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Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agrotech, E-commerce

It will be useful for corn, wheat and other major non-legume row crops.

 The Mosaic Company and BioConsortia, Inc. have entered into a collaboration to develop and launch nitrogen-fixing microbial products for corn, wheat and other major non-legume row crops.

Mosaic and BioConsortia are collaborating to develop beneficial microbial products designed to reduce the amount of conventional nitrogen fertilizer application, while increasing crop yields and grower revenue. The Mosaic – BioConsortia partnership is aimed at developing yield enhancing in-furrow and seed treatment products that can be used either stand-alone or in combination with conventional chemistries and fertilizers.

The collaboration project will utilize BioConsortia’s patented Advanced Microbial Selection (AMS) process and other proprietary tools, including multi-trait screening, colonization technologies, genomics, and gene editing, as well as BioConsortia’s existing collection of nitrogen fixing bacteria. The collaboration has a comprehensive development and field trial phase, followed by a distribution agreement for row crops in the Americas.

 

In addition to nitrogen fixing products, Mosaic will also have access to BioConsortia’s pipeline of superior phosphorus and potassium solubilization microbial products that could be combined with Mosaic’s existing range of potash and phosphate fertilizers to deliver a new generation of improved fertilizer products, thereby reducing growers input costs and boosting crop yields. The ultimate target is to deliver products with superior effectiveness, at lower costs, higher yields, and an improved environmental profile.

“We are excited to partner with Mosaic, a proven leader in agriculture,” said BioConsortia’s CEO, Marcus Meadows-Smith. “We believe their established expertise and market access in the field of fertilizers and crop nutrition is the perfect route to market for ground breaking nitrogen-fixing microbial products. Our microbes will complement and expand Mosaic’s established crop nutrient business to the benefit of growers throughout the Americas.”

 

Mosaic will have exclusive rights to the nitrogen fixing technology for core row crops in the Americas, initially focused on corn, wheat, cotton and sugarcane. BioConsortia will retain all rights to the technology for fruit, vegetable, turf and ornamental crops and for all uses outside of the Americas. Under the agreement BioConsortia will receive an upfront payment and research funding, as well as royalties. Additional details about the agreement were not disclosed.

 

 

It will be useful for corn, wheat

Agrotech, E-commerce

BEAM has leveraged state-of-the-art technology to offer customized solutions to farmers, traders, and stakeholders

BSE, India’s premier and most diversified exchange and the world’s fastest Stock Exchange has launched an electronic spot platform for agricultural commodities – “BSE E-Agricultural Markets Ltd. (BEAM)” – through its subsidiary BSE Investments Ltd. This platform will function as a national level, institutionalized, electronic, transparent commodity spot trading platform in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to create a “single market”. The platform facilitates spot agricultural commodities transactions across the value chain consisting of producers, intermediaries, ancillary services, and consumers. The platform will commence beta operations effective from December 11, 2020.

BEAM has leveraged state-of-the-art technology to offer customized solutions to farmers, traders, and stakeholders to facilitate risk-free and hassle-free purchase and sale of various Agri commodities.  This platform will ensure reduced cost of intermediation, improved procurement efficiency, enhanced producers’ realization, and more competitive consumer prices. The platform will also help eliminate bottlenecks associated with procurement and trading.

Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO of BSE, said, “BSE plans to leverage its nation-wide distribution network and state-of-the-art technology to provide a world-class framework for agriculture commodities to the benefit of the farmers and the Indian economy. Access to the regulated and transparent marketplace, direct access to multiple buyers, receipt of cash directly into the account of beneficiary, and reduction in intermediate costs are some of the major benefits of our platform.”

BEAM has leveraged state-of-the-art technology to offer

Agrotech, Pulses

The seminar will involve FPOs and Agricultural Universities in India

 

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the nodal body for India’s pulses trade and industry will be hosting the 3rd National Pulses Seminar on February 10 & 11, 2021 to coincide with the 5th World Pulses Day which will be celebrated on Feb. 10th. 

IPGA, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 global pandemic, will be conducting the entire seminar virtually and inviting domestic and international trade stakeholders of the pulses industry to participate in the 2-day seminar. Apart from the stakeholders from the trade value chain, IPGA is also inviting all Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Agricultural Universities in India to participate in the Seminar.

