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AgroPolicy, Foodgrains

Punjab alone has contributed 202.82 LMT which is 31.70% of total paddy procurement 

In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21, the government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at MSP from farmers as per existing MSP Schemes, as was done in previous seasons.

Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka, West Bengal and Tripura with purchase of over 639.74 LMTs of paddy up to 13.02.2021.This is an increase of 15.71 per cent against the last year corresponding purchase of 552.85 LMT. Out of the total purchase of 639.74 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 202.82 LMT which is 31.70% of total procurement.

About 91.89 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 1,20,783.48 Crore.

 

Punjab alone has contributed 202.82 LMT which

Supply Chain, Transportation

The use of the Kakinada deep-water port will help in boosting India’s rice exports potential. 

In a major boost to India’s rice export potential, a consignment has been shipped from the Kakinada deep-water port. Andhra Pradesh government had granted approval for use of Kakinada deep-water port for rice exports as adjourning anchorage port was facing congestion.

A shipment of one of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA)’s member exporter M/S Satyam Balajee Rice Industries Pvt Ltd (produced, sourced and processed at Chhattisgarh) from the Kakinada deep-water port was shipped on February 12, 2021.

A flag-off ceremony at the Kakinada port was attended by Dr M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, Mr D Muralidhar Reddy, District Collector, East Godavari, Dr G Lakshmisha, Joint Collector, East Godavari, Mr M Muralidhar, CEO, Kakinada Sea Port, SS Nayyar, General Manager and Vinita Sudhanshu, Deputy-General Manager, APEDA and officials from Directorate of Industries & Export Promotion, Port Officer, PQ official, representative of trade and labour attended the flag-off ceremony.

APEDA, which registers and supervises rice exports, had communicated to the Andhra Pradesh government to let exporters use the Kakinada deep-water port. The use of the Kakinada deep-water port, under the control of the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board, will help in boosting India’s rice exports potential. The Kakinada anchorage port has been facing congestion problems, especially in shipping rice, as demand for rice from India has seen a sharp spike especially in the current financial year (2020-21). The Rice Exporters Association, Kakinada had also made a similar request to the Andhra Pradesh government.

 

 

The use of the Kakinada deep-water port

E-commerce, Machinery – Post-harvesting

Dynatrack provides an extendable wheelbase, which makes it ideally suitable for agricultural, haulage and commercial applications for round-the-year usage.

World’s third-largest tractor manufacturer, Chennai-based TAFE – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, has launched its new DYNATRACK series – an advanced range of tractors that offers dynamic performance, sophisticated technology, unmatched utility and versatility, all engineered into a single powerful tractor.

The new DYNATRACK series is designed to deliver greater productivity while ensuring good mileage, durability and comfort. The DYNATRACK’s DynaLIFT® hydraulics system moves the tractor to the top of its segment by offering superior lift capacity, productivity and speed that lasts a lifetime.

The world’s first tractor with VersaTECH™ technology, DYNATRACK provides an extendable wheelbase, which makes it ideally suitable for agricultural, haulage and commercial applications for round-the-year usage. It offers maximum ground clearance, making it best-in-class for all-terrain operations including puddling and easy crossing of bunds.

Launching the DYNATRACK series, Mallika Srinivasan, Chairperson and Managing Director – TAFE, said, “The DYNATRACK Series from TAFE sets new benchmarks in the tractor industry by offering utility and versatility, comfort and safety, productivity and efficiency, to meet the ever-evolving needs and aspirations of modern-day farmers and rural entrepreneurs, empowering them with superior technology and advantages that enrich their lives and livelihood.”

With the introduction of the DYNATRACK series, TAFE redefines the benchmarks in its class and demonstrates the prowess of Indian engineering at its best.

Dynatrack provides an extendable wheelbase, which makes

Agrotech, Environment

The SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) evaluates over 7000 companies around the world for sustainability practices 

 UPL Ltd. has announced its inclusion in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2021 for its strong performance in environmental, social and governance risk management. The SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) is issued annually by S&P global. This year, UPL Ltd. not only secured a spot in this prestigious Yearbook, but is also the only crop protection company globally to do so, securing their position as an industry leader. UPL Ltd is one of the 633 companies globally and 21 in India to have featured in the yearbook.

 Manjit Jus, Global Head of ESG Research, S&P Global said: “We congratulate UPL for achieving a place in The Sustainability Yearbook 2021. With over 7,000 companies assessed, an inclusion in the yearbook is a true statement of corporate sustainability excellence.”

