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AgroPolicy, Interaction

Exhibiting various schemes related to the agriculture sector, the ministry has been able to establish a direct dialogue with the farmers

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje recently visited the stalls of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at India International Trade Fair-2021 at Pragati Maidan on November 25, 2021, and appreciated the activities of all the departments/institutions under the ministry.

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India is participating in India International Trade Fair-2021 during 14-27 November 2021 at Pragati Maidan. Glimpses of the main theme of the Indian International Trade Fair-2021 “Atmanirbhar Bharat” have been displayed through the ministry’s stall.

The minister said that the participation of all the departments in such a fair is commendable. Exhibiting various schemes related to the agriculture sector, the ministry has established a direct dialogue with the farmers. Such fairs are helpful for the ministry to connect with the farmers. Fairs and exhibitions provide an important platform for the promotion of agriculture schemes.

This year National Horticulture Board, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Centre of Organic Farming, Directorate of Marketing, Northern Region Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute, Hisar, Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine, and Storage, Faridabad, Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre, Spices Board, Coconut Development Board, Directorate of Cashewnut & Cocoa Development’s stalls are the centre of attraction.

Exhibiting various schemes related to the agriculture

China, Finance

Registers an operating profit of $332.0 million in the same quarter

China-based agriculture and interactive commerce platform Pinduoduo has announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

 

In the Third Quarter 2021, the total revenues in the quarter were RMB21,505.8 million ($13,337.6 million), an increase of 51 per cent from RMB14,209.8 million in the same quarter of 2020. The average monthly active users in the quarter were 741.5 million, an increase of 15 per cent from 643.4 million in the same quarter of 2020.

 

Active buyers in the twelve months ended September 30, 2021, was 867.3 million, an increase of 19 per cent from 731.3 million in the twelve months ended September 30, 2020.

 

The operating profit in the quarter was RMB2,139.3 million ($332.0 million), compared with an operating loss of RMB1,295.7 million in the same quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP4 operating profit in the quarter was RMB3,260.7 million ($506.1 million), compared with a non-GAAP operating loss of RMB339.8 million in the same quarter of 2020.

 

 The net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the quarter was RMB1,640.0 million ($254.5 million), compared with a net loss of RMB784.7 million in the same quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the quarter was RMB3,150.2 million ($488.9 million), compared with RMB466.4 million in the same quarter of 2020.

 

“We are placing more focus on investments in R&D, away from the previous emphasis on sales and marketing in our first five years,” said Lei Chen, Chairman and CEO, Pinduoduo. “We want to leverage our strength in technology to deepen our digital inclusion efforts in agriculture, and will allocate all profits from the third quarter to the ’10 Billion Agriculture Initiative’.”

 

“Our total revenues, excluding the contribution from merchandise sales, grew by 55 per cent on a year-over-year basis, to RMB21.4 billion in Q3 2021,” said Tony Ma, Vice President of Finance. 

Registers an operating profit of $332.0 million

Agro chems – Pesticides, Interaction

The session involved discussion of Best Agrolife products suitable for cotton and vegetables

Best Agrolife Ltd (BAL) recently organised a knowledge building workshop for Maharashtra distributors. The session was spearheaded by the company’s MD, Vimal Alawadhi and ED, Raajan Ailawadhi. The workshop was attended by a few key team members and the channel partners. 

 

The session involved discussion of Best Agrolife products like Ronfen, ternary premix insecticide as a one-shot solution against all sucking pest complex which is suitable for cotton and vegetables. Dongle, the product is known to enhance crop tolerance against abiotic stress, is known for managing plant hormones and nutrient levels, which reduces stress and improve crop yield. Bestline, a very new generation disease management tool with anti sporulation technique, is suitable for tomato, soybean, cotton, corn, groundnut and banana.

 

The future product line for Best Agrolife was also discussed; as the company is planning to introduce many ternary new combination solutions for various crop problems like powdery mildew in grapes, Blasti & BPH control in rice, early and late blight in potato and tomato, total weed care in sugarcane and maize, total weed care in soybean.

 

Raajan Ailawadhi said, “We take these opportunities as an unbiased platform for the exchange of ideas, and look forward to meeting our important stakeholders in personal interaction. This gives us a useful insight in taking future decisions, charting out a course for our product line and expanding our distribution network.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The session involved discussion of Best Agrolife

Agro Universities, Agrotech, R&D

Discussions were held on to develop the technology for intercropping in garden oil palm

The ’Virtual 30th Annual Group Meeting of All India Coordinated Research Project on Palms’ was recently organised by the ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala.

 

In his valedictory address, Dr Anand Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Science), ICAR emphasised the need of developing the technology for intercropping in the oil palm garden to enhance the farmers’ income. The Chief Guest, Dr BK Pandey, ADG (Horticultural Science – II), ICAR envisaged the need for the collection, conservation and evaluation of the trait-specific germplasm devoid of duplicates, enhancing input use efficiency with special reference to micronutrients and identification of alternatives for red labelled chemicals towards hassle-free plant protection.

 

The ADG also stressed the demonstration of cutting-edge research technologies to the farm front through KVKs of the states and the digitisation of data for easy reference by the scientists.

 

Delivering the welcome address, Dr Anitha Karun, Director & Project Coordinator, ICAR-CPCRI, Kasaragod presented the report of the ICAR-AICRP on Palms for the Year – 2020-2021.

 

About 72 participants from the different ICAR-AICRP Centres and ICAR-CPCRI virtually participated in the meeting.

 

 

 

 

Discussions were held on to develop the

Agro Universities, Animal Health, Live Stock

The situation of AMR in aquaculture practices was discussed during the webinar

ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai recently organised a webinar to mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and World Fisheries Day.

 

The Chief Guest, Dr G Ganga, Associate Professor, Sree Ayyappa College, University of Kerala delivered a talk on ’Antimicrobial resistance: A global threat’ and covered wide aspects on antimicrobials, the discovery, timeline of the development of resistance, mechanism of resistance and ways to manage the spread of AMR in all the sectors such as human, livestock and fisheries.

 

In his address, Dr KP Jithendran, Director, ICAR-CIBA, Chennai highlighted the importance of the awareness creation on AMR towards sustainable fisheries. The situation of AMR in aquaculture practices was also underlined by Dr Jithendran.

 

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

 

 

 

 

The situation of AMR in aquaculture practices

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy, Environment, Sustainable Energy

Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers was speaking at 2nd Edition Summit on India: GCPMH 2021

Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Govt of India said that the world is ready to partner with India and global business leaders remain confident in India’s prospects and are making strategies to invest in the country.

 

Addressing the 2nd Edition Summit on India: Global Chemicals & Petrochemicals Manufacturing Hubs 2021, (GCPMH 2021) organised by FICCI, he said concentrated efforts by India to fortify the business and encourage investment in the trade have helped to attract investment, but the country needs further economic reforms to ensure sustainable inclusive growth.

 

“Chemicals and petrochemicals have played a vital role in society for decades and the focus is now on how to reduce the carbon footprint of the chemical industry and make the atmosphere pollution-free,” added Dr Mandaviya.

 

Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State, Ministry of Chemicals & fertilisers and Minister of State, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, said that the industry leaders across the globe are considering investing in India with a positive outlook. In the post COVID scenario, he said, India is all set to become the most potent chemicals and petrochemicals manufacturing hub in the world.

 

Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said, in a rule-based transparent system, opportunities for foreign investment and rewards on the investments are huge. India is emerging as an attractive and durable investment destination and manufacturing is a major growth sector for the Indian economy. He also stated that the chemical industry is a significant contributor to the manufacturing sector and economic growth. 

