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E-commerce, R&D, Start ups

The technology includes the GramworkX unique machine learning algorithm

Bangalore-based GramworkX, which changes the landscape of agriculture through modern farming methodologies and application of cutting-edge technology has developed an IOT and AI-enabled smart farm resource management tool, which helps the farmers guide, optimize and monitor utilization of water.

The technology includes the GramworkX unique machine learning algorithm, which provides micro-climatic condition predictions for the farmer to take accurate and proactive decisions.

This methodology provides a 20-30% yield improvement, by enabling precision agriculture leading to water savings. Additionally, remote control and automation help to manage farms from anywhere, anytime. The GramworkX IOT device continuously monitors key parameters in the field such as Temperature, Pressure, Humidity and Rainfall. This information is provided to the farmers in real-time via the GramworkX — Kisan App.

GramworkX was founded in 2019 helps in precision farming by integrating field data, weather patterns, and crop information to drive agronomic advice to farmers.

The technology includes the GramworkX unique machine

Acts & Schemes – Centre

The farmers will get 3 phase power supply from 5 AM to 9 PM under the scheme 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Kisan Suryodaya Yojana for providing 16 hours of power supply to farmers in Gujarat. In order to provide day-time power supply for irrigation, the Gujarat Government under Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had recently announced the ‘Kisan Suryodaya Yojana’. Under this scheme, farmers will be able to avail power supply from 5 AM to 9 PM. Dahod, Patan, Mahisagar, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, Kheda, Tapi, Valsad, Anand and Gir-Somnath have been included under the Scheme for 2020-21. The state government has allocated a budget of Rs.3500 crore for installing transmission infrastructure under this scheme by 2023.

While speaking about of Kisan Suryodaya Yojana the Prime Minister said, earlier most of the farmers got power for irrigation in the night only and had to wake up all night. In Girnar and Junagadh the farmers also face the problems of wild animals. Under the Kisan Suryodaya Yojana farmers will get 3 phase power supply from 5 AM to 9 PM and will bring a new dawn in their lives.

 

Under this scheme, about 3500 circuit kilometers of new transmission lines will be laid in the next 2-3 years and will be implemented in more than a thousand villages in the coming days and most of these villages are in tribal dominated areas. He said it will change the lives of lakhs of farmers, when the entire Gujarat gets the power supply through this scheme.

 

 He said under KUSUM yojana, FPOs, Panchayats and all such organizations are assisted in setting up small solar plants on barren lands and that irrigation pumps of farmers are also connected to the solar energy. He added the electricity generated from this will be used by the farmers for their irrigation and they can sell the surplus power.

 

The farmers will get 3 phase power

E-commerce, Machinery – Post-harvesting

 High-capacity hydraulics  helps in transporting round bales, moving heavy gravel, topsoil and other bulk materials 

 AGCO Corporatin, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment based in US,launched economical compact tractors ― the Massey Ferguson® 1800E and 2800E Series. The new line-up replaces the 1700E and 2700E Series and includes five models ranging from 24 to 57.3 engine horsepower. All are equipped with dependable Iseki® diesel engines, offer greater hydraulic capacity and sport the bold new styling common across the Massey Ferguson tractor line.

These new tractors are engineered and built for heavy-duty jobs and tough applications. A cast steel rear end and cast front axle, 4-wheel drive and high-capacity hydraulics provide the weight, muscle and traction to tackle demanding jobs, such as transporting round bales, skidding logs or moving heavy gravel, topsoil and other bulk materials. The E Series can be equipped with a broad range of implements and attachments, making them an economical and versatile choice for property owners, livestock producers, landscapers, hobby farms, municipalities and commercial contractors.

“The E Series tractors are powerful, easy to operate and offer a down-to-earth price that will appeal to budget-minded customers,” says Jeffrey Ratliff, AGCO tactical marketing manager. “Plus, these heavy-duty, no-nonsense work horses provide capabilities you might only expect from larger-horsepower utility tractors.”

