thirukumaran Nagarajan, Co-founder and CEO, Ninjacart, while announcing the first set of successful residue-free vegetables, said, “ Ninjacart’s ambition since inception has been to ensure safe food for all, and with the introduction of our first residue-free produce we’ve come closer to that dream. We are extremely happy with what we’ve been able to accomplish and are excited to continue this journey with Kilofarms. Combining our knowledge of the supply chain ecosystem with their technology prowess, we will continue to stay steadfast in our goal and expand these methods to even more crops by next summer.”

 

Jerome Jesuraja Arokiasamy, Co-founder and CEO at KiloFarms said, “We are happy to have partnered with Ninjacart in their vision to ensure safe food to billions of people. Ninjacart’s experience and our tech enabled solution, together has helped us to produce the first residue-free batch of tomatoes. We are excited to replicate the solution for other fresh produce and normalise residue-free produce in the market and among consumers.”

 

 

 

Tech-enabled methods such as automated drip irrigation

Agro Universities, Packaging & Labelling, R&D

The nanocellulose materials in cucumber peels emerged as strong, renewable and economic material 

 IT Kharagpur  researchers have developed cellulose nanocrystals from cucumber peels with high cellulose content, compared to other peel wastes, which can be used to create food packaging materials.

 

While single-use plastic is consciously being avoided by consumers, they still remain largely in circulation as food packaging items. Natural biopolymers are unable to make way in this industry as they lack strength, elongation, barrier property, optical property, and in some cases even biological safety. The cellulose nanomaterial developed by researchers, Prof. Jayeeta Mitra and N. Sai Prasanna at IIT Kharagpur’s Dept. of Agricultural and Food Engineering from raw cucumber waste, has addressed this challenge.

 

Food packaging materials require nano-filler reinforced bio-composites which can be derived from the cellulose widely available from the outer skin of fruits and vegetables. These cellulose fibres can be used to produce cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), bio-based nanomaterials with defined nano-scale structural dimensions. They are produced through controlled acid hydrolysis which removes amorphous regions, and produces more crystalline regions.

 

In India, cucumber finds wide use in salads, pickles, cooked vegetables or consumed raw and also in the beverage industry leading to a large volume of peel biowaste which is rich in cellulose content.

 

“Cucumbers generate about 12% residual wastes obtained after processing either the peels or whole slices as waste. We have used the celluloses, hemicellulose, pectin extracted from this processed material for deriving new bio-materials which are useful as nano-fillers in bio-composites,” said Dr. Jayeeta Mitra, Assistant Professor at the Dept. of Agricultural and Food Engineering.

 

Talking about the findings, she further added, “Our study shows that cellulose nanocrystals derived from cucumber peels possess modifiable properties due to the presence of abundant hydroxyl groups, which resulted in better biodegradability and biocompatibility. These nanocellulose materials emerged as strong, renewable and economic material of the near future, due to unique properties like a high surface area to volume ratio, light in weight, and excellent mechanical properties. Thereby, such nanocrystals, when reinforced as nano-fillers in bio-composites films, can produce effective food packaging materials with low oxygen permeabilities.”

 

The present study revealed that cucumber peels possessed greater cellulose content (18.22%) than other peel waste. It also provided better insights into their crystalline, thermal and colloidal properties of cucumber cellulose.

 

Research scholar N. Sai Prasanna said, “The crystallinity percentage as high as 74.1 % along with thermal stability of more than 200 °C negative zeta potential values (< -30 mV), and acid hydrolysis yield of 65.55%, make the material a strong nano-filler reinforcement as bio-nano composite. This offers the much needed mechanical, barrier, optical, rheological properties, nontoxicity, etc. required for food packaging materials which has the strong market potential to replace plastic.”

 

This non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible product has no adverse effects on health and the environment hence could have a huge market potential by rendering management of organic waste with high cellulose content profitable.

 

“Apart from the food packaging and beverage industries the researchers are optimistic about its scope in various fields like thermo-reversible and tenable hydrogels making, paper making, coating additives, food packaging materials, bio-composites, optically transparent films, as stabilizers in oil-water emulsion. Also, CNCs find good potential applications in biopharmaceutical applications such as drug delivery and fabricating temporary implants like sutures, stents etc.,” added Sai Prasanna.

