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Home2020 (Page 49)
Oilseeds

SOPA has commissioned a satellite-based area estimation and will be releasing the data in the coming month. 

The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) has estimated India’s 2020-21 soyabean area will rise by over 8 per cent, while production will increase by over 31.5 per cent to 122.475 lakh tonnes compared to the previous year.

 “An extensive field survey of soybean crop in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan was undertaken by two teams of SOPA from August 15 to 20. The teams travelled more than 6000 km and interacted with a number of farmers on the field,” said a release from SOPA.

 Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra will be the main contributors to the rise owing to an increase in acreage and yields. Similarly, in Rajasthan, the area and production are likely to increase, it said.

In Madhya Pradesh, the soyabean area has gone up by about 12 per cent in 2020-21 and crop production is estimated to be around 58.530 lakh tonne, as against 40,107 lakh tonnes in 2019-20. “In about 50 per cent area, the crop is at the grain filling stage and will start arriving in the third week of September.”

Area under soyabean in Maharashtra is expected to rise by 5 per cent to 39.292 lakh hectare and production by over 14 per cent to 45.131 lakh tonne. SOPA has reduced the acreage in the state compared to the Agriculture ministry data by 6.389 per cent as it said that during the survey, they found that farmers have gone for intercropping of soybean with tur in the state.

SOPA has commissioned a satellite-based area estimation and will be releasing the data in the coming month.

Good monsoon rainfall this year, particularly in key crop-growing areas, has boosted prospects of a bumper harvest. Area under oilseeds, rice and pulses is higher than last year, and crops are growing well favourable weather conditions.

Total monsoon rainfall since the start of the season on June 1 has been nearly 7 per cent higher than average. Rainfall had weakened a bit in July, but the monsoon bounced back this month, delivering more than 22per cent above normal rainfall so far this month. In the key oilseeds-growing area of central India, total rainfall is 10 per cent above normal, while rainfall so far in August is 44% more than average.

 

SOPA has commissioned a satellite-based area estimation

Agro chems – Fertilizers

Targets recycling of 2000 kgs of biodegradable waste

Noida based National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) is setting up an Organic Waste Converter (OWC) plant at Vijaipur in MP. The biodegradable waste collected at NFL will be transported to OWC where it will be separated from the non-degradable waste.

It will take around 10 days to convert the biodegradable waste into ready–to-use compost. The project aims to recycle around 2000 Kg per day of the biodegradable waste generated in township including the horticulture waste and convert it into ready to use compost which will be used as manure during the development of parks and public spaces.

The compost can also be used by residents in their lawns and kitchen gardens.

Targets recycling of 2000 kgs of biodegradable

Agro chems – Fertilizers, India

Demand soars for it’s fertilizers during current kharif season

 

The production and marketing divisions’ efforts of Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) are showing excellent results in the first 5 months of the current financial year.

FACT’s second muriate of potash (MOP) shipment (27000 MT) for the Kharif season has reached Tuticorin Port. MOP along with FACT’s prime product Factamfos (NP 20:20:013) is a fertilizer combination preferred by the farmers of South India.

The Kochi-based company is reportedly optimizing its operations by taking adequate safeguards against COVID-19 pandemic. With reasonably good monsoon encouraging agriculture activity, FACT is stepping-up  its measures to meet the demand of farmers during the season.

 

Demand soars for it’s fertilizers during current

Agro chems – Pesticides, India

Hoppers still active in Gujarat and Rajasthan

Locust Circle Offices (LCOs) have conducted locust control operations in 2,78,716 hectares area in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana between April 11 and August 22, 2020.

State Governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar have also conducted control operations in 2,87,374 hectares area till August 22.

At four places in three districts of Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner of Rajasthan and two places in Kutch district of Gujarat locust operations were carried out during day and night time on August 22 by LCOs.

Other than in Rajasthan, where minor crop losses have been reported from some districts, no significant crop losses have been reported from the states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana. As of Aug 23rd, hoppers are reportedly active in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner districts of Rajasthan and Kutch district of Gujarat.

