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AgroPolicy, Agrotech

The programme launched in 2017-18 has assisted 15445 beneficiaries

Minister for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Narayan Rane in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, mentioned that a total number of 15445 beneficiaries have been assisted under the Honey Mission programme. The Honey Mission programme was launched by Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), under the Ministry of MSME, during 2017-18 and is being implemented to promote bee-keeping activities and provide self-sustaining employment opportunities among farmers, Adivasis and unemployed youth in rural India, especially in economically backward and remote areas. Under the programme, beneficiaries are provided with bee boxes, live bee colonies, tool kits and training.

 

Besides, under ‘A Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries’ (SFURTI) implemented by the Ministry of MSME, traditional beekeepers are provided with sustainable employment by organising them into clusters and supporting them with new machinery and training. 29 honey clusters have been approved under the scheme which will benefit 13388 beekeepers with the Government of India financial assistance of Rs 68.65 crore.

 

Under the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture, scientific beekeeping is promoted for holistic growth of the sector, leading to income and employment generation, livelihood support to farm and non-farm households.

 

KVIC has assigned the work of evaluation /assessment study of Honey Mission to M/s CRISIL (formerly Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited), Mumbai. The key suggestions of the report, inter alia include i) ensuring need-based training and up-skilling, ii) training on financial services, credit facilities, iii) strengthening of handholding support on seasonal management and migration, iv) need on awareness on quality standards, v) formalising market linkages and branding and vi) convergence with the existing schemes for FPO building and cluster-based approach.

 

Under the Honey Mission programme of KVIC, it is proposed to form eight self-help groups benefitting 80 beekeepers in the Bundelkhand Region in the financial year 2021-22.

The programme launched in 2017-18 has assisted

Logistics, Supply Chain

Partners with electric vehicle OEM, OBA for their three-wheeler eVikas light commercial vehicles under a long term leasing model

In a bid to reduce the carbon footprint of its logistics operations and achieve sustainable growth, VegEase, the cart-at-home e-grocery startup has begun to deploy Electric Vehicles (EV) in its last-mile logistics. The company has just completed an initial pilot this month and will move completely to an electric fleet by 2024. Towards achieving this, VegEase has partnered with electric vehicle OEM, OBA for their three-wheeler eVikas light commercial vehicles under a long term leasing model. The move will contribute to an operating cost reduction of 25 per cent. VegEase will add three-wheeler loaders with Li-Ion battery which have a load capacity of 300 kgs.

Speaking on the initiative, Mayank Chaurasia, CEO and Founder, VegEase says, “EV is the future of city logistics and we at VegEase are committed to the sustainable growth of this sector. With all our deliveries happening intra-city, and through last-mile logistics, it is imperative to look at reducing the carbon footprint of our operations and to eventually reduce pollution by transport. We are convinced that this also significantly improves our costs in the long term while contributing to the creation of a robust EV ecosystem.”

The cart-at-home model of VegEase has seen tremendous success in the NCR region, as VegEase witnessed its customer base doubling in just one month, in April 2021, and is growing at the rate of 100 per cent every month. Since its inception in January 2021, VegEase has achieved a turnover of Rs 10 million, a customer base of over 18,000 in the Delhi/NCR region, with 5000 customers coming on board in April and May 2021 alone. By the end of 2021, VegEase will be operational across all major metros in South and West India, with a targeted turnover of Rs 40 million in the current fiscal year.

Partners with electric vehicle OEM, OBA for

Agrotech, Sustainable Energy

The horticulture strategy is underpinned by Bayer’s leading genetics, crop protection and digital capabilities

Bayer announced new portfolio innovations and a business strategy for horticulture. The strategy focuses on activities that deliver tailored solutions to the farm, advance sustainable innovations on the farm and address value chain and consumer needs beyond the farm.
 
“Only a fraction of the global population comes close to consuming the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables,” said Inci Dannenberg, Head of Global Vegetable Seeds, Bayer. “In the UN’s International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, Bayer is doubling down on its approach to enabling growers and partners to address the barriers to improving fruit and vegetable consumption to achieve Health for All, Hunger for None.”

