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Poultry

The program will enhance the current poultry food and farming system to build a viable and equitable market system.

Heifer International and Cargill in partnership with the National and County Governments have recently announced the expansion of Hatching Hope into Kenya. Hatching Hope Kenya will reach 10 million people in its first phase (2019-2022), through a combination of direct support to farmers and consumer-awareness campaigns, contributing to a global goal of improving the nutrition and incomes of 100 million people by 2030.

In Kenya, 1.82 million children suffer from chronic malnutrition– over a quarter of the under-5 population. By working across the poultry supply chain, Hatching Hope Kenya will sustainably improve smallholder farmer incomes and increase the awareness and availability of nutrient-rich chicken and eggs for families in Western Kenya.

The program will enhance the current poultry food and farming system to build a viable and equitable market system through a sustainable ‘Distributor Model’ to improve feed access and technical support for 46,000 poultry farming households.

Hatching Hope Kenya will support farmers to more than halve the living income gap over the next three years. The program focuses on poultry because many local smallholder farmers are already raising chickens and all household members can engage in poultry production – especially women and youth. Poultry is easy to feed, breed and bring to market, and chickens grow fast to provide income quickly.

 

The program will enhance the current poultry

Agrotech, Machinery - Pre-harvesting

 Krish-e Champion Award recognizes and honors individuals & institutions for their exemplary contribution towards farming and related services 

Mahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector, India’s leading tractor manufacturer and part of the USD 19.4 billion Mahindra Group announced the winners of the inaugural Krish-e Champion Awards on 30th January 2021. These awards take forward the spirit of the Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Awards (MSIAA) that were instituted in 2011. At the first edition of the Krish-e Champion Awards, 10 national awards were presented to winners in 4 categories.

A biannual event, aligned with the Kharif and Rabi seasons, the Krish-e Champion Awards recognize and felicitate individual farmers as well as institutions who have risen above the ordinary by accepting no limits, thinking innovatively & driving positive change in the agriculture sector. Through the Krish-e Champion Awards, Mahindra aims to inspire millions of farmers and agripreneurs to build a promising future for the country.

Farmers from 29 Krish-e centres of India participated in the regional round of the Krish-e Champion Awards, with the Regional Award winners nominated for the National Awards in the categories of: Takneek Champion, Mahila Kisan Champion, Yuva Kisan Champion and Rental Partner Champion awards.

Speaking on the occasion,  Hemant Sikka, President, Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said “Taking forward the strong tradition of felicitating change-makers at the ground level and in a bid to build further on the huge success of the erstwhile Samriddhi Awards we are now pleased to launch the Krish-e Champion Awards. This builds on the legacy of nearly a decade of celebrating farmers and we are confident that these awards will inspire the champion farmers of tomorrow and accelerate the pace of change to India’s agri sector.”

 Ramesh Ramachandran, Senior Vice President, FES Strategy & FaaS, M&M Ltd., “We launched the Krish-e brand to make a difference to farming outcomes by offering farming services that bring the benefits of superior agronomy, mechanization and digitization. To date Krish-e has increased the yield of farmers by upto 15%, brought down the cost of farming by about 8% -12% and increased profit by upto Rs 6000  per acre. This reflects the passion of those progressive farmers who have adopted new practices to improve their outcomes. The Krish-e Champion Awards celebrate the progress of these farmers who took this first and very important step with us.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Krish-e Champion Award recognizes and honors individuals

Agro chems – Chemicals, AgroPolicy

The only upside in the budget is that the proposed increase of agriculture credit is likely to increase the purchasing power of the farmers. 

Being one of the key agri inputs sector, Agrochemical sector is disappointed with the Union Budget 2021-2022 as it does not support vision of “Make in India” and increasing Farmers’ Income, said Pradip Dave, President, Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI).

 Dave opined that , “The focus of the budget this year was on strengthening the healthcare system of India, which stemmed as a critical lesson of the pandemic. However, on the industry side, we do not have much for the agrochemical sector. The only upside is that the proposed increase of agriculture credit is likely to increase the purchasing power of the farmers, which will, in turn, become a factor of growth for the agrochemical sector. The MSMEs may benefit from the increase in customs duty and withdrawal of exemption on certain imports. But largely, this budget does not have much for us”

Add to support Atmanirbhar,  PMFAI suggested an increase in customs duty on import 10 per cent to 30  per cent  on import of ready-made pesticides formulation government has failed to protect & support Indian Pesticides industries. PMFAI appeal to reduce GST to 5 per cent from 18 per cent to help farmers also ignored, he further added.

