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Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech, Water

This is the first project of the National Perspective Plan for the interlinking of rivers 

PM Narendra Modi launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ campaign on World Water Day, March 22, 2021 via video conferencing. A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers, in the presence of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister also interacted with sarpanches and ward panches in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said on International Water Day, a major step has also been taken for the Ken-Betwa Link Canal along with the introduction of the Catch The Rain campaign. He added this agreement is important to realize Atal ji’s dream in the interest of millions of families of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He said rapid development is not possible without water security and effective water management. He added that the vision of India’s development and India’s self-reliance, is dependent on our water sources and our Water Connectivity.

He asserted that the government has made water governance a priority in its policies and decisions. In the last 6 years, many steps have been taken in this direction. He talked about Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, water campaign to every farm – Har Khet ko Paani, ’Per Drop More Crop’ campaign and NamamiGange Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission or Atal Bhujal Yojana. Work is being undertaken rapidly on all these schemes, he said. 

The Prime Minister pointed out that the better India manages rainwater, the lesser the country’s dependence on groundwater. Therefore, success of campaigns like ’Catch the Rain’ is very important. He noted that both urban and rural areas have been included in the Jal Shakti Abhiyan. He called upon to step up water conservation efforts in the days leading upto Monsoon. Emphasizing the importance of sarpanches and DMs/DCs, The Prime Minister said that the ‘Jal Shapath’ which is being organized all over the country should become everybody’s pledge and second nature. He said when our nature changes with respect to water, nature will also support us.

 

 

This is the first project of the

Agrotech, Water

Integrated Watershed Management Project (IWMP) covers 13 villages in Madhya Pradesh 

The Integrated Watershed Management Project (IWMP) a Public-Private partnership between Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) introduced at Hatta-Damoh, Madhya Pradesh in 2015 has resulted in increased availability of over 10 million litres of surface water per year. An exemplary award-winning project in watershed management, IWMP was conceived to uplift the marginalized and vulnerable farming community and address water scarcity issues in the region.

The IWMP programme follows the ‘Ridge to Valley’ watershed treatment model which is based on a thorough examination of the village topography. Factors considered include existing watershed structures, rainwater drainage routes, existing storage tanks and irrigation channels. Each village gets a combination of watershed structures that work in unison to achieve the final overall output. Additionally, the project focuses on the enhancement of farm productivity through activities like seed replacement and a proper package of capacity enhancement for marginalized farmers. Under the program, the creation of SHGs (Self Help Groups) has seen a significant positive impact in many households especially women members.

Commenting on the success of the initiative, Rajeshwar Tripathi, Chief Human Resources Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “We at Mahindra are proud to see the kind of impact that the IWMP has had in the last five years. It has led to positive developments in the region and is a fine example of a successful Public-private partnership model. The program has also proved to be a sustainable and replicable model which can help the country meet its national goals.”

Mahindra has also introduced and promoted efficient ways of irrigation and demonstrated a structure for a sustainable farming model in the region through the program. This has resulted in a 60% drop in the flood irrigation methods used by program beneficiaries and a significant increase in groundwater level in the region. Also, 65 per cent of agriculture land was secured with soil moisture retention with a drainage system allowing running water to flow in the region. The program saw the building of 87 farm ponds which help in rainwater harvesting. This water is used for irrigation, benefiting over 6000 farmers resulting in an average increase of household income through crop yield by over 50 per cent of the baseline.

 

 

 

Integrated Watershed Management Project (IWMP) covers 13

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech

The award is a recognition of the work done by Bayer’s highly passionate employees during the pandemic.

Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of healthcare and agriculture, has been named by Kincentric as one of India’s “Best Employers” for 2020. This is the fourth consecutive year since 2017 that Bayer has bagged this award. Bayer has been recognized for its outstanding performance around talent development, employee engagement, providing an inclusive work environment and enabling a feedback-oriented culture while creating future-forward workforces.

The award is a recognition of the work done by Bayer’s highly passionate employees during the pandemic in line with the company’s global vision of “Health for all, Hunger for none”.

