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Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agro chems – Fertilizers

It will save transport subsidy for supply of urea in eastern part of the country and also help in reducing Urea imports to the tune of 12.7 LMT per annum leading to savings in foreign exchange.  

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for the formulation of an exclusive subsidy policy for Urea produced through coal gasification route by Talcher Fertilizers Limited (TFL). TFL is a Joint Venture Company of four PSUs namely Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF), GAIL (India) Ltd (GAIL), Coal India Ltd. (CIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. (FCIL) which was incorporated on 13th November 2015.

Considering the strategic energy security and urea self-sufficiency of the country, looking into the country’s vast coal reserves, it has been decided to go ahead with Talcher Fertilizer Limited plant based on coal gasification technology. The project shall improve the availability of fertilizer to farmers thereby boosting the development of the eastern region and will save transport subsidy for the supply of urea in the eastern part of the country. It would assist in reducing Urea imports to the tune of 12.7 LMT per annum leading to savings in foreign exchange. 

The project will also give a boost to ’Make in India’ initiative and AtmaNirbhar’ campaign and would help the development of infrastructure like roads, railways water, etc. providing a major boost to economy in the eastern part of the country including promoting ancillary industry. The project will also provide new business opportunity in form of ancillary industries in the catchment area of the project.

Coal gasification plants are strategically important as coal prices are non-volatile and coal is abundantly available.  Talcher plant shall also reduce dependence on important Natural Gas for production of urea leading to reduction in LNG import bill.  The gasification process adopted in Talcher unit is a Clean Coal Technology giving negligible SOx, NOx and free particulate emissions as compared to directly coal fired processes.

 

It will save transport subsidy for supply

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech, Oilseeds, Pulses

The meeting emphasised on reducing the cost of cultivation by using appropriate pest and disease resistant varieties of crops along with cultivation of bio-fortified varieties; enhancement of productivity of Kharif crops especially pulses and oilseeds 

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) jointly with ICAR organised Interface meeting for Kharif 2021 on 20 April 2021 through a video conference. Divisions of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare(DAC&FW) in consultation with their counter parts in ICAR formulated Group Recommendations on researchable issues for the pre-seasonal Interfaces held twice annually before Kharif& Rabi seasons. These Group Recommendations are then discussed in detail at the Joint Plenary Session of DAC & FW-ICAR Interface.

The effort is aimed at understanding the key issues – both from Research and Development perspective in agriculture and allied sectors and evolving joint strategies to address those issues in the coming Kharif season. The issues warranting actions by States are then flagged in the National Conference on Agriculture and are discussed threadbare with the States in respective sessions to avoid any gap in their implementation. 

Today, in the Pre-Kharif Interface workshop, the Divisions of DAC & FW such as Crops, Seeds, Horticulture, Plant Protection, Mechanization and Technology, Integrated Nutrient Management, Natural Resources Management &Rain fed Farming System and Extension, formulated Group Recommendations in response to emerging issues and identified issues based on deliberations with ICAR for the Kharif season 2021.

Secretary (DAC&FW)   Sanjay Agarwal in his concluding remarks emphasized on reducing the cost of cultivation by  using appropriate pest and disease resistant varieties of crops along with cultivation of bio-fortified varieties; enhancement of productivity of Kharif crops especially pulses and oilseeds; reducing the varietal mismatch,  use of drones in agriculture especially in pesticide application, adequate use of mechanization technologies; soil health management practices; management of invasive insect pests, etc. for improving production and productivity in agricultural and horticultural crops.

In order to address the issue of nutritional security along with food security, it has been decided to promote bio fortified varieties of food grains including pulses through National Food Security Mission, now Ministry of Agriculture has decided to change name to National Food and Nutritional Security Mission. 

He expressed that the solution provided to current issues will be passed on to states for further strategizing their action plant for augmenting the production and productivity through better prepositioning of inputs,  new seed varieties, pre decided seed rolling plan, nutrient management, pest management and modern machineries.

