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Agro chems – Pesticides, AgroPolicy

During this year alone around 140 samples have been drawn from all the districts of Kashmir

Administrative Department, Horticulture Department Kashmir has recently launched a campaign of sampling of pesticides throughout Kashmir.

Director Horticulture Kashmir Ajaz Ahmad Bhat has directed Insecticide Inspectors to collect pesticide samples and ensure that the establishments dealing in the sale of insecticides and pesticides are operating as per law and are having relevant papers as well. The Inspectors were directed to ensure that the establishments dealing in sale of insecticides and pesticides are operating as per law and are having relevant papers as well.

Director Horticulture stated, “During this year alone around 140 samples have been drawn from all the districts of Kashmir and results of almost all the samples were satisfactory.”

During this year alone around 140 samples

Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce, Europe, R&D

The new end-to-end offering also includes cannabis-optimized reagents

UK-based PerkinElmer Inc., a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, has recently launched the cannabis industry’s first fully-automated liquid handling sample preparation and LC/MS/MS analysis workflow for pesticide residue testing of cannabis and hemp flower samples. The new end-to-end offering also includes cannabis-optimized reagents and sample prep consumables as well as proprietary cannabis SOPs and cloud-based tracking and reporting software. With the workflow, in house and contract labs can increase pesticide analysis throughput with improved data quality, decrease laboratory waste, reduce the likelihood of operator error and slash sample prep times to 2 hours from 6-8 hours when performed manually.

The workflow begins with an integrated microbalance that captures and communicates sample ID and weight data. A multi-step, sample preparation procedure is then executed automatically by PerkinElmer’s new liquid and sample handling system, the Janus® G3 420 Workstation. The new One Pesticide420 TM Reagent Kit provides calibration and quality control reagents as well as all the sample preparation consumables needed for consistent implementation of the new application-dedicated SOPs.

After the sample preparation is complete, the sample is analyzed on PerkinElmer’s industry-leading QSight® 420 LC/MS/MS instrument in sync with regulatory frameworks.

Finally, full sample traceability and instrument connectivity is delivered with PerkinElmer’s new cloud-based SimplicityLab420 TM software. This software supports easy batch creation and method transfer, regulation-ready reporting, integration with LIMS systems and remote workflow monitoring.

The new end-to-end offering also includes cannabis-optimized

AgroPolicy, Agrotech

Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, CEO, PMFBY was addressing a webinar on AI & Digital Applications in Agriculture, organized by FICCI and German Agribusiness Alliance. 

 

 

Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, CEO, PMFBY and Joint Secretary (Credit), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt of India said that the government is putting up a common data infrastructure of all the farmers in the country.

“PMFBY, PM-Kisan, the Soil health Card, are all being integrated through a common database along with land record details over the period of time. This will act as a one stop shop for data, including access to finance by farmers, start-ups, and researchers for developing new apps, so that the benefits reach the grassroots,” he added.   

Elaborating on the PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna), he said that since its launch, the scheme has been a radical shift in the way crop insurance is implemented in the country. It is the third biggest program in the world after the US and China’s programs. “Technology is the way forward for implementation of the program.

 While highlighting the initiatives of the government, Dr Bhutani said that the biggest challenge is to increase the production by 50 percent over the next 20-30 years with limited scope of increase in the farming area. “The entire focus has shifted to using technology for managing the food security and other aspects of agriculture. AI can be effectively used in soil monitoring, predictive data analytics and improving supply chain inefficiencies. The National e-Governance project on agriculture, which has been revisited this year, has given focus on using information technology, AI, Machine Learning etc.” 

 Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Agriculture Production Commissioner & Principal Secretary, Govt of Tamil Nadu said that the state was one of the first in the country to adopt AI and implement it in farmer welfare programs. “The impact and utility of Digitization and AI are perhaps, more beneficial in the agriculture sector than any other sector. The young farmers are taking to digitization in a big way,” he added.

Prof Dr Engel Friederike Hessel, Commissioner for Digitization, Head of Directorate Digital Innovation, Federal Ministry of Food & Agriculture, Germany highlighted various initiatives adopted by the country using AI, which has brought a radical change in the agriculture sector. She said that digital technologies in the agricultural sector includes a high-performance and secure broadband infrastructure which is vital for rural areas. “We have already started put in place the autonomous driving mechanism in our system and AI can further help in resource efficiency,” she added.   

