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China, E-commerce

The strategic investment and cooperation agreement signal Farmmi’s active expansion into the distribution network of agricultural products.

Farmmi, Inc., an agriculture products supplier in China, recently announced its entry into a strategic investment and cooperation agreement, through its subsidiary Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd., with Sigma Holding (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. (Sigma), and Hangzhou Xuyue Interactive Culture and Media Co., Ltd. (Hangzhou Xuyue) (collectively referred to as the Partners).  The strategic investment and cooperation agreement signal Farmmi’s active expansion into the distribution network of agricultural products.

Given the rise of domestic community group purchasing, the last kilometer of the distribution of fresh food has become a major bottleneck and challenge.  Professional distribution services for urban communities have emerged in response to benefit from the trend and to meet the higher demand.  The market volume of the community group-buying market in China was estimated to be RMB 34 billion in 2019 and RMB 72 billion in 2020.

Farmmi, Sigma, and Hangzhou Xuyue are partnering and will jointly invest in the establishment of a new company as part of a 50-year agreement.  The new company is committed to becoming a comprehensive service provider of community group purchasing distribution networks and will seek to benefit from continued broader market distribution trends.  

Equity Arrangement

The partners, all based in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, have agreed that the new company will initially have a total registered capital of RMB 20 million before September 30, 2021.  Sigma has agreed to invest RMB 12 million, accounting for 60 per cent of the total registered capital of the new company. Farmmi has agreed to invest RMB 5 million, accounting for 25 per cent of the total registered capital of the new company. 

 

The strategic investment and cooperation agreement signal

Agrotech, R&D

Enko’s target-based approach combines novel drug discovery technologies like DNA-encoded libraries with machine learning and structural biology to improve the speed of crop protection R&D. 

 Enko, the crop health company, announced a multi-year partnership with Syngenta Crop Protection to design safe and sustainable solutions to the resistant pests and novel diseases farmers are fighting across the world. The targeted product development process will accelerate solutions for farmers and lead to significant economic benefits across the value chain.

Enko’s target-based approach combines novel drug discovery technologies like DNA-encoded libraries with machine learning and structural biology to dramatically improve the scale and speed of crop protection R&D. The approach allows scientists to screen more than 120 billion compounds simultaneously to identify molecules that bind like a lock and key to specific enzyme variants in pests. These highly selective molecules are more effective in lower quantities and do not impact similar enzyme variants in other organisms, which establishes safety guardrails from the first step of discovery.

“Emerging threats to crop health can only be solved by evolving our approach to designing products,” said Jacqueline Heard, CEO of Enko. “Collaborating with multinational agricultural companies on more selective and iterative product processes can push the industry forward. Together, we will use intentionality and precision to create novel crop health solutions that are both sustainable and effective, rather than one or the other.”

Enko is focused on uncovering novel modes of action that eliminate pests through new pathways and combat resistance. This R&D model could represent a major step forward in efficiency and success rates in the development process, while ensuring safety for humans and the environment.

Enko Commercial Advisory Board Chair, David Jones said, “By pulling inspiration from pharma, targeted R&D practices can help us develop better products without investing many hundreds of millions of dollars. Essential crop health products should be affordable and contribute to food security worldwide.”

The prospect of accessible options and more efficient solutions to treating pests and novel diseases will dramatically benefit farmers worldwide. In particular, Enko is committed to developing affordable crop health products for smallholder farmers in Africa, South America and Asia, who face a disproportionate disadvantage from pests due to climate change and are underserved by the products on the market today.

Enko’s target-based approach combines novel drug discovery

Agro Universities

The PAU Live Programme was organised recently where the experts cautioned the farmers against the attack of mite pests in summer vegetables.

 

 

 

The PAU Live Programme was organised on June 23, 2021, wherein experts cautioned the farmers against the attack of mite pests in summer vegetables. They also discussed direct seeding of rice (DSR), weed management and farm operations.

Dr MS Bhullar, Head of, Department of Agronomy, said DSR technology has found favour with the farmers of Punjab. He explained the irrigation and fertilizer management in DSR and weed management in different crops.

Dr Paramjit Kaur, Assistant Entomologist and Ravinder Bhalooria, while referring to the management of mites in summer vegetables, said the temperature at present was conducive for the development of mite pests, which attack vegetables like cucumber, brinjal, okra, capsicum, etc. They advised the farmers to follow PAU recommendations for their management. Besides, they also informed about the farm operations for agro-forestry (poplar); floriculture and landscaping (chrysanthemum, gladiolus, rose, bougainvillea, lawn and other new plants); and management of animals in the summer season.