The meeting emphasised on reducing the cost

Supply Chain

The company’s efforts are estimated to reduce at least 3M tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade

PepsiCo, Inc. has recently announced a new, impact-driven Positive Agriculture ambition, anchored by a goal to spread regenerative farming practices across 7 million acres, approximately equal to its entire agricultural footprint. The company estimates the effort will eliminate at least 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by the end of the decade. Additional 2030 goals within the agenda include improving the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in its agricultural supply chain and sustainably sourcing 100% of its key ingredients.

PepsiCo’s Positive Agriculture agenda aims to source crops and ingredients in a way that accelerates regenerative agriculture and strengthens farming communities, with a focus on:  

  • Spreading the adoption of regenerative farming practices across 7 million acres – approximately equal to 100% of the land used around the world to grow crops and ingredients for the company’s products. Through efforts with industry-leading partners, the company will expand regenerative agriculture programs to more than 500,000 acres of U.S. farmland by the end of 2021.   
  • Improving the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in its agricultural supply chain and communities, including economically empowering women. 
  • Sustainably sourcing 100% of key ingredients, expanding to include not only its direct-sourced crops (potatoes, whole corn, oats, and oranges), but also key crops from third parties, such as vegetable oils and grains.

The Positive Agriculture agenda is another step in the company’s PepsiCo Positive journey and follows PepsiCo’s recent announcement to double its science-based climate goal, targeting a reduction of absolute greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by more than 40% by 2030, as well as pledging to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.

 

The company’s efforts are estimated to reduce

R&D

The two new Robusta varieties deliver up to 50 per cent higher yields per tree

Nestlé plant scientists have recently developed a new generation of low carbon coffee varieties, through classical non-GMO breeding and by harnessing the plant’s natural biodiversity. Compared to standard varieties, the two new Robusta varieties deliver up to 50% higher yields per tree. Because more coffee can be produced using the same amount of land, fertilizer, and energy, the result is an up to 30% reduction in the CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) footprint of the green coffee beans. Since green beans account for 40-80% of the CO2e emissions of a cup of coffee, these breakthrough varieties significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with coffee consumption.

One of these new Robusta varieties with up to 50% higher yields has already been successfully trialed on fields and is now being grown by farmers in Central America. Ultimately, such new varieties will help farmers earn a better living by enabling them to grow more high-quality coffee on the same amount of land, sustainably, and with a lower carbon footprint.

Similarly, Nestlé is developing new higher-yielding Arabica varieties that are also bred to be more resistant to ’coffee leaf rust’ – a plant disease that has devastated coffee plantations across the Americas.

Furthermore, Nestlé plant scientists have also developed a drought-resistant coffee variety, currently being trialed on fields in Central Africa, that delivers up to 50% higher yields per plant under moderate to severe water stress. This will support the continuation of coffee cultivation in regions impacted by climate change.

Work on new plant varieties is led by the Nestlé Research center for plant sciences in Tours, France. Finally, the new plantlets are proliferated and distributed to farmers globally through Nestlé’s sustainable sourcing programs and partnerships with local agricultural institutes and cooperatives.

 

The two new Robusta varieties deliver up

Agrotech, Finance

His other positions include President of Maharashtra Economic Development Council (MEDC), Director, Cian Agriculture and Infrastructure Ltd, Chairperson, PURTI Cooperative and Founder Member, Indian Federation of Green Energy.

Ravindra Boratkar, Managing Director of MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications Pvt Ltd; Publisher, MMA publications; and Chairperson, Agrovision Foundation, has been appointed as Additional Director on the Board of Directors of Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC) India Ltd., formerly known as Agriculture Finance Corporation Ltd, A deemed government organisation fully owned by NABARD, other commercial banks & Exim Bank of India. AFC is a premier national developmental Consultancy organisation and an institution dedicated to rural prosperity.

The Board of Directors of the AFC India Ltd, in a meeting held on April 15, 2021, appointed Boratkar as Additional Director. The board’s decision of his appointment was communicated to him through a letter by B. Ganeshan, MD, AFC India Ltd.