 

Hoppers still active in Gujarat and RajasthanLocust

E-commerce, R&D

Its FlightSensor uses novel optical sensor technology to automate the process of real-time insect classification. 

 

 

 AgTech startup  FarmSense, announced new digital sensor to disrupt the farming industry with features like remote field monitoring and real-time insect classification.

FarmSense announced the debut of its award-winning smart pest monitoring system, helping farmers adopt the latest in artificial intelligence and analytics to improve insect monitoring and crop management. 

FarmSense’s FlightSensor uses novel optical sensor technology to automate the process of real-time insect classification and counting, providing immediate access for farmers to make mission-critical decisions on crop and pest control.

 “FarmSense’s technology is a real game-changer,” said Dr Mark Hoddle, a field entomologist and an early customer at the University of California Riverside. “The insect analytics they provide allows me to really understand what is happening in specific areas of the orchard in near real-time. Better yet, the data are accessible via my phone and downloadable for analysis making quick decisions easy.”

The smart system started as an academic collaboration, but co-founders Eamonn Keogh and Shailendra Singh quickly identified the benefits of real-world application. “The machine learning community examines data in so many other areas, like healthcare and credit scoring, but surprisingly, no one was tackling entomology,” says Keogh. “This technology virtually eliminates the need for sticky traps and manual insect counts.” 

The FarmSense monitoring system can help farmers lower the use of pesticide and insecticide by optimizing their application in both space and time. Data is sent to the FarmSense cloud via wireless. The sensor comes in a variety of sizes, and the algorithm can be adjusted depending on what insects a farmer needs to monitor.

To develop the technology the team obtained $7.5 million in academic funding including multiple Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Awards, the Vodafone Wireless Innovation Award, and multiple National Science Foundation Awards. Most recently the company was awarded three SBIR awards to commercialize their technology. 

The FarmSense Smart Pest Monitoring System is currently offered only to selected partners, but it will be available all in January 2021

Its FlightSensor uses novel optical sensor technology

Agro chems – Fertilizers, E-commerce

Ameropa has entered into a three-year off-take agreement covering part of the granular urea output of the OMIFCO plant.  

Swiss-based international agri-business trader Ameropa has announced that it has struck a deal with OQ Trading Limited (OQT), the trading arm of OQ – the Sultanate’s global integrated energy company – to lift a sizable proportion of the urea output of the Oman-India Fertilizer Company’s (OMIFCO) fertilizer project at Sur.

Basel-headquartered Ameropa, which specialises in the marketing of fertilisers and grains around the world, said it has entered into a three-year offtake agreement covering part of the granular urea output of the OMIFCO plant.

As part of this pact, an initial shipment of 49,500 metric tons of granular urea was loaded on board a bulk carrier at OMIFCO’s Qalhat jetty earlier this month, with the vessel currently en route to Brazil – representing a promising new market for Omani urea.

 “This ground-breaking deal with OQT, which is being supported by OMIFCO (Oman India Fertiliser Company SAOC), further solidifies our role as the leading urea trading company in the world and helps us gain additional market share in strategic regions,” said Ameropa in a statement.

A joint Omani-Indian venture, OMIFCO was launched in 2005 at Sur Industrial City with a capacity to produce 1.65 metric tons/year of urea and 350,000 tons/year of ammonia. Wholly Omani government-owned OQ has a 50 per cent stake in the project. Indian state-owned cooperatives Indian fertiliser cooperatives Krishak Bharati Cooperative (25 per cent) and Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative (25 per cent) are also shareholders in the project. When it commenced operations on July 15, 2005, it heralded an era of petrochemicals production in the Sultanate.

Under a long-term offtake pact signed with the Indian government, urea output from the plant – averaging around 2 million metric tons annually – had been shipped to Indian markets from the outset of operations 15 years ago.

But, according to recent media reports, that agreement effectively came to an end last month, on the 15th anniversary of OMIFCO’s inauguration — prompting the company and its trading arm – OQ Trading Limited – to explore alternative markets for the plant’s urea production. The ammonia output, however, is sold internationally via an offtake arrangement with another trader.