The only upside in the budget

Acquaculture

The report stressed every stage of the fisheries and aquaculture supply chain is susceptible to being disrupted.

According to a new report launched by the UN deputy agriculture chief on February 2, 2021, COVID-19 has caused ’widespread upheaval’ for the whole fishing and aquaculture industry around the world.

“Production has been disrupted, supply chains have been interrupted and consumer spending restricted by various lockdowns”, said Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

And as containment restraints continue to affect supply and demand, further interference may impact the sector throughout the year, according to FAO’s ’The impact of COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture food systems’ report. 

While containment restrictions are expected to have pushed fish supply, consumption, and trade revenues for 2020 into decline, the report noted that global aquaculture production – the cultivation of all organisms including plants, and other saltwater or freshwater organisms – may also have recorded its first drop in years. 

The report stressed every stage of the fisheries and aquaculture supply chain is susceptible to being disrupted or stopped by these restrictions. 

The Fish Price Index is down for most traded species and restaurant and hotel closures in many countries have prompted falling demand for fresh fish.  

The FAO report indicated that unsold aquaculture products would increase live fish stocks, creating higher costs for feeding and more fish mortalities.  

 

The report stressed every stage of the

E-commerce, IT

Multi-year collaboration will use artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning to accelerate the invention of new, more sustainable products and technologies for growers .

Syngenta Crop Protection is collaborating with artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning company Insilico Medicine to accelerate the invention and development of new, more effective crop protection solutions that protect crops from diseases, weeds and pests, while also protecting ecosystems. By bringing new solutions to farmers faster and more efficiently through innovation, Syngenta will help them meet the ongoing challenges they face, in order to enhance productivity and meet global demand for affordable, quality food. 

“This collaboration with Insilico Medicine means that Syngenta can harness the immense potential and scope of AI to develop the next generation of sustainable crop protection solutions as part of Syngenta’s $2bn commitment to innovation and sustainability,” said Camilla Corsi, Head Crop Protection Research at Syngenta. 

Insilico Medicine has a proven track record and has delivered significant advances in pharmaceutical research, using AI and deep learning to design, synthesize and validate new ingredients. The same approach also has the potential to transform the development of new crop protection solutions that help keep plants safe, from planting to harvesting. Working closely with Syngenta, Insilico Medicine will use their AI-powered small molecule generative chemistry technology not only to invent molecules for active ingredients faster, but also actively design molecules that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

 Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO, Insilico Medicine said, “Our artificial intelligence is designed from the ground up to produce very precise chemistry to protect human health, while ensuring short-term and long-term safety. This expertise is extremely valuable for crop sciences, and especially so for businesses whose top priority is the safety of their products. Syngenta is a progressive company with many brilliant scientists, and we will be working together to use artificial intelligence for the benefit of agriculture.”

 

Multi-year collaboration will use artificial intelligence (AI)

Finance, Machinery – Post-harvesting

Domestic sales in January 2021 were at 33,562 units, as against 22,329 units during January 2020

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES), a part of the USD 19.4 billion Mahindra Group, has announced its tractor sales numbers for January 2021. Domestic sales in January 2021 were at 33,562 units, as against 22,329 units during January 2020.

Total tractor sales (Domestic + Exports) during January 2021 were at 34,778 units, as against 23,116 units for the same period last year. Exports for the month stood at 1,216 units.

Commenting on the performance, Hemant Sikka, President – Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “We have sold 33,562 tractors in the domestic market during January 2021 with a growth of 50% over last year. Tractor demand continues to be strong with expansion in Rabi acreage, very high reservoir levels and higher liquidity in the hands of farmers with timely Kharif procurement. Demand is expected to remain robust on account of these factors and higher allocations which are expected for Agriculture in the upcoming Budget in line with the Government’s continued focus on the Agriculture & Rural sector. In the exports market, we have sold 1,216 tractors, a growth of 55% over last year.”