 “We are sure, with your enormous cross-functional experience and rich expertise in the related areas, the Board of AFC would be further enriched. We look forward to your association and guidance for the growth of the company,” said Ganeshan, MD, AFC India Ltd. in his letter.

Boratkar expressed satisfaction over the appointment and thanked Ganeshan  C D Mayee, Chairman and other board members. He said, “I sincerely thank Chairman, Dr C D Mayee, B Ganeshan, Managing Director and all board members for giving me this opportunity. I shall be glad to associate with & contribute to the best of my abilities for the progress of AFC India Ltd.” 

Boratkar is the Publisher of AgroSpectrum, NuFFooDS Spectrum and BioSpectrum (India & Singapore), B2B monthly magazines and web portals devoted to Agriculture, Nutraceuticals and Food Processing and Biopharma, Life Sciences and Medtech. He is also President of an important economic think tank Maharashtra Economic Development Council (MEDC).

His other positions include Director, Cian Agriculture and Infrastructure Ltd; Chairperson, PURTI Cooperative; Trustee, Bhavsar foundation; and Founder Member, Indian Federation of Green Energy.

He is also the main organiser of Agrovision, Central India’s biggest Agriculture event consisting of Expo, workshops for farmers and Conference in Nagpur for the last 12 years, under the guidance of Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Medium Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) and Chief Patron, Agrovision.    

 

 

His other positions include President of Maharashtra

R&D, Seeds

New partnership aims to provide farmers with new high-potential wheat varieties, enhancing sustainable agricultural practices

 RAGT and Bayer have entered an exclusive collaboration to jointly develop state-of-the-art hybrid wheat varieties. The two companies, which seek to meet the evolving needs of farmers in Europe, will pool their strengths by combining Europe’s leading soft wheat genetics with access to the latest breeding methodologies, high-performing seed production systems and advanced digital solutions.

Through a combination of Bayer’s leading position in wheat crop protection, expertise in seed production systems and its front-running digital solutions in agriculture, and RAGT’s, leading position as a cereal seed company in Europe with constant varietal seed innovations, both companies intend to advance the development of hybrid wheat technology and provide an innovative wheat growing system.

“Hybrid wheat offers farmers the opportunity to meet the challenges of climate change while achieving higher productivity in sustainable cropping systems,” said Bob Reiter, Head of Research and Development at the Crop Science division of Bayer.

Bruno Tremblay, Regional head of Europe, Middle East and Africa for the Bayer Crop Science division said, “Our agreement with RAGT kicks off another exciting collaboration of two historical partners with the complimentary innovation and digital capabilities needed to unlock the potential of the agronomic performance in wheat. Together, we will bring an industry-leading hybrid wheat production system to our growers in Europe. This will also contribute to a more self-sufficient European food and feed production system.” 

Laurent Guerreiro, General Manager of RAGT Semences, said, “RAGT has continuously pursued a sustainable agriculture approach. This agreement, which aims to provide improved wheat and new cultivation practices, will enable us to support farmers even better. We are in line with the needs of an evolving agriculture. These innovations will enable meeting the needs of different types of agriculture”.

 

New partnership aims to provide farmers with

Agro Universities, R&D

It will involve the advancement of training, action research, studies, policy analysis, policy advice, consultancy, monitoring, evaluation, system development and technology development. 

IIT Kharagpur and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) have signed an MoU towards greater collaboration in issues and areas related to the development of cooperatives, agriculture and allied sectors and to the holistic approach towards sustainable development.

The scope of the MoU will involve the advancement of training, action research, studies, policy analysis, policy advice, consultancy, monitoring, evaluation, system development and technology development. Both organizations will collaborate and supplement the utilization of resources and facilities on matters pertaining to ‘Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisation‘, with a focus on sustainable business, capacity building, training and skill development of stakeholders.