The PAU Live Programme was organised recently

Industry Reports / Analysis

The management have an overview of the company’s CropOS technology platform, unique business model etc

Benson Hill, a food technology company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants to supply the ’Picks and Shovels’ for the plant-based food revolution, recently held a virtual meeting with sell-side analysts. The management provided an in-depth overview of the company’s CropOS technology platform, unique business model, growth strategy and financial outlook.

Benson Hill and Star Peak, a special purpose acquisition company, announced a proposed business combination on May 10, 2021. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named ’Benson Hill.’ and is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol ’BHIL.’ The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the approval of Star Peak’s stockholders and Benson Hill’s stockholders.

The management have an overview of the

Agro chems – Chemicals, R&D, Start ups

Pixofarm and UPL will expand grower access to Pixofarm’s technology to help improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of fruit farms.

UPL Ltd., a global provider of sustainable agriculture solutions, announced recently that it is partnering with Austrian company Pixofarm GmbH to bring exciting new digital technologies to apple farmers. Pixofarm and UPL will work together to expand grower access to Pixofarm’s technology to help improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of fruit farms.

Pixofarm, an ag-tech start-up and recent winner of several awards including:

  • Interpoma Startup Awards, Winner, 2020
  • Global Startup Awards, Best Newcomer, 2020
  • Startup Europe Smart Agrifood Summit, Best Practical Solution for the Agrifood Sector, 2020

With this data, fruit producers can optimise the application of inputs, increase their production and efficiently plan and improve their operational activities such as logistics, packaging, warehousing, sales and marketing.

UPL – one of the world’s leading agri-inputs companies and a key supplier of crop protection, biological and organic inputs to fruit growers – believes that Pixofarm can help apple growers reduce costs and optimise yields by improving growers access to data on the status of their crop and orchard.

UPL will support Pixofarm’s growth by expanding its access to apple growers across Europe and giving Pixofarm additional capital to invest in accelerating product development towards a fully integrated smart farming solution. As an OpenAg Digital Partner, Pixofarm’s expansion will be supported by the UPL network which currently operates across 130 countries.

Pixofarm and UPL will expand grower access

Agro chems – Pesticides, R&D

Koppert’s research in 2018 to find the most effective natural enemy of this pest identified a European parasitic wasp that parasitizes the eggs of green shield bugs.

 

 

Koppert Biological Systems is developing a biological method to combat the southern green shield bug (Nezara viridula). Koppert is working hard to make this product commercially available in 2022.

Over the course of the previous decade, the southern green shield bug has ravaged unheated pepper, aubergine, and cucumber greenhouses in Southern Europe. This pest is also gaining ground in heated, high-tech greenhouses in north-western Europe and central Europe. The disappearance of chemical products in combination with climate change has resulted in an increase in the level of infestations in greenhouses. Combating the green shield bug is a significant challenge and until now is only possible with the use of chemical products. These chemical products disturb the populations of beneficial that combat pests such as thrips, spider mites, aphids, and whiteflies. It is possible to manually remove green shield bugs from crops, but this is only an option at low levels of infestation in the crop. That is why this technique has so far yielded modest results.

Koppert identified the problem of southern green shield bugs at an early stage. For this reason, Koppert’s research in 2018 to find the most effective natural enemy of this pest identified a European parasitic wasp that parasitizes the eggs of green shield bugs. The first field tests have shown very promising results and demonstrated that southern green shield bugs can be combated effectively in practice. Large-scale field tests in a number of countries are expected to confirm these results this year.

“The damage that southern green shield bugs cause is enormous and regularly results in crops needing to be cleared away earlier than planned. Combating this pest is challenging and chemical products are often used for this purpose out of necessity. We are therefore thrilled that we have a biological solution for our customers in our sights. Our international team is putting all its efforts in ensuring that growers can be offered a suitable solution to combat the southern green shield bug”,said Bart Sels who is responsible for supervising Koppert Belgium.

Koppert’s research in 2018 to find the

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Logistics

Carries 2.7 lakh tonnes of consignments till date

The introduction of Kisan Rails by the Indian Railways has given farmers wide access to Indian markets. Kisan Rail has so far carried 2.7 lakh tonnes of consignment. Till now, 60 routes have been operationalised. Railways have been relentlessly pursuing with various stakeholders – including the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, state governments (including departments of agriculture/ horticulture/ fisheries, etc), and local bodies and agencies, Mandis etc – to plan the rollout of Kisan Rail services. 