In India, Bayer has been present for over 100 years and its 12,000+ employees and associates work closely with over 20 million smallholder farmers; 100,000+ healthcare professionals and over 30 million households across its Crop Science, Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Health divisions respectively. While 2020 was a tumultuous year, and the agriculture and the healthcare sectors bore the brunt of the pandemic, it was the sustained efforts of Bayer employees that ensured our customers, partners and local communities were well supported extensively.

Narain, Senior Bayer Representative, South Asia said, “Our vision ‘Health for all, Hunger for none’ and our activities have always focused towards improving human lives and ensuring no one is left behind along the way. This award is a great acknowledgement of the significant contribution that has been made by our highly passionate employees, engaged customers and purpose driven partners to ensure that our vision gets translated into reality, particularly during such challenging times through uninterrupted production and supply chain operations.”

KS Harish, Country Group HR Head, Bayer South Asia, said, “Winning the ‘Best Employer in India’ for four years in a row is a great honour for each one of us. These awards are a testament to our purpose-driven culture. By providing attractive learning, talent development and transformation opportunities, we strive to empower and enable our employees to learn, grow and create a positive impact in today’s world.”

The award is a recognition of the

Agrotech, Singapore, Water

The innovative technologies of plant science are helping address agriculture’s dependence on water. 

As World Water Day is recognised in Asia and around the globe today, Singapore-based CropLife Asia is marking the occasion by calling for more intensive efforts and collaborative work to drive water conservation in regional agriculture.

“There is no natural resource as precious as water, and how we work together to ensure its conservation will play a large part in determining the future for all of us,” said Dr. Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director of CropLife Asia. “Food production requires far too much of this precious resource. Thankfully, plant science innovations are reducing the amount of water needed to drive agriculture. Access to these technologies and other tools that support sustainable food production with less dependence on the water is critical for Asia’s farmers.”

With the recent release of new water security data as part of UNICEF’s Water Security for All initiative, the critical importance of the availability of this resource is more evident than ever. Specifically, the analysis revealed that more than 1.42 billion people worldwide live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability – this includes 450 million children.

The results also included troubling findings for the Asia region. In particular, South Asia is home to more than 155 million children living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability. This represents the largest number for this category globally.

Water remains a critical component of food production. It’s estimated that agriculture accounts for 70% of water use globally. Additionally, it requires 3,000 litres of water to produce the daily food requirements for just one person.

The innovative technologies of plant science are helping address agriculture’s dependence on water. Advancements in crop protection and plant biotechnology are better enabling farmers around the world to engage in water use efficiency. Specifically, by reducing weeds’ use of moisture, herbicides are helping farmers produce higher yields with the same amount of water. Meanwhile, new plant biotech traits are being added to crops such as corn, rice and cotton that help crops use less water and even improve productivity during periods of drought.

The innovative technologies of plant science are

Agrotech

Results from both farms showed a substantial reduction in rats within six months of deployment

SenesTech, Inc, a developer of proprietary, next-generation technologies for managing animal pest populations through fertility control, has announced the conclusion of agricultural deployments of ContraPest with demonstrated, sustained success in reducing rat populations and improving operating economies in poultry settings.

Rats in poultry facilities cause significant damage and can be hazardous to the health of flocks due to disease transmission, equipment impairment, pullet predation, loss of grain, and, in severe cases, may interrupt production. ContraPest was added to the existing integrated pest management plans at two poultry farming operations. At an egg production farm on the west coast, the rat populations were surveyed monthly using cameras for over a year to measure a reduction in rat activity throughout ContraPest treatment. On a second farm, a pullet house on the east coast, staff tracked consumption rates and economic impacts caused by rats before and after the introduction of ContraPest.

Results from both farms showed a substantial reduction in rats within six months of deployment and continued success as treatment progressed.

The west coast egg farm had a confirmed 90% decline in rat activity within 12 months of adding ContraPest.

