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Acquaculture, Agro Universities

The school envisages empowering over 500 ornamental fish farmers in 20 nearby villages of North Bengal. 

Sagar Mehra, Joint Secretary (Inland Fisheries & Administration), Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India inaugurated the “Ornamental Fish Farmer Field School” of the ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.  The Field School has been established at the Fish Farm of Shri Bhagirath Roy of Prabhupara Village, Sadar Block, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.

In his inaugural address, Mehra applauded the Institute’s efforts for helping the farmers of the remote North Bengal in adopting the scientific aqua-farming system. Dr. S.K. Swain, Director, ICAR-CIFA, Bhubaneswar, Odisha urged the farmers and farm women for taking-up Ornamental Fish Farming. He also highlighted about the popularity of the AFFS piloted by the Institute in Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

It is a unique Farmer Field School that has been established by a group of ICAR-CIFA Scientists for the farmer-farmer learning and dissemination of ornamental fish culture technique for the first time in the country. The school envisages empowering over 500 ornamental fish farmers in 20 nearby villages of North Bengal contributing greatly to the extension and advisory services delivery.

 Around 50 Scheduled Caste farmers were distributed a packet of Ornamental Fish Seed (Sword-Tail, Redcap, Molly, Gold Fish, etc.) during the occasion. The training programme registered total participation by 120 farmers and farm women.

The school envisages empowering over 500 ornamental

Finance, Machinery - Pre-harvesting

Adjusted EBIT of Industrial Activities increased $219 million, with stronger performance from all segments compared to Q4 2019.

CNH Industrial reports strong results for Q4 2020. Consolidated revenues of $8.5 billion (up 10 per cent) and adjusted EBIT of Industrial Activities of $520 million (up 73 per cent), with all segments up year over year. Net income of $187 million and adjusted net income of $432 million. The positive free cash flow of Industrial Activities of $2.4 billion. Industrial Activities net cash of $0.8 billion on December 31, 2020.

Financial results presented under U.S. GAAP

Net sales of Industrial Activities up 12 per cent due to higher volumes and favourable price realization, mainly in Agriculture and Commercial and Specialty Vehicles.

Adjusted EBIT of Industrial Activities increased $219 million, with a stronger performance from all segments compared to Q4 2019. Agriculture adjusted EBIT margin above 11per cent, C&SV at 3.3 per cent.

Adjusted net income of $432 million (adjusted diluted earnings per share of $0.30), an increase of $153 million from 2019, after excluding certain items from the $187 million reported net income, primarily the $134 million negative fair value adjustment of the investment in Nikola Corporation, and $125 million ($95 million after-tax) non-cash settlement charge resulting from the purchase of annuity contracts to settle a portion of the outstanding U.S. pension obligations.

Record positive free cash flow of Industrial Activities of $2.4 billion resulting from strong operating performance and working capital management. Total Debt of $26.1 billion at December 31, 2020. Industrial Activities net cash position achieved for the first time in CNH Industrial’s history, at $0.8 billion, an improvement of $2.3 billion from September 30, 2020.

Available liquidity at a record level of $15.9 billion on December 31, 2020. In October, CNH Industrial Capital LLC issued $500 million in aggregate principal amount of 1.875per cent Notes due 2026. In December, CNH Industrial Finance Europe S.A. issued €750 million in aggregate principal amount of 0.000per cent Notes due 2024. Concurrently, CNH Industrial N.V. prepaid £600 million of commercial paper due 2021 issued in April through the Joint HM Treasury and Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facilities.

Adjusted EBIT of Industrial Activities increased $219

AgroPolicy

The first Kisan Rail has been loaded from Warangal to Barasat of West Bengal

After successfully starting Kisan Rails from Andhra Pradesh & Maharashtra, South Central Railway has taken o­ne more major step forward by starting the first Kisan Rail from Telangana state. SCR starts its first Kisan rail from Telangana State today i.e., February 8, 2021, to assist the farm sector in marketing their agricultural produce for better price realization by providing cost-effective transportation.