 

Kisan Rail enables movement of perishables including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fishery and dairy products from the production of surplus regions to consumption or deficient regions; speedy movement ensures minimum damage during transit; enables farmers to utilise the vast railway network to gain access to distant, bigger and more lucrative markets.

 

50 per cent subsidy is given in freight (being borne by Ministry of Food Processing Industries under ‘Operation Greens – TOP to Total’ scheme) for transportation of fruits and vegetables. Based on the concept of the multi-commodity, multi consignor, multi consignee, multi stoppages, time-tabled trains – help small farmers with lesser produce also to transport their consignment without any middleman. 

 

There is no minimum limit on the quantity that can be booked, enabling even small and marginal farmers to reach bigger and distant markets; End-consumers (at bigger cities and consumption centres) get fresher produce at cheaper prices, due to a reduction in transportation time as well as costs.

 

The first train under the Kisan Rail scheme – between Devlali (Maharashtra) and Danapur (Bihar) – was flagged off by the Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal and Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar on 07.08.2020. This train has subsequently been extended to run between Sangola (Maharashtra) and Muzaffarpur (Bihar). The 100th trip under the Kisan Rail scheme – between Sangola (Maharashtra) and Shalimar (West Bengal) – was flagged off by the Prime Minister on December 28, 2020.

 

Till June 18, 2021, a total of 850 trips of Kisan Rail trains were operated on 60 routes, transporting more than 2.7 lakh Tonnes of consignments. The monthly performance of these trains during 2021 has been as under:

 

January 2021 – 82 trips (32,332 Tonnes)

February 2021 – 128 trips (41,665 Tonnes)

March 2021 – 133 trips (40,695 Tonnes)

April 2021 – 127 trips (39,518 Tonnes)

May 2021 – 173 Trips (55,300 Tonnes)

June (upto 18th ) – 93 Trips (32,542 Tonnes)

 

Kisan Rail trains are run on time-tabled paths and are being monitored for punctuality as well as to ensure that perishable commodities reach their destinations within due time, and also that Indian Railways’ resources are utilised most optimally. Main crops/farm-produce transported via Kisan Rail train include oranges, onion, potato, banana, mango, tomato, pomegranate, custard apple, capsicum, chikoo, carrot, etc.

 

 All the Kisan Rail train services are being charged at ‘P-scale’ of Parcel tariff. Under ‘Operation Greens – TOP to Total’ scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) 50 per cent subsidy in freight is granted on transportation of fruits and vegetables through Kisan Rail trains services. Since the introduction of this subsidy scheme (with effect from October 14, 2020) till June 15, 2021, an amount of Rs 52.38 crore approx has been disbursed as subsidy through Kisan Rail.

 

Carries 2.7 lakh tonnes of consignments till

AgroPolicy, Agrotech

Ships rice, wheat and other cereals to newer destinations

India’s quest for expanding the footprint of cereals exports through exploring new opportunities in countries or markets has started to yield results. The sharp spike in exports of rice (basmati and non-basmati), wheat and other cereals in 2020-21 are attributed to synergy and collaboration between various stakeholders – farmers, millers, exporters and government agencies in boosting exports. 

 

APEDA in collaboration with stakeholders has been exploring new opportunities through ensuring market access, adherence to products qualities and phytosanitary measures for cereal products.

 

In terms of rice (basmati as well as non-basmati) exports especially in 2020-21, India shipped non-basmati rice to nine countries – Timor-Leste, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Eswatini, Myanmar and Nicaragua, where exports were carried for the first time or earlier the shipment was smaller in volume. The total volume of export of rice to these nine countries was only 188 metric tonne and 197 metric tonne in 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively while the volume shipment rose to 1.53 lakh tonne in 2020-21.

 

In case of exports of other cereals excluding rice and wheat, India shipped cereals of substantial quantity to newer destinations or countries – Sudan, Poland, Bolivia, Colombia, Congo D. Rep. and Ghana in 2020-21. India did not export cereals other than rice and wheat to these six countries in 2018-19. Only 102 metric tonne of cereals other than rice and wheat was exported in 2019-20 which rose to 521 metric tonne in 2020-21.

 

India’s overall exports of cereals have seen a sharp spike in 2020-21 with the export of non-basmati rice growing by 136.04 per cent to $4794.54 million; wheat by 774.17 per cent to $549.16 million; and other cereals (Millets, Maize and other coarse gains) by 238.28 per cent to $ 694.14 million.

 

The sharp spike in rice exports especially during a phase where globally the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply changes of many commodities has been attributed to the government taking prompt measures to ensure exports of rice and other cereals while taking all the COVID-19 related safety precautions. 

 

“We took several measures in terms of ensuring safety and hygiene because of the operational and health challenges posed by COVID-19 while ensuring that agricultural products exports continue uninterrupted,” Dr Madhaiyaan Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA has said.

 

APEDA has been promoting rice exports through collaborations with various stakeholders in the value chains. The government had set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF), under the aegis of the APEDA. REPF has representations from the rice industry, exporters, officials from APEDA, ministry of commerce and directors of agriculture from major rice-producing states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Ships rice, wheat and other cereals to

Agro Universities, Environment

A new research has shown that bumblebees are able to accurately detect and choose between flowers that have different levels of humidity next to the surface of the flower

A new study shows that bumblebees may use the humidity of a flower to tell them about the presence of nectar. According to scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter, bumblebees may use the humidity of a flower to tell them about the presence of nectar. The research has shown that bumblebees can accurately detect and choose between flowers that have different levels of humidity next to the surface of the flower.

 

The study, published this week in the Journal of Experimental Biology, showed that bees could be trained to differentiate between two types of artificial flowers with different levels of humidity if only one of the types of flowers provided the bee with a reward of sugar water.

 

To make sure that the artificial flowers mimicked the humidity patterns seen in real flowers, the researchers built a robotic sensor that was able to accurately measure the shape of the humidity patterning.

 

Dr Michael Harrap carried out the research whilst based at the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences and is the lead author of the study. He said: “We know that different species of plants produce flowers that have distinct patterns of humidity, which differ from the surrounding air. Knowing that bees might use these patterns to help them find food shows that flowers have evolved a huge variety of different ways of attracting pollinators, that make use of all the pollinators’ senses.”

 

Dr Sean Rands, Senior Lecturer in the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, added: “If humidity patterns are important for attracting pollinators, they are likely to be one of several different signals (such as colour, scent, and pattern) that a flower is using at the same time, and could help the bee to identify and handle the flower more efficiently.

A new research has shown that bumblebees

Agrotech

The programme aims to strengthen the soil ecosystem and help producers improve their farms’ productivity and profitability

Ardent Mills in partnership with Nutrien Ag Solutions has announced the advancement of its regenerative agriculture programme. The programme is aimed at strengthening the soil ecosystem and helping producers improve their farms’ productivity and profitability. By the end of 2022, the company has committed to enrolling 250,000 acres of spring and winter wheat into its regenerative agriculture programme to advance regenerative agriculture practices and build the grower base over the next three years.

“Ardent Mills is dedicated to making a positive impact in our communities and sustainability initiatives are a critical component of that. Our supply chain is a big area of opportunity,” said Phoenix Dugger, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Ardent Mills.

In cooperation with its producer partners and Nutrien Ag Solutions, Ardent Mills has built a regenerative agriculture programme that aims to increase organic matter content and improve nutrient efficiency and water infiltration. The programme uses key outcomes and provides side-by-side quality comparisons to comprehensively understand how regenerative agriculture affects the quality of wheat.

The regenerative agriculture programme currently operates across 12 projects in nine geographies in the US and Canada, including Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Saskatchewan. The initiative helps serve Ardent Mills’ customers by providing valuable opportunities to meet their public sustainability goals and meet the needs of their consumers.

The programme aims to strengthen the soil

Europe, IT, Supply Chain

With new Dashboards, Producer Groups can forecast more accurately and have reliable information to negotiate better commercial terms

 

UK based leading Agri-Food software developer KisanHub have launched Reporting and Analytics Dashboards to provide fast, convenient access to business-critical supply chain data for Producer Groups.

The Dashboards aggregate real-time information from KisanHub’s existing range of agri-data solutions to provide a comprehensive overview of crop progress, weather reports, satellite imagery, stock levels, contracts and more.

Replacing spreadsheets and some degree of guesswork, the new update provides one source of truth for any fresh produce supply chain. Disparate data sets from growers and customers are summarised in one place to provide actionable insights to improve margins, reduce waste and streamline operations.

Commercial Managers, Supply Chain Analysts and Procurement Teams can all use the application to make better purchasing decisions, work collaboratively with growers and suppliers and plan distribution with greater accuracy.

The Dashboards also provide useful summaries of contracts and supply KPIs side by side so it is clear to all stakeholders how a season is progressing and where there may be shortfalls or surplus. Raw data can also be downloaded for analysis and reports can be easily shared with customers to provide a clearer picture of contract progress or to explain any deviation in quality, yield, or delivery date.