 Rajesh Raghavan, MD & Country Manager-India, Husqvarna India Pvt Ltd said that Artificial Intelligence is a game changer to the agrarian community and can play pivotal role in both the demand and supply aspects of agriculture. AI and allied digital applications can contribute to a sustainable precision farming from crop selection to crop monitoring, thereby improving the profitability of the farming community, he added. 

Nitesh Bansal, SVP & Global Head of Engineering Services, Infosys stressed that advanced technologies such as IoT, Blockchain, AI & Robotics help agri-businesses gain insights on soil, water, weather and other conditions to help growers monitor crop health, reduce harvest losses and maximize yield.

 TR Kesavan, Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE Ltd said that AI and digital technologies can connect farmers and markets thereby reducing on-farm and post-harvest wastages and ensuring demand. “Predictive agriculture, transparency, traceability and targeted, matrix-able & measurable process provides resilience in case of pest infection, diseases or natural calamities.

 Julia Harnal, Chairperson, German Agribusiness Alliance & Vice President Global Sustainability and Governmental Affairs Agricultural Solutions, BASF SE said that digital technologies today are changing the face of agriculture, they have the potential to secure income for farmers and to make agriculture more resilient to climate change and future crises”. 

 “AI will play a crucial role in bringing efficiency and sustainability in Agribusiness models”, said Ashok Varma, Partner and Head Social Sector Advisory Practice, PwC.

 

 Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI emphasized that digital technologies hold enormous potential for agricultural sector and going forward, improving digital literacy among farmers and Identifying effective channels for dissemination of AI solutions among farming communities will be crucial.

 

 

Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, CEO, PMFBY was

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy

DV Sadananda has launched POS 3.1 software, SMS gateway & home delivery of fertilizers for farmers in Andhra Pradesh

Indian chemicals & fertilizers minister DV Sadananda Gowda has recently announced the launch of POS 3.1 software, SMS gateway and home delivery facility of fertilizers (RBK) for farmers in Andhra Pradesh. DBT system was launched on 1 March 2018 on a pan India basis and this has been working very well since its inception, commented DV Sadananda.

The system enables us to know and monitor the availability of fertilizer on a real-time basis at State, District and at the retail outlet. The entire fertilizer subsidy for the last two years has been disbursed through this system. This surely is a measure of the robustness of the DBT system.

Under the POS 3.1 version, keeping in view of the prevailing pandemic conditions, a contactless OTP-based authentication option has been introduced. The farmer will be able to purchase fertilizer without touching the fingerprint sensor.

Minister said SMS Gateway will periodically send SMS to the farmer about the availability of fertilizer at the retail outlet from where he last purchased the fertilizer. Further, on purchase of fertilizer SMS will be sent to his mobile indicating the quantity purchased and the amount paid by him.

DBT 2.0 initiative was launched during July 2019 and since then many more improvements have been made in the system which are being launched as a part of PoS 3.1 Software. The improvements involve two modes of authentication and Re-registration of devices under PoS.

 The State Government has launched 10, 641 Rythu Bharosa Kendralu (RBKs) in all gram panchayats to provide farmers with quality inputs and allied services. Under this system, farmers after biometric authentication can order fertilizers from RBK (Rythu Bharosa Kendra) in their village and fertilizer will be delivered at their doorstep.

DV Sadananda has launched POS 3.1 software,

Acts & Schemes – Centre

The Bills were needed to complete reforms in the agriculture sector that have been due for the past 30 years

Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance, GoI recently said that the three farm Bills passed in Parliament would benefit farmers and bring about great reforms in the agriculture sector. 

After interacting with farmers at Gannavaram, Andhra Pradesh, Sitharaman said that the Bills were needed to complete reforms in the agriculture sector that have been due for the past 30 years. She mentioned that restrictions on farmers were withdrawn and farmers can now sell their produce at any place. 

The Minister further stated that private players would enter the market ensuring the minimum support price (MSP) and farmers would be free to sell their produce outside agriculture market yards, if they get a better price. She concluded by saying  that the Bills passes would not weaken primary agriculture markets. 