The first Kisan Rail from Telangana has been loaded with Turmeric from Warangal station in Secunderabad Division. The rail has been loaded with 230 tons of Dry Turmeric in 10 Parcel Vans (VPs) and is being transported to Barasat station of Sealdah Division in West Bengal.

The Govt. of India has started the concept of running Kisan Rails for boosting the income of the farm sector while providing hassle-free, safe & fast transport services for the marketing of the Agriculture sector. To further encourage the farmers, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries announced the extension of 50% tariff concession o­n the transportation of notified fruits and vegetables through Kisan Rail trains, under “Operation Greens – TOP to Total”. Accordingly, SCR’s first Kisan rail from Telangana was also given 50% tariff concession for transporting turmeric under this scheme.

The 50% concession being offered in the base freight for the Kisan Rail is much beneficial for the farmers as compared to other modes of transport. All these continuous marketing efforts have led to the starting of the first Kisan Rail from Telangana state, with the farmers/traders showing interest for transportation of their commodities by train instead of roadways.

 

The first Kisan Rail has been loaded

Agrotech, Europe

UPL’s ECA membership will make new partnerships with food chain stakeholders across the European community. 

UPL, a global leader in sustainable agriculture products and solutions, announced that it has joined the European Cocoa Association (ECA) as an Associate Member, building on existing memberships with the World Cocoa Foundation and the Cocoa and Forests Initiative.

For 35 years, UPL has worked closely with smallholder farmers throughout the entire cocoa value chain, developing a unique integrated offer of high-quality inputs, training programmes, and services that have contributed to the sustainable development of the cocoa sector. The ECA is a trade organisation headquartered in Belgium, which monitors and reports on regulatory developments of primary concern to the cocoa sector, including food safety, trade, logistics, sustainability, environment, and labeling. It brings together 28 effective members and 10 associate members, representing 40 per cent of the world production of cocoa liquor, butter and powder. The ECA acts as an intermediary between the European Union and cocoa producing countries when issues of key concern for the cocoa sector are under discussion.

UPL’s membership of the ECA will continue this value chain mission at the industry level, making possible new partnerships with food chain stakeholders across the European community and working to improve the overall sustainability of the cocoa value chain between West & Central Africa and the European Union.

Commenting on UPL’s membership, Florent Clair, Head of Partnerships for Sustainability (P4S), UPL West & Central Africa, said, “UPL’s long-term presence in West Africa has allowed us to understand the importance of developing meaningful relationships with farmers and the wider industry alike. Our experience shows that we can achieve more when we collaborate with all the players of the value chain, so we are delighted to join the ECA and continue to work as a trusted technical partner as we strive to make every cocoa bean more sustainable.”

UPL’s work with the ECA will also complement existing work at the farmer level in cocoa-producing countries led through UPL’s existing memberships with the World Cocoa Association (WCA) and the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, of which UPL is the only agricultural inputs signatory.

UPL’s ECA membership will make new partnerships

AgroPolicy

This is an increase of 17.69 % against last year’s corresponding purchase of 521.93 LMT

In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at MSP from farmers as per existing MSP Schemes, as was done in previous seasons.

Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka and West Bengal with purchase of over 614.27 LMTs of paddy up to 05.02.2021. This is an increase of 17.69 % against last year’s corresponding purchase of 521.93 LMT. 

About 85.67 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs1,15,974.36 Crore.

The sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of Copra (the perennial crop) for the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given. Further, based on the concerned State Govt. proposals, the sanction for procurement of 14.20 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Rabi Marketing Season 2020-2021 for the States of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, was also given.

Up to 05.02.2021, the Government through its Nodal Agencies has procured 3,08,620.31 MT of Moong, Urad, Tur, Groundnut Pods and Soyabean having MSP value of Rs 1,661.70 Crores benefitting 1,67,239 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

Similarly, 5089 MT of copra (the perennial crop) having MSP value of Rs 52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu up to 05.02.2021. At present, in respect of Copra and Urad, rates are ruling above MSP in most of the major producing States.

 

This is an increase of 17.69 %

Acquaculture, AgroPolicy

The development of state of the art wholesale fish market with an investment of Rs 50 crores will be developed soon.

The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Giriraj Singh has recently said that “Goa has the potential to become the fisheries hub of the country. I have discussed this with the Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant and Fisheries Minister Shri Filipe Nery Rodrigues of the state about a holistic investment of Rs 400 crore for the fisheries sector in the state. Out of this, Rs 41.47 crore has been already approved under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)”.

According to Giriraj, on the basis of the discussions with the State Government, it has been decided to develop 30 new landing centres for fisheries as well as for tourism purposes. Road connectivity from jetties and landing centres to the villages will also be ensured

Since Goa is the main centre of tourism, Ornamental Fisheries can lead to very good employment and income growth. For this, about Rs 30 crore will be given for an aquarium with the formation of a cluster in Ornamental Fisheries. With the investment of Rs 5 crore, 50 fish vending kiosks and retail fish markets will be developed in Goa.

The development of state of the art wholesale fish market with an investment of Rs 50 crores will be developed soon. Also, a marine hatchery will be constructed at a cost of 2.5 crores, which will provide quality seed, added Union Minister. The Centre has also decided with the help of the Ministry of Shipping to develop a fishing harbor in ‘Vasco Bay’. There are about 300 fishing boats and 1200 people directly connected in the said area, who have been facing a lot of difficulties for a long time

 

The development of state of the art

North America, Poultry

This ingredient application will allow hemp seed meal and cake to be legally used as commercial feed for laying hens

The Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC) has recently announced the first submission for hemp to become an approved animal feed ingredient has been put forward for consideration by the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the US Food and Drug Association- Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM).

Once approved, this ingredient application will allow hemp seed meal and cake to be legally used as commercial feed for laying hens.  Led by Coalition leadership, hemp and feed industry experts, and researchers; the submission is a culmination of a two-year long effort, consisting of an ingredient investigation of hemp seedcake and meal and a clinical trial to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of hemp for laying hens.

The HFC will turn its focus to research on other hemp by-products: oil, sediment, hulls, pulp and screenings to investigate their benefit and safety as feed ingredients. In addition, this work will include the clinical trials necessary to add ruminates to the hempseed meal application that was submitted. “Opening new markets is our secondary mission,” said Hunter Buffington, Executive Director of the HFC.

The HFC will be leading those efforts by bringing researchers, hemp and feed industry experts and coalition advisors together for additional applications and Federal regulatory approval for new hemp ingredients as feed for animals.

The Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC) began in 2018 as a pilot project under the Colorado Hemp Industries Association (COHIA) before forming its own non-profit organization in 2020. The HFC intends to continue its mission to gain federal approval for additional hemp by-products as commercial animal feed.

This ingredient application will allow hemp seed

AgroPolicy

The scheme extends coverage for the entire cropping cycle from pre-sowing to post-harvest

To boost the safety of farmers’ crops and ensure the maximum benefit of crop insurance reaches farmers, the Government of India has recently allocated Rs 16000 crores for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for the fiscal year 2021-22. This is a budgetary increase of around Rs 305 crore as against the previous fiscal year 2020-21, which reiterates the government’s commitment towards the growth of the agriculture sector in the country.

The scheme extends coverage for the entire cropping cycle from pre-sowing to post-harvest including coverage for losses arising out of prevented sowing and mid-season adversities.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has worked extensively towards revamping the Pradhan Mantri Fasa Bima Yojana (PMFBY) scheme by relooking at the structural, logistical, and other challenges. The scheme was made voluntary for farmers post its revamp in 2020.

The scheme has made it easier for the farmer to report crop loss within 72 hours of the occurrence of any event through the Crop Insurance App, CSC Centre or the nearest agriculture officer. Claim benefit is then provided electronically into the bank accounts of the eligible farmers.

Integration of land records with the PMFBY portal, Crop Insurance mobile-app for easy enrolment of farmers, and usage of technology such as satellite imagery, remote-sensing technology, drones, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to assess crop losses are some of the key features of the scheme.

As of now, out of the total farmers enrolled under PMFBY, 84 per cent are small and marginal farmers. Thus, financial assistance is provided to the most vulnerable farmers.

The scheme extends coverage for the entire

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech

 It aims to recognize and reward integrity practices by agribusiness companies and cooperatives under the perspective of social responsibility, sustainability and ethics.

UPL was awarded the More Integrity Seal from the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA). The More Integrity Seal was instituted in 2018 to foster, recognize and reward integrity practices by agribusiness companies and cooperatives under the perspective of social responsibility, sustainability and ethics. Additional considerations for obtaining the seal include a company’s commitment to mitigate fraud, bribery and corruption.

Recipients of the seal underwent a rigorous evaluation process by an esteemed panel of private and public sector members of the Seal Management Committee. As part of the assessment, candidates had to demonstrate a strong compliance program by sharing concrete actions taken to promote an ethical environment and specific employee training provided to ensure the application of ethical guidelines in daily activities. The committee consisted of members from Alliance for Integrity, the Brazilian Stock Exchange (B3), National Confederation of Industries (CNI), Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), Ethos Institute of Business and Social Responsibility (ETHOS), Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), Brazilian Company of Agricultural Research (EMBRAPA Stock), and the Federal Inspector General Office (GCU). 

“UPL is honoured to receive the More Integrity Seal as a result of our commitment towards sustainability, social responsibility, ethics and integrity. Sustainability is at the centre of all we do, and receiving the seal demonstrates progress towards our mission to change the game and make every single food product more sustainable.Bringing together the private and public sector to emphasize the importance of the fight against corruption to improve our society and environment serves a critical purpose and raises the bar for Brazilian agribusiness”, said Fabio Torretta, Region Head, Brazil for UPL. 

An awards ceremony took place on February 5, 2021 in Brasilia-DF, Brazil. UPL was one of eight companies awarded the seal for the first time, while 12 organizations ensured the renewal of the seal.

 It aims to recognize and reward integrity

World

Indigo has announced a new crop of global companies committed to advancing agriculture’s potential.

Indigo Agriculture, a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, has recently announced additional multi-year commitments to purchase verified agricultural carbon credits through Indigo Carbon. Maple Leaf Foods and Epiphany Craft Malt will purchase verified agricultural carbon credits to further their sustainability objectives.

Cool Effect will offer Indigo Carbon credits to buyers on their existing platform, allowing both individuals and organizations to fulfill their sustainability goals with high-quality offsets. The North Face will provide Indigo-partner farmers with a premium for cotton grown with regenerative practices and is incentivizing new practice adoption. Through these commitments, the companies join a growing cohort of private industry leaders spurring the global effort to leverage agriculture as a meaningful climate solution.

With an inaugural credit purchase price of $20/tonne of carbon dioxide equivalents sequestered and abated, Indigo Carbon allows companies to directly finance growers’ transitions to cultivation practices that improve their soil health, profitability, and the environment at large. Representing a new income stream for farmers, the credits establish an outcomes-based mechanism to accelerate the adoption of agronomic methods proven to reduce on-farm emissions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Indigo Carbon presents the first agricultural carbon credit project to deploy scalable, registry-approved methodologies for monitoring and quantifying net on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and removals. As the first project developer to adopt and operationalize these protocols, Indigo Carbon enables companies to turn to agriculture – currently a largely untapped strategy for achieving environmental targets – with offsets that adhere to the highest industry standards for measurement, reporting, and verification.

Indigo has announced a new crop of

China, R&D

The new Syngenta Group China Innovation Centre will cover a wide range of advanced research areas across the entire agriculture value chain. 

 

Syngenta Group China has announced it has entered into an agreement with the National Innovation Centre for Modern Agri-technology (Nanjing) to build a new world-class innovation centre in Nanjing’s Pukou District. It will be Syngenta Group’s most advanced global innovation research and development (R&D) centre and agro-tech science hub in China. A signing ceremony was, attended by Huo Huiping, Vice Mayor of Nanjing, Qi Yuwei, Pukou District Party Secretary, and Hengde Qin, President of Syngenta Group China. 

The initial capital investment will be US$ 230 million and the new Syngenta Group China Innovation Centre will cover a wide range of advanced research areas across the entire agriculture value chain, with a strong focus on biologicals, digitalization and big data technologies for agriculture.

Erik Fyrwald, Syngenta Group CEO said, “Establishing this world-class Syngenta Group China Innovation Centre marks an important milestone and it will allow us to carry out more leading-edge research in China for crop protection and biologicals. The investment we are making today complements our other global sites and further strengthens our leading position as a global innovation powerhouse.”

Jon Parr, President Global Crop Protection at Syngenta said: “This cutting-edge innovation centre will be the first in China that is focused on crop protection research. With this innovation centre, Syngenta Group will have three world-class crop protection research and development sites around the world.”

Hengde Qin, President of Syngenta Group China said, “It is a great honour for Syngenta Group to contribute to China’s vision of creating an ‘Agricultural Silicon Valley’ in Nanjing. We are sincerely looking forward to developing the Syngenta Group China Innovation Centre into a world-leading facility with the support of Nanjing Municipal Government and Pukou District Government.”

The new Syngenta Group China Innovation Centre

AgroPolicy, Water

The addition of Rs.5, 000 Crore to the MIF with NABARD will help increase the coverage of micro irrigation in all states towards the targeted coverage of 20 lakh hectares per year

In our country, water scarcity is a big challenge as almost 54 per cent of India is facing high to extreme water stress and as agriculture consumes more than 80 per cent of the water available in the country, it has put the spotlight on the micro irrigation. The addition of Rs.5,000 Crore to the MIF with NABARD will help increase the coverage of micro irrigation in all states towards the targeted coverage of 20 lakh hectares per year, and eventually 1 crore hectares in five years, a visionary goal set out by the Government.

 Shrikant Goenka, President, Irrigation Association of India stated that “We are motivated to see the much-needed focus and firm commitment towards accelerating the coverage of micro irrigation by doubling the Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) created with NABARD to Rs. 10,000 Crore in 2021-2022. In addition, the Hon’ble Finance Minister has also allocated Rs 4,000 cr for PDMC under PMKSY as central share in this flagship centrally sponsored scheme.”

 He said that while this budget is growth oriented towards building a robust future for the country, it also takes care of the needs of all sections of society. “We are sincerely thankful to the Government for their deep commitment and support towards water management and improving the income of farmers. IAI reaffirms its commitment to work relentlessly towards working with farmers and achieve the dream of 1 crore hectares in five years which will help double farmers’ incomes and transform their lives.”

Irrigation Association of India (IAI) is the apex body representing micro irrigation (MI) companies in India. It is a not for profit organization and working towards accelerating the coverage of micro irrigation in India.  IAI thanked The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister and MSME Minister for preparation of this motivational transparent & robust budget, aiming at not just surviving out of the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic effect but to boost Indian Economy.

 

                            

The addition of Rs.5, 000 Crore to

Dairy, R&D

By Dr. Pravin Kini, Founder & Managing Director, Tropical Animal Genetics (TAG) 

Although India is the largest producer of milk, the milk yield per animal is lower compared to other countries. In order to assure a dairy farmer of profits and revenue, there has to be assured milk yield. The solution is to increase per capita productivity in bovines. This is possible only through genetic gains. Poor genetics of the herd results in low milk productivity per animal. Through artificial reproductive technologies such as embryos, the herd can see genetic gains doubling milk yield and revenue, without much change in costs and input which ultimately leads to improved profits for dairy farmers.

Our goal at TAG (Tropical Animal Genetics) is to double rural dairy farmer income. TAG is the first Indian player to produce high merit sexed bovine embryos on an industrial scale. To facilitate the provision of ET within the country and to maximize the use of this technology in the Indian set up, TAG has also developed an in-house bovine embryo production facility in Ahmedabad. There are two clear objectives to this production facility.

 Ensuring 100 per cent genetic gain: Genetic improvement occurs when the genetic merit is improved through selection. The improvement in genetic merit refers to the overall improvement in an animal brought about by selection for a number of traits that contribute to the flock’s breeding objective, such as high growth rate or carcass yield, or sex of offspring. Embryo Transfer will also help farmers refocus on breed selection, in order to select traits such as better milk productivity, better heat and disease resistance, higher feed conversion ratio. Genetically superior gains will ensure higher profitability for the dairy farmer.  Moreover, embryo ensures 100% assurance of genetics and a sexed embryo ensures a female calf which provides higher monetary value for dairy farmers.

Cost-effective embryo production: An in-house embryo production facility will not only help us to be self-sustainable but will also help to bring in a cost-effective technology for production of embryos. TAG is able to provide this technology at a lower cost due to efficiencies gained through industrial production. TAG is able to provide this technology at a lower cost due to efficiencies gained through industrial production.

 ET (Embryo Transfer) fertilization process involves sperm infusion into an egg (ovum) to fertilize it. The sperm carries the genetics of the male parent and ovum genetics of the female parent.  The product – embryo obtained through the fertilization process carries the genetics of both the father and the mother donor. The embryos are transferred to a surrogate female cow for pregnancy. The calf is of high merit. The current method of breeding is natural service and AI (Artificial Insemination). In AI, semen is derived from high merit bulls but ET has a benefit over AI, as the genetic gain obtained using AI services is only 50% whereas through ET the chances of genetic gain becomes 100% in the first progeny. Moreover, embryos produced from sexed semen can also ensure 100% genetic gains along with a guarantee of female offspring.

Embryos are used predominantly around the world in USA, Brazil, and Australia, but are still new to India. Embryos can provide 5x more revenue than using artificial insemination because embryos assure 100 per cent genetics. The added benefit of embryo transfer allows the production of multiple calves through high genetic dams and sires. The aim is to deliver targets for genomic selection and have an elite cattle herd. Each pair of donors can produce 35 to 70 viable embryos that are transferred into a recipient resulting in an exponential multiplication of desired cattle and replacement of the existing ones. This is also beneficial for not just herd development but also conserving indigenous breeds.

Genetic technologies can also provide ripple benefits to the economy by creating more jobs such as artificial insemination and embryo transfer technicians, para vets, embryologists etc. The superior technology offered by TAG helps bovine breeder farmers to convert sexed embryo to embryo derived mulch cow for sale to a dairy farmer, thus creating a new breed of rural entrepreneurs. TAG is working on rural entrepreneurship programs to support young entrepreneurs and provide technical training with the help of NGOs. We also offer market linkage programs to provide our technology to rural farmers. 

By Dr. Pravin Kini, Founder & Managing

Agrotech, R&D

NSIP’s predictive breeding and optimization technologies will accelerate and expand Bioceres’ global commercialization of HB4® Drought-Tolerance technology. 

Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp., a fully-integrated provider of crop productivity solutions designed to enable the transition of agriculture towards carbon neutrality, and Nature Source Improved Plants (“NSIP”), an advanced optimization analytics company dedicated to the genetic improvement and breeding of high-performing plant materials for agriculture, announced a research and services agreement to design and establish a fast-paced HB4® Soybean breeding program in the United States utilizing NSIP’s advanced analytics and comprehensive suite of predictive breeding technologies and expertise.

Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, NSIP will employ its computational optimization technologies to enhance the research, mapping and prioritization of drought-prone growing areas in key international markets, enabling Bioceres to more efficiently develop targeted HB4 seed varieties and therefore speed and strengthen future breeding and go-to-market activities. Other expected benefits are lower development and trialing costs associated with the utilization of NSIP’s Operations Research-based technologies.

Geronimo Watson, Chief Technology Officer of Bioceres, said, “With the benefit of NSIP’s genome breeding technologies, we are designing an advanced breeding program to accelerate product availability and go-to-market partnerships in the US, where we expect our proprietary drought-tolerance technology to quickly gain a foothold. Incorporating NSIP’s computational technologies into the development of HB4 Soy and Wheat seed varieties will also help us better target a wider range of drought-prone growing regions around the world, as well as bring them to market faster”.

Dr Suresh Prabhakaran, Chief Operating Officer of NSIP, said, “Our aim is to be trusted partners to meet the current and future food needs of our global community by advancing the frontiers of genomics and production technologies. We are excited to leverage complementary expertise of NSIP and Bioceres to help farmers increase productivity.”

 

NSIP’s predictive breeding and optimization technologies will