KisanHub is part of a global community of technology innovators serving the food supply chain. Giles Barker, CEO said; “There’s currently a huge information blind spot between planting and when the crop finally turns up at the pack house. It creates risk and uncertainty for Producer Groups who already operate at low margins while trying to meet the exacting demands of the supermarket chains. With so much at stake, we’re bringing together our expertise in software and agriculture to make the fresh produce supply chain more predictable. With our new Dashboards, Producer Groups can forecast more accurately and have reliable information to negotiate better commercial terms.”

Lisa Beattie, VP of Product and Engineering added: “The increased focus on sustainability and the need to reduce waste has become a major concern for Producer Groups. Our new Dashboards show what’s on schedule and what’s not. This enables any corrective action to be taken sooner. By reducing waste and optimising their fresh food supply chain, Producer Groups are clearly showing their commitment to sustainability.”

 

With new Dashboards, Producer Groups can forecast

Nature, Supply Chain

Sets target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050

Nestlé will move beyond protecting forests to restore and help thrive, as part of its efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. With its new forest positive approach, the company will also further promote sustainable livelihoods and the respect of human rights.

The actions build upon a decade of work to end deforestation in Nestlé’s key forest-risk commodities. 90 per cent of those key ingredients—palm oil, sugar, soy, meat as well as pulp and paper—have been assessed as deforestation-free as of December 2020. Nestlé has used tools, such as supply chain mappings, certification, on-site verification and satellite monitoring services like Starling or Global Forest Watch, to achieve this result. In addition, the company also collaborated with farmers, farming communities and suppliers on the ground.

“The use of satellite imagery has helped us on our journey to stop deforestation,” said Laurent Freixe, EVP, CEO, Zone Americas, Nestlé. “We will now expand the use of this technology to monitor the sourcing of coffee and cocoa—two important ingredients for our much-loved products.” Utilising satellite monitoring services, Nestlé will carry out a risk assessment in the regions where it sources its ingredients. Starting with the Americas and then expanding globally, will help the company take swift actions in sourcing these raw materials sustainably.

Within its palm oil supply chain, Nestlé has completed a Forest Footprint pilot (pdf, 3Mb) in the Aceh province in North Sumatra, Indonesia. A key objective of this pilot was to better understand future risks to forests and peatlands as well as the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).

The company will reward suppliers for their environmental efforts by buying bigger quantities, contracting with them long term, co-investing in programmes that promote forest conservation and restoration, or by paying a premium for their products.

Sets target to reach net-zero emissions by

Agrotech, Sustainable Energy

Takes part in tree plantation programme in Ahmedabad

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah recently took part in a tree sapling plantation programme at Sindhu Bhavan Road in the city of Gandhinagar. The programme was held at nine different places in Ahmedabad.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah said the tree saplings plantation programme is small in scale but its impact and magnitude are so wide that it provides healthy and long life to many generations to come.

Shah said that during the past seven years, India has done a lot of work in the solar energy and wind energy sector, which has brought it to the fifth position in the world. He mentioned that if we take care of the environment, then the environment will take care of us.

Shah called for making Ahmedabad a city with the highest green cover, not only in India but in the world.

Takes part in tree plantation programme in

AgroPolicy

Under the MoU, a ‘Joint Working Group ‘will be established to set down procedures and plan and recommend programs of cooperation towards achieving its aims. 

 

 

Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Fiji’s Minister of Agriculture, Waterways & Environment, Dr Mahendra Reddy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and allied sectors between India and Fiji in a virtual meeting held today.

Under the MoU, a ‘Joint Working Group ‘will be established to set down procedures and plan and recommend programs of cooperation towards achieving its aims. The Working Group will hold its meetings alternatively in India and Fiji once in every two years. The MoU will remain valid for a period of five years from the date of its signing and any variation to its duration will be approved in writing by both Parties.

The MoU provides for cooperation in the fields of Dairy Industry Development, Rice Industry Development, Root crop diversification, Water Resources Management, Coconut Industry Development, Food Processing Industry Development, Agriculture Mechanization, Horticulture Industry Development, Agricultural Research, Animal Husbandry, Pest and Disease, Cultivation, Value Addition and Marketing, Post-Harvest and Milling, Breeding and Agronomy.

On this occasion, Tomar said, “Cooperating in dealing with global challenges in this regard. Despite the Corona pandemic, we have been able to distribute about 7 tonnes of seeds of 14 varieties of fruits and vegetables as requested by Fiji, as a grant from the Government of India, for the livelihood restoration of communities affected by Cyclone Yasa.”

Fiji’s Minister Dr Reddy expressed happiness over the MoU and said that both countries will keep their mutual relations dynamic in the same spirit.

 

 

 

Under the MoU, a ‘Joint Working Group