The horticulture strategy is underpinned by Bayer’s leading genetics, crop protection and digital capabilities, which provide growers with the tools they need for smarter, on-farm decision making, and consumers with the quality and nutrition they need to promote a healthy lifestyle.
 
“Through innovative, tailored solutions we are helping fruit and vegetable growers around the globe to produce marketable yields that meet the safety, quality and nutrition standards their customers expect,” said Kamel Beliazi, Crop Strategy Lead of Fruits and Vegetables, Bayer. “This is a core part of our business strategy in Horticulture.”
 
The result of this R&D investment is seen in Bayer’s recent portfolio innovations around the world. Vynyty Citrus is an innovative device – a container with an active liquid inside – that does not generate resistance or residues in harvests or the environment. It is the first such biological product on the market that is formulated with pheromones and natural pyrethrum to control pests in citrus fruits. The product is currently being used in Spain and will soon be available to growers of citrus and other crops in other Mediterranean countries.
 
Within vegetable seeds, Bayer is continuing to invest in ensuring its pipeline reflects not just the changing needs of growers and the value chain but diverse consumers. The company is leveraging predicative consumer liking models and sensory insights from around the world at every stage of its pipeline development to deliver ground-breaking flavour while maintaining critical agronomic traits that are essential to a healthy harvest.
 
As part of Bayer’s commitment to reaching 100 million smallholder farmers by 2030, the company is partnering with organisations to provide the tools, training and resources smallholder farmers need to help minimise risk and grow their businesses sustainably.
 
With data-driven innovations at the forefront of this effort, Bayer is partnering with Rabobank to develop digital solutions for smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia. Smallholder farmers need access to digital farming tools more than anyone else to help unlock their farming potential. The company recently announced the signing of an agreement with Rabobank, including a plan for two pilots to be conducted in Vietnam and the Philippines over the coming months. This new partnership represents another step toward achieving food security for a growing population.
 
Through its Bridging the Seed Gap initiative, Fair Planet and Bayer are also providing training to help smallholders in Africa best grow hybrid vegetable seeds adapted for their local growing conditions. This combined with sustainable practices reduce inputs and costs for smallholders and save time while improving yield quality and increasing income.
 
Bayer is working from field to fork to promote market access for growers around the world by connecting them with food value chain partners and helping them adapt to meet changing consumer tastes.
 
Most recently, the company announced its membership in the Sustainability Initiative for Fruits and Vegetables (SIFAV), alongside other produce industry leaders. SIFAV is a cross-industry platform dedicated to scaling up collaboration and reducing the environmental footprint of fresh food. Through a collaborative, action-oriented approach, and clearly defined sustainability targets, Bayer and SIFAV are focused on finding new solutions to help reduce the carbon footprint on priority crops, reduce food loss and waste, and reduce water use, among other focus areas.
 
These announcements were made as Bayer prepares to host the event, ‘It’s Crunch Time: Solving the world’s nutritional crisis through increased produce consumption’, part of the company’s Future of Farming Dialogue virtual event series. The event will feature Inci Dannenberg, Head of Global Vegetable Seeds at Bayer, joined by leaders from across the product value chain, including Barbara Bray MBE, Alo Solutions, Shoshan Haran, CEO of Fair Planet, and Paul Mastronardi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mastronardi Produce.

The horticulture strategy is underpinned by Bayer’s

Agrotech, Packaging & Labelling

The results cast new doubt on the claim that conventional plastic packaging is the only possible solution for preserving freshness on the market

Compostable packaging is as effective as conventional plastic and may even outperform it for the shelf-life of fresh produce, two peer-reviewed studies have revealed.

 

The results cast new doubt on the claim that conventional plastic packaging is the only possible solution for preserving freshness on the market.

 

Scientists at the Agricultural Research Organisation (ARO), The Volcani Institute (Israel), used cucumbers and bell peppers to test the differences between compostable packaging and conventional plastic packaging.

 

They found compostable packaging enables shelf-life of bell peppers up to 21 days and cucumbers up to 15 days, even better than conventional plastic. The compostable packages used were purchased from Israel-based TIPA Corp.

 

In the studies, part of the produce remained unpacked as control, while other produce was packaged in non-perforated, micro-perforated and macro-perforated compostable packaging or commercial micro-perforated polypropylene packaging.

