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Agrovision is one such genuine initiative, which is providing an integrative framework and a platform to bring all the stakeholders consisting of farmers, Government, NGOs, Scientists, Industry under single umbrella to deliberate and debate at different levels for all around growth of agriculture.

The vision of Agrovision is to create a more knowledgeable, practical and a smart famer. Agrovision’s basic objective has always been to Educate, Encourage and Empower the farmers through its major activities i.e. Free Workshops for farmers, International Exhibition, Expert Panel Discussions, Conference etc.

Webinar on “Dairy Industry during COVID 19 and beyond” on 17th April 2020

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Agrovision is one such genuine initiative, which

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Seeds

NSAI has asked the Govt to treat loans given to the seed sector at par with agriculture,

 The National Seed Association of India (NSAI) has asked the government to make available adequate low-interest working capital and soft loans for building infrastructure and investment in research and development.

 In a letter to the Agriculture Ministry, NSAI president M Prabhakar Rao also urged the government to provide 25 per cent capital subsidy on seed infrastructure investment, and said 100 per cent FDI should not be allowed in seed sector, much like the restriction placed by countries like China.

The NSAI said only intellectual property protection available for seeds and plant varieties, including transgenic plant varieties, in India falls under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act (PPVFRA). The rules under the Indian Patent Act and the PPVFRA should be enforced in letter and spirit so that farmers and national agriculture can benefit.

There should be uniform procedure and requirements for seed licence or new variety inclusion in licences for all States, besides allowing central licensing for seed companies having R&D, production, processing and marketing operations in multiple States. 

 Encourage seed research

Rao said that local small and medium seed companies would be encouraged to invest more in R&D if their research investment is reimbursed up to 50 per cent. Besides, SMEs in the seed sector should be given free access to seed quality testing by encouraging them to set up accredited third party seed testing laboratories.

 Apart from encouraging collaboration with public-funded agricultural research institutes, varietal testing fees in Indian Council of Agricultural Research seed trials should be rationalised so that a large number of seed companies with 100 per cent local ownership can participate in trials. 

The NSAI also wanted the government to set up special economic zones to produce seeds for exports, and the formulation of policy and procedures for custom seed production of foreign varieties exclusively for export purposes.

 

It further said that an income tax dispute resolution mechanism, which the NSAI earlier recommended and got approved by the Agriculture Ministry, is still pending with the Central Board of Direct Taxes. This may be resolved by bringing a rule similar to what is available for coffee, tea or rubber sectors.

NSAI has asked the Govt to treat

E-commerce

 It  will deliver leading insurance and reinsurance solutions to meet the needs of agri-businesses in key markets around the world. 

 

 

 Sompo International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, announced today that their global agriculture platform, AgriSompo, has entered into a partnership with Portuguese Managing General Agent ATLAS Segurmina (“ATLAS”), to offer innovative crop insurance solutions to the agricultural sector in Portugal.

 AgriSompo combines extensive technical expertise and global capabilities to deliver leading insurance and reinsurance solutions to meet the needs of agri-businesses in key markets around the world. ATLAS has deep crop insurance expertise and strong ties to the Portuguese and EU Crop market. AgriSompo will partner with ATLAS to initially offer a variety of traditional crop insurance products and will expand into new products and coverages to help address the evolving needs of farming operations in Portugal.

Kris Lynn, Chairman, AgriSompo and Senior Vice President, Global Agriculture, Sompo International commented, “In addition to increasing AgriSompo’s presence in key agriculture markets worldwide, this new partnership will enable us to introduce innovative agriculture products and technologies tailored to this region. By combining Sompo International’s experience developing leading-edge crop insurance products with ATLAS’ strong network and reputation in the Portuguese crop market, we will deliver meaningful solutions that address the evolving insurance needs of these clients.

 Frederico Bernardino, Chief Executive Officer, ATLAS commented, “Sompo International’s extensive agriculture insurance capabilities and breadth of products, will enable ATLAS to provide enhanced risk solutions to the Portuguese agriculture community. We look forward to working closely with Sompo International and the AgriSompo team to expand and increase our offerings, providing additional value to our mutual clients.”