The east coast pullet farm reported an 88% improvement in pullet survival after reducing their rat population with ContraPest. The savings projected by the customer of adding ContraPest to their pest management plan were over $400,000 in increased revenue and decreased costs.

Overall, rodent control programs on both farms were significantly enhanced by the reduction in rat activity provided by ContraPest and the clear economic value generated.

 

Results from both farms showed a substantial

Agro chems – Chemicals

CropLife India collaborated with EFFORT, an association working with farmers towards their empowerment

CropLife India, an association of 15 R&D driven member companies, was awarded for Commendable Work for Changing Public Perception in India in India Chem 2021; an event jointly organized by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

The award was conferred for the farmers’ education drive on the use of Personal Protective Equipment, which went into digital mode during lockdown measure put for Covid-19. The award was presented by Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Minister of State, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, in the presence of Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India.

Through the project, CropLife India made PPE Kits easily available at retail outlets for farmers with member companies’ distribution channels. CropLife India collaborated with EFFORT, an association working with farmers towards their empowerment; to raise awareness on the responsible and safe use of Crop Protection Products along with usage of Personal Protective Equipment.

The campaign around PPE focussed not only on educating the farmers but helped in mitigating the risk of unsafe handling of crop protection products and empower them and their families towards achieving safety and security. The retail model ensures that the importance and use of PPE is promoted every time the farmer purchases Crop Protection Products.

CropLife India collaborated with EFFORT, an association

Agro Universities, R&D

 Encapsulation Technology (Biocapsules) is developed for the smart delivery of agriculturally important microorganisms.

The ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, Kerala has been granted the Patent (No. 361021) for Microbial Encapsulation Technology. It is a novel method of storing and delivering the PGPR / microbes through Biocapsules.

The Institute has successfully developed, field-tested and commercialized Encapsulation Technology (Biocapsules) for the smart delivery of agriculturally important microorganisms. The technology was developed by a team including Dr. M. Anandaraj, Dr. R. Dinesh and Dr. Y.K. Bini.

The technology involves Encapsulation of the Microorganisms of interest in a Gelatin Capsule for delivery to the agricultural crops for the enhanced soil nutrient solubilization, growth and yield. The recently patented product is used for cultivation of spices, vegetable and other crops. This technique can be used for delivering all kinds of agriculturally important micro-organisms, viz., N fixers, nutrient solubilizers / mobilizers, Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), Trichoderma, Burkholderia, etc. 

Advantages of Microbial Encapsulation Technology are as follows:

  • Smart and precise microbial delivery to crops.
  • Maintains high microbial population.
  • Green technology, totally eco-friendly.
  • Low production cost.
  • Easy to handle and store.
  • High shelf life.
  • Production and storage at normal temperature.
  • Does not require sophisticated equipment for manufacture.
  • Can be used to deliver all agriculturally important microorganisms.

The Bio-Capsules developed by the Institute are already popular among the farmer community in the country. The sale of the capsules had witnessed an all-time high during 2020-21. The farmers from Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and North East states including Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura are the major users of the Bio-Capsules.

 Encapsulation Technology (Biocapsules) is developed for the

Oilseeds

The $27.3 million project will result in an innovative proprietary process to produce high-quality soybean protein ingredients 

Protein Industries Canada has announced a partnership that will develop and commercialise high-quality, made-in-Canada, non-GM soybean protein ingredients. Canada Protein Ingredients Ltd. – Ingrédients Protéiques du Canada Ltée (CPI-IPC), DJ Hendrick International, Agrocorp Processing, Semences Prograin and Synthesis Network have partnered to produce clean label protein ingredients from Canadian grown soybeans. 

The $27.3 million project will result in an innovative proprietary process to produce high-quality and highly sought-after soybean protein ingredients and soybean oil that comply with non-GM and Organic labelling standards. Canada Protein Ingredients (CPI-IPC) will process the crops at a brand-new, first-of-its-kind facility in Canada, expected to break ground in the next 18 months.