In order to be listed in the Yearbook, companies must score within the top 15% of their industry and must achieve an S&P Global ESG Score within 30% of their industry’s top-performing company.

“We are honoured to be included in The Sustainability Yearbook 2021, proving our leadership in sustainability,” said Jai Shroff, CEO of UPL. “With sustainability at top of mind for multiple stakeholders, UPL’s intends to keep the momentum going and will continue to hold ourselves accountable through measurable performance. This is one of the ways in which we will achieve our mission to change the game and make every single food product more sustainable.”

In addition to the companies’ sustainability scores derived from the CSA, a qualitative screen based on SAM’s Media and Stakeholder Analysis (MSA) is applied to determine eligibility for inclusion in the Sustainability Yearbook. The MSA is based on an examination of media coverage and publicly available stakeholder information provided by RepRisk ESG Business Intelligence and evaluates a company’s response to critical sustainability issues that may arise during the year.

DJSI has rated UPL 100% in environmental reporting, water related risks & social reporting. The company scored 100% in 22 questions out of 37 questions under environmental dimensions.

The SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) evaluates

AgroPolicy

11 projects of Rs 2560 lakhs have been sanctioned under NBHM for Awareness & Capacity building in scientific beekeeping

Keeping in view the importance of beekeeping as part of the Integrated Farming System in the country, the government has recently approved the allocation for Rs 500 crore for National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) for three years (2020-21 to 2022-23). The mission was announced as part of the AtmaNirbhar Bharat scheme. NBHM aims for the overall promotion & development of scientific beekeeping in the country to achieve the goal of ‘Sweet Revolution’ which is being implemented through the National Bee Board (NBB).

The main objective of NBHM is to promote holistic growth of beekeeping industry for income and employment generation for farm and non-farm households, to enhance agriculture/ horticulture production, developing infrastructural facilities, including setting up of Integrated Beekeeping Development Centre (IBDC)s/CoE, honey testing labs, bee disease diagnostic labs, custom hiring centres, Api-therapy centres, nucleus stock, bee breeders, etc. and empowerment of women through beekeeping.

Besides,  the scheme also aims to create awareness about scientific beekeeping under Mini Mission-I, post-harvest management of beekeeping, beehive products, including collection, processing, storage, marketing, value addition, etc. under Mini Mission-II and Research & Technology generation in beekeeping under Mini Mission-III. Rs 150 crore has been allotted to NBHM for 2020-21.

11 projects of Rs 2560 lakhs have been sanctioned under NBHM for Awareness & Capacity building in scientific beekeeping, empowerment of Women through beekeeping, technology demonstrations on the impact of Honeybees on yield enhancement & quality improvements of agriculture/horticulture produce. It also aims to make farmers aware of the distribution of specialized Beekeeping equipment for the production of high-value products, viz. Royal Jelly, Bee Venom, Comb Honey, etc.

11 projects of Rs 2560 lakhs have

North America

ReStalk looks to position itself as the largest supplier of American manufactured hemp pulp

ReStalk, Inc has entered into a licensing agreement with Sustainable Fiber Technologies (SFT) of Renton, WA, enabling the company to utilize the Sustainable Fiber Technologies’ suite of IP to process hemp into cellulose pulp and biopolymers. 

“Consumer demand for new sources of sustainable packaging is accelerating worldwide. Along with forest-based fibers, we see tremendous interest in hemp and similar alternative agricultural fibers. We believe ReStalk has the potential to successfully address unmet demand for hemp fiber and take green packaging to the next level,” commented Warren Pullen, EVP at Central National Gottesman, the global leader in pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and non-wovens distribution.

ReStalk looks to position itself as the largest supplier of American manufactured hemp pulp to be used in a variety of applications, most notably, sustainable packaging. “Throughout the last several years ReStalk has searched for a technology partner that would allow us to manufacture a superior pulp product at scale with minimal environmental impact. After comparing yields and footprints with a host of technologies, SFT has proven to be best in class worldwide. We’re thrilled to be moving forward as the first licensee to use hemp as the primary feedstock,” noted ReStalk’s President, Benjamin Cassou.

As the pandemic caused by COVID-19 continues to disrupt global supply chains, the need for scalable sustainable solutions has never been more necessary. This mill will position ReStalk as the largest supplier of American manufactured hemp pulp to be used in a variety of applications.