Domestic sales in January 2021 were at

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech, IT, Seeds

Information about real seeds will be available through the mobile app and farmers will be able to avoid fraud. 

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and Food Processing Industries Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the seed traceability mobile app, which will be able to identify the real seed.

The Union Minister said that information about real seeds will be available through the mobile app and farmers will be able to avoid fraud. Tomar also inaugurated the property control and DNA laboratory in the program held at the National Seed Corporation (NSC) headquarters in Pusa.

On this occasion, he said that seeds have great importance in the field of farming, in such a situation, those working in the field of seeds have a very important accountability.

While applauding the work of NSC, Tomar said, “NSC has a lot of land, which should be used more and more. NSC is providing quality seeds to farmers at low prices, this is a big job for the country, which should be taken forward”.

 

 

 

Information about real seeds will be available

R&D

These new certifications endorse the ingredient as a trusted and transparently sourced all-natural product. 

 IFF has received Non-GMO Project Verified certification for its Benolea® (EFLA® 943), an olive leaf extract, clinically shown to support cardiovascular health. In addition, the company recently received recognition by the Council of Ecological Agriculture of the Region of Murcia (CAIRM) for an organic grade of Benolea available to its customers. These new certifications endorse the ingredient as a trusted and transparently sourced all-natural product.

The olive leaves used for IFF’s unique formulation are nurtured and harvested in Spain as a side stream of the olive oil industry. The extract is processed locally, at the company’s Murcia facility, to reduce the environmental footprint.

IFF’s team of experts work closely with the olive growers, ensuring pure, clean, high quality olive leaf extract, with a healthy amount of powerful polyphenol antioxidants. They test it through every step of production, from raw materials, over intermediates, to the final products giving them full control of the supply chain from farm to fork.

“We have focused significant R&D activities on researching the cardioprotective mechanisms of the botanical ingredient and optimizing the formula to promote cardiovascular support at the highest purity, quality, and sustainability standards,” says Laetitia Petrussa, PhD, Product Manager for IFF Health unit.

 

These new certifications endorse the ingredient as

Agro chems – Chemicals, World

The websites now allow users to access and fully understand the power of effective biological insect control

AgBiTech, a crop protection company focusing on science-based biological crop protection with teams around the world, has launched its Australia, Brazil, USA, and Global websites detailing its products, activities, and partnerships in various regions in the world, including Africa and South Asia. While AgBiTech has a strong research program to continually develop innovative biological insect control solutions, the websites now allow users to access and fully understand the power of effective biological insect control. 

AgBiTech CEO Adriano Vilas-Boas says the resources outline how nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) are naturally occurring, highly effective bioinsecticides against a number of important insect pests. “It takes growers through how NPVs work, how they fit in with integrated pest management, resistance management, and residue management across a range of crops, including soybeans, sorghum, sweet corn, field corn, hemp, peanuts, cotton and many other crops,” he explains.

Around the world, AgBiTech products target hundreds of million dollars’ worth of pests, including Fall Armyworm, Cotton Bollworm/Corn Earworm, Soybean Looper, Diamondback Moth, Tuta absolute, and others in many important crops, including broadacre field crops as well as horticulture and specialty crops.

The websites now allow users to access

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Trade

The proposed combination relates to the acquisition by IIPL of Indo Gulf Fertilizers (‘Target Business’) viz. fertilizer division of Grasim Industries Limited. 

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of Indo Gulf Fertilisers by Indorama India Private Limited (IIPL) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. The proposed combination relates to the acquisition by IIPL of Indo Gulf Fertilizers (‘Target Business’) viz. fertiliser division of Grasim Industries Limited (‘GIL/Seller’), as a going concern on a slump sale basis.

IIPL is principally engaged in manufacture, trading and sale of fertilisers, primarily, phosphatic fertilisers and speciality plant nutrients. GIL is engaged in production of viscose staple fibre, chloralkali, fertiliser (through Target Business), textiles and insulators. It is also engaged in producing cement and providing financial services through its subsidiaries.

The Target Business is principally engaged in manufacture, trade and sale of urea, customised fertilisers, agri-inputs, crop protection, plant and soil health products and specialty fertilizers. The detailed order of the CCI will follow.