 

Afterwards, half the samples were continually stored at 22 degree centigrade to simulate extended shelf conditions, while the other half were stored for two days at 15 degree centigrade, a further two days at 22 degree centigrade and then up to six weeks of home refrigerator storage at 4 degree centigrade to simulate farm to fork supply chain conditions.

The results cast new doubt on the

Agrotech, IT, Start ups

The 11 startups in the 2021 Techstars programme are utilising technology to drive innovative solutions in areas such as the future of food retail, food safety, and workforce development and management

Cargill and Ecolab have announced the latest class of entrepreneurs to join the Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator, a three-month, mentorship-driven programme that engages early-stage entrepreneurs changing the face of the global food system.

The 11 startups in the 2021 Techstars programme are utilising technology to drive innovative solutions in areas such as the future of food retail, food safety, and workforce development and management. The food value chain is one of the last major industries to completely modernise, but the latest technologies are having a major positive impact throughout the food system, says Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator Managing Director Brett Brohl. “We’ve seen tremendous industry leadership from our partners Cargill and Ecolab in using technology to drive real business value for themselves and customers, and this year’s Farm to Fork startups are poised to do the same.”

Now in its fourth year, the Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator engages early-stage entrepreneurs seeking to effect positive change across the food system through the improvement of food safety and quality, the use of upcycled materials, and the harnessing of research data for the betterment of the industry. The 11 teams in the 2021 class come from across the US and the globe and include the Farm to Fork Accelerator’s first two teams from Africa.

Participants receive mentor support from Cargill and Ecolab executives and access to the companies’ market expertise and global connections. The Techstars network of successful entrepreneurs, mentors, investors and other partners also work with the selected startups throughout the accelerator programme.

The 11 startups in the 2021 Techstars

Dairy, Finance, India

The cooperative handled extra 35-40 lakh litres of milk, every day, during the pandemic period

Amul cooperative movement has marked its 75th anniversary, by crossing group turnover of Rs 53,000 crores (or $7.1 billion). In the year 2020-21, the milk procurement of all member unions under Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul Federation), registered 14 per cent growth in 2021, over the previous year. The cooperative handled extra 35-40 lakh litres of milk, every day, during the pandemic period.

 

Results of the apex body of dairy cooperatives in Gujarat were declared in the 47th Annual General Meeting of Amul Federation. Despite the negative impact of the covid pandemic on-demand from restaurants, hotels and catering segment, as well as the adverse impact on dairy commodity markets, Amul Federation registered a turnover of Rs 39,248 crores in 2020-21, while Amul group turnover crossed Rs 53,000 crores. The consumer pack business of Amul grew by 8.1 per cent, while bulk dairy commodities, as well as sales from restaurants and hotels, suffered a decline in 2020-21, due to covid. The cooperative now aims to double its group turnover to Rs 1 lakh crores by the year 2025. Amul is currently ranked 8th on IFCN’s global ranking of dairy organisations, climbing rapidly from 18th position in 2012 to 8th rank in 2020. 

 

Shamalbhai Patel, Chairman, Amul Federation, said, “Over the last 11 years our milk procurement has witnessed a phenomenal increase of 171 per cent. This enormous growth was a result of the high milk procurement price paid to our farmer-members which has increased by 136 per cent in this period. The highly remunerative price has helped us retain the farmers’ interest in milk production, and better returns from dairying have motivated them to enhance their investments in increasing milk production.”

 

The Chairman thanked the Government of India for creating the new Ministry of Cooperation and said that lakhs of small farmers and traders will benefit from this move, as it will further strengthen the role of cooperatives as the true grassroots level, people-based movement. 

 

Patel also thanked the Government of Gujarat, Chief Minister of Gujarat and Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, for special covid financial support of Rs 50 per Kg, recently extended to the dairy cooperatives in Gujarat to export skimmed milk powder. “

 

The Vice-Chairman of Amul Federation, Valamji Humbal stated “Our ultimate objective is to become the largest dairy organisation in the entire world, ensuring health, nutrition and wellness of people across India and then around the globe, thereby ensuring continuous prosperity and remunerative livelihood for Indian dairy farmers.”

