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Acquaculture, AgroPolicy, Environment, Poultry

The decision will benefit farmers, poultry farmers and fishermen

The Government of India has relaxed the rules for the import of crushed and de-oiled GM soya cake (non-living organism only). The move is going to benefit the farmers, poultry farmers and fishermen in a big way.

 

Application of provision as in Condition 6(b) of General Notes Regarding Import Policy Schedule — I (Imports) of the ITC (HS) 2017 has now been relaxed to allow imports of 12 Lakh Metric tonne of crushed and de-oiled GM soya cake (only non-living organism) under ITC HS codes 23040020 and 23040030 from Nhava Sheva port and LCS Petrapole, till October 31, 2021, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

 

The said relaxation comes after clarification and prior permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It states that since soya de-oiled and crushed (DOC) cake does not contain any living modified organism, this Ministry has no concerns and no objection to the import of soya cakes from an environmental angle.

 

Further, to ensure the import quantity of 12 lakh Metric tonne is not breached, strict monitoring will be carried out by CBIC through the customs authorities at respective ports. The decision will positively impact farmers, poultry farmers, and fishermen.

The decision will benefit farmers, poultry farmers

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy

Meets Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh L Mandaviya

The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently met the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh L Mandaviya in his office and discussed in detail the demand for urea and DAP in the state.

The Chief Minister informed that paddy plantation work is in progress in the state, for which the demand for DAP has increased in the state. Along with this, top dressing of urea is being done in maize and paddy, due to which the demand for urea has also increased. Chouhan further informed that against the demand of 12.13 lakh metric tonnes for allocation of urea by the Centre till now, only 8 lakh metric tonnes have been given by the Center to the state. Similarly, the allocation of DAP has been provided only 5 lakh MT against 8.05 lakh MT. Chouhan has requested that the remaining 4.13 lakh metric tonnes of urea and the remaining 3.05 lakh metric tonnes of DAP should be released by the Centre soon.

Apart from this, at the suggestion of the Union Minister, the Chief Minister talked about implementing the e-rupee voucher scheme issued by the Centre on the lines of a pilot project in Madhya Pradesh for fertilisers in one district. Apart from this, along with NPK and SSP fertilisers, he also talked about promoting nano urea in the agriculture sector. Along with this, the Chief Minister said that his ministers, MPs, MLAs, and progressive farmers would use it in their respective fields and would encourage the farmers to follow it.

Meets Union Minister for Health and Family

Sustainable Energy, Webinar

Discussions were held on rainwater harvesting and rejuvenation of bore wells

The ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Ballari, Karnataka recently organised a webinar on ’Rainwater Harvesting and Rejuvenation of Bore Wells’.

In his inaugural address, Dr M Madhu, Director, ICAR-IISWC, Dehradun, Uttarakhand highlighted the need for rainwater harvesting and rejuvenation of bore wells in today’s context of the depleting natural resources.

Dr Rajendra Hegde, Head, ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Research Centre, Bengaluru and Dr SL Patil, Principal Scientist (Agronomy), ICAR-IIPR, RS, Dharwad, Karnataka were the Guests of Honor for the webinar.

Dr BS Naik, Head, ICAR-IISWC, Research Centre, Ballari, Karnataka gave the welcome address and briefed about the importance of the programme for mitigating the challenges like water scarcity in the Semi-Arid Region of Karnataka.

Dr Devaraj Reddy NJ, Founder, NGO – Geo Rain Water Board, Chitradurga, Karnataka deliberated on ’Rainwater Harvesting and Rejuvenation of Bore Wells,’ and accentuated on the role of the aquifer in the availability of groundwater, rejuvenation of dried bore wells, rainwater harvesting through rooftop terrace and farm pond, effectiveness of different recharge filter techniques, synthesis of farm pond and recharge filter in water availability and agricultural productivity, etc.

The webinar was organised as a part of the ’Bharat Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ to commemorate 75 Years of India’s Independence registered participation by 56 participants.

Discussions were held on rainwater harvesting and

Agro Universities, R&D, Seeds

The new variants will be cultivated in Punjab

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has developed and recommended three new varieties of wheat and one variety each of berseem and oats for general cultivation in Punjab. These include PBW 803, PBW 824 and PBW 869 of wheat; BL 44 of berseem and OL 15 of oats. The varieties were approved during the meeting of the State Variety Approval Committee held under the chairmanship of Dr Sukhdev Singh Sidhu, Director of Agriculture, Punjab. According to Dr Navtej Singh Bains, Director of Research and Dr Jaskarn Singh Mahal, Director of Extension Education, PAU, the salient features of all the varieties were discussed in detail.

The variety PBW 803 has been recommended for cultivation in the South-Western region of Punjab (Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Ferozpur, Mansa and Sri Muktsar Sahib) under irrigated timely sown conditions. Its average plant height is 100 cm and matures in about 151 days. It is resistant to brown rust and moderately resistant to yellow rust. Its average yield is 22.7 quintals per acre. Being a medium duration variety, it exhibits better performance under the abiotic stress-prone South-Western region of Punjab.

The variety PBW 824 has been recommended for general cultivation in the Punjab state under irrigated timely sown conditions. Its average plant height is 104 cm and matures in about 156 days. It is resistant to brown rust and moderately resistant to yellow rust. Its average yield is 23.3 quintals per acre. It possesses a high hectoliter weight.

The variety PBW 869 has been recommended for sowing with Happy Seeder/Super Seeder in in-situ rice residue managed fields based on research and adaptive trials conducted by Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) and PAU. Its average plant height is 101 cm and matures in about 158 days. It is resistant to brown rust and moderately resistant to yellow rust. Its average yield is 23.2 quintals per acre. It possesses a high 1000-grain weight and longer coleoptile.

Berseem variety BL 44 is a quick-growing variety with more tillers. BL 44 out yielded the check variety BL 43 by 5.9 per cent for green fodder yield and also possess better nutritional characters.

Oats variety OL 15 is a single cut variety for irrigated areas of Punjab. Its plants are tall, having long and broad leaves with more leafiness and tillering ability. Its fodder quality is better than OL 12, Kent and at par with OL 13. On average, it yields about 309 quintals of green fodder per acre. Its seed yield is about 9.8 quintals per acre.

The new variants will be cultivated in

Seeds, Supply Chain, Warehousing

The fully operational site in Grundy County will provide Beck’s with soybean seed processing capabilities and additional warehousing

Beck’s has recently purchased the Bayer processing plant in Beaman, Iowa, for the use of soybean production and processing. The fully operational site in Grundy County will provide Beck’s with soybean seed processing capabilities and additional warehousing.

“At Beck’s, we base our growth and acquisition strategy and decisions with a focus on helping farmers succeed,” said Sonny Beck, CEO, Beck’s. “As we continue to expand into new states and grow our customer base, our family of employees and farmer-dealers remain dedicated to providing exceptional localised service. The new facility will allow Beck’s to maximise efficiency, stay ahead of demand, and deliver products faster.”

Ten of the former full-time Bayer employees have been hired on by Beck’s to continue operations at the Beaman facility, allowing a seamless transition this fall and winter to ensure soybean seed is ready for spring 2022 planting. The facility features approximately 30,000 square feet of warehousing and is configured with all the modern equipment necessary for Beck’s to process and treat one million units of soybeans per year. In addition to the new facility in Beaman, Beck’s has three other permanent locations in Iowa, including a processing and distribution facility in Mount Pleasant, a research facility in Marshalltown, and a distribution and Practical Farm Research (PFR) site in Colfax.

“Situated 15 minutes north of our Marshalltown, Iowa facility and approximately an hour northeast of our Colfax location, the addition of this new facility will take the pressure off of our distribution channels,” said Beck. “More importantly, it will help us ensure we are fulfilling our customer’s soybean needs quickly and efficiently. We’re excited to put down roots in Beaman and for the opportunity to provide our growing family of customers with more regionally selected, grown, and processed soybeans.”

The fully operational site in Grundy County

Agro Universities, Agrotech

Farmers were sentisised about the ill effects of crop residue burning and were advised to adopt crop residue management technologies

The Department of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organised a travelling seminar on ’Crop Residue Management’ under the Project funded by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). A total of 30 farmers from different villages of Moga district visited research fields and attended presentations of scientists to get the latest information on crop residue management.

Addressing the participants, Dr Kuldeep Singh, Head, Department of Extension Education, sensitised the farmers about the ill effects of crop residue burning and advised them to adopt crop residue management technologies in their farms.

Dr RS Gill, Principal Rice Breeder, urged the farmers to adopt short-duration varieties of paddy for better paddy straw management in their fields.

Dr Dharminder Singh, Senior Extension Scientist, shared project activities and suggested the farmers purchase farm machinery in groups and use these on a cooperative basis.

Dr Arshdeep Singh, Scientist, Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, provided in-depth knowledge about crop residue management technologies like Happy Seeder, Super Seeder, PAU Super SMS system, Mulcher, Mould Board Plough, etc. He also gave information about the new machine Strip Seeder, also known as ‘Smart Seeder’ for efficient management of straw.

Dr Lakhwinder Kaur, Extension Scientist, called upon the participating farmers to become vivid readers of PAU farm literature. Farmers also visited Food Industry Business Incubation Centre at PAU.

Ramneet Singh, Extension Fellow, coordinated the field visit.

Farmers were sentisised about the ill effects

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech

Dr Manjunath is a versatile agricultural entomologist with over five decades of research and executive experience in biological control, biopesticides

Dr TM Manjunath, often referred to as the ’Father of Commercial Biocontrol and IPM in India’ has joined the Advisory Committee of the World BioProtection Forum (WBF) to help drive the organisation’s activities and advance the bio protection sector globally.

Dr Manjunath is a versatile agricultural entomologist with over five decades of research and executive experience in biological control, biopesticides, pheromones, IPM, insect-resistant transgenic Bt-cotton and other related areas of plant protection. Starting his career in 1961, he initiated work in these areas at a time when these were barely explored, relentlessly worked to popularise them, and made several pioneering contributions. He is hailed as one of the pioneers of biological control of crops pests, ’The Father of Commercial Biocontrol and IPM in India,’ and a passionate promoter of environmentally-friendly IPM throughout his long career.

Dr Manjunath is enthusiastic about adding his expertise and experience to the WBF’s advisory panel. “Biological control is the mother of all crop protection,” he said. “The commercial production of bioprotectants should be treated as a passionate scientific adventure, as they provide the answer to plant protection without pollution, and give us the ability to revolutionise agriculture in the 21st century.”

Dr Minshad Ansari, Founder and Chairman of WBF, said, “We welcome Dr Manjunath to the Advisory Committee. He will bring a wealth of academic and commercial expertise to WBF which will benefit to its member globally.”

Dr Manjunath is a versatile agricultural entomologist

Agrotech, E-commerce

The platform is committed to help farmers grow better dates while enabling wholesale date buyers to grow their business

Agthia Group, a leading regional food and beverages company, has announced the launch of eZad, an innovative, convenient and efficient business to business eAuction platform, where buyers from across the globe can buy dates in bulk from sellers in the UAE.

eZad makes buying and selling of dates faster, more transparent and profitable for all stakeholders. The platform is committed to helping farmers grow better dates while enabling wholesale date buyers to grow their business.

In the first phase, eZad will source dates from farmers in the UAE and begin listing from the start of the harvest season in August. Subsequently, eZad’s scope will be gradually expanded to other countries.

Farmers will list their dates for auction in eZad through a trustworthy certification system that grades dates under reliable market standards, supported by a quality guarantee built on the extensive experience and reputation inherited from Al Foah.

The auction listing will be made available on eZad to buyers around the world for 48 hours. Buyers will be able to search and filter the listings based on preferences such as price, date type, quantity and quality.


Buyers can collect the dates purchased from one of eZad’s warehouses or select from any of the value-added services on offer, including storage, packaging, loading, fumigation, washing and delivering the dates to world-wide locations.

Alan Smith, CEO, Agthia Group said: “The eZad platform has been created to bring transparency, convenience and standardisation to the dates industry, through the technology and services we provide. Our goal is to link small and big farmers directly to bulk date buyers via a single, simple and innovative platform. By creating this direct link, previously hidden margins, as well as travel expenses, would be eliminated thereby offering a cost-effective solution to buyers.”

 eZad aims to become the leading sales channel for farmers and at the same time offer a completely hassle-free experience for buyers.
 

The platform is committed to help farmers

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, IT, Start ups

The EoI will help to build consortia and deploy a bouquet of solutions from several startups and tech-focused organisationstransformation with new age technologies

The Telangana government has recently released an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the selection of Project Implementation Partners (PIPs) for the ‘Saagu-Baagu’ project. The EoI will build consortia and deploy a bouquet of solutions from several startups and tech-focused organisations, to establish proof of value and accelerate adoption and use of agritech solutions.

The state government and World Economic Forum (WEF) have jointly invited proposals from startups, Farm Producers Organisations (FPOs), industries, academia and civil society to showcase end-to-end value chain transformation with new-age technologies, under its ‘Saagu-Baagu’ project.

The last date for submission of proposals is September 30 and the state government will conduct a virtual pre-bid conference for interested stakeholders on September 7.

The Telangana government and WEF have shortlisted a list of 30 priority solutions using emerging technologies like AI, IoT, remote sensing, and blockchain among others to solve unique problems and create an impact on farmers’ lives. Any proposal by the EoI will be required to have at least five distinct use-cases across various segments of any given agri value chain. The government will engage the selected PIPs on a pro-bono and non-exclusive basis, and under a Public-Private Cooperation (PPC) framework to offer active support.

Intending to realise the benefits envisaged by the AI for Agriculture Innovation (AI4AI) initiative, the Government of Telangana, in association with C4IR India conceptualised a project called ‘Saagu Baagu’ (Agriculture Advancement). The Saagu-Baagu project is the first-of-its-kind public-private initiative for agritech in India. It is aimed at bringing value addition with mainstreaming of innovative new-age technologies in agriculture. This can potentially uplift the lives of more than 65 per cent of India’s population which depends on agriculture for their livelihood. The objective is to increase farmers’ income, saving the environment and also enhancing trust and transparency.
 

The EoI will help to build consortia

Acquaculture, Sustainable Energy

The four-year project will use novel ingredients from the circular economy with a low carbon footprint

Nofima, the Norwegian Institute for applied research within the fields of fisheries, aquaculture, and food research, has launched the Millennial Salmon Project with partners across the value chain to accelerate the development of sustainable solutions for the future of farmed salmon.

The goal of the four-year project is to create the most sustainable-farmed salmon using novel ingredients from the circular economy and with a low carbon footprint while addressing the initiative’s “millennial principles of life” – living healthy; leading a purposeful live; trusting peers; and considering their societal and environmental impacts.

With a €1.3 million budget, the Millennial Salmon Project is primarily funded by the Research Council of Norway and is made up of leading organisations, Nofima, InnovaFeed, Corbion Algae Ingredients, Cargill, SINTEF Ocean and Auchan.

The project will study two alternative feed ingredients – protein-rich, insect-based feed ProtiNova from InnovaFeed, and algae-based omega-3s, AlgaPrime DHA from Corbion, both of which offer minimal land use.

The evidence-based study will test the levels that are required to optimise the physical and nutritional needs of salmon, discover the practical and functional properties of both alternatives, as well as demonstrate the environmental and societal aspects of the suggested innovations. SINTEF Ocean will be conducting a life cycle analysis of the resulting Millennial Salmon feed.

The Millennial Salmon Project addresses the industry demand by working to provide by 2025 an integrated solution to salmon farmers that balances the raw materials in the feed basket and provides greater flexibility from the use of finite marine resources and land-demanding resources. The Millennial salmon will be a healthy product for the consumer, but also a healthier farmed animal, fed with and grown with higher levels of omega-3s derived from microalgae.

The four-year project will use novel ingredients

IT, Start ups

The start up has received $70,000 for the flagship product, SeedVision- Seed Classifier and Quality Analyser

Bengaluru-based agritech start-up Agdhi has received Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) which is a flagship programme of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council  BIRAC. Agdhi has received a grant from BIG for $70,000 for their flagship product, SeedVision- Seed Classifier and Quality Analyser.

SeedVision is an AI-based seed phenotyping method that classifies critical parameters of a seed in a few minutes. The product would help the farmers get good seeds for cultivation and help growers improve the number of cycles because of faster payment realisation from seed companies. The automated technique provides an efficient method for seed sorting compared to manual inspection, and the reports are accessible on a real-time basis.

Vaibhav Kashikar Co-Founder and Director (Marketing) – Agdhi, said, “We are delighted to announce the grant we have received that will support start-ups like us in bringing technology closer to market and help in the commercialisation of the product across India.”

He further added that with a vision to disrupt technology in the agriculture sector, we plan to bring new technologies like blockchain, edge computing, IoT, and microbiology in agriculture.
 