The proposed combination relates to the acquisition

Agrotech

Syngenta Group is the only agricultural company to have leading digital service platforms in the top four agriculture markets

Switzerland-based Syngenta Group one of the world’s leading agricultural technology and innovation companies has recently achieved a milestone of 125 million acres of farmland actively managed by growers using the Group’s digital services.

Syngenta Group is the only agricultural company to have leading digital service platforms in the top four agriculture markets: The United States, Brazil, China and Eastern Europe The Group’s industry-leading digital services range include advanced scouting, seeds selection, imagery decision support, weather risk management, financial planning, crop and farm operations management

Greg Meyers, Syngenta Group Chief Information and Digital Officer said, “We firmly believe that digital innovations in agricultural technology will lead to better, greener and more sustainable farming. As the world’s most local agricultural technology and innovation partner, to now have 125 million acres of farmland managed with our digital services underscores the progress we are making with growers around the world to make that future a reality.”

 

Syngenta Group is the only agricultural company

Agrotech, IT

Through this partnership, Solinftec uses local weather data and forecasts from the weather Company, an IBM company, to provide digital agricultural solutions 

 IBM and Solinftec, the market-leading agricultural platform, are bringing new precision solutions to agriculture worldwide. IBM’s unparalleled climate-based insights are now being combined with Solinftec’s sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence to provide real-time decision-making solutions for agriculture.

 Through this partnership, Solinftec uses local weather data and forecasts from The Weather Company, an IBM company, to provide digital agricultural solutions that enhance operational efficiency, input use, and agricultural compliance, ultimately reducing environmental impacts. 

“IBM is a world-renowned leader in artificial intelligence in many industries,” says Britaldo Hernandez, CEO and founder of Solinftec. “We are rapidly building partnerships in the Americas with industry experts such as IBM to provide solutions that have a significant impact on global agriculture.”

Daniel Padrão, Solinftec’s chief operating officer said,”Accurate weather data is crucial on the farm, not only for operational excellence but for better managing the insums and increasing productivity. We’re leveraging IBM’s unique insights to provide farmers and retailers with the climate-based information they need.”

Solinftec combines real-time agronomy, machinery and weather data to power algorithms and drive operational excellence and compliance. “Solinftec users in Brazil, for example, saw an increase in the efficiency of their operations by up to 40%,” complements Padrão.

 “IBM and Solinftec are companies committed to supporting their customers to achieve operational efficiency, resource optimization and better results. This is a key partnership for IBM and we are working together to explore new technologies that can expand Solinftec’s capabilities, delivering more valuable data to its customers and more accurate business insights,” adds Jose Luis Spagnuolo, IBM’s Global Director for Client Software Technical Architects. 

“Consumers and businesses around the world are increasingly focused on sustainability issues. IBM is ready to provide large-scale quality and high-precision data to support companies that focus on increasing operational efficiency and optimizing their customers’ resources,” borges said.

Through this partnership, Solinftec uses local weather

Finance, Machinery - Pre-harvesting

The company registered the highest ever overall January sales volume of 10,158 tractors, which is well above 7,220 tractors sold in January 2020.

After starting the year on a high note, Punjab-based Sonalika Tractors has further intensified its journey to conquer new peaks in the year 2021. India’s fastest growing tractor manufacturer and No.1 tractor exports brand in the country, Sonalika has plowed on to register a dominant performance and registered the highest ever overall January sales volume of 10,158 tractors, which is well above 7,220 tractors sold in January 2020. Sonalika has powered ahead with a significant margin to sell 8,154 tractors in the domestic market in Jan’21, around 46 per cent higher than 5,585 tractors sold in January 2020.

Following this dynamic approach, Sonalika Tractors introduced Sikander DLX Potato Special Edition Series in January 2021. The advanced tractor is a customized solution equipped with a 5G controlled valve with superior hydraulics that offers better sensing during potato farming. The move is in continuation to the 5 premium tractors such as Tiger, Sikander DLX, Chhatrapati, Mahabali and Tiger Electric that the company introduced in the year 2020 and are engineered with advanced technologies to deliver farm prosperity.

Being a customer-centric brand, the company introduced 5 new premium tractors in 2020 that address farmer’s needs in a cost-optimized way. This includes Tiger, Sikander DLX, Mahabali and Chhatrapati series in the diesel segment which were joined by India’s first field-ready electric tractor, the Sonalika Tiger Electric, which is also the most affordable 4W EV in India.