 

RS Sodhi, MD, Amul Federation, informed, “We focused our attention on enhancing in-home consumption of our products. We redesigned our marketing campaigns to educate and inform consumers about using our range of products to try our restaurant-style dishes at home. Impressive growth in sales of our consumer products in household segment, helped us overcome the impact on demand from Institutional segment.”

The cooperative handled extra 35-40 lakh litres

Logistics, Supply Chain, Transportation

The month of June witnessed the highest movement of mangoes with 169,882 kgs

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) has processed 483,460 kgs of mangoes in four months from March to June, 2021. 

 

The month of June witnessed the highest movement of mangoes with 169,882 kgs. A total of 158,936 kgs were processed in May, 110,886 kgs in April and 43,776 in March.  

 

This year, Doha emerged as the leading destination for mangoes from Bengaluru, with 140,000 kgs, followed by London (68,000 kgs) and Singapore (55,000 kgs). 

 

Backed by two reputed cargo terminal operators – Air India SATS and Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore- BLR Airport has the infrastructure required to ensure the fruits reach their destinations maintaining their quality as well as freshness. 

 

To ensure quality and freshness, mangoes are stored and moved to the aircraft within the required temperature range, reducing waiting time at terminals.

 

The month of June witnessed the highest

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech

Hachiman has effective control on both broad-leaf weeds as well as narrow-leaf weeds

Agrochemical company Insecticides (India) has launch Hachiman, a post-emergence herbicide that will stamp out both broad-leaf as well as narrow-leaf weeds. Hachiman is a product by Nissan Chemical, Japan, and marketed in India by Insecticides (India) as a product under its popular ‘Tractor Brand’.

 

“Weeds serve as an alternate host to pests in the field and weed management in pulses is essential to improve crop yield and ensure India’s way to a food secure future. The dual action Hachiman is the latest product in our kitty which is again a product of Nissan, Japan. We are looking forward to a good response from the farmers of states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,” says Rajesh Aggarwal, MD, Insecticides (India).

 

“Hachiman has been tested to be safe for all types of pulses and is effective even when both broad-leaf and grassy weeds grow together. The herbicide moves both acropetally and basipetally and controls weeds effectively. Even if it rains two hours after spray, Hachiman will remain effective. The product will come with a detailed leaflet with instructions to use the herbicide in the vernacular languages,” says PC Pabbi, Sr VP, Insecticides (India). 

Hachiman has effective control on both broad-leaf

Agrotech, IT

The robot has potential applications in field testing of both new seed and crop protection solutions with its ability to collect copious amounts of data etc

Corteva Agriscience is working to take agricultural robotics to new heights using a Spot robot from Boston Dynamics. The company is using this agile and cutting-edge platform to ‘walk’ between rows of corn, sunflowers and more. The robot has potential applications in field testing of both new seed and crop protection solutions with its ability to collect copious amounts of data, support the application of new crop protection discovery molecules, and inspect operations. Spot’s many capabilities can help Corteva more fully understand complex phenotypes to support its research and development selection processes.

Corteva has named its robot Anatoly (Annie) after Pioneer founder Henry A Wallace’s beloved Anatolian Shepherd dogs. Annie works continuously in environments with uneven surfaces and high daily temperatures, protecting Corteva Agriscience employees from potentially dangerous situations. This lightweight and portable robot is another example of how Corteva is boldly pushing the frontiers of science to increase safety and sustainability.

“Annie’s proximal sensing capabilities and ability to execute specific actions at a certain plot or by the individual plant will help us challenge assumptions about the way things are done,” said Geoff Graham, leader of seed product development, Corteva Agriscience. “The ability to leverage a robot to navigate row crop fields, while carrying and pulling instruments to collect data or apply chemicals more efficiently, has tremendous potential as we push the boundaries of what we can deliver to farmers.”

Spot robots automate sensing and inspection, capture limitless data, and explore without boundaries, making operations safer, more efficient and predictable. Corteva is also collaborating with Trimble, a leading provider of advanced location-based solutions that maximise productivity and enhance profitability, for the initial proof-of-concept and to integrate precise GPS guidance technologies with the Spot robot platform. The jointly developed solution between the three companies combines the unique mobility of the Spot robot with Trimble’s autonomous navigation capabilities and Corteva’s innovative approach to helping farmers overcome agriculture’s most pressing challenges.
 