Jitu Bheda, Chairman – IPGA, speaking about the Seminar said, “IPGA has now become India’s leading think tank and knowledge hub on the pulses and grains industry. After the success of The Pulses Conclave and The IPGA Knowledge Series, we are now preparing to host the National Pulses Seminar in 2021. The Seminar will feature eminent speakers and domain experts who will discuss in-depth and explore topics of critical interest to the pulses sector in India and the world at large.” 

The Seminar will have domain experts from health and nutrition, technology, trade, economics and public policy, scientific research, meteorology, industry etc. broadly covering the following topics:

  • Health benefits of pulses and their contribution to public health and nutritional security.
  • Agriculture sector reforms introduced in 2020 and their impact on domestic pulses production and industry.
  • Overview of the entire crop year, especially the current rabi crop.
  • Weather expectations for the forthcoming kharif season in 2021-22.
  • Product panels featuring pigeon peas, urad, moong, masoor, desi and kabuli chana, peas and beans.
  • Technological advances, research, and new opportunities in the pulses sector.

 

Pravin Dongre, Founder Director – IPGA, speaking about the seminar said, “We have taken a conscious decision to invite Farmer Producer Organizations and Agricultural Universities to participate in the Seminar. We believe that the panel discussions on individual pulses covering production and price outlooks in overseas origin will help Indian farmers get a better perspective of the global trade and also possible explore export opportunities apart from the prices they can expect from the domestic markets. We have also arranged for a live English to Hindi translation service to give the participants the option to listen in a language of their choice and convenience.”

 

 

 

The seminar will involve FPOs and Agricultural

AgroPolicy, Agrotech

The network will aid India Railways Agriculture and Fishery sector

BSNL, in partnership with Skylotech India, announced that a breakthrough in satellite-based NB-IoT (Narrow Band-Internet of Things), in pursuance of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s vision of a truly Digital India starting with fishermen, farmers, construction, mining and logistics enterprises. With this solution, India will now have access to a ubiquitous fabric of connectivity for millions of yet unconnected machines, sensors and industrial IoT devices.

This new ‘Made in India’ Solution, which is indigenously developed by Skylo, will connect with BSNLs satellite- ground infrastructure and provide PAN-India coverage, including Indian seas. The coverage will be so vast that it will not leave any dark patch within the boundary of India, from Kashmir & Ladakh to Kanyakumari, and from Gujarat to the North East, including the Indian seas.

This breakthrough announcement is very timely because it comes during the ongoing Indian Mobile Congress 2020. This new technology supports the Department of Telecom and NITI Aayogs plan of bringing indigenous IoT connectivity to India’s core sectors. Examples of where this technology has already been tested successfully include, Indian Railways, fishing vessels, and enabling connected vehicles across India.

A small, smart, incredibly rugged box, the Skylo ‘User Terminal’ interfaces with sensors and transmits data to the Skylo Network and into people’s hands. The accompanying Data Platform provides an immersive, visual, experience for industry-specific applications on mobile or desktop. It gives users the ability to take immediate and appropriate action, no matter where they are. This new digital machine connectivity layer will serve as a complement to smartphone-centric mobile & Wi-Fi networks, and covers India’s full geography to bring online new applications for the first time.

 

 

The network will aid India Railways Agriculture

Agro Universities, AgroPolicy

A five-point strategy draft formulated

The ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa organized a one-day Stakeholders’ Meeting on December 2, 2020 to develop a roadmap for agriculture and allied sectors for the State of Goa. The meeting was organized in accordance with the series of meetings organized under the guidance of Dr Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister, Government of Goa with the ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa and Officials of State Departments of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services and Fisheries on 25th and 27th November, 2020.

In his valedictory address of the Stakeholders’ Meet, the Chief Minister provided his concluding remarks on the roadmap and strategies developed through deliberations for the development of agriculture and allied sectors in the state to make it self-sufficient. Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar, Deputy Chief Minister & Minister of Agriculture, Government of Goa was also present during the valedictory function.