The start up has received $70,000 for

E-commerce, Trade

Guar seed, guar gum refined splits to have a weightage of 63.43 per cent and 36.57 per cent in GUAREX

National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange, India’s  leading  commodity exchange has recently launched the futures contract on NCDEX GUAREX, India’s first sectoral index in the agri-commodities basket.   

NCDEX GUAREX is a price based index tracking the price movement in the futures contracts of its underlying i.e. Guar Seed and Guar Gum Refined Splits on a real-time basis. The weightage of Guar Seed and Guar Gum Refined Splits in the index will be  63.43 per cent and 36.57 per cent, respectively.

“I take pride in announcing the launch of NCDEX GUAREX futures – India’s first sectoral agri-index futures contract.  I am sure the contract will garner interest from all sets  of participants,  including the physical market participants” said Arun Raste, MD and CEO, NCDEX.  

The Exchange had launched the indicative or spot contracts for NCDEX GUAREX on July 5, 2021,  disseminating the real-time values on its website. GUAREX futures is a cash-settled contract and encompasses an entire sector within one product.  Initially,  NCDEX GUAREX futures contracts expiring in September 2021 and October 2021 will be made available for trading.

“NCDEX GUAREX will soon be able to establish itself as a benchmark for the Guar Complex,  both in the domestic and international markets, making it a value proposition for Eligible Foreign Entities, to hedge their price risk on Indian bourses,” Arun Raste added.

“GUAREX Futures is a price-based index and hence has immense potential while adopting different trade strategies such as arbitrage and calendar spreads. A cash-settled product that is easy to trade will not only appeal to retail participants but will also reckon with the requirements of the institutional players like mutual funds,” said Kapil Dev, Chief Business Officer, NCDEX.  

Guar seed, guar gum refined splits to

Agrotech, Sustainable Energy

Sound’s dual-technology platform uses biochemistry to tap into the natural capabilities of the plant to increase the speed and efficiency of agriculture

Sound Agriculture, a company tackling sustainability through groundbreaking advancements in both food and agriculture, has secured a $45 million investment led by Leaps by Bayer, the impact investment arm of Bayer. Northpond Ventures, a leading science and technology-driven venture capital firm also participated in the round, along with existing investors Cavallo Ventures, Fall Line Capital, S2G Ventures, and Syngenta Group Ventures. 

 

Sound is advancing two novel technology platforms that leverage plant and soil biology to radically improve food production. The first is Sound’s on-demand breeding platform that offers a paradigm shift in breeding by accelerating plant trait development ten times faster than current technologies without the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). 

 

The second is a nutrient efficiency platform poised to replace 30 per cent of global nitrogen fertiliser use – the equivalent of removing 200 million cars from the road, with patented technology that allows crops to access more nutrients from the existing microbiome. 

 

The financing will be used to scale both platforms to address critical issues in the food and agriculture industry, which is responsible for 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to declining water quality and soil health. With the potential for global supply shocks due to climate change and rapidly changing consumer preferences, the need for a more adaptable and resilient food system has never been more evident. 

Sound’s dual-technology platform uses biochemistry to tap

Agro Universities, Water

Discussions were held on the importance of effective water management through crop planning and water conservation in rainfed agriculture

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Washim, Maharashtra organised a ’Kisan Mela-cum-Awareness Programme’ in the adopted village Shirsala of Malegaon Block. ’Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ is being organised from August to November 2021.

 

In his address, the Chief Guest, Narayan Ingole, Progressive Farmer insisted on micro-irrigation and stressed the need for ’More Crop Per Drop Technique’ and the adoption of advanced techniques for soil water conservation.

 

The promoters of Olandeshwar Farmers’ Producers’ Organisation Ramchandra Patil Ingole, Damodhar Sarda, Sanjay Sharma, Dattarao Ingole and Dajiba Patil were present as the guests of honour during the occasion.

 

Dr RL Kale, Head & Senior Scientist, KVK, Washim, Maharashtra highlighted the role of technical backstopping followed by a scientific interaction with the KVK Scientists for the Scientific Management of Farming. He also outlined the importance of effective water management through crop planning and water conservation in rainfed agriculture. The farmers were apprised about the micro-irrigation systems, rainwater harvesting, water conservation, appropriate crops, and efficient water management for livestock and aquaculture.

 

The participating farmers were distributed with the ’Vegetable Nutri Kit’ and ’Saplings of Nutritious Plants’ during the occasion.

Discussions were held on the importance of