The robot has potential applications in field

Agrotech, Finance

The fourth-quarter net income was $15,760,000

Neogen Corporation has announced the results for its fourth quarter and full 2021 fiscal year, which ended May 31, 2021. Revenues for the fourth quarter increased 17 per cent to $127,425,000, compared to $109,074,000 in the previous year, and revenues for the full fiscal year were $468,459,000, compared to the prior year’s $418,170,000, an increase of 12 per cent.

The fourth quarter was the 116th of the past 122 quarters that Neogen reported revenue increases as compared to the same period in the previous year.

Fourth-quarter net income was $15,760,000, or $0.15 per share, compared to the prior year’s $16,347,000, or $0.15 per share. Net income for the full 2021 fiscal year was $60,882,000, or $0.57 per share, compared to the prior year’s $59,475,000, or $0.56 per share. Prior year fourth quarter results benefitted from temporary cost actions taken to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, which amounted to approximately $2 million pre-tax ($0.01 per share); additionally, non-recurring corporate development expenditures of approximately $3.1 million pre-tax ($0.02 per share) were incurred in the second and third quarters of the current fiscal year.

For the fiscal year 2021, the overall gross margin as a percentage of sales was 45.9 per cent, a decrease from 46.9 per cent in the prior fiscal year. Margins were negatively impacted during the year by product mix shifts towards lower-margin products, such as cleaners and disinfectants, and increases in supply chain costs, particularly on both domestic and international shipments.

Neogen’s Animal Safety segment reported revenues of $63,324,000 in the fourth quarter, an increase of 16 per cent compared to $54,756,000 in the previous year’s fourth quarter. This increase was driven by strong growth in the veterinary instruments line (50 per cent), primarily needles and syringes, as well as in the animal care line (51 per cent) of antibiotics, vitamin injectables and supplements, as companion animal spending has increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the full fiscal year, the Animal Safety segment reported revenues of $234,215,000, compared to $205,479,000 in the fiscal year 2020, an increase of 14 per cent, on strength of the animal care (31 per cent), veterinary instruments (16 per cent), and rodent control (42 per cent) lines, partially offset by lower sales of cleaners, disinfectants and protective wear from the prior year.

“The currency headwinds we had been facing for most of the fiscal year reversed in the fourth quarter, resulting in comparative revenues which were $3.3 million higher on a constant currency basis,” said Steve Quinlan, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Neogen.

The fourth-quarter net income was $15,760,000Neogen Corporation

Agrotech, Sustainable Energy

A five-year MoU was signed that will bring in a dynamic change in the agriculture pattern and serve as a revolutionary model in the rural development and life of farmers in Palghar ditrict of Maharashtra

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and Dr Balasaheb Sawant Kokan Krishi Vidhyapeeth (DBSKKV) of Dapoli in Ratnagiri district have joined hands to bring about agricultural reforms and change patterns of farming in Palghar district of Maharashtra, considered to be a backward area of the state in agricultural farming.

The effort made by the two organisations in this regard is to introduce new avenues for Adivasi farmers of the Palghar district. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ISKCON and DBSKKV at Govardhan Eco Village located in Wada taluka, about 100 kilometres from Mumbai.

“The MoU entails a partnership between the two sides for a period of five years where the agriculture knowhow and modern techniques of farming will be provided by DBSKKV to the beneficiaries of the farming community in Palghar district, says Braj Hari Das from ISKCON.“

The MoU will bring about a dynamic change in the agriculture pattern and serve as a revolutionary model in the rural development and life of farmers in Palghar district. It will open many new avenues for the Adivasi farmers to improve their living standards, according to Dr SD Sawant, Vice-Chancellor, DBSKKV, Dapoli.

The scientists from DBSKKV will develop new research projects on farms in Palghar and lay out experiments in upcoming areas of agriculture. The MoU was signed by Dr Sawant and Dr PM Haldankar, DBSKKV and Braj Hari Das and Sanat Kumar Das of ISKCON at Govardhan Eco Village in Wada taluka.

Tarun Nitai Das, Mohan Nimai Das, Braj Prem Das and many ISKCON Agricultural and Rural Development members and Adivasi progressive farmers were present during the occasion.