A Five-Point Strategy Draft for the development of agriculture and allied sectors for the state was prepared. The strategies include improvement of the production and productivity of important crops (rice, cashew, coconut, mango, spices) by increasing seed replacement ratio, adoption of high yielding varieties, replacement of senile plantations, crop diversification and integrated farming system approach (agriculture, livestock and fisheries), etc.

During the series of meetings, Dr E B Chakurkar, Director, ICAR-CCARI, Goa along with other senior officials of ICAR Institutes provided their suggestions for the same. The meetings were aimed at developing the strategies and implementing them to make Goa self-sufficient, create and popularize the brand of Goa in national and global platforms and attract the youth in agriculture and secondary agricultural businesses.

A five-point strategy draft formulatedThe ICAR-Central Coastal

Agrotech, World

SeeTree monitors over 50 million trees around the world, which will grow to 1 billion trees by 2023

California based SeeTree, an AI-powered, end-to-end service that provides growers with intelligence on trees and tree clusters, announced that it has raised $30 million in a Series B funding round led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. This third round of funding, one of the largest investment rounds for an Israeli Agtech company, will allow SeeTree to scale globally, grow the R&D and customer-facing teams and broaden services to cover new crops.

Other investors include Citrosuco, one of the world’s largest orange juice producers with sales to more than 100 countries; Orbia Ventures, corporate VC of Orbia, a global provider of innovative solutions for rapid urbanization and water and food scarcity that owns Netafim, the leading drip irrigation system in the world; and Kubota, a Japanese manufacturer specializing in tractor and agricultural equipment. Existing investor Hanaco Ventures, a leading Tel Aviv and New York-based VC who led the Series A round, is participating as well.

With operations in Brazil, the United States, Chile and South Africa and a team of 120 professionals, SeeTree monitors over 50 million trees around the world, which will grow to 1 billion trees by 2023.

SeeTree’s system identifies the health and growth rates of every tree in a farmer’s grove and enables the creation of personalized cultivation plans for each tree or cluster of trees. SeeTree collects ultra high resolution images captured by drones and multi-spectral sensors, tree and soil samples and analyzes the data through the platform’s machine learning algorithms. Ultimately, farmers receive an easy-to-use product with features such as tree health, pest and disease tracking.

SeeTree monitors over 50 million trees around

Supply Chain

This launch marks another innovative approach to wellness by Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., the American agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 farmer families, recently introduced Ocean Spray Cranberry Seeds, a new innovative, upcycled, and clean-label product harvested from cranberries certified as sustainably grown and offering an array of powerful nutritional benefits to support a healthy lifestyle. A versatile ingredient, Cranberry Seeds add natural color and powerful nutrition with a neutral flavor to several different occasions including baking, blending smoothies and creating snack bars among many other possibilities. This launch marks another innovative approach to wellness by Ocean Spray, as the farmer-owned cooperative seeks to diversify use of the cranberry superfruit and empower consumers with health-focused nourishment.

Ocean Spray Cranberry Seeds offer a multitude of nutritional attributes as an excellent source of fiber at 1.6 times the amount found in chia and flax seeds, a good source of zinc, magnesium, and Omega 3 fatty acids. In addition, the seeds are 100% natural in vibrant red color, GMO-free, allergen free, and have no additives or preservatives.  With these attributes, when consumed as part of a healthy diet, Cranberry Seeds have dietary fiber that can can help support digestive health, zinc that can help support immunity, omega-3 fatty acids that can help support heart health, and magnesium and zinc that may also support cognitive function.  

The Cranberry Seeds are obtained from Ocean Spray’s cranberries, which have been verified by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative as sustainably grown. Ocean Spray farmers implement regenerative farming as they grow the superfruit, using practices that support health and conservation of natural resources.  In addition, the Cranberry Seeds themselves are upcycled from what would have been food waste, fostering a zero-waste supply chain. 

This launch marks another innovative approach to

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agro Universities, R&D

The lab will cater to intricate research demands with clockwork precision and seamless quality

The Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai has established a National Laboratory for Advanced Material Characterization (NLAMC) with the financial support from ICAR-National Agricultural Innovation Fund (NAIF), ICAR-Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana –Renumerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sectors Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) Scheme, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) New Delhi. This specific laboratory is a proud enhancement to the facilities offered by ICAR-CIRCOT.