 

Samir Kumar Biswas, Additional Secretary (Chemicals), Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Govt of India said that the past decade belonged to Southeast Asian countries, but this is the time for India to take the position and showcase its talent.

 

 

Prabh Das, Chairman, FICCI Petrochemicals Committee and MD & CEO, HMEL Mittal Ltd said to achieve the dream of self-reliant India a renewed focus on the critical sector of chemical and petrochemical is essential to capitalise on the tremendous opportunities in the Indian economy.

 

 

Deepak C Mehta, Chairman, FICCI National Chemical Committee and Chairman and Managing Director, Deepak Nitrite said, 2021 will be the year for Chemicals in India. The crisis posed by COVID-19 created huge disruption for the chemical industry and we learnt that the value chains are interlinked and the importance of developing the value chain was highlighted by COVID-19. 

Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare

Supply Chain

Utrisha N is an alternative nitrogen source that can supply actively growing plants with additional nitrogen to facilitate plant growth

Corteva Agriscience has launched Utrisha N nutrient efficiency optimiser in Europe as part of its biological portfolio, helping meet the demand for more sustainable crop protection products.

 

Utrisha N is an alternative nitrogen source that can supply actively growing plants with additional nitrogen to facilitate plant growth.

This disruptive technology provides value through integrated nutrition management efficiency in natural field conditions, adapting to the plants’ growth needs and helping to sustainably maximise crop yield potential. It will be available for a wide range of crops, including row crops, vegetables, orchards, grapes, range and pastures and it is launched throughout Europe, except Turkey, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries.

 

Monica Sorribas, Corteva Agriscience Marketing Leader, Europe, said, “Corteva Agriscience continues to bring new and innovative solutions to market by offering natural-origin products that work complementarily with our conventional crop protection solutions, such as Optinyte nitrogen stabiliser.

 

Utrisha N can help farmers meet changing environmental conditions while keeping their crops productive and healthy. The launch of the product reinforces our offer to improve sustainable nitrogen efficiency and availability, enhancing yield potential and sustainability, in line with the Corteva Agriscience 2030 Sustainability Goals.

 

Utrisha N is based on the endophytic bacterium Methylobacterium symbioticum, which works with the plant to secure needed nitrogen from the atmosphere.

 

 

Utrisha N is an alternative nitrogen source

AgroPolicy, R&D

Discussions were held on Indo-Israel High-Tech Farm Demonstration Unit that was established at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute way back in 1996

A three-member delegation led by Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel recently met Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & DG (ICAR) at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.

The delegation discussed the Indo-Israel Cooperation in the area of agricultural R&D. The famous Indo-Israel High-Tech Farm Demonstration Unit was established at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi with its Foundation Stone laid by the President of Israel on December 31, 1996.

The project demonstrated the peri-urban, high technology methods of growing flowers, vegetables and fruits with precision farming using the latest techniques of greenhouse cultivation, net houses, fertigation, soil-less culture and open field crop production.

The project proved a nerved centre for furthering the protected cultivation and later establishment of Centre of Excellence in the State of Haryana and others with the cooperation of the Israeli Government. About 3,000 professionals were trained under this project. The Centre played a significant role in spreading the protected cultivation technology to over 0.23 Million ha area in the country.

The Additional Secretary (DARE) & Secretary (ICAR); DDG (Crop Sciences); ADG (International Relations); Director, ICAR-IARI and other Senior Officials from DARE/ICAR participated in the Meeting. From Israel side, Yair Eshel, Agriculture Attache (MASHAV) and Brihamadev, Project Officer (MASHAV) joined the meeting.

Discussions were held on Indo-Israel High-Tech Farm

Agrotech, Environment, World

The unique system provides agronomists, researchers and farmers with vital information needed to make better crop management decisions to increase yields and crop quality

Agmatix, a start-up tech business owned by a leading global speciality minerals company, ICL, has recently launched a breakthrough data technology platform. As the world’s first single engine that drives the agronomic innovation cycle from research and experimental data into meaningful real-life actions, the Agmatix technology creates a new data language that can read and interpret thousands of the different data points commonly used across the agricultural industry. The unique system then provides agronomists, researchers and farmers with the vital information needed to make better crop management decisions to increase yields and crop quality.

 

By digitising field trials and agronomic experimentation, as well as standardising data across the industry, the new Agmatix solution is also building a global database poised to unlock the mainstream use of big data in agronomy – shortening timelines, reducing waste and increasing profitability for agricultural professionals and farmers.

 

The new technology utilises machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide comprehensive advice as to soil, land topography, irrigation, weather and crop management. Importantly, the Agmatix platform enables the development of statistically and scientifically stronger agricultural models, which helps to reduce food waste and support the issues of world food poverty and a growing global population.

 

Empowering agro-tech professionals around the world, the Agmatix solution is a SaaS technology platform made-up of five key component modules, including:

  • Field Trial Management Platform 
  • Trials and Research Data Ingestion 
  • Data Insights & Predictive Models 
  • Decision Support Systems 
  • Axiom Open 

The unique system provides agronomists, researchers and

AgroPolicy, Dairy

IVF Lab at Dhamrod, Gujarat and Hessergatta, Karnataka will be launched by Union Dairy Minister

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying will celebrate National Milk Day to commemorate the birth centenary of Dr Varghese Kurien (Milk Man of India) on November 26, 2021 at TK Patel Auditorium, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Campus, NDDB, Anand, Gujarat from 10 AM till 2 PM. The event will be jointly organised by the Department with National Dairy Development Board and other institutions created by Dr Kurien.

 

‘Iconic Week’– the week-long celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav by the Department will culminate with the celebration of National Milk Day. 

 

During the ceremony, Union Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala will confer National Gopal Ratna Awards to the winners of the Best Dairy Farmer rearing indigenous cattle/buffalo breeds, Best Artificial Insemination Technician and Best Dairy Cooperative Society (DCS)/ Milk Producer Company/ Dairy Farmer Producer Organization in the country.

 

Besides felicitation of the winners of the prestigious National Gopal Ratna Awards, Rupala will also inaugurate/launch IVF Lab at Dhamrod, Gujarat and Hessergatta, Karnataka and Start-up Grand Challenge 2.0. MoS Dr Murugan and Sanjeev banyan will also grace the occasions.

 

 

IVF Lab at Dhamrod, Gujarat and Hessergatta,

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech

PLINAZOLIN technology will be marketed under the brand name VIRANTRA in Argentina

Syngenta Crop Protection has announced PLINAZOLIN technology a new and innovative active ingredient with a novel Mode of Action (IRAC Group 30) for insect control that will help growers protect the crops from a wide range of pests.

PLINAZOLIN technology delivers a new standard of performance, particularly against pests for which existing products no longer can provide effective control. It provides an effective solution in resistance management strategies and replaces older, less effective chemistries. The sunlight stability and rain-resistant properties of PLINAZOLIN technology allow for longer spray intervals and fewer applications aimed at improving crop productivity and quality.

“The launch of this new technology is a result of our ongoing commitment to investing in the long-term development of innovative and effective solutions that increase crop productivity in an environmentally sustainable and responsible way. It’s exciting that growers in Argentina will be the first to benefit,” said Jon Parr, President Global Crop Protection, Syngenta.

PLINAZOLIN technology will deliver unprecedented insect control on stinkbugs, mites, thrips, caterpillars, flies, and beetles. It will be commercialised in more than 40 countries and in over 40 crops, including soybean, corn, rice, coffee, cotton, and a wide range of fruits and vegetables. The technology also has the potential to be used in forestry and professional pest management programs, and as a seed treatment application.

PLINAZOLIN technology will be marketed under the brand name VIRANTRA in Argentina.