 

 

 

 

 High-capacity hydraulics  helps in transporting round bales,

Finance, Logistics

The company reports an unaudited revenue of USD 9.9bn and an EBITDA before restructuring and integration costs of USD 2.4bn for Q3 2020 

 “A.P. Moller – Maersk is on track to deliver a strong Q3 with solid earnings growth across all our businesses, in particular in Ocean and Logistics & Services. Volumes have rebounded faster than expected, our cost have remained well under control, freight rates have increased due to strong demand and we are growing earnings rapidly in Logistics & Services. The outlook for Q4 is solid for the same reasons, and we are therefore able to upgrade our expectations for the full year. 

The outlook for 2021 remains uncertain due to the ongoing pandemic. The positive impact from stimulus packages may be less strong in 2021, potential new lock downs will impact demand and the timing and effectiveness of a potential vaccine will impact 2021.” 

The company now reports an unaudited revenue of USD 9.9bn and an EBITDA before restructuring and integration costs of USD 2.4bn for Q3 2020, driven by a continued recovery in demand and our initiatives to improve cost. Volumes in Ocean declined by around 3 pct. in Q3 2020 compared to previous year, which is slightly better than the anticipated mid-single digit contraction.

 

A.P. Moller – Maersk expects to take a restructuring charge of around USD 100m in Q3 2020 related to the redundancies of approx. 2,000 employees as the consequence of the changes to the organisation in Ocean and Logistics & Services announced on 1 September 2020. 

Given the result in Q3 2020 and the current earnings momentum we see across the businesses, the full year 2020 EBITDA is now expected to be in the range of USD 7.5-8.0bn, before restructuring and integration costs (previously USD 6.0-7.0bn). All other parameters of our guidance released on August 19th remain unchanged. 

Trading conditions for the quarters ahead remain subject to a higher than normal uncertainty given the disruptions caused or potentially being caused by COVID-19.

The company reports an unaudited revenue of

Agro Universities

The researchers emphasized early-season weed control as the path to maximizing yield potential

Syngenta one of the world’s leading agriculture companies engaged university agricultural researchers from across the US to analyze the agronomic challenges farmers encountered this season and offer tips on how they can best control weeds and preserve yields heading into 2021.

Researchers agree that the time to set a weed management strategy for 2021 is now. “The end of the season is the time to take inventory of whatever you did, how well it worked and then consider how you might improve on that for next year,” said Wayne Keeling, PhD, professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Lubbock.

Across the board, the researchers emphasized early-season weed control as the path to maximizing yield potential. “For corn, early-season weed control is especially important because key elements of yield potential are determined early in the growing season,” said Sarah Lancaster, PhD, assistant professor and extension specialist at Kansas State University.

Acuron contains four active ingredients, including the Syngenta-exclusive bicyclopyrone, and three effective sites of action.

Bicyclopyrone allows Acuron to provide greater consistency across various weed spectrums, weather conditions and soil types. This unique chemistry enhances control of more than 70 broadleaf and grass weeds. It also provides built-in burndown control and the longest-lasting residual to minimize the weed seed bank for the next year’s crop.

 

The researchers emphasized early-season weed control as

Agro chems – Fertilizers, World

Soileos uses patented technology to prevent micronutrients from tying up in the soil

Protein Industries Canada and Lucent BioSciences based out in Canada have recently announced that Lucent BioScience’s Soileos fertilizer helps increase yield in crops, while also contributing to both soil and human health.

Announced in March 2020and developed as part of a project funded through a co-investment by Lucent BioSciences, AGT Food and Ingredients, and Protein Industries Canada, Lucent’s technology supports whole-seed utilization by converting the hulls of lentil and pea seeds of AGT Food and Ingredients into fertilizer. Overall, it reduces waste in the value-added processing stream while widening the market for plant-protein crop co-products.