Furthermore, skilling of youth through trainee/student exchange program including providing internship opportunities to students or alumni will be pursued under the SAHAKAR MITRA -NCDC Scheme on Internship Program (SIP). A Joint Working Group will also be set up to monitor various activities under the MoU and suggest necessary measures for its development. 

“IIT Kharagpur has been working in various skill development and sustainable development projects through various programs and outreach initiatives at the Dept. of Agricultural and Food Engineering and Center for Rural Development and Innovative Sustainable Technology. Keeping in mind the need to strengthen the rural workforce and build sustainable solutions for them would require more exposure of the students and researchers as well as the target groups and end-users. We believe this collaboration with NCDC will augment a holistic growth towards Atmanirbhar Bharat,” said Director Prof. V K Tewari.

 

It will involve the advancement of training,

Acquaculture, Japan, R&D

The system is designed for tuna farming and utilises image recognition technology to count the fish

Japan-based Yanmar Marine Systems Co., Ltd , a Yanmar Group company, begins accepting orders within Japan for a new automated fish counting system from April 2021. The system is designed for tuna farming and utilizes image recognition technology to count the number of fish.

In fish farming, it is essential to know the number of fish inside each net in order to control production volume and the amount of feed used. Furthermore, in recent years as part of a drive towards more sustainable resource management, fishing vessels are required to accurately report the number of young pacific bluefin tuna caught in the wild, which end up being used for breeding at fish farms. Current methods are laborious and time-intensive requiring manual counting of the total number of fish caught and visually counting underwater images when moving the fish to aquaculture nets.

To tackle this problem and support the aquaculture industry, YMS has developed the Automated Fish Counting System which significantly reduces the time needed to count fish. Yanmar’s Research & Development Center developed image recognition and processing technology and an integrated system including hardware, such as a specially designed underwater camera and image processing computer, to realize real-time automated counting. Under optimal conditions, the system has succeeded in automatically counting tuna with an accuracy of more than 98%. In the future, YMS aims to contribute to greater efficiency and development of the fishing and aquaculture industry by reducing feed costs, cutting work time, and facilitating the accurate reporting of catches.

 

The system is designed for tuna farming

Live Stock, Poultry, World

The company is working with several expert partners to guide its regenerative journey and strengthen its impact.

Consider Pastures has embraced regenerative farming practices, is now available for conscious consumers prioritising products that are both good for the land and good for animals. Consider Pastures breaks from the factory farming model and produces its pasture-raised eggs on small family farms, guided by the tenets of regenerative agriculture. Even the packaging design, a striking deep blue carton inspired by the first egg carton invented in 1911, harkens back to the simpler, common sense values farmers once lived by.

The Consider Pastures brand comes from Pete and Gerry’s Organics, LLC, producers of Pete and Gerry’s Organic and Nellie’s Free Range Eggs, the #1 egg brands in their respective categories, whose history of leading the industry in the creation of better production practices continues with its introduction of Consider Pastures.

In contrast, each Consider Pastures farm will operate in a way that improves biodiversity and soil health.  Specific measures include:

  • Zero use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers
  • No deep tilling or fallow rotation to help protect the soil from erosion and nutrient loss
  • Increasing the organic matter and carbon sequestering ability of the soil through the strategic use of cover crops
  • Multi-species livestock integration
  • Planting/encouraging wildflowers such as clover and milkweed to assist in pollinator health
  • Installation of bat houses as natural pest control

Consider Pastures is working with several expert partners to guide its regenerative journey and strengthen its impact, including Understanding Ag on technical expertise and soil testing. 

 

 

The company is working with several expert

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agrotech, Europe, Organic

Ecocert approves Sovinol P740/O for organic crop nutrition products prolonging the shelf-life of agricultural biostimulants, giving suppliers a more robust supply chain 

Belgium based Minagro, a developer of high-quality green and safe products and solutions for the crop care industry, recently announced that its co-formulant Sovinol P740/O is now Ecocert certified for use as an in-can preservative for organic fertilizers. Sovinol P740/O, which protects liquid crop nutrient products from microbial contamination, improves the preservation of agricultural biostimulants, such as organic fertilizers; potentially prolonging their shelf life from six months to a minimum of two years.