The Bills were needed to complete reforms

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agro Universities, R&D

Aimed at providing low cost bio fertilizer technology and reducing input costs

The ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Junagadh, Gujarat virtually inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Om Laboratories, Junagarh, Gujarat (Licensee) and Agrinnovate India Limited (Facilitator) to transfer the bio-fertilizer formulation ‘NutMagic’ on non-exclusive basis developed at the ICAR-DGR, Junagadh, Gujarat today. The MoU was signed on the occasion of the Directorate’s 41st Foundation Day celebrations.


As per the MoU, the technology will be formally transferred to the M/s Om Laboratories on payment of one time licensing fees (Rs 4 Lakhs + GST) after the completion of the other codal formalities. The venture is a significant step forward in making the low-cost bio-fertilizer technology available to the needy groundnut farmers for reducing the input cost and improving the productivity vis-à-vis income of the farmers and their livelihood.

NutMagic is a consortium of beneficial bacteria of groundnut comprising of plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria ((PGPR: Pseudomonas gessardii BHU1, Pseudomonas putida S1 (6)); phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB: Enterobacter cloacae BM8; Bacillus sp.) and competitive strains of groundnut rhizobia (Sinorhizobium americanum NRCG4 and Rhizobium sp. NRCG9) recommended for both the irrigated and Rainfed groundnut production system after thorough multi-location evaluation. 

Aimed at providing low cost bio fertilizer

Agrotech, Finance, Schemes - NABARD

Krishitantra aims to optimize fertilizer application for farmers

Hyderabad-based Krishitantra, a soil-tech platform has recently announced that it has raised $1 million in its seed round of funding from agritech-focused venture capital investor Omnivore and Nabventures. Nabventures is anchored by Nabard (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development).

Krishitantra was co-founded in 2017 by Sandeep Kondaji, Dr Vishnuprasada Bhat, and Anand Bellan Raman. The company has developed a highly portable IoT device, branded as Krishi RASTAA, that generates soil test results within 30 minutes, precisely analyzing macronutrients, micronutrients, pH, organic carbon, EC, and microbial counts. Krishitantra will primarily use the funding to fuel its local and foreign expansion.

Krishitantra aims to optimize fertilizer application for farmers, increasing crop yields, reducing the cost of cultivation, and improving soil health. 

Moreover, the company believes it can have a major impact reducing greenhouse gas emissions while promoting sustainable agriculture and soil conservation.

Krishitantra’s clients include farmers, FPOs, agribusiness companies, soil testing labs, and other agritech startups. While currently focused on the Indian market, Krishitantra also plans to enter select Southeast Asian countries in the near future.

Omnivore was founded by Mark Kahn and Jinesh Shah in 2010. Omnivore is investing out of its second fund, which marked the final close at $97 million (Rs 679 crore) last year. Its investments from the new fund include agri-tech startups Fasal and Clover and aquaculture platform Aquaconnect. 

Krishitantra aims to optimize fertilizer application for

AgroPolicy, IT

The app would connect more than 10,000 farmers, 50 FPOs and 1,000 verified agricultural traders.   

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched a mobile app to facilitate timely sale of agriculture products, particularly fruits and vegetables, by promoting buyer-seller network.

Sonowal said that the ’’Kisan Rath’’ app, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), would be a new vehicle for boosting agri-business by opening up markets across the country for farmers of Assam so that they can get the best price for their produce.

Officials working in the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (APART) project would provide training to farmers and other stakeholders on using the app which is functional in three languages – Assamese, Hindi and English.

“The app will help farmers emerge stronger in the competitive market and prove a boon for growers of perishable fruits and vegetables due to reduction in wastage of their produce,” the chief minister said.

The ’’Kisan Rath’’ app would connect more than 10,000 farmers, 50 farmer producer organisations and 1,000 verified agricultural traders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working to double farmers’ income to give them a life of dignity and various central government schemes have strengthened the agricultural ecosystem in the country, he said.

The Assam government has also implemented several state schemes in a bid to make agriculture more productive and remunerative, Sonowal said.

Source- PTI

The app would connect more than

Acts & Schemes – Centre, AgroPolicy

Now India’s premium cotton would be known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world cotton trade

Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of Textiles and Women & Child Development launched the first ever brand & logo for Indian Cotton on 2nd World Cotton Day on October 7, 2020 through video conferencing. Now India’s premium cotton would be known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world cotton trade. The Kasturi Cotton brand will represent whiteness, brightness, softness, purity, luster, uniqueness and Indianness. 