To support research, testing and incubation needs of start-ups, students, researchers, entrepreneurs and industries, the laboratory is adequately equipped with sophisticated instruments, as under:

  1. X-ray Diffractometer: It is widely used for the identification of unknown crystalline materials.
  2. X-ray fluorescence spectrometer: It is applied for relatively non-destructive elemental and chemical analysis of different materials.
  3. Weather-O-meter: It brings together all weather parameters and checks its impact on textiles and polymers for light fastness & durability properties.
  4. Automatic single yarn tensile strength tester: It tests tensile strength & elongation, compression strength, and tearing strength of fabrics.
  5. Particle size analyser: It determines the size of submicron and nano particles such as nano-cellulose, nano-silver, nano-zinc oxide, nano-sulphur, etc.
  6. Goniometer: It analyses the wetting properties of a surface and records the interfacial tension, contact angle, surface energy of different materials.
  7. Polarized light microscope: It can be utilized for both quantitative and qualitative studies of wide range of anisotropic specimens like natural and textile fibres and polymers.
  8. Raman spectrophotometer: It is used in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of substances in trace amounts on different matrices such as cloth, security paper, fiber etc., without extensive sample preparation in a non-destructive manner.

With an ardent commitment to evolve with the times, the ’National Laboratory for Advanced Material Characterization’ is ready to meet all intricate research demands with clockwork precision and seamless quality.

The lab will cater to intricate research

Acquaculture, R&D

CSRTI to fund the two year collaborative research project

The ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Barrackpore, Kolkata and CSB-Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSRTI), Mysore, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaborative research proposal on ‘Utilization and diversification of silkworm pupae products for human and animal consumption and composting’ at CSB-CSRTI, Mysore on December 8, 2020.

Dr B K Das, Director, ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore and Dr Pankaj Tewary, Director, CSB-CSRTI signed the MoU on the behalf of their respective organizations.

Under the collaborative project, the ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore will work on formulation and development of fish feed from silkworm pupae and field testing and transfer of technology of the product developed and technology in the field in association with the CSB-CSTRI.

The CSB-CSRTI will provide funding support to the collaborative two years research project. Scientists and staff members of both the organizations were present during the occasion.

CSRTI to fund the two year

Agro Universities, Dairy, India, R&D

Muraingrasses play an important in ecology and economy of the country

A new species of Indian Muraingrasses known for their ecological and economic importance, such as fodder, have been spotted by scientists in Goa in the Western Ghats, one of the four global biodiversity hotspots of India. The species has adapted to survive harsh conditions, low nutrient availability, and blossoms every monsoon.

Globally 85 species are known from Ischaemum, of which 61 species are exclusively found in India. The Western Ghats have 40 species with the highest concentration of the genus. Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, has been exploring the biodiversity of the Western Ghats for the last few decades.

A team led by Dr Mandar Datar and Dr Ritesh Kumar Choudhary from ARI has been working on relationships among different groups of plants and their evolutionary development (plant taxonomy and phylogeny) of Indian Muraingrasses (Genus Ischaemum) to document the diversity and report novel species. The team discovered a novel species named Ischaemumjanarthanamiifrom plateaus of Western Ghats of Goa, and a research paper describing this species was published recently in Annales BotaniciFennici, a Finland based journal.

During their explorations on lateritic outcrops (habitats where portions of freely exposed bedrocks protrude above the soil level due to natural reasons) of Goa, the ARI team collected an interesting specimen of the species. Careful observations and critical morphological studies identified the species as a novel one. The species was named Ischaemumjanarthanamiiin honour of Prof M K Janarthanam, Professor of Botany, Goa University, for his contribution to the Indian grass taxonomy and documentation of the floristic diversity of Goa state.

Muraingrasses play an important in ecology and

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agro Universities, R&D, Webinar

To be held from December 16 to 18, 2020

From December 16 to 18, 2020 the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, RAK College of Agriculture, Sehore and ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP), will jointly conduct an international expert workshop on ’Chickpea Diseases–Detection, Phenotyping and Management’. 

The topics covered in the training includes:

  • Surveillance and monitoring of diseases
  • Disease diagnosis and identification
  • Phenotyping for disease resistance
  • Innovative management approaches
  • Emerging diseases and the way forward

Training methodology will comprise of expert lectures and updates on current scenario of diseases, online practical training sessions on individual disease/pathogen, brainstorming and group discussions.

Those keen on updating themselves on chickpea diseases and their management will find this three day workshop immensely beneficial. Registrations are presently possible via the ICRISAT website. 

To be held from December 16 to

Supply Chain

The company operates a soil-to-sale model, engaging deeply with a base of 50,000 farmers

Chennai based WayCool Foods, India’s largest agri supply chain startup, has raised $7.8 million in debt from Samunnati, RBL Bank, and InnoVen Capital. This follows the earlier debt financing round of $5.5 Mn which was guaranteed by the United States International Development Finance Corporation (USIDFC) and financed by IndusInd Bank. WayCool also closed the Series C round of $32 Mn led by Lightbox earlier this year.

The funds will be utilized for meeting working capital needs and to boost automation in the existing distribution centres and warehouses. WayCool Foods plans to achieve 70% digital and mechanical automation across all distribution units by mid-2021, in turn improving process flow, efficiency, and eliminating error-prone mundane activities. WayCool procures, processes, and distributes a range of food products including fresh produce, staples, and dairy products, servicing over 16,000 clients across South India.

The company operates a soil-to-sale model, engaging deeply with a base of 50,000 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. WayCool has previously raised three rounds of equity funding from Lightbox, LGT Lightstone Aspada, and FMO, and has raised debt in the past from Caspian Impact Investment and Northern Arc Capital Ltd.

The company operates a soil-to-sale model, engaging

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, Sustainable Energy

The solar dryers come with LPG, biomass or electricity backup as additional heat source

Open sun drying is the traditional method employed by fisherfolks in most parts of the country to dry fish and other marine products. However, often sun-dried products were poor quality with insects, pests, and microorganisms and it is highly depending on prevailing weather conditions.

To overcome these limitations, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Cochin has developed low cost, energy efficient and eco-friendly solar dryers with LPG, biomass or electricity backup heat source for continuous and hygienic drying of fish even during off-sunshine hours.

ICAR-CIFT solar hybrid fish dryers are gaining attention among the young entrepreneurs, fisherfolks and women self-help groups (SHG) involved in the dry fish business as a viable alternative.

A small fisherfolk women group led by Valsa Vasu and Anitha Sajeev, Nayarambalam CDS,Ernakulam, has installed a 20 Kg solar-electrical hybrid dryer for the production of hygienic and quality dry fish.The dryer was inaugurated on November 25, 2020 by Savitha Raghu, Chairperson, Nayarambalam CDS in the presence of Dr Murali S, Scientist, ICAR-CIFT, Cochin and other officials from ICAR-CIFT, Cochin. Members from Nayarambalam Grama Panchayat and general public attended the function

The solar dryers come with LPG, biomass

Agro Universities, India, Webinar

Organized for the Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture and Informatics Publishing Ltd, on December 9, 2020, organized a one-day ‘National Ambassador and Users Orientation Program on enhanced utilization of agricultural knowledge research in the country’, for its Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture (CeRA).

The Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture has been established to achieve the ultimate objective of promoting online digital scientific literature and creating e-access culture among the scientists, faculty and students of ICAR institutes and State Agricultural Universities under National Agricultural Research and Education System (NARES) of India. It is a flagship activity of ICAR.

The Chief Guest, Dr R C Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), ICAR in his opening remarks applauded the role played by CeRA in extending the e-literature support to scientists and helping researchers for achieving excellence in their research endeavors. He urged to find the means to improve and popularize the platform among the researchers and scholars. The expansion of members and e-resources may be done keeping in view the mandate, essentiality and sustainability of the Consortium. He also highlighted that CeRA should be operationalized keeping in view the Centre’s new education policy. 

Dr Satendra Kumar Singh, Project Director, ICAR-Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture mentioned that easy accessibility of CeRA has proved to be a boon for the people involved in agricultural researches as it saves both time and money and most of the institutes get similar infrastructure and equal opportunity through this knowledge platform. 

Organized for the Consortium for e-Resources in