PLINAZOLIN technology will be marketed under the

Agro Universities, Agrotech, R&D

Bayer has partnered with innovative drone startup, General Aeronautics and conducted several in-house and external R&D trials

Bayer conducted its first drone trial at its multi-crop breeding centre in Chandipa, near Hyderabad. The on-ground event, showcasing a field demonstration on the use of drones in agricultural operations, was attended by eminent partners and industry stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Bayer has partnered with innovative drone startup, General Aeronautics and conducted several in-house and external R&D trials with universities and central research institutions to generate data to make drone-based services available to farmers.

With the recent encouraging announcement made by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, all stakeholders related to the segment are eagerly looking forward to the swift adoption of drone technology. Bayer has now secured approvals to conduct R&D and agriculture spraying operations to make the drone technology available for smallholders.

On the occasion, the Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, commented, “I’m really happy to learn that Bayer is organising a pilot project on the use of drones in agriculture. India is making giant strides in technology and digitalisation and adopting these for enhancing agricultural purposes is a step forward in our efforts to provide a strong impetus to farmers’ prosperity. Usage of drones in agriculture will revolutionise farm operations and empower our farmers especially the smallholders with information and applications that will help them enhance their yields and income in the long run. I appreciate Bayer’s efforts in early adoption of this technology for the growth and transformation of agriculture in India and convey all my good wishes.”


Bayer has partnered with innovative drone startup,

Environment, Sustainable Energy

The scheme will provide improved weather, climate, ocean forecast and services, and other hazard-related services

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for the continuation of the umbrella scheme ’Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)’ along with its eight sub-schemes to the next finance cycle of five years i.e. 2021-2026 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,135 crore. The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through its units namely the India Meteorological Department (IMD), National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF); Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).

 

The eight sub-schemes under the ACROSS scheme are multi-disciplinary in nature and will be implemented in an integrated manner through IMD, IITM, NCMRWF and INCOIS to cover all the aspects of the weather and climate. 

 

The scheme will provide improved weather, climate, ocean forecast and services, and other hazard-related services thereby ensuring transfer of commensurate benefits to the end-user through various services like public weather service, agro-meteorological services, aviation services, environmental monitoring services, hydro-meteorological services, climate services, tourism, pilgrimage, power generation, water management, sports and adventure etc. The whole process from the generation of forecast to its delivery requires considerable manpower at every stage, thereby generating employment opportunities for many people.

 

The scheme will provide improved weather, climate,

Agrotech, Machinery - Pre-harvesting, Machinery – Post-harvesting

The new tractors will be available from spring 2022

The Case IH range of Puma 140-240 tractors is being revamped for 2020, with a new design, as well as additional features for improved operator comfort on the Puma 185-240 models. Case IH Puma 140-175 tractors benefit from several new features for Model Year 2022, designed to enhance productivity and enrich the operating experience. The new Puma 140-175 standard-wheelbase series – with maximum power from 155hp-200hp – is upgraded across areas including vehicle presentation, driveline behaviour and cab ergonomics.

The profile of the series remains the same, with three versions that focus on specific customer requirements. The entry-level Puma 140-165 is the economic choice, the Puma 150 and 165 Multicontroller provides customers with more automation, and the Puma CVXDrive delivers premium productivity.

At the rear of the new Puma models, top link stowage ergonomics and the hydraulic connections have both been improved for greater robustness. Other enhancements include LED marker lights and an air-line connection for inflation and air cleaning.

Three new packages available for the Puma 140-175 tractors will make it easier for customers to choose the ideal specifications. The Selection Package, for entry-level Puma 140-165 models, meets essential customer requirements. Puma Multicontroller and Puma CVXDrive tractors are available in two packages, Advanced and Professional. The Advanced package pre-selects the most common features many customers require for daily operations, while the Professional package is focussed on AFS technology, being guidance-ready and with the AFS Pro 700 display. The new tractors will be available from spring 2022.

The new tractors will be available from