 

The company registered the highest ever overall

AgroPolicy

Increase in agricultural credit, Rural Infrastructure Development Fund, Integration of mandis with e-NAM, Fishing harbours and Multipurpose Seaweed Park will strengthen the agriculture sector.

In a slew of steps to support the Agriculture Sector, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman announced 9 measures for Agriculture Sector as part of inclusive development for aspirational India while presenting the Union Budget 2021-22 in Parliament in New Delhi on February 1, 2021.

 SWAMITVA Scheme

Nirmala proposed to extend SWAMITVA Scheme to all States/UTs. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched SWAMITVA Scheme to bring transparency in property ownership in villages. Under the Scheme, a record of rights is being given to property owners in villages. Up till now, about 1.80 lakh property-owners in 1,241 villages have been provided cards.

Agricultural credit 

To provide adequate credit to our farmers, the Finance Minister enhanced the agricultural credit target to Rs 16.5 lakh crore in FY22. She further said that the Government will focus on ensuring increased credit flows to animal husbandry, dairy, and fisheries.

Rural Infrastructure Development Fund

The Finance Minister also announced the enhanced allocation to the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund from Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore. She also proposed to double Micro Irrigation Fund, started with a corpus of Rs 5,000 crore under NABARD, by augmenting it by another Rs 5,000 crore.

Operation Green Scheme

To boost value addition in agriculture and allied products and their exports, she proposed to increase the scope of ‘Operation Green Scheme’ that is presently applicable to tomatoes, onions, and potatoes (TOPS), to be enlarged to include 22 perishable products.

Integration 1,000 more mandis with e-NAM 

The Finance Minister said that around 1.68 crore farmers are registered and Rs 1.14 lakh crore of trade value has been carried out through e-NAMs. Keeping in view the transparency and competitiveness that e-NAM has brought into the agricultural market, the Finance Minister proposed to integrate 1,000 more mandis with e-NAM to bring transparency and competitiveness.

The Finance Minister proposed to make available the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to APMCs for augmenting their infrastructure facilities.

Fishing harbours and fish landing centres

Nirmala Sitharaman proposed substantial investments in the development of modern fishing harbours and fish landing centres. The Finance Minister said that to start with, 5 major fishing harbours – Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and Petuaghat – will be developed as hubs of economic activity. The Finance Minister also proposed to develop inland fishing harbours and fish-landing centres along the banks of rivers and waterways.

 Multipurpose Seaweed Park

Recognising the potential in Seaweed farming, the Finance Minister said that it is an emerging sector with the potential to transform the lives of coastal communities – it will provide large scale employment and additional incomes. To promote seaweed cultivation, the minister proposed a Multipurpose Seaweed Park to be established in Tamil Nadu.

MSP

Reiterating the commitment of the Government to the welfare of farmers over the years, she said that there is a steady increase in the procurement of wheat, rice, pulses from farmers. The Finance Minister said that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime has undergone a sea change to ensure the price that is at least 1.5 times the cost of production across all commodities.

Providing details of procurement and amount paid to farmers over the years, the minister said that in case of wheat, the total amount paid to farmers in 2013-2014 was Rs 33,874 crore. In 2019-2020 it was Rs 62,802 crore, and even better, in 2020-2021, this amount, paid to farmers, was Rs  75,060 crore.  The number of wheat growing farmers that were benefitted increased in 2020-21 to 43.36 lakh as compared to 35.57 lakh in 2019-20.

For paddy, the amount paid in 2013-14 was Rs 63,928 crore. In 2019-2020 this increased Rs 1,41,930 crore. Even better, in 2020-2021, this is further estimated to increase to Rs 172,752 crore.  The farmers benefitted increased from 1.24 crore in 2019-20 to 1.54 crore in 2020-21. In the same vein, in case of pulses, the amount paid in 2013-2014 was Rs 236 crore. In 2019-20 it increased to Rs 8,285 crore. Now, in 2020-2021, it is at Rs 10,530 crore, a more than 40 times increase from 2013-14. The receipts to cotton farmers have seen a stupendous increase from Rs 90 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 25,974 crore (as on 27th January 2021).

 

Increase in agricultural credit, Rural Infrastructure Development