 AgriSompo is global integrated underwriting, technology and distribution platform delivering both traditional and innovative insurance, reinsurance and financial products to agriculture partners worldwide. AgriSompo combines global reach, financial strength, knowledgeable underwriting, and specialized product expertise with cutting-edge analytics to best meet our clients’ risk management needs. Leveraging the broad licensing of our parent, Sompo Holdings, Inc., our clients around the globe have direct access to our dedicated team of agricultural experts who deliver tailored solutions for each client’s unique exposures.

 ATLAS is a leading agricultural sector Managing General Agent, headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, and focused on delivering traditional and progressive insurance solutions to crop farmers in the evolving Portuguese agriculture market. ATLAS is committed to, and continues to, build out its suite of product offerings to meet the needs of Portuguese agribusinesses.

 

 It  will deliver leading insurance and reinsurance

E-commerce

Cash corn prices have declined by 16%on average,

 

Analysis released by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) showed cash corn prices have declined by 16%on average, with several regions experiencing declines of more than 20 percent, since March 1 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis projects a $50 per acre revenue decline for the 2019 corn crop. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic is being felt across all sectors of our economy,” says NCGA President Kevin Ross. “This analysis clearly illustrates its impact on corn growers and will be beneficial as we work to ensure they have the resources needed to navigate these very difficult times.”

 NCGA commissioned the economic analysis, conducted by Gary Schnitkey of the University of Illinois, as part of the organization’s efforts to better understand the economic impact of the global pandemic on the corn industry and work to create solutions to help corn farmers and their customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis. 

The analysis was based on cash corn prices as of mid-April and estimated losses would likely increase through the rest of the marketing year. Further analysis is already underway for the 2020 crop year, with losses anticipated to be higher than those in 2019. 

“Corn will be one of the most impacted crops as its two largest uses – livestock feed and ethanol – are under pressure. Impacts of reduced livestock demand are just beginning to come to bear in the market, as livestock processing plants are beginning to be disrupted,” writes Schnitkey.

An average Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Program payment of $17 per base is projected for corn which would fall short of covering 2019 revenue losses, underscoring the need for the assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). 

NCGA will continue to work closely with members of Congress and federal agencies on ways to mitigate the pandemic’s impact and help farmers recover.

Cash corn prices have declined by 16%on

Agro chems – Chemicals, E-commerce

The agreement has come into effect starting from April 2020.

Two of the biggest agri-firms, Nissan Chemical and Gowan Crop Protection Ltd. recently announced a joint distribution agreement between them in Italy.  As per the terms of the agreement, Gowan Company will exercise its sales, marketing, and technical expertise to carry out the exclusive distribution of Nissan’s products including Pyridaben, Halosulfuron, Quizalofop PEthyl, and Amisulbrom. The agreement has come into effect starting from April 2020.

 With this agreement, Nissan Chemical and Gowan Company have added another benchmark in their long history of collaboration around the globe. The agreement has further enriched the relationship between the two companies. It has also been intimated by the companies that Italy is the second country after the United Kingdom where Gowan will exclusively distribute Nissan’s products.

 Nissan Chemical has been providing a stable supply of food and agricultural chemicals that are environmentally friendly. While the Gowan Group provides agricultural solutions business and specializes in developing, marketing, and processing agricultural inputs such as crop protection products, seeds, and fertilizers. With their strong organization and field focus, Gowan Italia and Nissan aim to redevelop their sales in the territory where a strong potential for growth lies

 

 

The agreement has come into effect starting

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Warehousing

These pack houses are set up under the Crop Cluster Development Programme (CCDP) of the State Govt.

The Haryana government is determined to integrate packhouses /warehouses on the e-NAM platform of the Government of India. e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) is an electronic trading portal that forms a network of APMC mandis to create a single market for agricultural commodities. The government has decided to integrate pack houses with e-NAM, under which 3 pack houses of FPOs from the state will be registered. These pack houses are set up under the Crop Cluster Development Programme (CCDP) of the State Government.

 During a video conferencing with  Neelkamal Darbari, Managing Director, Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC), Arjun Singh Saini, Haryana Director General, Horticulture, and other officers of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, this information was spread out.

 As per Arjun Singh Saini, The government of Haryana has registered 125 FPOs on the e-NAM portal to carry out online trading of horticultural items. Some additional features have been added in the e-NAM platform with updates for various facilities, including registration of FPOs on the platform, the addition of cold storage, storage under warehouse receipts, and linkage with markets among others. 

As per the sources, 112 FPOs are already operating across the state for the supply of fruits and vegetables to the consumers. Some vehicles are being used to carry out the supply. Vehicles such as tractor trolleys, loading jeeps, and vending carts are being supplied to the farmers by the department and are being used for commodity transportation.

 According to Saini, the FPOs are using the temporary platform at field-level for grading and packing (crates, baskets, and bags) at present.

These pack houses are set up under

Acquaculture, E-commerce

The Kochi-based institute has put ₹6,008 crore loss to mechanised sector and ₹830 crore for non-mechanised sector.

The Covid-19 lockdown has put the country’s marine fishery sector in deep sea, inflicting a daily loss of ₹224 crore, a report prepared by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) said. 

The monthly loss for the sector is estimated to be about ₹6,838 crore; the Kochi-based institute has put ₹6,008 crore loss to mechanised sector and ₹830 crore for non-mechanised sector. However, the loss incurred in fish processing, exports and other nodes of the value chain are not considered.

The fisheries sector contributed about ₹1.75 lakh crore to Gross Value Added in 2017-18. Marine products are the most important agricultural commodity exported, accounting for close to $6.7 billion, growing more than 10 per cent per year, CN Ravishankar, Director, CIFT, said.

However, because of the lockdown, several fishing activities have been non-operational. Those fishermen, who were in the sea before imposing the lockdown, could not monetise their catch and had to abandon it. The distributional impacts of this could be felt more by coastal communities, women, children, and families who are wage earners, migrant labourers, and regular fish consumers, he said.

 Exports affects

Besides, the fish processing and export activities are affected in the maritime States. The economic slowdown due to the pandemic in major export destinations including the US, EU, UK and China could dampen India’s export performance in the days to come. This could affect Indian aquaculture in the back-end, the report said. 

The fishing and related activities in Gujarat — the No.1 State with 7.8 lakh tonnes marine seafood production in 2018 — have been hit severely. China is the major export market for Gujarat and the trade was affected by January when the Covid -19 virus infection affected China. It is estimated that there will be a 40 per cent reduction in the catch during this year.

 Many of the importing countries, hit by the pandemic, have cancelled orders and this has resulted in an uncertain export market. Traders are anticipating a 20-40 per cent drop in price.

 The report suggested setting up of a committee including all the stakeholders of the fishing industry to study the issues faced by the sector industry and come out with remedial measures. The government should also consider a comprehensive economic package considering the financial need of the fisheries sector. This could include a relief package for fishermen and processing factory owners comprising an economic component like loan waiver, deferring of loan instalments, subsidy to fishermen, etc.

The Kochi-based institute has put ₹6,008 crore

Agro Universities, Seeds, Thailand

The MoU aims at information-exchange for seed-sector capacity-building in the Asia Pacific region.

 

The Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA) and Kasetsart University, Thailand, have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Projects to Promote Sustainable Agriculture and Exchange Information for Capacity Building in the Asia Pacific Region Seed Sector”. 

 Due to the prevailing lockdown in many countries due to COVID-19, the ceremony of signing the MoU took place remotely. Looking at the current situation faced by the world, food security and developing farmer livelihoods and agriculture have a greater significance more than ever. Hence, despite the uncertainties in the date for the ceremony, APSA and KU’s remained committed to moving forward with the MoU and signed remotely by representatives of the organizations early in April. 