Sri Gauranga Das, Director, GEV, informed the gathering about the different activities by GEV in the Palghar district and said, “These include treatment of sewage water and its re-utilisation for agriculture, goshala, yoga, eco-friendly environment of reuse, reduce and recycle projects.”

Dr Manik Gursal, Collector and District Magistrate, Palghar, in his address, said, “Currently in India it is important to prioritise agriculture since a major portion of India’s economy and livelihood of people depends on that. In order to improve the productivity of agriculture, it is important to do research and come up with innovative means. It is wonderful that ISKCON and DBSKKV have come together and collaborate to help improve agriculture in the Palghar district of Maharashtra.”

Dr Haldankar said that the MoU entails work in different projects such as organic farming of rice, cultivation of highly demanded medicinal plants, growing fruits, vegetables and flowers of new varieties, the opening of a seed bank, development of dairy products, extraction of perfume from flowers and cultivation of bamboo and small scale industries.

ISKCON’s Govardhan Ecovillage has been working for the uplift of approximately 78 tribal villages in the Palghar district through various interventions including farmer’s empowerment, women empowerment, skill development for tribal youths, rural education, health care, free food distribution, water resource development for drinking and irrigation.

A five-year MoU was signed that will

Agro chems – Pesticides, Interaction

Experts from across the industry talked about managing infestations of leatherjackets using integrated pest management

The World Bioprotection Forum (WBF) recently organised a summit to focus on the use of cultural, physical and mechanical techniques, bioprotectants (formerly known as biopesticides), and chemicals, to manage leatherjacket infestations in the golf/sports turf and amenity sector.

 

Leatherjacket larvae are causing extensive damage to turf – this year, these pests have reached an all-time high, due to the removal of toxic chemical pesticides from the market, and the fact that they have thrived in quiet, unused areas during the COVID pandemic. 

 

The summit started with Dr Minshad Ansari, CEO, Bionema and Chairman, WBF welcoming the participants and provided a glimpse of the devastation caused by leatherjackets. The speakers, who offered a variety of approaches to manage these pests, were Greg Evans, a Consultant Agronomist, who presented his experience on ‘The rise of the leatherjackets’ in recent years, explaining how various factors have likely led to population explosions across the UK, resulting in devastating damage. This was followed by Dr Colin Mumford (Bayer Crop Science), who explained cultural, physical and mechanical management; Professor Ralf-Udo Ehlers (e-nema), who has been investigating the use of bacteria (Baccillus thuringiensis israelensis) and nematodes as a biological control method; Glenn Kirby (Syngenta), spoke on current chemistries and recommendations for their emergency use and Dr Minshad Ansari (Bionema), explained how and when to apply beneficial nematodes – an increasingly popular and effective biological option for leatherjacket control, that gives the best results if certain application rules are followed. 

 

Experts agreed that there is no quick fix for leatherjacket infestations but integrated pest management (IPM) can be an effective management strategy that can help control pests. As explained by Peter Corbett (Rigby Taylor), the key to success is using an integrated approach – combining some or all of the above approaches in a way that is sustainable not just to the environment, but also to businesses in the golf/sports turf and amenity sector. 

 

A highlight of the day was an encouraging case study of leatherjacket control at Neath Golf Club, by Head Greenkeeper Mark Tucker. Tucker explained how beneficial nematodes had resolved the leatherjacket problems which he was suffering. Importantly, continued good management has kept these pests at bay. 

 

Similarly, Simon Johnson, Grounds Management Association Regional Pitch Advisor Southwest, explained how nematodes were successful was at Constantine cricket club. 

 

“Leatherjackets have caused such terrible problems this year, that many greenkeepers are in despair,” said Dr Ansari. “I hope this Emergency Summit has shown them that it is possible to manage these pests and to reverse the damage they have done to turf across the UK.

Experts from across the industry talked about

Finance, Start ups

Investors Lightspeed Venture & Elevation Capital led the Series A funding round 

 

Agritech startup Vegrow has raised USD 13 million from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners and Elevation Capital to invest in technology, new products and expansion in 100 cities. It is a B2B platform for fruits and vegetables.