 

The researchers further made a note for packaging industry players in our country for substantial investments to improve packaging material properties for better sustainability, disposal and decomposition issues. All these demands for biodegradable packaging will propel the nanocellulose market in the coming timeframe contributing towards a sustainable and plastic-free world, opined Prof. Mitra.

 

“The incremental usage of petroleum-based plastics in food packaging, spanning a few decades, has raised many challenges as these plastics are the indomitable sources of environmental pollution since nearly 60% of it is converted to landfill, and rest is recycled only once. More research and product development focused on various biopolymers from either macromolecules or from the microbial polymers would be able to make the sector acceptable to packing material producers with wider awareness, alternative products at economic prices,” she remarked.

The nanocellulose materials in cucumber peels emerged

E-commerce, R&D, Seeds

The only fireworks in the world to sow real plant seeds on the ground after explosion.

 

Vadivel Pyrotechs Private Limited, one of the leading firecrackers manufacturers in the country, unveils the game-changing Seedstar fireworks. The innovative product takes the spirit of ‘green crackers’ to the next level by becoming the only fireworks in the world to sow real plant seeds on the ground after explosion. Each Seedstar firecrackers will have an explosive chemical material and durable seed packages which when ignited, plunge heat-resistant seeds into the air.

Indians burst over a million kilograms of crackers every year on Diwali and this celebration of fireworks has a small yet significant effect on the pollution levels. “To find a permanent solution to this recurring issue and to make Earth a better place.

“The existing green crackers can decrease harmful emissions only up to 30 to 35%, whereas the ground-breaking Seedstar reduces emissions to a greater extent and paves the way for a greener future by dispersing high-grade seeds on the ground,” said Vasanth Vikas Arumugasamy, Managing Director of Vadivel Pyrotechs, the largest manufacture of Sivakasi Crackers.

 

The idea of Seedstar was conceived by  Vasanth Vikas Arumugasamy, Managing Director, Vadivel Pyrotechs,  Athiban Arumugasamy, Joint Managing Director, Vadivel Pyrotechs and by  M. S. Shailendra, CEO of Birth Marque, a creative branding company in Chennai. Seedstar has three crucial elements in it: explosive chemicals, assorted seed package, and vermicompost treated kraft papers.

 

Seeds with maximum heat resistance are placed along with the pellet balls inside the chemical mixture. On ignition, these seeds will get carried into the air up to several feet. Seeds with less durability are placed inside a clay adhesive which protects the seed during the entire process. On lighting the crackers, the seeds placed inside the clay sealing will get scattered within the limited radius of the firework. In addition to protection, the clay also offers nourishment to the seed during germination.

 

“On dispersal, these seeds will land on viable grounds and increase the foliage cover in the world. Under optimum conditions, at least 50% of the seeds used in these fireworks will grow into new plants,” he added.

 

The exclusive Seedstar kraft papers are treated with vermicompost to act as a natural fertilizer to the plants. Kraft paper plays a significant role in reducing the pollutions caused by firecrackers. In addition to this, all the shells and tubes used in the manufacture of Seedstar fireworks are biodegradable.

  

This innovation is presently incorporated in the manufacture of aerial shots, rockets, ground fireworks, and fountain crackers. It can be extended to any type of fireworks except sparklers. 

Through extensive research and exhaustive product trials, thirty different types of indigenous seed varieties are selected for the purpose. They include seeds of Pongame Oil Tree, Tamarind, Neem, Albizia Lebbeck, Bamboo, Portia Tree, Leucaena, Papaya, Lemon, Casuarina Junghuhniana, Teak, Pithecellobium Dulce, Citron, Curry Leaf, SaracaAsoca, Chinaberry, AbrusPrecatorius, Sapota, Coral Tree, Pterocarpus Marsupium, Nigella Sativa, Laburnum Tree, Water Melon, Pumpkin, Pea, Pigeon, Bottle Gourd, Bitter Gourd, Guava, and Sugar-apple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only fireworks in the world to

Agro chems – Chemicals, E-commerce, North America

 To accelerate next-generation business utilizing synthetic Biology 

 

 Sumitomo Chemical has decided to establish a new organization, SynBio Hub, within the Biorational Research Center of Valent BioSciences LLC (VBC), a U.S. subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical in Illinois. By setting up this organization tasked to build technologies using synthetic biology in the U.S., a prolific site for innovative technologies in the field, Sumitomo Chemical will further accelerate its efforts to create next-generation businesses.