 The agreement centres on initiating “collaboration in the form of projects to promote sustainable agriculture and information-exchange for seed-sector capacity-building in the Asia Pacific region.”

 APSA’s Vice President Wichai Laocharoenpornkul said, “Forming partnerships among like-minded organizations is precisely what the last, perhaps most important, Sustainable Development Goal – SDG number 17 of the United Nations – represents.” 

Elaborating on the MoU Kasetsart’s Dr Chongrak Wachrinrat said, “I am confident that this MOU will expand the subject areas of focus and provide more educational opportunities that will benefit our faculty and students. Moreover, I am certain that our strong and healthy partnerships will enable us to generate more and more research, innovation, and achievements that will contribute to the well-being of the wider public sector.”

 

Both companies have earlier collaborated on a number of events. Some of them include the 2nd Asian Solanaceous Round Table in February 2017 and the inaugural Asian Cucurbits Round Table conference in July 2018 held on the university’s Bangkhen Campus.

 

The MoU states that both organizations agreeing to the collaboration is beneficial and both companies have established connections throughout the world and now wish to expand their knowledge base and develop mutually beneficial cooperation and exchange.

The MoU aims at information-exchange for

Agro chems – Pesticides, R&D

Ampersand is made with only food-grade ingredients, and works  to maximize the efficacy of herbicides and insecticides.

Attune Agriculture, a unique leader in the industry combining food and agricultural science, announces that its OMRI listed adjuvant, Ampersand®, is now available for sale and use in California.  Ampersand is made with only food-grade ingredients, and works differently than other adjuvants currently on the market to maximize the efficacy of herbicides and insecticides.  This technology is the first of its kind for the agricultural industry. 

Ampersand is not a surfactant.  In fact, tank sprays with Ampersand are designed to have droplets with a high surface tension and high contact angle, the opposite of how other adjuvants are engineered.  Attune’s patented technology starts to control droplets at the nozzle using humectant and hydrocolloid properties that regulate droplet size and improve deposition.  Once the droplets are on the leaf, ingredients that provide adhesion prevent droplets from rolling off the leaf, or bouncing and shattering.  Ampersand also gives actives more time on the leaf to perform their functions by reducing evaporation, drying and wash off.

 The result is a game-changing tank mix partner that delivers three times more spray to the leaf, two times the absorption potential, and four times the wash off protection.  Not only does Ampersand have the lowest toxicity rating, Category IV, no signal words are required for labeling, and no special PPE or handling is required.  Despite its fit for organic use, Ampersand provides cost effective performance benefits for conventional applications as well. 

Extensive testing has shown that Ampersand improves weed control by an average of 79% when combined with a leading organic herbicide.  With respect to sprayable pheromones, Ampersand has been shown to increase the efficacy by 45%.  Additional studies have demonstrated that glufosinate can be improved by 51% with the addition of Ampersand to the tank mix.

 “Now, more than ever before, every spray matters,” says Greg Andon, CEO of Attune.  “We are excited to introduce Ampersand to California growers, where we can help boost the performance of organic actives to levels approaching conventional, and improve conventional actives to levels never seen before.”

 

Ampersand is made with only food-grade ingredients,

E-commerce, Finance, North America

The company intends to become “one-stop-shop” for agricultural inputs in Brazil and Latin America

InstaAgro, the first online direct sales platform of for agricultural inputs, machinery and parts in Brazil, has completed its first year entering the phase of “Investment for Growth”. Led by the family office Rolesis Holdings, the company received a first tranche of $300k in 2019, and followed by the second piece at the beginning of 2020.

 InstaAgro was originally founded by partners Avram Slovic, an American scientist turned Agtech executive currently working in a new Flagship Pioneering venture in Brazil, along with Rodrigo Santini who comes from an extensive background in management consulting, with the goal of creating an additional sales channel for the agricultural inputs industry and supply the giant Brazilian market, with a strong focus on the small producer. Today, in Brazil, there are over 4.5 million rural producers, purchasing upwards of $20B in crop inputs (including chemicals, fertilizers, seeds and irrigation), according to official Brazilian estimates.

 Inputs are sold through a network of over 5,000 resellers throughout the country, or farm stores, which focus on large producers which typically purchase on credit. Despite the reseller stores being multi-brand, the stores are dominated by one or two main brands such as Syngenta, Bayer, or Corteva, with complementary products from generic chemical manufacturers filling the portfolio gaps. Reseller’s portfolios are geared towards large producers, whose purchases offset the logistics costs needed to deliver the merchandise.

 The “cost of sale” to small producers however, with less than 100 Ha planted, and largely focused on fruits, vegetables and coffee is high, leaving these growers out of the loop, and forcing them to incur high costs to seek out affordable products. InstaAgro fills this gap, offer a wide and diversified portfolio with optimized logistics for geographically dispersed small plot growers. 

According to Daniel Bachner, an investor and former long-time Syngenta executive, the InstaAgro operational model is already validated and is now expanding its customer portfolio. “The first customers of our platform have entered in the ‘recurrence stage’, which shows a true change regarding the purchasing habits. For us, this is very rewarding, indicating that the purchase experience was very good and easy, including easy logistics in a country where this is not always the case. We delivered products in up to five working days, door to door, which is a huge step change from what these producers typically deal with.”

 Daniel also recounts that the platform’s product portfolio is rapidly broadening its offer, including a wide range of biological inputs, seeds, liquid and granular fertilizers, among others. He highlights recent additions to the site such as big players in the industry such as Enza Zaden (Seeds), TopSeed (Seeds), Haifa (Fertilizers), Netafim (Irrigation), Vittia (Biologicals and Fertilizers) and the SuperBac fertilizer line.

 “Today we have 16 active companies on the platform. We are in the process of expand our portfolio with high quality suppliers. Our intention is to be the “one-stop-shop” for agricultural inputs for the small and medium size grower in Brazil and Latin America,” explains Bachner. When asked how InstaAgro’s business model compares to other players in the field such as the recently funded Agrofy, Bachner explains, “We don’t see our model as competitive with Agrofy. They are focused on helping the current “brick-and-mortar” stores sell more though online platforms. The small grower will face the same hurdles, accessing reliable products in their model as in the status quo. Since we work directly with the manufacturers, and not the retailers, we can assure that the products that the grower receives are not counterfeit and are of the utmost quality. The new generation of producers comes with a profile that is very technological and has an accurate market vision. For this new generation, the major worry is where their own products are being sold and what needs to be done to conquer more markets and expanding its operations in sustainable and profitable way.”

 

According to the InstaAgro investor, on-farm production is something already established and now the focus of this new Brazilian grower is on how to use products with less residue and that are more sustainable. This makes that the time previously used to visit the dealerships and acquiring inputs is more limited. This is eased by the technology of the platform, which enables acquiring products at any time, any place, in quick, simple, and safe way. On the other hand, highlights Bachner, something very well received by the customers is the agronomic prescription. “We send an independent 3rd party agronomist to the farm to identify the disease and generate the adequate prescription, beyond the necessary technical support. We do not share and do not agree with writing the prescription at the store-counter, a practice widely used in the market, which is an illegal,” concludes.

 

InstaAgro reveals that now the focus is the total expansion of customer base through push marketing actions. The startup invests in operational excellence in fulfilling all sales request and acts strongly to reduce the delivery time lead, respond the customer in up to 24/48 hours after the purchase. Concomitantly, the platform aims to continue expanding the supplier base – always with a focus on customer necessity. Finally, it has also on the radar to bring more partners to give more credit to customers through fintech’s, credit cooperatives, banks, and others.

The company intends to become “one-stop-shop” for

E-commerce, Poultry

Kemin signed an exclusive agreement with US and Hong Kong based Pacific GeneTech 

US based Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, has signed an exclusive agreement with US and Hong Kong based Pacific GeneTech (PGT), a biologics company that develops and commercializes next-generation vaccines for areas of high unmet or underserved needs in food safety and animal health, to license PGT’s Salmonella vaccine for poultry.