Semences Prograin will develop and test new non-GM soybean varieties optimized for Canada’s growing conditions, while DJ Hendrick International and Agrocorp Processing will assist in developing, testing and marketing the new end products to international markets. This will add increased value across the Canadian agri-food value chain; farmers will receive premiums for growing specialty crops, and food manufacturers will benefit from a local source of plant-based protein ingredients that currently can only be imported.

Bill Greuel, CEO of Protein Industries Canada said, “This project is yet another step we take in that direction. Harnessing the potential of new crop varieties developed and grown in Canada generates more opportunities across our entire value chain, from farmers to food manufacturers.”

Plans for the upcoming processing facility are currently at a site selection stage. Once completed, the commercial plant will process 25,000 MT of crops per year, with the potential to increase capacity and expand to other crops, following the growing demand for clean-label plant-based protein products.

A total of $27.3 million is being invested in the project: approximately $20 million committed by CPI-IPC and the consortium members will be met by $7.3 million from Protein Industries Canada.

 Jim Millington CPI CEO said, “There is currently no soybean protein isolate or concentrate manufacturing capacity in Canada, despite soybeans being a major crop for farmers. CPI is poised to commercialize Canadian science, further process Canadian soybeans, and respond to a global market hungry for plant-based protein.”

 “The CPI-IPC process provides the opportunity to market the “made-in-Canada” food ingredients – not just the whole bean.  We look forward to supplying Canadian farmers and CPI-IPC soybean varieties that will make this project a success”, said Alain Létourneau, Prograin’s CEO.

 

The $27.3 million project will result in

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Supply Chain, Warehousing

To upgrade and modernise the storage facilities, Centre has chalked out an Action Plan for construction of steel silos on PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode in the country.

Food Corporation of India (FCI) inspects the condition of their godown periodically and takes corrective action such as repair and renovation to ensure the storage worthiness of godowns.  However, details of the part capacity in some of the godowns which requires major renovation or have been categorised as ’End of life Godown’ are as under:-

Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) does not have any dilapidated warehouse. However, unstorage worthy capacity of 41300 MT at CWC Godowns are earmarked for major repairs.

Silos/Conventional Godowns have been planned in place of dilapidated godowns, End-of-Life godowns, CAP complexes and on vacant land of FCI.

(1) Railway siding silos at 8 locations with capacity of 3.50 LMT have been awarded / are under consideration.

(2)Under the proposed Hub & Spoke model silos at 7 locations with capacity of 3.375 LMT have been identified.

In order to upgrade and modernize the storage facilities, Government of India has chalked out an Action Plan for construction of steel silos on PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode in the country. Silos with capacity of 30.75 LMTare at various locations have been awarded. Out of which a capacity of 8.25 LMT is complete and remaining is under various stages of development. Further, silo capacity of 35.875 LMT in PPP mode is proposed under Hub & Spoke model.

Modernization of existing conventional godowns are being done by incorporating the provision of Cement Concrete Roads, Colour coated  profile sheet roofing and other Annual repair and maintenance work in Food storage Godowns.

CWC takes up regular repair/ maintenance & upgradation of warehouses. Some of initiatives for modernization are: a) Galvalume sheets in place of asbestos. b) Translucent sheets for lighting. c) Turbo ventilators. d) Cement roads, etc. This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Danve Raosaheb Dadarao in Lok Sabha.

 

 

To upgrade and modernise the storage facilities,

E-commerce, North America, R&D

Planet Earth becomes Meristem’s Ally in helping farmers to gain access to the latest beneficial and field-ready Microbials 

US based Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC and Planet Earth Agronomy, LLC, has announced a new strategic product development alliance designed to bring innovative biological products to American farmers. Under the relationship, Meristem and Planet Earth will work closely to develop and market yield-enhancing technology.