Speaking on this occasion, Irani said, this is a much awaited moment that today the Indian Cotton has been endowed with a brand & logo. This event becomes more important as the 2nd World Cotton Day is being celebrated world over today.

Irani said that to ensure sustainability, integrity and end-to-end traceability of the organic products, a certification system based on comparable international standards verified through internationally acceptable institutional system is required to be put in place. Accordingly, Ministry of Textiles through APEDA under Ministry of Commerce and Industry has prescribed a certification system for organic Cotton which will be introduced in phases in the entire textile value chain. Similarly, prescribing a certification system for non-organic cotton has also been taken up with APEDA so that usages of cotton can be suitably augmented. 

Now India’s premium cotton would be known

Foodgrains, India

Resolution over GI claims expected on Nov 25, 2020

In a significant development in India’s ensuing Basmati GI litigation, the Supreme Court of India, a three Judge bench headed by Justice Nageshwar Rao, issued a notice in the Special Leave Petitions filed by the Madhya Kshetra Basmati Growers Association Samiti (MKBGA) and the State of Madhya Pradesh.

In the interim, the Supreme Court of India has also restrained the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) from taking coercive action against the Petitioners according to the GI registration granted in favour of APEDA over Basmati. The Supreme Court has said that there are aspects that need to be introspected upon and has listed the matter for final disposal on November 25, 2020.

The Petitioners have submitted that APEDA has claimed GI territories/areas in an unscientific, overbroad and vague fashion to the detriment of the brand Basmati. APEDA had claimed these areas on the ground that they form part of the Indo-Gangetic Plain and that there was a “popular perception” that these areas were the only traditional basmati growing areas. The Petitioners are separately aggrieved of exclusion by APEDA of 13 districts of the State of Madhya Pradesh, which, according to the Petitioners, are traditional basmati growing areas for the past many decades. The Petitioners have separately filed proceedings for inclusion of 13 districts of the State of Madhya Pradesh. These proceedings are currently pending adjudication before High Court of Madras.

Resolution over GI claims expected on Nov

Agro Universities, R&D, World

It will promote CGIAR platform to develop an agriculture system that enhances farmers’ livelihoods and mitigates the impact of climate change 

 

Top officials of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) led by its Vice Minister, Le Quoc Doanh, discussed the future directions of the research collaboration between MARD and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in a virtual meeting on 18 September 2020. Dr. Doanh acknowledged the fruitful 60-year partnership between IRRI and Vietnam, specifically on sharing rice varieties, providing capacity building, and expanding support to climate change and resource management.

 

IRRI was represented by Jim Godfrey, IRRI Board of Trustees (BOT) chair, Matthew Morell, IRRI Director General, former MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat and current member of the IRRI Board, and Dr. Yurdi Yasmi and Dr. Bjoern Ole Sander, the institute’s regional representative for Southeast Asia and country representative to Vietnam, respectively.

 

“I expressed my gratitude to Vietnam’s strong support for and collaboration with IRRI that has contributed significantly to the development of the rice sector in the country,” said Dr. Godfrey who acknowledged the importance of the relationship between the two during the meeting that discussed the One CGIAR reform. “I look forward to the same level of commitment under the new CGIAR platform.”

One CGIAR, which started on 1 October 2020, would place the 15 CGIAR Centres under one governance to enable its partnerships, knowledge, assets, and global presence to reach greater integration and impact in the face of the interdependent challenges facing today’s world.

 

“CGIAR is concerned with developing an agriculture system that enhances farmers’ livelihoods and adapts to and mitigates the impact of climate change,” said Dr. Morell. He stressed that under One CGIAR, CGIAR centres working in Vietnam will be an integrated system for collaboration and resource sharing to address climate-related risks such as salinity intrusion and drought. IRRI has asked MARD to make Vietnam’s position clear on the One CGIAR process in terms of its commitments and the support.

Source- IRRI

It will promote CGIAR platform to develop

Agrotech, E-commerce, North America

The new Colorado facility will generate approximately 60 jobs for the local community

Kalera (KALERA), one of the fastest-growing vertical farming companies in the United States, has recently announced that it will open its newest facility in Colorado in 2021. The Denver-area facility further establishes Kalera as a leading producer of vertically-grown greens across North America. The announcement is the latest step in Kalera’s rapid domestic and international expansion plan to grow fresh, clean and nutritious leafy greens in close proximity to urban centers.