ReStalk looks to position itself as the

E-commerce, Malaysia, Poultry

The partnership will add more supply flexibility for both companies

Tyson Foods, Inc. and Malayan Flour Mills Berhad have recently announced a partnership in which Tyson Foods will invest in the Malaysia-based company’s vertically integrated poultry business, which will add more supply flexibility for both companies. The transaction is subject to approval by the shareholders of Malayan Flour Mills Berhad (MFM), amongst others. 

“Once completed, the poultry deal will optimize our existing Malaysia business and expand MFM’s poultry business,” said Chris Langholz, International President of Tyson Foods. 
 
TYSON FOODS MALAYSIA currently operates one plant and one innovation center. MFM’s vertically integrated poultry business includes feed mills, hatcheries, farms, and processing facilities.

“We are pleased to partner with Tyson Foods to expand MFM’s long-established poultry business,” said Teh Wee Chye, managing director for MFM. “Tyson Foods is one of the world’s largest food production companies with strong global manufacturing and distribution footprint. Malaysia is one of the key poultry markets in Southeast Asia, with a high per capita consumption of poultry.” 

 

The partnership will add more supply flexibility

E-commerce, R&D

ODM will help researchers at Corteva Agriscience accelerate the characterization of novel seed and crop protection solutions 

Corteva Agriscience has signed a multi-year agreement with Genestack Limited to implement and license the use of Omics Data Manager, Genestack’s multi-omics data catalog, curation and integrative search product. This agreement will facilitate the full utilization of collected research data, enabling insights to help improve the delivery of products, services and solutions to benefit farmers.

Omics Data Manager (ODM) will help researchers at Corteva Agriscience accelerate the characterization of novel seed and crop protection solutions through better aggregation of experimental data. ODM provides a single, modern, interface to identify the biological samples of interest across public and internal datasets, which, combined with powerful curation tools, will enable Corteva researchers to ensure the accuracy and validity of study, sample, and analysis metadata. Ultimately, ODM will empower Corteva to FAIRify (make Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) and fully utilize their omics datasets. 

“The software will allow bioinformaticians, discovery scientists and data scientists to collaboratively design new omics studies on a common platform, capture rich metadata and relationships between current and past studies, performing large-scale, cross-study queries across multi-omics datasets. We look forward to implementing these tools across Corteva Agriscience R&D,” said Jochen Scheel, Leader – Data Science and Informatics, Corteva Agriscience. 

“ODM is our latest product and it builds on years of work with top industry partners. We’re proud of the modern technology stack, flexible multi-omics data, metadata models and APIs, as well as our focus on great user experience. We are really excited to work with Corteva, who are ready to adapt and extend our technology for the needs of agriscience research. We believe firmly that modern enterprise data strategy is not just about software, but also about the right team and an agile, collaborative, long-term thinking approach,” said Misha Kapushesky, CEO, Genestack Limited.

 

 

ODM will help researchers at Corteva Agriscience

North America, R&D, Seeds

Syngenta increased genetic trialing by more than 30%, offers a deeper, more extensive understanding of how hybrids perform in different environments and soil types. 

For many growers, elite corn hybrids with the most current trait packages are the pivotal factor behind strong yield and profit potential.  To give growers highly informed choices, Syngenta increased genetic trialling by more than 30 per cent, offering a deeper, more extensive understanding of how hybrids perform in different environments and soil types. 

“A greater understanding of how our pipeline performs in local environments means we can place products on farms with a higher level of confidence because we’ve tested them in research and development (R&D) trials under a wide variety of environments,” said Drew Showalter, strategic marketing manager for corn at Syngenta Seeds. 

The Trait Conversion Accelerator, a $30 million corn breeding facility in Nampa, Idaho, is home to the Syngenta R&D and seed production site where a majority of Syngenta North American corn trait conversion work takes place.

The site features state-of-the-art greenhouses and laboratories that provide reliable, controlled growing environments where Syngenta incorporates desired genes from trait donor sources into elite cultivars or breeding lines. The site ultimately furthers the Syngenta commitment to agronomic innovation.

These investments and trials test for regional challenges like yield consistency and standability by simulating various growing environments. Testing products in extensive, controlled environments and implementing comprehensive data collection allow Syngenta to bring fully tested, specialized corn hybrids and seed traits to market that meet the needs of specific local geographies with varying conditions.