This year, field trials using Soileos were performed on fruit, vegetable, and broad-acre crops across Canada with the inclusion of AGT’s co-product. Soileos showed promising results in each crop type tested. Tests on broad-acre crops showed an increase in yields of up to 20 per cent and stand count improvement of up to 35 per cent per meter squared. Tests on vegetables, meanwhile, showed yield improvements of up to 45 per cent and micronutrient density improvements up to 50 per cent, including in iron, zinc, and manganese.

Soileos uses patented technology to prevent micronutrients from tying up in the soil and keeping nutrients bioavailable to plants during the full life cycle. This allows crops to take in Soileos’ nutrients at an optimal rate while leaving soil-benefiting carbon behind while reducing a farmer’s potential environmental footprint. The overall process benefits both the crop and the soil, making the fertilizer carbon-neutral.

 

Soileos uses patented technology to prevent micronutrients

AgroPolicy, Transportation

A total of 242.6 tons of commodities have been transported by the third Kisan Rail trip 

 

After successful transport of vegetables and fruits by previous two Kisan Rail from Anantapur to New Delhi and intensive marketing efforts of Guntakal division of South Central Railway (SCR), growers and traders from the Chittoor district used the facility for transporting tomatoes on the third trip.

Chittoor farmers and traders have sent about 42 tons of tomatoes produced in the district. Railway officials immediately responded the request of the farmers of Chittoor for transporting their produce from Chottoor to Nagpur and made necessary arrangements.

Tomatoes were transported to Nagpur in Maharashtra in two parcel vans. In order to encourage the farmers to utilise the facility, the ministry of food processing industries has recently announced extending 50 per cent tariff concession on the transportation of notified fruits and vegetables through Kisan Rail under ’Operation Greens–TOP to Total’. As per the new tariff concession on transportation of notified vegetables, the tomato farmers in the district have got a 50 per cent tariff concession.

A total of 242.6 tons of commodities have been transported by the third Kisan Rail trip which left Anantapur station.

 

A total of 242.6 tons of commodities

Agrotech, IT

By Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticide India Ltd

 

One of the biggest discoveries of our times, the internet is one of the main catalysts of continuing life as we know it despite the pandemic. That is true for agriculture as well, a sector that is labour-intensive and requires a great deal of in-person communication. Despite the push in the past decade, digitization of agriculture has been slow. With COVID-19, it has changed, and for good. Both government and private players have been proactive in reaching out to the farmers with digital interventions to address their queries and concerns, as well as connect them to the market where their produce can fetch right prices.

Contrary to what some may think, digital is the future for all aspects of agriculture as well – right from simple digital measures such as video-conferencing and teleconsultation to high-end emerging technologies (ET) such as artificial intelligence (AI), block chain and the Internet of Things (IoT), Indian agriculture has it all. Market studies suggest that even after the pandemic retreats, the global digital agriculture market is likely to grow from USD 5.6 billion in 2020 to USD 6.2 billion by 2021, recording a CAGR of 9.9 per cent. As a hotbed of digital interventions and prime minister’s push for a digital India, the country is poised to be a part of this revolutionary growth.

What happened due to COVID-19?

In the thick of kharif season, the government, facilitated by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), set up holistic digital agri advisory services. They collaborated with Common Service Centres (CSC) under the ministry of electronics and IT to take the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to connect the KVKs to a large network of Common Service Centres (CSCs) a step ahead, and provide both technical support and advice to farmers in more than 2.15 lakh out of 2.50 lakh panchayats across India, enrolling thousands of farmers. It has expanded the role of CSCs in an unprecedented manner – they have become agri clinics where using video conferencing, farmers can consult ICAR scientists on soil, seeds, crops, fertilisers and farm practices matters. These centres also allowed them to share photos of pests or other infections in the crop with the scientists for advice on action. As many as 628 KVKs were equipped for the digital advisory services through video conferences since the pandemic began. Another initiative termed Kisan e-Mart, initiated as a pilot piloted in Maharashtra (Nashik, Solapur, Pune, Jalna and Satara districts) and Bihar (Vaishali, Muzaffarpur and Patna districts) connected farmers digitally with markets and buyers with verified KYC through that CSC’s village-level entrepreneurs (VLE). These VLEs are the main drivers of the e-mart as they add the stock for sale and quote a minimum price.