Also on the occasion of the 15th anniversary, OMIFCO and its shareholders announced the launch of its ‘OQ’ brand of Omani bagged urea for the local, regional and internationally markets. The high-quality product, marketing in 50kg bags, promises to provide new impetus to Oman’s efforts to boost agricultural production as part of a national strategy to strengthen food security and reduce the country’s longstanding dependence on imports for its food requirements.

Ameropa has entered into a three-year off-take

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agro chems – Fertilizers

Ministry scrutinizing cost of production/imports of all fertilizers

The Department of Fertilizers under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has initiated thorough scrutiny of the cost of production / imports in the country for all fertilizers under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme.

Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda said that due to the effective monitoring system by the Department, the fertilizer companies have now adopted a voluntary self-regulatory mechanism.

The benefit of decreasing prices of Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas – RLNG in the international market has been passed on to the farmers by the manufacturing companies. Gowda added that during August 2020, DAP prices have come down to Rs. 24626 per MT as compared to Rs. 26396 per MT during August 2019.

Similarly, out of 18 Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK) fertilizer formulations, the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for 15 formulations has decreased during August 2020 as compared to the MRP prevalent in August 2019. Price of Ammonium Sulphate has decreased from Rs 13,213 per MT in August 2019 to Rs 13,149 per MT in August 2020.

Ministry scrutinizing cost of production/imports of all

AgroPolicy

Industry representatives appreciate measures to strengthen farming infrastructure

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, on August 20, 2020, held a meeting via video conference with industry representatives on the two Ordinances, ‘The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020” and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020’.

Tomar said that the ministry has been making concerted efforts to bring reforms in agricultural marketing and freeing the agriculture sector of various restrictions through strategic interventions. He added that the Government has created the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore for building post-harvest storage and processing facilities, intended to be used mostly by the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), but can also be availed by individual entrepreneurs.

The fund would facilitate in strengthening the agricultural infrastructure, development and improvement of warehouses, cold storage, pack houses and marketing facilities in the rural areas, thereby enhancing the income of farmers and boost rural economy. Industry representatives appreciated the efforts of the Union Agriculture Ministry for the Ordinances and bringing rapid reforms towards strengthening agriculture infrastructure across the country.

 

Industry representatives appreciate measures to strengthen farming

Finance, Start ups

The grant will be used to support farmers with PPE kits and soil testing kits 

 

 

FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, has allocated a grant of US$ 114K to WayCool Foods, for procurement and distribution of dual-purpose PPE kits and enablement of on-site Soil testing to farmers. It follows WayCool’s latest Debt Financing round of US$ 5.5 million, which was guaranteed by U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). 

The distribution is being carried out under the Outgrow Program, WayCool’s flagship program for farmers. 15,000 small holding farmers across 5 states in India will benefit through this unique initiative. The dual-purpose PPE kits will help protect farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and also shield them during agricultural operations such as pesticide spraying. In-situ Soil testing will enable farmers to get their soil health measured without having to travel, thus facilitating effective soil management while maintaining social distancing.

 Outgrow is WayCool’s agricultural extension program that engages with farmers through their entire cultivation cycle, from planning to inputs to harvesting, substantially increasing profitability of the farmer, reducing their risk, and guaranteeing farmers 270 days of steady income by leveraging a host of emerging technologies. 

WayCool has been leading efforts to help the Indian farmer cope with the current crisis, through various channels. Most recently, the company had run a crowd funding campaign for PPE kits through Milaap. It had also driven an awareness campaign showcasing the efforts of the farmer & trucker (the invisible hands in the agri supply chain). The FMO grant helps WayCool build upon this effort. 

Sendhil Kumar Natarajan, Head-Agri initiatives, WayCool Foods, commenting on the initiative said, “Farmers are essential service providers as they feed the nation. They are also very vulnerable during disruptive events such as the ongoing pandemic. Our measures have focussed on enabling the farmers earn their livelihood while reducing the risks they face. The FMO grant will help us in protecting a significantly larger number of farmers and we thank FMO for their timely support.” 