 PGT’s Salmonella vaccine addresses multiple serovars of Salmonella. It was developed from the company’s proprietary Aegis platform, which is applicable to multiple pathogens, including bacteria, parasites and viruses. Both the platform and Salmonella vaccine were originally developed by the University of Arkansas’s Poultry Health Laboratory, in collaboration with other U.S. and Canadian universities and with support from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. 

“Partnering with PGT on this vaccine will allow Kemin to deliver the technology needed to address Salmonella contamination in poultry, a common pathogen that threatens food safety and the health of consumers,” said Dr Chris Nelson, President and CEO, Kemin. “I am thrilled that we will be able to bring this vaccine to market around the world. This will make the vaccine more accessible which, in turn, may help reduce the incidence rate of Salmonella in consumer poultry products.”

 As part of its partnership with PGT, Kemin will focus on developing the Salmonella vaccine and registering it in the United States and other countries, beginning with the European Union. Kemin will also begin expanding the Salmonella vaccine’s availability in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Kemin signed an exclusive agreement with

Text Blog

Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides (India) Limited talks about the impact of COVID-19 on Agriculture sector

The coronavirus pandemic has shaken our lives to the core. The impact on life and livelihoods is expected to be immense. So far, majorly the urban and semi urban centers of the countries are hit, but the spread of the virus may not limit it to that. As the migrants also reach their native places, there are chances that some of them might act as the carrier of the virus. However, the fact is, life in villages may get a hit by the pandemic – as a collateral damage of the crumbling of urban economy, the struggle of its rural and agrarian counterpart has already begun.

Existing Rabi and upcoming Kharif crops likely to suffer

The pandemic struck us at a time when the winter crops have started to be harvested. With the fear of infection and the resultant lockdown, these crops may have delayed harvesting due to shortage of laborers. Even if the farmers manage to harvest them, there is a tough task ahead of them to the market place. This will further reduce the farmers’ opportunity to earn a fair deal for the products. Those who were dealing in fish and poultry have been suffering too, given that poultry prices have fallen and fish prices are highly volatile – while in some places, fish prices have fallen.

Though Government is taking some fast steps to overcome these issues, but we will have to wait to see the actual effect. The government has more than sufficient food reserve – as of February 1, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) had 30 million tonnes of wheat, against the required 3 million and about 27 million tonnes of rice, against 2 million tonnes and hence, may have limited purchase to procure from the farmers. The Prime Minister’s announcement that appropriate measures will be taken to make sure farmers can harvest Rabi crops comes as the much-needed solace in these trying times.

For perishable Rabi crops such as onions, which are stored following traditional methods and hence, are more likely to be affected by fluctuation in moisture and temperature levels, the pandemic can potentially spell a disaster. Though much of it was caused by the requirement of onions for sowing the crop, lack of onion supply is almost an annual affair. Farmers in arid areas with less water, mainly in the western parts of the country, see the onion as a cash crop that grows well in the short term.

But a spell on untimely rain or flooding can disrupt the supply at a time when it is needed the most – raw onion is said to have cooling properties that help people overcome the excruciatingly hot summer. A shortage of such a high-demand crop may lead to inflation and can strain the system leading to food inflation. With processing units just started to open, those growing crops for manufacturing Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) may hit a roadblock too, eventually making commodity prices volatile in the long run due to inconsistency in supply. Now as the lockdown is already extended till May 3rd, Kharif crops are likely to bear a serious brunt, owing to disrupted supply of farm input materials – the concerns of industry bodies are anything but unfounded as cotton sowing nears in Punjab and Haryana and the government should seriously consider opening of ‘green lanes’, the special food lanes on highways where food and agricultural input delivery vehicles can pass without being stopped at toll booths and check-posts.

Though the manufacturing plants, depots and shops of agrochemicals have been allowed to open with limited staff and under strict vigilance, a shortfall is likely as the manufacturing units are working with only 25 per cent to 30 per cent of their capacities due to manpower problems, availability of the raw materials and the transportation issues.  

Ensuring continued food security is key

In a pandemic situation, several scenarios can crop up that may alter one’s access to food items. While domestic produce may fall, there will be limited options to fill the gap by importing food items as other countries globally are no better – it is likely that challenges of logistics bottlenecks and less production of high-value commodities, i.e. fruits and vegetables are likely to be affected the most, with small-scale farmers at the receiving end of the economic loss that will also jeopardize their access to food and nutrition. Market closures, hoarding of food, fuel, and other basic necessities, merchant and trader speculation, food spoilage in fields due to disrupted transportation systems, economic impacts on households and businesses such as inflation, rising unemployment, loss of land and leases that may result in tenants’ distress are only a few.

Authorities should prepare for food shortages and identify households and regions most at risk of food insecurity, encourage households to increase food production, preservation, and stockpiling and distribute short-cycle seeds, provide agricultural extension for the same, and hold community meetings to plan food sharing. Behavioral alterations such as nudging households to save a portion of their wages, take an inventory of available food and crops in the municipality, and constructing community and household food storage facilities should also be encouraged. They should make sure foods acquired for emergency distribution meet nutritional energy needs, and educate households about proper water treatment and storage and the need for increased hygiene.

While the government’s move to allocate funds has come as a solace to the poorer section of the society, it will be important to bring behavioral change in people so that they are considerate towards the need of others and avoid creating a situation that may lead to food insecurity.

 

Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides (India) Limited

E-commerce

TAFE has also initiated a unique free tractor rental scheme in select states 

The TAFE Group – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, manufacturer of Eicher and Massey Ferguson tractors has donated Rs. 2 Crores to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to support the MP Government’s fight against COVID-19. 

Since the lockdown, various manufacturing facilities of the TAFE Group have been involved in distribution of food, medical supplies and personal protection equipment to law enforcement officers, sanitation workers, and local poor and migrant workers around its area of operations. The effect of the Coronavirus outbreak during the Rabi season is likely to have an adverse impact on the livelihood of small and marginal farmers, and it is with a view to assist them in overcoming this distress that TAFE has also initiated a unique free tractor rental scheme in select states. 

The world’s third largest tractor manufacturer and second largest in India by volumes with an annual sale of about 150,000 tractors; TAFE is one of the leading exporters of tractors from India with a turnover in excess of INR 93 billion. TAFE manufactures a range of tractors, in both the air-cooled and water-cooled platforms, and markets them under its four iconic brands – Massey Ferguson, TAFE, Eicher, and the recently acquired Serbian tractor and agricultural equipment brand – Industrija Mašina i Traktora (IMT). Acclaimed for its quality and dependability, TAFE’s products and services are present in over 100 countries across the world, including developed countries in Europe and the Americas.

 Besides tractors and farm machinery, TAFE manufactures diesel engines, silent gensets, agro engines, batteries, hydraulic pumps and cylinders, gears and transmission components, and has business interest in vehicle franchises and plantations. TAFE is committed to the Total Quality Movement (TQM). In the recent past various manufacturing plants of TAFE have garnered numerous ‘TPM Excellence Awards’ from the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM), as well as a number of other regional awards for TPM excellence. TAFE became the first Indian tractor manufacturer to win the Frost & Sullivan Global Manufacturing Leadership Award in 2018, being recognized with the ‘Enterprise Integration and Technology Leadership Award’ and two ‘Supply Chain Leadership Awards’. 

TAFE has also initiated a unique free

Agrotech

Suresh Prabhu,  Prime Minister’s Sherpa to G7 and G20 was speaking at the inauguration of FICCI’s 17th Chapter ‘FLO Bhubaneshwar Chapter’ 

“Agriculture is a very important sector as it supports the majority of the population. It is important to rejuvenate agriculture sector to drive India’s economy. Without agriculture, we cannot have industry. The income of farmers will drive future economic growth. This will boost demand and increase purchasing power. We need to do more in this sector and rejuvenate it”, said Suresh Prabhu.

Moreover, Prabhu also emphasized on the utilisation of Artificial Intelligence for agricultural rejuvenation by giving the right data inputs. He said, “India is making huge strides in the various sub sectors of agriculture. We are ranked number 1 in milk production; fruits and vegetables and ranked amongst top 5 in wheat, pulses etc. We have to do more for Agricultural Rejuvenation, and it has to focus on fundamental things like land, soil and water.”

 FICCI’s Ladies Organization (FLO) has virtually launched its 17th Chapter ‘FLO Bhubaneshwar Chapter’ on Saturday in the presence of Suresh Prabhu, Prime Minister’s Sherpa to G7 and G20. As per reports, Captain Dibya Shankar Mishra, Minister of State for Energy, Industries, MSME, Govt. of Odisha was also present at the apex body of India’s business and commerce during the launch.

Webinar on  ’Agricultural Rejuvenation’

Moreover, a webinar on ‘Agricultural Rejuvenation’ was also organized in the FICCI ladies organization which aimed to empower women. 

Captain Dibya Shankar Mishra, Minister of State for Energy, Industries, MSME, Govt. of Odisha while appreciating the launch of FLO Chapter in Odisha said, “We have always been the champions of the cause of women empowerment. With initiatives such as Mission Sakti, Start-Up Odisha, Skilled in Odisha, and many others, the growth of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) has helped the financial empowerment of women in rural areas. I understand that the goals of Odisha government and FLO are in aligned to achieve economic development for women and therefore, we will help facilitate women-centric endeavours of FLO.” 

While the nation is going through a public health crisis and is under lockdown, FLO is also trying to support the government in tacking the situation by way of engaging continuously with the industry members and facilitating information sharing and at the same time providing relief and rehabilitation to the poor and vulnerable.

 

 Harjinder Kaur Talwar,  President FLO said, “It is important to adapt to the need of the times. Survival of the fittest being the mantra, whoever works in a thoughtful, adaptive, responsible, and responsive manner will emerge as the winner. Hence this innovative way to launch our new Chapter at Bhubaneshwar.”

 

 “FLO is thankful for the support received from the Government of Odisha and look forward to various collaborative endeavours towards skill development and other activities for women empowerment not only in Bhubaneshwar but the entire state of Odisha. I look forward to work collectively towards nurturing the new chapter.”     

 The Bhubaneshwar Chapter is an addition to the 16 existing Chapters of FLO at Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Mumbai, North East, Uttarakhand and Pune with its head office in Delhi. 

  Dharitri Patnaik, Founder Director at Jivada Ventures Private Ltd. was announced as the first Chairperson of FLO Bhubaneshwar Chapter. She said, “Empowering women entrepreneurs is truly essential for achieving the goals of sustainable development of the nation in totality. Therefore, right efforts from all areas are required in the development of women entrepreneurs and their greater participation in the entrepreneurial activities. The Bhubaneshwar Chapter will work towards this direction and create the right thrust for women empowerment in the region.”

  With an intricate patchwork of history, fascinating tribal culture and natural coastal beauty, Odisha is has also emerged as a significant destination for investments. Being a pioneer in implementing the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ framework through a robust single-window clearance mechanism, it is one of the fastest-growing states of India. 

 FLO endeavours to promote women entrepreneurs and professionals and assist them to grow professionally. The launch of this Chapter will help bring existing entrepreneurs, potentials entrepreneurs and other professionals under the FLO umbrella. 

The Bhubaneshwar Chapter will aim at enhancing the capabilities of women through appropriate awareness, training and development programmes that enables women to contribute towards India’s socio-economic growth by fulfilling their individual potential. 

The web event was very well attended, with several women entrepreneurs and professionals from Odisha and other pan India Chapters of FLO, besides the Presidium, Past Presidents & National Governing Body Members.

 

 

 

Suresh Prabhu,  Prime Minister’s Sherpa to G7