 

Emerging agri- technologies and the challenges ahead

The use of technology is as expansive as human imagination. No wonder tech giants such as IBM, Microsoft and Cisco have forayed into the agriculture market. They have collaborated with states such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh to initiate pilots across the agriculture value chain. Microsoft has initiated a project in Andhra Pradesh that uses AI-powered sowing app to recommend farmers on date, how to prepare the land and use fertiliser based on soil test, seed treatment, and similar basic but critical inputs, leading to an increase of 30 per cent in average crop yield per hectare. The company is building an AI- and machine learning-powered pest risk prediction app as well. Kerala has also partnered with Cisco to develop the agri-digital infrastructure platform that uses IoT sensors, satellite/UAV images and non-IoT databases, to gather and disseminate real-time intelligence on soil, moisture, weather conditions, among other things. It also provides access to e-learning and advisory services to farming and fishing communities. Many agri startups are using IBM Watson and technologies like remote sensing, IoT, hyper-spectral imaging and 3D laser scanning.

Soil test, seed treatment, and similar basic but critical inputs, leading to an increase of 30 per cent in average crop yield per hectare. The company is building an AI- and machine learning-powered pest risk prediction app as well. Kerala has also partnered with Cisco to develop the agri-digital infrastructure platform that uses IoT sensors, satellite/UAV images and non-IoT databases, to gather and disseminate real-time intelligence on soil, moisture, weather conditions, among other things. It also provides access to e-learning and advisory services to farming and fishing communities. Many agri- start-ups are using IBM Watson and technologies like remote sensing, IoT, hyper-spectral imaging and 3D laser scanning.

 

Challenges in digital revolution

One of the biggest challenges in this digital revolution is the limited internet access of farmers at an individual level. This makes farmers tied up with the facilities, either government or private, where they can access such information and not at a location where they wish to get it. While richer farmers may already have access to such information as they wish due to their access to smartphones, smaller and marginal farmers will continue to remain at loss, unless steps are taken to address this digital divide that may further fragment the agri market.

 

By Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticide India

Finance, Foodgrains, North America, Start ups

Series B round of financing led by existing investor Finistere Ventures, an Ag and food investment pioneer.

 U S based grain monitoring start u TeleSense, has announced the close of a $10.2 million Series B round of financing led by existing investor Finistere Ventures, an ag and food investment pioneer. The company also added Soren Wolck Schroder, former CEO of Bunge, and Mark Palmquist, CEO of United Malt and former CEO of GrainCorp, to its Board of Directors.

 

“The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the inefficiencies of our global food supply chain and accelerated the digitizing of it,” noted Spencer Maughan, co-founder and partner, Finistere Ventures. “Having led both the Series A and Series B investments, we believe strongly that TeleSense is a prime visionary in redefining how grain is stored, handled and traded. Ultimately, TeleSense is creating a digital global grain supply chain that uses data to combat grain spoilage – making the supply chain more sustainable and saving companies billions of dollars in lost grain along the way.”

 

A powerful mix of new investors and industry leaders with global reach, including Fulcrum Global Capital (FGC), UPL Ltd., Artesian and Mindset Ventures, as well as existing investors such as Rabobank’s Food & Agri Innovation Fund also joined the round. Schroder and Palmquist will now actively support the company’s aggressive growth plans by sharing their extensive expertise and making connections throughout their global grain networks.

 TeleSense will use the funding to scale to meet surging demand for its solutions. Recently establishing offices in Australia and Europe, the company will now focus on strengthening its global sales channel, speeding production and further building out its data science team to maintain its position as the primary artificial intelligence (AI) leader in the grain industry.

 

“The complexities of the food supply chain continue to evolve, and the grain industry needs to keep pace. The ability to know real-time storage conditions, accurately predict future grain quality and optimize merchandising timing delivers higher profits,” said Naeem Zafar, Co-Founder and CEO, TeleSense .

Series B round of financing led by

Agro Universities, Goat farming

The training aims at breeding management of goats and importance of artificial insemination in goats 

A three days online vocational training programme was conducted on “Scientific management of Goats’’ by Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Krishi Vigyan Kendra, North Goa, ICAR –CCARI, Goa during 19th to 21st October, 2020.  Dr. Udharwar Sanjay Kumar Vithalrao -Subject matter specialist (Animal Science), ICAR – KVK, North Goa, coordinated the programme and delivered lectures on importance, advantages, scope of goat farming and various breeds suitable for Goa. Dr. B. L. Kasinath, Senior Scientist and Head, ICAR – KVK, North Goa, spoke on the importance of goat manure and also advised farmers to keep Konkan Kanyal goats in the existing agricultural and horticulture farming system to make a profitable integrated farming system. Dr Shivasharanappa N., Scientist, ICAR – CCARI, Goa, gave lecture on “Profitable goat farming with Konkan Kanyal Goats’ ’.

Dr  Eaknath B. Chakurkar, Director (A), ICAR – CCARI, Goa spoke on breeding management of goats, importance of artificial insemination in goats and advised farmers to start value addition products of goat meat and milk for profitable goat farming. In the programme, Dr Udharwar was also given practical exposure to the participants on castration of male kids, determination of age, identification of animals, preparation of concentrate feed, cultivation of green fodder and health care management etc. In the programme, a total of 32 participants from different parts of Goa attended the training. E-Certificates were issued to all the participants attending the training.

 

 

The training aims at breeding management of

Acts & Schemes – Centre

Govt also allowed NAFED to utilize Government Guarantee of Rs 2,500 crore for this operation

 The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the extension of Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for apple procurement in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for the current season also i.e. 2020-21 on the same terms and condition as was done in J&K during last season i.e. 2019-20.

 

The procurement of apple will be done by Central Procuring Agency i.e. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation Ltd (NAFED) through State Designated Agency i.e. Directorate of Planning and Marketing, Department of Horticulture & Jammu & Kashmir Horticulture Processing and Marketing Corporation (JKHPMC), directly from apple farmers of J&K and the payment will be made through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into Bank account of apple farmers. 12 LMT of apples can be procured under this scheme.

 

Government has also allowed NAFED to utilise Government Guarantee of Rs 2,500 crore for this operation. The losses, if any, to be incurred in this operation will be shared between Central Government and UT administration of J&K on 50:50 basis.    

 

The constituted Designated Price Committee of last season will be continued for the fixation of price of various variety and grades of apples for this season also. The UT administration of J&K shall ensure the provision of basic amenities in the designated mandis. 

Smooth and continuous implementation of the procurement process will be monitored by constituted Monitoring Committee under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary at the central level and constituted implementation & Coordination Committee under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary at the UT Level.

This announcement of the Government of India will provide an effective marketing platform to apples growers and will facilitate employment generation for the local people. It will ensure remunerative prices for apples resulting in overall income enhancement of farmers in J&K. 

 

 

Govt also allowed NAFED to utilize Government

E-commerce, Finance, Schemes - Banks

MoU will give a boost to agri business and will help farmers in availing hassle-free credit facilities for buying tractors

 In order to boost agriculture finance, state-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) announced that it has entered into an MoU with Mahindra and Mahindra for tractor finance business.

The lender, through its over 5,000 rural and semi-urban branch network, will provide tractor loan facility to customers of Mahindra and Mahindra. 

Vikramaditya Singh Khichi, Executive Director, Bank of Baroda said, “This memorandum of understanding (MoU) will give a boost to agri business and will help farmers in availing hassle-free credit facilities for buying tractors”.

 He also added that the tractor financing scheme was first piloted in the UP zone for a year and it has been successful. This is being expanded into 11 zones of the bank. The bank has tied up with Gromax under the Mahindra stable as the preferred brand. 

Besides, Khichi said, the bank is focussing on dairy sector self-help groups and farmer producer organisations for expanding the agriculture finance portfolio.

MoU will give a boost to agri

Agrotech, Europe, R&D

The Inatreq™ fungicide help control Septoria, the biggest disease affecting wheat yields 

Corteva Agriscience announced that Belgium has approved the registration of an Inatreq™ active product. Questar™and AquinoTM fungicide with Inatreq™ active, now approved for sale and use in Belgium, are a new, naturally derived fungicide that offers market-leading curative and protectant control on all Septoria strains, supporting a long-term sustainable fungicide strategy on farms.

 

These products will be available for sale in Belgium in time for the 2021 growing season. Inatreq is already approved in France and the Republic of Ireland, with the registration process continuing across the Europe region. 

“Ultimately, this new solution will help control Septoria, the biggest disease affecting wheat yields and of greatest concern to farmers,” said Corteva Agriscience Benelux Director Wim Boudeling. “Resulting from the pioneering work of Corteva Agriscience researchers, this new fungicide will meet the challenges of sustainable management and respond to our farmers’ desire for innovation to help them better protect their crops.”

 Inatreq offers outstanding biology performance, and its unique target site for Septoria gives farmers a new tool to help manage the disease, as it shows no cross-resistance to existing cereal fungicide chemistries. Farmers also will benefit from its flexible application characteristics and consistent, broad-spectrum performance.

 

“Inatreq is the latest solution coming from our robust pipeline of innovative technologies,” said Susanne Wasson, President, Crop Protection Business Platform, Corteva Agriscience. “We’re excited to continue building on our portfolio of natural products. Thanks to the natural origin of Inatreq, we are also meeting European consumer demands for more sustainably produced food.”

The Inatreq™ fungicide help control Septoria, the

Agrotech, E-commerce, North America

Facility will serve as primary base of operations for Verisem North America’s Brotherton Seed Company 

 

                                            

 

 Verisem North America, a subsidiary of Verisem BV, the collection of leading global seed production operations and a portfolio company of Paine Schwartz Partners, announced that it has acquired a new vegetable seed processing facility in Warden, Washington. The approximately 134,851 square foot state-of-the-art, turnkey facility, which includes 14 buildings and a rail spur over 11.6 acres, immediately enhances Verisem’s seed processing capabilities and increases production capacity.

 

Brotherton Seed Company, the Moses Lake, Washington subsidiary of Verisem North America, has already begun operating out of the facility, which will serve as its new primary base of operations. The facility utilizes cutting-edge seed cleaning technology and provides increased seed handling capacity that will enable Brotherton to continue meeting global market demand growth.

 

“We are excited to advance our global strategy and enhance our processing capabilities in the Northwest with this new facility and to continue providing customers with the highest quality seeds that they expect from Verisem,” said Ibrahim El Menschawi, Global Chief Executive Officer of Verisem. “This state-of-the-art facility provides us even more capacity and expanded service capabilities through new technology to create local jobs, better serve customers and grow our business in North America and beyond.”

 

“Expanding our operations into this state-of-the-art seed facility marks the next chapter in the 80-plus years of growth that Brotherton has enjoyed,” said Scott Marks, Brotherton’s General Manager. “The increased capacity of our new facility will allow us to meet the growing domestic and international demand for the highest quality pea, bean and edamame seeds that our customers expect from Brotherton.”

 

Facility will serve as primary base of