Speaking about the initiative, Jaap Reinking, Director, Private Equity, FMO said, “We are proud to offer additional support during this period. India has experienced one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. These measures left little recourse for the country’s millions of farmers, particularly those in the poorest provinces, who were unable to get access to essentials and protective equipment. The initiative’s goal is to find affordable and reliable sources of PPE and ensure these are allocated where they are needed most. Additionally, this grant will be used to procure Soil Testing kits for farmers, which will ultimately improve their income and reduce wastage.”

 

WayCool procures, processes, and distributes a range of food products including fresh produce, staples, and dairy products, moving over 250 tonnes of food every day to 11,000 clients across South India. The company operates a soil-to-sale model, engaging deeply with a base of 40,000 farmers in more than 50 regions across India, while bringing efficiency through its direct supply chain model. The Company plans to accelerate profitability and improve on its capital efficient model by continuing to invest in technology and automation across the value chain.

 

The grant will be used to support

Agrotech

Karun is also working as the Director (acting) at the Kasaragod-based Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI). 

Anitha Karun has taken charge as Director (acting) at the Puttur-based Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). She is also working as the Director (acting) at the Kasaragod-based Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI). 

A press release said that Anitha Karun has 30 years of experience in the field of horticulture-biotechnology. She has contributed to the development of many protocols in tissue and organ culture and cryopreservation protocols in palms and cocoa. She assumed charge at DCR on August 17, it added.

Karun is also working as the Director

Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce

There is urgent need for the continued development and commercialization of Bio Protection products to replace traditional pesticide use

Bionema Ltd, a leading UK-based bio pesticide technology developer, is working on effective, eco-friendly solutions to reduce the chemical residue on crops and increase organic food production. However, founder and CEO Dr Minshad Ansari is concerned that, although there are many products in development, the limited number of Bio Protection products currently registered for use in the UK and the EU is not fulfilling the current demand in the agriculture, horticulture, sport turf and forestry sectors. 

“The recent EU commitment to reduce pesticide use by 50 per cent within next 10 years is the right way forward, from an environmental and human health point of view, however BioProtection products cannot fill this gap in the market if the current lengthy, and costly, EU registration process continues. This takes much longer than US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration,” Dr Ansari says.

 Despite a huge growth in the global BioProtection market, which is growing at an estimated 16 per cent CGAR and is expected to reach US$10 billion by 2025, there is urgent need for the continued development and commercialisation of BioProtection products not only to replace traditional pesticide use but, more-importantly, to increase overall food production as the world population is expected to reach nine billion by 2050. 

The Bionema technical team is currently working with growers, greenkeepers, sport turf managers and foresters by using a holistic technical and practical approach to combat the most damaging economic pests and diseases in their sectors, while helping to reduce pesticide residues in food and non-food crops. 

Bionema researchers, funded by Innovate UK, the Welsh Government, the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme (AGP) and Green investors, have already assessed hundreds of natural insect-killing fungi, nematodes and bacteria to investigate their commercial use potential for the management of pests and diseases. Its laboratory, glasshouse, and field trials, conducted in UK and in the EU, have shown promising results and key products are now going through EU registration. These product formulations were tested against major economic soil and foliar feeding insect pests in the horticulture, sports turf, and the forestry sectors, some which had developed pesticide resistance. 

Referring to the success of recent product trials, Dr Ansari says: “The use of nematodes with a biocompatible wetting agent, for example, successfully controlled vine weevils in soft fruits and ornamentals and also controlled chafer grubs and leatherjackets infestations in golf courses and pine weevils in pine forests. There are further efficacy trials planned over the next couple of years, which will include next generation product and formulation testing in the UK and overseas and we are looking forward to seeing positive results in the effective pest control of economically-damaging insects in high value crops.” 

 

There is urgent need for the continued

Pulses

Panelists see increasing competition on chickpeas sale in the global market

“THE KNOWLEDGE SERIES WEBINAR ON DESI AND KABULI CHICKPEAS” was conducted on August 20, 2020, by India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the nodal body for India’s pulses trade and industry with over 850 participants from 25 countries. 