Kalera currently operates two growing facilities in Orlando, and is constructing facilities in Atlanta and Houston which will open in early 2021. The new Colorado facility will generate approximately 60 jobs for the local community.

By the end of 2021, Kalera will have five commercial growing facilities open and operating across the US.

The company’s major milestones include:

  • Its first commercial vertical farm, the HyCube growing center, currently operates on the premises of the Orlando World Center Marriott, bringing fresh, local produce to the hotel’s visitors and customers.
  • In March 2020, Kalera opened its second facility in Orlando, providing produce to the area’s top retailers, leading foodservice distributors, resorts, hospitality groups, and theme parks.
  • The Atlanta facility is the third farm in Kalera’s portfolio and when it opens early next year, will be the largest vertical farm in the Southeast.
  • Its fourth facility is slated to open in Houston spring 2021 and will be the largest of its kind in Texas.

Kalera utilizes cleanroom technology and processes to eliminate the use of chemicals and remove exposure to pathogens. Kalera’s plants grow while consuming 95% less water compared to field farming.

The new Colorado facility will generate approximately

E-commerce, Finance, Machinery – Post-harvesting

Domestic sales grew 51.4 % to 16,000 units in September 2020 

Sonalika Tractors has reported a 46 per cent year-on-year jump in overall tractor sales to 17,704 units, including exports, for September, according to a release.

 

While domestic sales grew 51.4 per cent to 16,000 units in September 2020 as compared with 10,571 units in the year-ago month, exports rose 9.8 per cent to 1,704 units as against 1,552 units a year ago, the company said in the release .

 

The Hoshiarpur-based tractor manufacturer also sold 6,400 units of implements during the month, registering a 135 per cent growth over September 2019, it added. 

The industry sales growth for both tractors and implements during the previous month stood at 28 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. “Sonalika Tractors outperformed the industry in sales during September,” it added 

The cumulative tractor sales in the first half (April-September) of the financial year 2020-21 stood at 63,561 tractors, which was the highest-ever half yearly sales for the company, it said in release. 

Besides, with 26,530 units of implements sold in April-September 2020, it crossed 2019-20 sales in just six months, the company said.

“We at Sonalika have registered 17,704 overall tractor sales in September 2020, breaking all our previous monthly records and marking the highest-ever sales in a month,” said Sonalika Group Executive Director Raman Mittal

He added that the company’s cumulative sales during April-September 2020 stood at 63,561 tractors, which is also the highest-ever half-yearly tractor sales.

Mittal said the recently lauched next-gen products — Tiger, Sikander DLX, Mahabali and Chattrapati — have contributed significantly in Sonalika Tractors’ phenomenal growth during the pre-season time and even during the pandemic

He also added that we are buoyant about the upcoming festive season and expect the farmer’s sentiments to remain positive.

Source- PTI

Domestic sales grew 51.4 % to 16,000

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, R&D

Phage therapy is a safe alternative to tackle the antimicrobial resistance

Central Institute of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s Salem Microbes Private Limited, Salem, Tamil Nadu on  September 18, 2020 for production and marketing of a phage based product developed by the Aquatic Animal Health and Environment Division (AAHED) of CIBA, Chennai.  

 

The phage product is effective for the biocontrol of bacterial diseases in shrimp hatchery settings. ‘Bacteriophages’ also called ‘phages’ in short, are viruses that infect and kill only specific disease causing bacteria, and are an alternative to antibiotics as therapeutic agents in controlling bacterial infections.

 

Bacteriophages and their lytic enzymes have been used for therapy of bacterial infections in humans and animals, as biocontrol agents for food protection, diagnostics and also as tools in molecular biology. Bacteriophage therapy has advantages of being specific to their host bacteria, harmless to other microflora and fauna, and don’t have residual issues as in the case of antibiotics. 

 

Dr K K Vijayan, Director, CIBA, highlighted on the novelty of the phage technology of CIBA , which comprises of a ‘cocktail of phages’ that can neutralize a wide range of specific pathogenic bacteria in the hatchery settings, thus helping prevention and control of bacterial diseases, replacing the use of antibiotics, which pose  the concern of residues and antimicrobial resistance. 

Phage therapy is a safe alternative to