“This is the next step in our journey to create the first direct-to-farm business channel connecting the latest R&D to 20 million acres and beyond,” says Mitch Eviston, Meristem Founder and CEO. “Larry Fiene and his team at Planet Earth Agronomy have tested and refined new biologicals and biostimulants from all over the world and together we will bring them to market at a price point that helps farmers make the most of every dollar they spend on these new inputs. We are happy to have Planet Earth as a key partner in this effort to serve farmers and break down barriers to in-field application of this beneficial technology.”

Fiene said, “The alliance with Meristem will boost promising microbial solutions into the marketplace faster and extend the reach of Planet Earth Agronomy to more new farmers and independent, locally-controlled retailers.

“Farmers need real-life solutions that work under the stress of efficient, intensive crop production,” said Fiene. “We’re finding new methods of making biologicals and synthetics work together, be effective in the spray tank or on dry fertilizer and provide a better ROI (return on investment) for growers.”

Meristem is building their initial biological line up, including products to aid in the breakdown on crop residue and enhance nutrient release, industry leading microbial packages for corn and soybeans, and a best-in-class stress mitigation product.

 Joe Gednalske, product technology consultant for Meristem said,“Global investments in biologicals are increasing rapidly and we are thrilled to work with Larry Fiene and the Planet Earth team to characterize and deliver products to farmers that will deliver practical performance.”

 

 

  

Planet Earth becomes Meristem’s Ally in helping

Seeds

New MoA insect control products have the potential to deliver significant value to soybean grower

Plastomics, Inc, an agricultural biotech company, developing a step-change in trait delivery technology, and Evogene Ltd.’s, Ag-Seed division, focusing on discovery and development of seed traits, announced a collaboration agreement targeting novel insect control traits for soybean. 

As part of the collaboration, Plastomics, utilizing its disruptive new technology, will introduce Evogene’s insect control genes demonstrating new modes of action (MoAs) into soybeans. These genes, which were discovered using Evogene’s GeneRator AI engine, have demonstrated insecticidal activity in different assays to controlling insect colonies that are resistant and susceptible to current commercial insect solutions. a significant challenge to soybean growers.

New MoA insect control products have the potential to deliver significant value to soybean growers by addressing the increasing resistance of insects to current insect solutions, all of which are essentially based on the same MoAs introduced decades ago. The combination of the Plastomics’ platform together with Evogene’s new MoA insect-control genes, has the future potential for controlling insect species in soybean and other row crops. 

Plastomics is a development stage company with novel technology to introduce traits into plants in a manner that overcomes deficits of traditional biotech trait introduction.  Instead of relying on nuclear transformation, which is the basis for all current biotech crops on the market, Plastomics utilizes novel chloroplast transformation technology. 

 

New MoA insect control products have the

Agrotech, Supply Chain

Benson Hill has expanded and upgraded the processing capabilities of its wholly-owned subsidiary Dakota Ingredients

Benson Hill, a food tech company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants with its cutting-edge food innovation engine, has announced the launch of its Ingredient and Fresh business segments, including prior acquisition of critical supply chain infrastructure, to deliver enhanced products using the company’s proprietary CropOS technology platform.

Benson Hill’s CropOS technology platform combines data analytics and artificial intelligence with plant biology and food science to leverage the vast, untapped natural genetic diversity within plants to simultaneously optimize for nutrition, flavor profiles and yield. Through its expanded infrastructure, Benson Hill aims to bring together its improved seed innovation through CropOS with closed-loop supply chains and best practices in the field to enable greater sustainability for ingredient and food companies and retailers, end-to-end traceability for consumers and greater profitability for farmers.

The company has developed a comprehensive genomic map that, in combination with its CropOS platform, enables Benson Hill to accelerate its breeding program to develop uniquely differentiated varieties. Leveraging these capabilities, Benson Hill is working on a pipeline of products with the potential to significantly reduce off-flavors, increase the quantity of the protein the plant creates and ultimately displace the need for expensive, energy- and water-intensive processing steps typically required to produce protein ingredients used in plant-based meat alternatives.

Benson Hill has expanded and upgraded the processing capabilities of its wholly owned subsidiary Dakota Ingredients, an upper Midwest-based yellow pea processor, to better serve the pet and human food plant-based markets.