The webinar extensively covered topics like Chickpeas Production: India and other major origins, NAFED’s Procurement, Stock and Selling Policies, Implications of free distribution of Chana under PMGKY scheme, Global and Indian price outlook of Chickpeas, Chana supply and demand trends, India’s import policy and tariff, Kabuli Chana – Production and exports. On the panel were industry stalwarts, domain experts and international speakers. Dr N P Singh, Director, Indian Institute of Pulses Research said chickpeas have played a key role in the realization of the pulses revolution in India. 
 
Sunil Kumar Singh, Additional Managing Director, NAFED said chickpeas will take the center-stage from the production and consumption side. G Chandrashekhar, Economist and Agri-business specialist spoke about the interesting competition brewing between Australia and Russia on the global chickpeas platform. Sunil Sawla, Hon. Secretary, IPGA in his concluding remarks said the webinar was helpful to understand the increase in the local market prices of both desi chickpeas as well as Kabulis.
 

Panelists see increasing competition on chickpeas sale

E-commerce, R&D

Bio Reverse is a specially selected package of soil-borne microbes chosen for their ability to break down the cellulose and lignin in plant tissues 

 

 

The Andersons, Inc. announced the availability of its new biological product, Bio Reverse, which reverses nutrient tie-up in crop residue by enhancing residue breakdown. Maximizing residue breakdown post-harvest provides a better seedbed in the spring and releases valuable nutrients into the soil from the previous crop.

Bio Reverse is a specially selected package of soil-borne microbes chosen for their ability to break down the cellulose and lignin in plant tissues. The product is a liquid formulation with a significant volume of colony forming units (CFUs) to ensure excellent coverage and performance. Bio Reverse features an unprecedented shelf-life of two years or more, which means the microbes stay viable much longer and will be alive when applied.

“The application of Bio Reverse breaks down crop residues post-harvest, making nutrients more available the following season to meet crop needs,” states Sarah Pirolli, vice president of sales and operations for The Andersons Plant Nutrient Group. “The degradation of stalks also provides better seed-to-soil contact in the spring, helping to improve consistency of seed depth in the field.”

The consortium of microbes in Bio Reverse are in a robust sporulated form that provides ease of use and allows for any of the following application methods: broadcast with fall herbicides; mixed with liquid fertilizers; impregnated on dry fertilizers; included in pivot irrigation; or sprayed with any other carriers that may be applied in the spring or fall. The microbial strains in Bio Reverse survive cold weather, becoming dormant under sustained freezing temperatures. When the weather warms, the microbes in Bio Reverse become active again and continue colonizing the crop residue.

Bio Reverse is a specially selected package

E-commerce, IT

This partnership will enable shop owners to connect with the company digitally and seamlessly place orders. 

 

 

Shriram Farm Solutions (A Unit of DCM Shriram Ltd.) announced its first e-commerce collaboration in India, the company has partnered with a digital platform ’Plantix’, a subsidiary of a reputed AI-based German company.

Plantix is popular for its Farmer app through which farmers/extension workers can take pictures of the affected crops and they will be shown the most probable disease, nutrient deficiencies or relevant pests and the corresponding treatment measures.

Under the partnership, Plantix retailers can now place orders for Shriram brand seeds, crop protection and nutrition products directly through the Plantix Partner mobile app.

 In the current COVID-19 situation where the on-ground movement has been restricted, this partnership will enable shop owners to connect with the company digitally and seamlessly place orders.

 Sanjay Chhabra, Business Head & President, Shriram Farm Solutions, (A Unit of DCM Shriram Ltd.) said. “By leveraging the infrastructure of the AI-enabled Plantix platform, and integrating it with the Shriram’s new technology products and long-standing market reputation, we are confident that this association will bring great value to Indian Agriculture. Our primary focus is to bring convenience to our customers and enhance the ease of doing business in these challenging times. We are quite excited about this partnership.”

The operations have begun in Madhya Pradesh in the Kharif season which will expand in other regions soon.

 

This partnership will enable shop owners to