Ecocert approval of Minagro’s Sovinol P740/O confirms that suppliers of organic crop nutrition products, which boost plant production and overcome abiotic stress, can safely use this co-formulant in-can preservative and continue to meet the organic label requirement.

“As Ecocert is one of the most prominent industry organizations to monitor organic agricultural products, we at Minagro are delighted that our Sovinol P740/O, a co-formulant in-can preservative for use in organic crop nutrition products, is certified,’ said Arnold de Maere, sales & marketing manager at Minagro.

Liquid fertilizer products, principally agricultural biostimulants based on natural plant, seaweed or fermentation extracts, help crops overcome abiotic stress such as low or high temperature, high salinity and deficient or excessive water, especially in the early stages of plant development.

 

Ecocert approves Sovinol P740/O for organic crop

Environment, Live Stock

NFWF will manage a competitive grant program that will enable nonprofit conservation groups

Sysco and Cargill, two of the world’s largest food companies, have announced a major new partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) that will help ranchers in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas and Colorado tackle the impacts of climate change and improve grasslands and wildlife habitat by creating one of the largest sustainable beef cattle grazing efforts in the nation.

Through a public-private partnership, $5 million in funding from Sysco and Cargill will accelerate the implementation of sustainable grazing practices over the next five years across 1 million acres in the Southern Great Plains, an area responsible for approximately 30% of the beef produced in the United States. With the commitments from Sysco and Cargill today, the Southern Plains Grassland Program has the potential to sequester up to 360,000 metric tons of carbon per year or the equivalent of removing 78,000 passenger vehicles from the road in one year.

NFWF will manage a competitive grant program that will enable nonprofit conservation groups, ranching collaboratives/associations, and agencies at the state and local level to engage with ranchers at a scale not seen before in the region, a successful model utilized by NFWF in landscapes across the country.

The sustainable grazing practices implemented by ranchers with support from this program will have far-reaching impact by:

  • Improving soil health and protecting from erosion and compaction
  • Promoting biodiversity
  • Increasing carbon storage
  • Safeguarding the livelihoods of ranchers and rural communities in the region

 

NFWF will manage a competitive grant program

Organic

A webinar will cover the basics on April 20th at 12 pm Pacific time

Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) and partners of the Tomato Organic Management and Improvement Project (TOMI) have announced recently two new tools to help growers produce tomato seed using organic practices.

The new Tomato Seed Production Guide, and an accompanying webinar on April 20, 2021, Growing Organic Tomato Seed: A How-To Virtual Training, provide practical information for growers interested in producing high-quality tomato seed for their own farm or to sell commercially. These resources are applicable to growers of all scales.

According to the US Department of Agriculture data, tomatoes are the fourth largest organic vegetable crop by sales, demonstrating the popularity of this iconic summer crop. Organic growers are required to use organic seed unless commercially unavailable, which means as demand for organic food grows, so too does the demand for organic seed to help growers meet this regulatory requirement.

The Tomato Seed Production Guide offers readers a comprehensive resource for growing organic tomato seed from start to finish, beginning with the history of tomatoes, the various types and fruit colors, as well as the lifecycle and biology. The guide outlines climatic requirements and how to select for desired traits, which includes recommendations for isolation distances to maintain genetics and population sizes.

The April 20th webinar will take place from 12:00 – 1:00 pm Pacific Time. Participation is free but pre-registration is required at the link below. TOMI partners Laurie McKenzie and Jared Zystro from OSA, and Plant Pathologist Dan Egel from Purdue University, will provide a summary of recommendations in the guide – including tomato biology, climatic requirements, genetic maintenance, disease management, and how to harvest, clean, and store tomato seed – while answering questions from participants.

A webinar will cover the basics on

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Foodgrains, Schemes - Govt

Till 18th April 2021, about Rs 202.69 crore in Punjab and about Rs 1417 crore in Haryana has been transferred directly into farmers’ account.

For the first time, farmers of Punjab have started receiving payments directly into their bank accounts against the sale of their Rabi crops. In the last week, about Rs 202.69 crore has already transferred directly into Punjab farmers’ account.

In the ongoing Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2021-22, the Government of India is continuing to procure Rabi crops at MSP from farmers as per the existing Price Support Scheme. The Government of India has plans to procure around 427 LMT wheat in the current RMS at MSP in the central pool.

Wheat procurement has picked up pace in the last week and is going on briskly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other States with the purchase of over 121.7 LMT up to 18th April 2021 against 5.23 LMT during the corresponding period of last year. 

Out of the total purchase of 121.7 LMT, major contribution has been made by Haryana- 44.8 LMT (36.8%), Punjab- 41.8 LMT (34.2%) and Madhya Pradesh -28.5 LMT (23.4%) of total procurement as of April 18, 2021.

About 11.6 Lakh Wheat farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing RMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 24,037.56 Crore. During last week a quantity of 92.47 LMT Wheat has been procured.

This year, a new chapter has been added in the history of public procurement when Haryana and Punjab also switched from indirect payment of MSP to direct online transfer of benefits to farmers’ bank account by all the procuring agencies as per direction of GOI, which is being rejoiced by the farmers of Punjab/Haryana as for the first time they are receiving direct benefits against the sale of their hard toiled crops without any delay and cuts under “One Nation, One MSP, One DBT”.

 Till 18th April 2021, about Rs 202.69 crore in Punjab and about Rs 1417 crore in Haryana has been transferred directly into farmers’ account.

 

 

 

 

Till 18th April 2021, about Rs

Agrotech, R&D, Sustainable Energy

The sugarcane syrup-based ethanol plant at Godavari Biorefineries Ltd (GBL) in Karnataka, aims to increase the Ethanol manufacturing quantity in India using various sugary feedstocks. 

Praj Industries has bagged an order to set up India’s largest capacity sugarcane syrup-based ethanol plant from Godavari Biorefineries Ltd (GBL) in Karnataka. As a part of this project, Praj will expand the existing ethanol manufacturing capacity to 600 KLPD, using sugarcane syrup.

When commissioned, this will become India’s largest capacity syrup-based ethanol plant. The Government of India has made several strategic interventions by way of progressive policies, conducive financial mechanisms, to encourage the sugar sector to limit surplus sugar production and instead, produce more ethanol. This capacity expansion planned by GBL is in line with the Government’s Biofuel policy to increase the Ethanol manufacturing quantity in India using various sugary feedstocks.

The expansion capacity at GBL Plant will continue to be a zero liquid discharge facility. The expansion will maintain zero liquid discharge norms by deploying innovative technology i.e. SHIFT, developed in Praj’s state-of-the-art R&D facility – Praj Matrix. The ‘SHIFT’ technology minimizes energy and water footprint while maximizing value for customers.

 Samir Somaiya, Chairman & Managing Director of Godavari Biorefineries Limited (GBL) said, “Responding to government’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, we decided to divert sugar cane syrup to the distillery to manufacture Ethanol. We are happy for our association with Praj as our technology partner for increasing our manufacturing capacity. Praj will design, engineer, supply, install and increase our capacity from 400 KLPD to 600 KLPD ethanol production using sugar syrup as raw material. We look forward to building on our mutually rewarding relationship with Praj with our new ventures.”

 Shishir Joshipura, CEO & MD of Praj said, “Praj is delighted to work with an industry leader and to bring its state of the art syrup to ethanol technology, to establish India’s largest syrup-based ethanol plant. Praj has over a decade’s experience in designing and building syrup to ethanol systems in overseas markets. Our technology delivers best in class yields enhancing the delivered value for our customer.”

This is expected to open more similar opportunities in syrup to ethanol manufacturing and ultimately boost ethanol production in the country.

The sugarcane syrup-based ethanol plant at Godavari