“We develop products with growers’ production problems first and foremost in mind,” said Tim O’Brien, Ph.D., Agrisure® traits manager at Syngenta. “We’re not just developing hybrids, varieties or traits for the sake of building a portfolio — we direct our research to solve the problems that keep farmers up at night.”

Syngenta increased genetic trialing by more than

Agro chems – Pesticides, Finance, Seeds

Bayer CropScience earned revenue from operations of ₹9,182 million, as compared to ₹8,540 million in the corresponding period of FY 2019-20

Bayer CropScience Limited has announced its unaudited results for the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2020. In the third quarter (Q3) of Financial Year (FY) 2020-21, Bayer CropScience Limited (BCSL) earned Revenue from Operations of ₹9,182 million, as compared to ₹8,540 million in the corresponding period of FY 2019-20. Profit Before Exceptional Items and Tax stood at ₹1,061 million, compared to ₹1,612 million in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

Commenting on the company’s quarterly performance, D. Narain, Managing Director & CEO, Bayer CropScience Limited, said, “Our third quarter was driven by double-digit sales growth in our Crop Protection products, especially in fungicides and herbicides. It was adversely affected by low commodity prices for corn in India, which caused sizeable reduction in corn acreages, especially in the late corn segment and significantly lowered sales of our corn seeds. Overall profitability for Q3 was impacted due to the drop in high margin corn seed volumes, along with impacts driven by strong customer initiatives to widen the market reach of our Crop Protection portfolio, and a non-cash actuarial effect related to employee benefits.”

For the nine months ended December 31, 2020, Bayer CropScience Limited reported Revenue from Operations of ₹35,276 million, compared to ₹31,507 million for the corresponding period in FY 2019-20. Profit Before Exceptional Items and Tax for the nine months ended December 31, 2020 stood at ₹7,159 million, compared to ₹6,590 million for the corresponding period in FY 2019-20.

Key developments during April to December 2020, included the company’s strong efforts to scale up its new business models, including its partnerships with players across the crop value chain. In the third quarter, Bayer’s Better Life Farming global value chain initiative in India for improving rural livelihoods and promoting self-reliant agri-entrepreneurs was scaled up significantly. Currently 440 Better Life Farming centres are operational across nine states in India. Further, BCSL ensured business continuity despite the uncertainty due to Covid-19 restrictions and provided real-time crop advisory to over six million Indian farmers through digital connects in thirteen regional languages.

 

 

 

 

Bayer CropScience earned revenue from operations of

AgroPolicy, Machinery – Post-harvesting

The most important benefit for the farmer will be to save more than one lakh rupees annually on fuel costs.

India’s first-ever diesel Tractor, converted to CNG, will be formally launched by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on February 12, 2021. The conversion, carried out jointly by Rawmatt Techno Solutions and Tomasetto Achille India, will help farmers increase their income, by lowering costs and help to create job opportunities in rural India.

Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Narendra Singh Tomar, Parshottam Rupala and Gen. (Retd) VK Singh will also be present at the launch. The most important benefit for the farmer will be to save more than one lakh rupees annually on fuel costs, which will help them to improve their livelihood.  

Important benefits of conversion to CNG are:    

  • It is a Clean Fuel as it has the lowest content of carbon and other pollutants. 
  • It is Economical as it has zero lead and is non-corrosive, non-dilutive and non-contaminating which helps in increasing the life of the engine and it requires less regular maintenance. 
  • It is Cheaper as CNG prices are far more consistent than fluctuating Petrol prices.
  • It is Safer as CNG tanks come with a tight seal, which reduces the possibility of explosion while refueling or in the event of a spill. 
  • It is the Future as at present around 12 million vehicles are already powered by natural gas throughout the world and more companies & municipalities are joining the CNG movement every day. 

The most important benefit for the farmer

Organic

Using these markers, Kayagene can now reduce, by 50 per cent, the time required to incorporate the autoflower trait into their proprietary elite cannabis and hemp varieties

NRGene, a leading genomics AI company and Kayagene, a pioneer in hemp and cannabis breeding, have recently announced the completion of a milestone in their strategic research collaboration.

This ongoing collaboration was initiated over 2 years ago, beginning with genomic assembly of several of Kayagene’s cannabis and hemp breeding lines, using NRGene’s DenovoMAGIC technology. Now, the companies have successfully mapped several key genes including the auto-flowering gene, which is a highly desired trait and of great interest for the hemp and cannabis industries. NRGene estimates, that following the development of DNA markers for the auto-flowering trait, it is now possible to integrate this trait into any hemp and cannabis variety within 12 to 18 months.

Cannabis and hemp plants are typically photoperiod dependent, meaning the plants start flowering only when daylength becomes shorter and approaches 12 hours. However, cannabis and hemp plants harboring the day-neutral or “autoflower” gene, flower automatically when they are 3-4 weeks old, no matter the daylength. Thus, varieties with this trait can be grown year-round in greenhouse or fields without the necessity to manipulate daylength, which is cost-efficient for multiple flowers or seed harvests.

Trait mapping and marker-assisted breeding are vital in a competitive market because it accelerates the time to market for unique and improved varieties harboring those key traits. The use of molecular markers enables rapid and accurate selections and reduces the presence of deleterious genes introduced by traditional breeding methods.

Using these markers, Kayagene can now reduce,

R&D, Start ups, Supply Chain

Latest collaboration aims to curtail post-harvest losses in tomato, potato, onion, carrot, pomegranate & apple

Chennai based WayCool Foods has signed a 1-year MoU with Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) to develop sustainable and optimal technology for enhancing the shelf life of selected fruits and vegetables. The MoU was signed and exchanged between Karthik Jayaraman, CEO, WayCool Foods and Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan, Director, IIFPT. Earlier this year, WayCool joined hands with IIT-Hyderabad, reinforcing commitment to reducing food wastage.

The aim of this association is to develop solutions that will retain the freshness of fruits and vegetables for a longer period, leading to reduction in food wastage across the supply chain at all levels. These solutions are targeted at enhancing the shelf life of fresh produce such as, tomato, potato, onion, carrot, pomegranate, and apple. WayCool has invested more than Rs 3 million so far in such industry-academia sustainability initiatives targeting reduction in food wastage through collaboration, technology, and innovation.

On the occasion of the MoU signing, Subramanian Akkulan, EVP Innovation, WayCool Foods said, “WayCool has been actively working towards driving sustainability and reducing food wastage. IIFPT has done pioneering research in shelf-life extension technologies and we are happy to partner with the premier institute for developing the next generation of these technologies. We believe that it is critical to develop indigenous solutions that work well in the Indian context and will continue to build such partnerships with premier Indian institutions, in addition to our own R and D work.”

During the MoU signing, Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan, Director, IIFPT said, “We are happy to collaborate with WayCool Foods to develop such unique solutions to enhance the shelf life of Fruits & Vegetables whilst also reducing the overall food wastage across the supply chain at all levels. It is important to devise ways to create uncompromised innovations that meet our sustainability goals.”

Latest collaboration aims to curtail post-harvest losses

Acquaculture, Agrotech, Start ups

This Award gives a platform to Agri Startups to showcase their exemplary projects implemented on a range of issues impacting Indian Agriculture and allied sectors.

The pioneer in tech infused Aqua farming, Aquaconnect, wins the 1st runner up ’Best Agri Startup in Application of Digital Technologies (Mature Stage) Award’ in the 3rd edition of Virtual FICCI Summit & Awards for Agri Start-Ups held on February 9-10, 2021. This Award gives a platform to Agri Startups to showcase their exemplary projects implemented on a range of issues impacting Indian Agriculture and allied sectors. The award was presented by  B.C. Patil, Hon. Agriculture Minister, Government of Karnataka. 

BC Patil, Agriculture Minister, Govt of Karnataka said that agri start-ups can provide missing links in the agricultural value chain and deliver efficient, innovative products, technologies and services to farmers and consumers.

On the award achievement Rajamanohar Somasundaram, CEO and Founder of Aquaconnect said, “I thank FICCI for recognising Aquaconnect as a winner of FICCI Agri Startup Awards. It is a great validation and encouragement for us to continue our efforts to improve the efficiencies of Indian fisheries and aquaculture value chains through technology intervention.” 

 TR Kesavan, Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE Ltd emphasized that every agri start-up has its own strength and there is a need to create a dedicated cell for agri start-ups.

Aquaconnect is a full-stack aquaculture technology venture that works with 13,000+ shrimp and fish aquaculture farmers in various states of India to improve their farm productivity and market linkage through AI and satellite remote sensing technology.

This Award gives a platform to Agri