Furthermore, Benson Hill’s Fresh segment will focus on combining the breeding power of CropOS with the extensive grower base, distribution network and retail relationships of its wholly-owned subsidiary, J&J Family of Farms, a field produce company.

Benson Hill has expanded and upgraded the

AgroPolicy

The MoU also envisages ensuring sustainability and growth of MSMEs by addressing issues such as technology

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) yesterday on 17-03-2021 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC) for ensuring cooperation in a range of areas focussing on harnessing exports potential of agricultural and processed food products manufactured by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

According to the MoU, the key areas of cooperation include facilitating APEDA registered members getting assistance under all the NSCI schemes. The MoU also envisages ensuring sustainability and growth of MSMEs by addressing issues such as technology, skill, quality products and market access.

The collaborations between APEDA, which functions under the Ministry of Commerce and NSIC, which operates under the Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprise, also support the promotion of green & sustainable manufacturing technology for the MSME clusters so as to enable units to switch to sustainable and green production processes and products.

APEDA and NSIC will also facilitate the participation of MSMEs in fairs of international level including B2B & B2C fairs to be organized in India and abroad and also to mutually cooperate in international business development & promotions.

APEDA and NSIC have also agreed to facilitate providing of assistance available under schemes of the Government of India towards capacity building of MSME enterprises for their social & environmental compliances and skilling as per international standards.

The MoU was signed by Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary APEDA and P Udayakumar, Director (P&M), NSIC. The MoU was signed for utilizing both the organizations’ expertise by mutually working together to synergize the activities in the interest of agriculture and allied sectors for bringing better value to the stakeholders.

 

 

The MoU also envisages ensuring sustainability and

Agrotech

Dr Mayee, a resident of Nagpur, Maharashtra has five decades of illustrative career and served as a scientist-par-excellence and able science administrator in the highest capacities in both State of Maharashtra and Government of India before his superannuation in 2011

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), New Delhi has awarded Prof (Dr) Charudatta Digambarrao Mayee with an award for Distinguished Lifetime Contribution (Individual) in the Agrochemical sector during the FICCI Chemicals and Petrochemicals Awards 2021 held as part of India Chem 2021.

 Dr Mayee received the lifetime contribution award from Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, in the presence of  Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals and Deepak Mehta, Chairman FICCI Agriculture Chemical Committee at the time of ’India Chem 2021’ held on March 17, 2021 at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. Dr Mayee is currently serving as the President of South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC), Jodhpur and Advisor to Agrovision Foundation, Nagpur. 

Dr Mayee, a resident of Nagpur, Maharashtra has five decades of illustrative career and served as a scientist-par-excellence and able science administrator in the highest capacities in both State of Maharashtra and Government of India before his superannuation in 2011. He is an accomplished plant protection scientist, an epidemiologist who contributed enormously to the application of cutting-edge science and developing the disease prediction model and identification of hotspots of diseases such as downy mildew in orphan crops grown in the semi-arid region.

Dr Mayee had been instrumental in carrying our bio-efficacy assessment of insect-resistant Bt cotton, which was approved by the Govt of India in 2002. Moreover, Dr Mayee left an indelible mark in his quest for an integrated approach to the development of plant protection R&D and agrochemicals sector in India. FICCI award is a true recognition of Dr Mayee’s distinguished contribution to the Indian agrochemicals and biotechnology sector and his outstanding leadership and tireless efforts over the years to the Indian agriculture sector. 

In the past, Dr Mayee served as Chairman Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), Government of India, New Delhi; Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Framers’ Welfare, Govt of India, New Delhi; Director, ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, Maharashtra and Vice-Chancellor and Marathwada Agriculture University, Parbhani, Maharashtra. He served as the Chairman of Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC), and Co-Chairman of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee and many high-powered committees that carried out the most notable reforms in R&D, biotechnology and agrochemical sector.

 

Dr Mayee, a resident of Nagpur, Maharashtra