 

In recent years, the industrial application of synthetic biology has been advancing a great deal, backed by rapid technological progress through the fusion of biotechnology and digital technology. By merging synthetic biology with the chemical technologies it has cultivated over the years as a diversified chemical company, Sumitomo Chemical is developing highly functional products that cannot be manufactured by chemical synthesis alone, as well as highly efficient, clean, and energy-saving processes so that new businesses can be created. Sumitomo Chemical is actively investing in research and development in the field of synthetic biology, not only through its investment in Conagen and its partnership with Zymergen, but also through various initiatives with startups and academia.

 

In addition to open innovation, SynBio Hub will also collaborate with Sumitomo Chemical’s Corporate Venturing Innovation offices (CVI) — innovation exploration bases in the U.S. and Europe — and bases in Japan such as the Bioscience Research Laboratory and the Industrial Technology & Research Laboratory, so that fundamental technologies based on synthetic biology can be rapidly built throughout the Sumitomo Chemical Group. Sumitomo Chemical will also embark on in-house research, including the development of producing strains and scale-up (chemical engineering) by making use of the technologies it has cultivated through its biorational* business and the commercialization of chemicals. By accumulating technologies, expertise, and experience in synthetic biology through such research, Sumitomo Chemical will pursue synergies with the chemical technologies held by the Group.

 

In its fiscal year 2019 through 2021 Corporate Business Plan, Sumitomo Chemical has identified accelerating the development of next-generation businesses as one of its basic policies, and aims to create new businesses in four priority areas: reduction of environmental impact, healthcare, food, and ICT. With SynBio Hub, Sumitomo Chemical will continue its group-wide efforts to cultivate technologies and new business domains in order to bring about a sustainable society.

 

*The Sumitomo Chemical Group defines “biorationals” as products and microbes derived from natural sources or natural products themselves, such as microbial pesticides that protect crops from pests, plant growth regulators that improve and enhance crop quality and yield, and microbes that improve soil health.

 To accelerate next-generation business utilizing synthetic Biology    Sumitomo

E-commerce, Live Stock, R&D

The company mimics the extra-cellular matrix found in animals with a plant-based matrix that enables the cells to grow and form structured tissues of meat.

Israel based Aleph Farms Ltd. is heading towards the transfer of its commercial product – thin-cut beef steaks – into proprietary platform suitable for mass cultivation. The quality steaks, grown directly from non-GMO cells of a living cow, boast nutritional, culinary, and sensory attributes of meat in terms of texture, flavor, and aroma. The company has developed five proprietary modules for its unique mass production platform, set to bring the product to cost parity with conventional meat at scale.

The prototype of its commercial product will be first introduced at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit on November 20th in Singapore as part of a virtual cooking demonstration hosted by Aleph Farms’ resident chef and VisVires New Protein VC.

The company beefed-up its proof-of-concept released in 2018, increased the size of its slaughter-free product, and adapted it to fit controlled, automated bioprocesses to ensure economic viability in large-scale production.

The move marks a major leap in Aleph Farms’ goal of making cultivated meat widely available in the global community. The company is currently transitioning its commercial products to pilot plant (BioFarmTM). The pilot launch is planned for the end of 2022.

“One of the big challenges of cultivated meat is the ability to produce large quantities efficiently at a cost that can compete with conventional meat industry pricing, without compromising on quality,” says Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms. “We have developed five technological building blocks unique to Aleph Farms that are put into a large-scale production process, all patented by the company.”

Aleph Farms’ unique platform for cultivating steaks effectively mirrors the natural process of tissue regeneration processes that occur in the animal’s body, but outside of it and under controlled conditions. The process is designed to use a fraction of the resources required for raising an entire animal for meat, and without antibiotics.

To successfully grow whole pieces of meat, compared to minced meat product, the company mimics the extra-cellular matrix found in animals with a plant-based matrix that enables the cells to grow and form structured tissues of meat. Its ‘cell-banks’ yield an unlimited source of pluripotent, non-GMO cow cells’ for growing large quantities of meat without the dependency on living animals.

Aleph Farms has designed patented tissue cultivators to facilitate the biological process occurring in vivo, providing the warmth and basic animal-free elements needed to build tissue in nature. This includes water, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

 Aleph Farms is a food company that paves a new way forward as a leader of the global sustainable food ecosystem, working passionately to grow delicious, beef steaks from non-genetically engineered cells, isolated from a living cow – using a fraction of the resources required for raising an entire animal for meat, and without antibiotics. 

In May 2019, the company raised a US $12M Series-A investment round participated by strategic partners and venture capital. Aleph Farms was co-founded with The Kitchen Hub of the Strauss Group and with Professor Shulamit Levenberg of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Aleph Farms is backed by some of the world’s most innovative food producers, such as Cargill, Migros, and the Strauss Group. It has recently received top accolades for its contribution to the global sustainability movement from the World Economic Forum, UNESCO, Netexplo Forum and EIT Food.

The company mimics the extra-cellular matrix found

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agro chems – Pesticides, Europe, Industry Reports / Analysis

Study finds reduction in EU agricultural production

The European Commission (EC) has unveiled its Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies that would impose restrictions on European Union (EU) agriculture through targeted reductions in the use of land, fertilizers, antimicrobials, and pesticides. The Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies represents a fundamental shift in EU food and agriculture policy, with correspondingly fundamental implications for the structure and productivity of the EU food and agriculture industry.

The Study  suggests that the EC’s 10-year plan of targeted reductions in the use of land, antimicrobials, fertilizers, and pesticides would lead to a reduction in EU agricultural production and reduce its competitiveness in domestic and export markets. If the plan were adopted beyond the EU, those impacts would also expand with consequences for worldwide welfare and food insecurity

Food insecurity, measured as the number of people who lack access to a diet of at least 2,100 calories a day, increases significantly in the 76 low- and middle-income countries covered in our analysis due to increases in food commodity prices and declines in income, particularly in Africa. By 2030, the number of food-insecure people in the case of EU-only adoption would increase by an additional 22 million more than projected without the EC’s proposed Strategies. The number would climb to 103 million under the middle scenario and 185 million under global adoption

  

Study finds reduction in EU agricultural production The

Agro Universities, R&D, Water

The user-friendly, simple device “Soil Moisture Indicator” (SMI) helps the farmers in assessing the soil moisture levels while scheduling irrigations 

ICAR-SBI Scientists bag First Prize in National Water Award – 2019The ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore’s Team of Scientists bagged the first prize in the National Water Awards – 2019 organized from 11th to 12th November, 2020 for their work on “Soil Moisture Indicator (SMI) and its application in irrigation water management” in the Best Research / Innovation / Adaptation of New Technology for Water Conservation category. The Team consisting of Dr. K. Hari, Dr. D. Puthira Prathap, Dr. P. Murali, Dr. A. Rameshsundar and Dr. B. Singaravelu Award was conferred the Award by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India. The Award carries a Cash Prize of Rs. 2 Lakhs and a Citation.

 

The user-friendly, simple device named as “Soil Moisture Indicator” (SMI) helps the farmers in assessing the soil moisture levels while scheduling irrigations, thus, ensuring considerable saving of irrigation water. The device has been designed for objectively indicating the soil moisture status in the soil and can work on a variety of soil types. It works based on the principle that electrical conductivity of the soil is directly proportional to soil moisture or soil electrical resistance is indirectly proportional to soil moisture content.

 The team outlined about the evolvement of the SMI technology with an active participation of farmers and sugar factory personnel through the Farmers’ Participatory Action Research Project (FPARP) monitored by the Central Water Commission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. They also emphasized that considering the versatility of the technology, its use has been demonstrated by the several ICAR-KVKs (Farm Science Centres) in different crops, such as, groundnut, brinjal, bhindi, coconut, banana, paddy, sesame, black gram, green gram, tomato and mustard besides, sugarcane. The technology had also found a place in the Union Ministry of Agriculture’s Publication – New steps, progressive steps: A glimpse of PM’s achievements. It is also noteworthy that the Agriculture Skill Council of India and National Skill Development Corporation have included this in the National Occupational Standard of a Sugarcane Cultivator. At present, the unit price of the device is around Rs. 1,500/-.

 

Dr. Bakshi Ram, Director, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore highlighted that, with the fast depletion of water resources in agriculture being a serious cause of concern, widespread use of versatile devices, such as, Soil Moisture Indicators would go a long way in achieving the objective of obtaining “More crop and income per drop of water” resulting in sustainable gains to farmers across the country.

The user-friendly, simple device “Soil Moisture Indicator”

Packaging & Labelling, Thailand

The collaboration utilizes Dow’s sustainable packaging solution INNATE and down-gauging technology

Thailand based Dow (DOW) recently announced its collaboration with Royal Umbrella and Prepack, Thai leading flexible packaging producer under SCG Packaging (SCGP), to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by optimizing plastic resin used in rice bags as well as reducing energy use in production.

The collaboration utilizes Dow’s sustainable packaging solution INNATE and down-gauging technology. The new recyclable rice bags will be launched in 2021 in response to consumers’ demand for environmental-friendly packaging and to address the partners’ sustainability goals.

Royal Umbrella’s developmental packaging is Thailand’s first brand to use multi-layer, mono-material polyethylene rice bags made from Dow’s innovative INNATE precision packaging resins. In spite of a reduction in thickness, packaging made with Dow’s resins will be stronger.

“In the initial phase, it is anticipated that 300 metric tons of plastics will be reduced which is equivalent to eliminating 600 metric tons of carbon or planting more than 237 acres of trees. Not only are the mono-material polyethylene bags easy to recycle, but Royal Umbrella also encourages its consumers to separate their waste,” said Chatchai Luanpolcharoenchai, Dow Thailand President.

Consumers can drop off Royal Umbrella’s rice bags at the nearest recycling bins or donate them at more than 350 ‘Mue Wised x Won’ plastic bag drop points by PPP Plastics in leading department stores in Thailand.

 

The collaboration utilizes Dow’s sustainable packaging solution

Inputs, Trade

Increasing disposable income along with the changing lifestyle of people drives the market growth in the forecast period

Herbs & Spices Kombucha market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 26.10% in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. Increasing disposable income along with changing lifestyle of people drives the market growth in the forecast period.

While preparing Herbs and Spices Kombucha market research report, few of the attributes that are adopted include highest level of spirit, practical solutions, committed research and analysis, innovation, integrated approaches, and latest technology. Every possible effort has been taken while researching and analyzing information to place so as this market report.

With the watchful use of established and advanced tools like SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five Forces Analysis, this market report has been structured. Herbs and Spices Kombucha market report contain a thorough analysis of the market structure alongside forecast of the varied segments and sub-segments of the market.

The major players covered in the herbs and spices kombucha market report are Asheville Kombucha Mamas, LLC, GT’S LIVING FOODS, Hain Celestial, KeVita.com, Wonder Drink, Kosmic Kombucha, LIVE Soda, LLC, Manta Media Inc., NessAlla Kombucha, RED BULL, Reeds inc., Revive Kombucha, humm kombucha and BREW DR. TEA COMPANY among other domestic and global players.

With the market statistics mentioned in the Herbs and Spices Kombucha Market business report, it has become possible to gain global perspective for the international business. This report contains most recent market information with which companies can have in depth analysis of Market industry and future trends.

Increasing disposable income along with the changing

E-commerce, Europe, R&D

It aims at promoting soil health and biodiversity in the field, reducing emissions and preserving ecosystem services,

Corteva Agriscience has announced the launch of its first ‘Innovation Farms’ in Germany to find sustainable solutions to challenges facing many farms in the country and beyond.

Corteva will support two pilot farms, Uherek in Gröbitz, Saxony-Anhalt, and Redeker in Pattensen, Lower Saxony, in promoting soil health and biodiversity in the field, reducing emissions and preserving ecosystem services, while at the same time ensuring profitability and stabilizing yields.

 

The initiative comes as part of Corteva’s 2030 sustainability strategy. The company’s 14 goals, to be achieved over the next 10 years, are built around four key pillars: goals to benefit farmers; goals to benefit the land; goals to benefit communities and goals for the company’s operations.

 Rudolf Fuchs, Corteva Agriscience Country Leader in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, said: “The innovation farms set up in Germany are the first in Europe and thus an important step towards putting the global strategy into practice here in the region.”

 

Melanie Hauer-Jákli, Field Agronomist at Corteva, and Andreas Schumacher, Country Sales Manager Crop Protection, both responsible for the Innovation Farms project added: “The long-term project aims at harmonizing ecological, economic and social aspects in a holistic way. While the measures are tailored to the individual farms, they will also provide best practice examples for many other farms facing similar challenges.”

 

Corteva Innovation Farms serve as testing grounds for enterprise-wide solutions, testing a broad spectrum of innovative measures such as mixed cultures and night sowing to the use of digital tools including application maps and drones.

 

The Uherek farm in Saxony-Anhalt is a 300-hectare family farm which grows winter durum, winter wheat, winter oilseed rape, sugar beet, corn, soy, sunflower and barley. Explaining why he chose to participate in the project, farmer Florian Uherek said: “The increasing drought in particular presents us with major challenges, but the social pressure on us farmers is also growing.”

 

On his farms in Lower Saxony Christian Redeker cultivates winter wheat, sugar beet, silage corn, winter oilseed rape and marker peas on 500 hectares. The farmer is trying to promote insect and species protection through measures such as sowing special flowering mixtures. One focus is to test sustainable, efficient methods of weed control, for example against foxtail.Two livestock farms will be added to the existing Innovation Farm program next year.

 

It aims at promoting soil health and

Pulses, Webinar

Focused on the Indian Govt’s plans for the forthcoming Lentils crop as well as an update on Canadian and Australian Lentils

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the nodal body for India’s pulses trade and industry, hosted THE IPGA KNOWLEDGE SERIES WEBINAR ON LENTILS with domain experts like Dr S K Malhotra, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India; Sunil Kumar Singh, Additional MD, NAFED; Rakesh Khemka, Managing Director, Uma Exports; Peter Wilson, Managing Director, Wilson International Trade, Australia and Rav Kapoor, CEO & Director, ETG Commodities Inc., Canada.

The webinar, moderated by Anurag Tulshan, IPGA East Zone Convenor and Managing Director Esarco Exim was attended by close to 800 participants from across 30 countries. The webinar had a focused discussion on key aspects like production of forthcoming Lentils crop, trade’s perspective of stock availability, expected imports as well as price outlook.

 

Dr. S K Malhotra, Agriculture Commissioner informed, “Domestic sowing target set at 1.40 million Ha and production target set at 1.60 million tons”.

Sunil Kumar Singh said, “We have sufficient funds, infrastructure and will to buy every grain available at the farmgate if the prices were to drop below the Rs. 51,000 per metric ton MSP.However, with an annual demand of around 2 million tons, the deficit of 4 lakh tons will have to be met by imports. If the domestic production does reach 1.60 million tons, then domestic prices expected to remain around the MSP of Rs. 51,000 per metric ton with a minor fluctuation.”

 Neither Australian nor Canadian farmers are expected to get into the market aggressively till after April 2021 when the situation of India’s Lentil crop is clear.

Peter Wilson, speaking about the Australian Lentils scenario said, “This year, Australia has a total availability of 861,000 tons of lentils and expects to export around 750,000 tons. Apart from India, we expect Turkey to be a big importer. As of now, even before the harvest, about 25% to 30% of the crop has already been traded and prices have been in the early USD 600 per metric ton range.”

Anurag Tulshan, IPGA East Zone Convenor and moderator of the Lentils webinar said, “With Canada having completed their Lentils harvest, Australia about to start their harvest and India due to start sowing, this was the best time to host this webinar as the Indian trade needed a holistic view of the overall situation.”

Focused on the Indian Govt’s plans for