The Series A round also saw participation from existing investors Matrix Partners India, Ankur Capital, Better Capital and Titan Capital, Vegrow said in a statement. Established in 2020, Vegrow has scaled rapidly among both farmers and B2B customers, resulting in nearly 20 times top-line growth with a presence in over 30 cities. Vegrow was founded by IIT alumni Praneeth Kumar, Shobhit Jain, Mrudhukar Batchu and Kiran Naik.

Vegrow technology platform powers everything from farm discovery, produce quality profiling, and market intelligence to smart matchmaking between farm-level inventory and customer requirements.

While India’s B2B agri market is attractive (USD 300 billion), it is also a complex maze of fragmented supply with over 120 million farmers growing across 30 states, the company said.Vegrow is initially focusing on the USD 50 billion fruits and high value vegetables segment.

“At Vegrow, we focus on select products as compared to building a large basket. Each of these products is a multi-billion dollars’ opportunity. This enables us to go deep in the product value chain and unlock massive growth in this sector”, said the founders.

Founders also mentioned that we have become one of the largest companies for pomegranates in the country in less than a year. We are excited to expand to 100 cities, invest in technology and launch new products with this fund raise”

 

 

Investors Lightspeed Venture & Elevation Capital led the

AgroPolicy, Finance, Live Stock

The dairy cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations engaged in dairy activities will be provided with 4 per cent interest subvention for meeting their working capital requirements

National Livestock Mission (NLM) proposes to bring a sharp focus on entrepreneurship development and breed improvement in rural poultry, sheep, goat and piggery including feed and fodder development. The Rural Poultry Entrepreneurship component will give direct employment to 1.5 lakh farmers and 2 lakh farmers will be directly benefitted from sheep goats and poultry development. About 7.25 lakh high yielding animals will be covered under risk management benefitting 3.5 lakh farmers. Fodder and fodder seed availability in the country will be increased by many folds through the creation of fodder entrepreneurs.

The Livestock Census & Integrated Sample Survey component will support states for undertaking the Livestock Census and for bringing out production estimates of milk, meat, egg and wool which is crucial for formulating strategies for the holistic development of the livestock sector.

Livestock Health and Disease Control will be implemented to reduce risk to animal health by prophylactic vaccination against diseases of livestock and poultry, capacity building of Veterinary services, disease surveillance and strengthening veterinary infrastructure. Under the scheme, during the next five years,  mobile veterinary clinics will be established in the country to deliver animal health services at the doorstep of 10 crore farmers engaged in animal husbandry, scheme will prevent annual loss to the farmers amount to Rs 8900 crore due to PPR in sheep and goats and Rs 200 crores due to classical swine fever in pigs.

The dairy cooperatives and farmer producer organisations engaged in dairy activities will be provided with 4 per cent interest subvention for meeting their working capital requirements. The scheme will benefit 2 crore farmers members linked with dairy cooperatives.

The implementation of all these schemes will ensure easy credit flow to livestock and dairy farmers through interest subvention and capital subsidy, create huge opportunities and multiplier effects for employment and livelihood through entrepreneurial activities across the livestock sector, boost export of meat, poultry and dairy products, accelerate breed improvement in cattle and other livestock species through technological interventions resulting in more productivity in the sector. This will pave the way towards self-reliance.

The department is expecting that, these realigned schemes would lead to multiplication of elite animals of indigenous breeds and increased availability of indigenous stock, increased coverage of artificial insemination from 30 per cent to 70 per cent, identification of 30.2 crore animals with Unique Identification Number (UID), 53 lakh assured pregnancy through IVF and Sex Sorted Semen technology. The introduction of sex-sorted semen will further enhance the productivity of bovines through the production of only female calves with more than 90 per cent accuracy. This will also help in managing stray cattle by reducing the number of male animals. The realigned scheme will help in improving per animal productivity like meat, milk, egg and wool from the present level of productivity.

The increase in productivity will help in the production of more meat for the domestic market and export market. Implementation of PPR and CSF control programme would help in the eradication of the diseases of sheep, goat and pig respectively from the country which will further prevent the annual loss of Rs 8900 crore and Rs 200 crore due to PPR in sheep and goat and Classical Swine Fever in pigs. These schemes will also create 34 lakh litre per day additional milk procurement capacity covering 47000 villages in the country.

The dairy cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations