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Agro Universities, Organic, Webinar

Discussions were held on organic manures and vermicomposting for improving soil fertility

The Skill Development Centre under the aegis of the Directorate of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, recently organised a five-day online training on organic farming. 31 farmers and farm women participated in the training.

 

Dr Kuldeep Singh, Associate Director, Skill Development, explained the importance of organic farming. Dr Rupinder Kaur, Course Coordinator said that the training in the troubled pandemic times is a knowledge booster for the farmers and farm women to increase their working skills.

 

Dr CS Aulakh, Director, School of Organic Farming, PAU, Ludhiana thoroughly explained Organic farming standards and certification. Dr AS Sidhu (Technical Coordinator) explained about the organic cultivation of field crops. Dr Neeraj Rani explained about organic manures and vermicomposting for improving soil fertility.

 

Dr Jupinder Kaur explained the role of bio-fertilizers in improving soil health. Dr Subhash Singh shed light on insect-pest management in organic farming, Dr Manmohan Dhakal informed disease management practices, while Dr SS Walia introduced the organic integrated farming system. Dr Manisha Thakur and Dr Kuldeep Singh Bhullar explained about organic farming of vegetable and fruit plants respectively. 

 

Cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants was discussed by Dr Rajinder Kumar, while Dr Khushdeep Singh Dharni gave tips on marketing strategies for organic products.

 

Dr Lavleesh Garg explained about the ‘UDDAM’ & ‘UDDAN’ programme of Punjab Agribusiness Incubator (PABI) project. He further stressed that the Skill Development Centre; PAU will organise more online training for farmers and farm women shortly.

 

Dr Rupinder Kaur proposed the vote of thanks and urged the participants to utilize the training knowledge in their general life and also in their profession.

 

 

Discussions were held on organic manures and

Agro Universities, Live Stock, Sustainable Energy

According to the panellists, the region has a huge potential for crop and livestock production

The ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar recently organised the meeting of the task force committee on ’Strategies for Agricultural Development in Middle Gangetic Plains.’

 

Dr RC Srivastava, Vice-Chancellor, Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar emphasised that the Middle Gangetic plains have rich natural and human resources. He urged the scientists for gathering information related to the effect of milk productivity of the milch animals due to flood.

 

Dr Bijendra Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Acharya Narendradev University of Agriculture & Technology, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh stressed the use of solar energy, protected cultivation and early season crop cultivars for fetching higher returns.

 

Dr Rameshwar Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna accentuated social inclusion, gender empowerment and suitable developmental models for more infusion of technology for both the public and private investments.

 

Dr Arun Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Bihar Agriculture University, Sabour, Bihar emphasised the promotion of Resource Conservation Technologies, efficient use of wetland through scientific cultivation of Makhana, water chestnut, lotus and fish and micro-irrigation for high-value crops.

 

Earlier, in his welcome address, Dr Ujjwal Kumar, Director, ICAR-RCER, Patna, Bihar outlined the scope of the meeting. Dr Kumar emphasised that the Middle Indo-Gangetic Plains (MIGP) covers 66 districts of Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh with a total geographical area of 18.07 m ha which is around 5.5 per cent of the total area of India. He accentuated the great potential of the Middle Gangetic Plains for crop and livestock production.

 

The meeting was aimed at suggesting suitable strategies for the identification of constraints and research priorities, extension mechanisms and institutional linkages for the overall agricultural development in the Middle Gangetic Plains including Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh.The senior officials of ICAR Institutes and state agricultural universities also virtually participated in the meeting.

 

 

According to the panellists, the region has

AgroPolicy, Sustainable Energy

Wide publicity and awareness of the PM-KUSUM Scheme will help in agricultural activities

The Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh has reviewed the progress of implementation of PM-KUSUM and Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II with States/UTs and discussed the issues in the implementation of these schemes.

 

Singh emphasised the importance of the PM-KUSUM Scheme for the farmers providing them day-time reliable source of power for irrigation activities and also increasing the income. He also stressed wide publicity and awareness of the PM-KUSUM Scheme so that every farmer know the provisions and take benefit under the scheme. He also discussed with senior officers from States/ UTs about the feeder level solarisation component of the PM-KUSUM Scheme, which would help in reducing the electricity subsidy, being given for the agriculture sector, to a large extent and assured that all possible support will be provided to the States/ UTs in implementation of this scheme.

 

On the implementation of Rooftop Solar Programme Ph-II, the minister re-emphasised the need for wide publicity and awareness about the Scheme taking it to every household, as installation of rooftop solar will bring down the electricity consumption of the households and save electricity expenditure.

 

He stated that the joint efforts of Central and states will help in the successful implementation of these schemes and achieving the renewable energy targets of the country. 

 

Wide publicity and awareness of the PM-KUSUM

AgroPolicy, Oilseeds

Neramac will ensure remunerative prices to the farmers and provide better farming facilities and training to the farmers of the North Eastern Region

The revival of North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) will ensure remunerative prices to the farmers and provide better farming facilities and training to the farmers of the North Eastern Region. This information was shared by G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).

 

Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister has approved a revival package of Rs 77.45 crore (Rs 17 crore towards fund based support and Rs 60.45 crore towards non-fund based support) for the revival of NERAMAC, a central Public Section Enterprises under the administrative control of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Regional (MDoNER).

 

Reddy added, “The government has identified the North-Eastern region as a special focus area as the target set for the North East in the next five years is more than 50 per cent of the overall target of 6.5 lakh hectares set for the entire nation.”

 

The minister also highlighted the existing experience of states such as Mizoram in the North-eastern region that is ranked among the top five cultivators of oil palm in the country. “Farmers of states such as Mizoram already have significant oil palm cultivation experience and we can leverage their expertise in the rest of the North-Eastern states,” he said.

Neramac will ensure remunerative prices to the

AgroPolicy, Trade

Farmers likely to be benefitted from the move

Government of India is taking proactive measures to boost the export of surplus sugar and diversion of sugar to ethanol to ensure timely payment of cane dues of sugarcane farmers and to boost the agricultural economy. The government has been encouraging sugar mills to divert surplus sugar to ethanol and has been providing financial assistance to sugar mills to facilitate the export of sugar, thereby improving their liquidity, enabling the farmers to make timely payments of cane price dues of sugarcane farmers. 

 

In the last three sugar seasons 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, about 6.2 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT), 38 LMT & 59.60 LMT of sugar has been exported. In the current sugar season 2020-21 (October – September), the government is providing assistance of Rs 6000/MT to facilitate the export of 60 LMT of sugar. Against the export target of 60 LMT, contracts of about 70 LMT have been signed, more than 60 LMT has been lifted from sugar mills and more than 55 LMT has been physically exported from the country, as of August 16, 2021.

 

Some sugar mills have also signed forward contracts for export in the ensuing sugar season 2021-22. Export of sugar has helped in maintaining demand-supply balance and stabilising domestic ex-mill prices of sugar. In order to find a permanent solution to deal with the problem of excess sugar, 

 

In the past three sugar seasons about Rs 22,000 crore revenue was generated by sugar mills/ distilleries from the sale of ethanol to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). In the current sugar season 2020-21, about Rs 15,000 crore revenue is being generated by sugar mills from the sale of ethanol to OMCs which has helped sugarcane mills in making timely payment of cane dues of farmers.

 

Diversion of maximum sugar to ethanol and export of maximum sugar would not only help in improving the liquidity of sugar mills enabling them to make timely payment of cane dues of farmers but would also stabilise the ex-mill price of sugar in the domestic market, which in turn will further improve the revenue realisation of sugar mills and would address the problem of surplus sugar. With an increase in blending levels, dependence on imported fossil fuel will decrease and will also reduce air pollution; and it will also boost the agricultural economy.

 

Farmers likely to be benefitted from the

Agrotech, Transportation

COVID-19 distorted manufacturing activities and disrupted supply chain, thereby impacting the global agriculture drones market negatively

An increase in venture funding for the deployment of drones in the agricultural sector, surge in adoption of precision farming and rise in demand for cost reduction associated with human errors drive the growth of the global agriculture drones market. Based on offering, the hardware segment contributed to the highest share in 2020. By region, on the other hand, Asia-Pacific would cite the fastest CAGR by 2030.

According to the report published by Allied Market Research (AMR), the global agriculture drones market was estimated at 0.88 billion in 2020 and is expected to hit $5.89 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 22.4 per cent from 2021 to 2030. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the top investment pockets, top winning strategies, drivers and opportunities, market size and estimations, competitive scenario, and wavering market trends.

An increase in venture funding for the deployment of drones in the agricultural sector, the surge in adoption of precision farming, and a rise in demand for cost reduction associated with human errors drive the growth of the global agriculture drones market. On the other hand, the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles impedes growth to some extent. However, the rise in automation across the agricultural industry is expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.

Implementation of partial and complete lockdown across the world due to COVID-19 gave way to distorted manufacturing activities and disrupted supply chain, thereby impacting the global agriculture drones market negatively. Nevertheless, the existing regulations are being eased off on a gradual note in the majority of countries and especially, with the mass inoculation drive on board, the market is anticipated to revive soon.

The global market is analysed across offering, component, application, and region. Based on offering, the hardware segment contributed to more than two-thirds of the total market share in 2020 and is expected to lead the trail by 2030. The same segment would also register the fastest CAGR of 22.7per cent throughout the forecast period.

Based on the component, the cameras segment accounted for more than two-fifths of the total market revenue in 2020 and is anticipated to rule the roost by 2030. The batteries segment, on the other hand, would grow at the fastest CAGR of 24.1 per cent during the forecast period.

Based on region, North America held the major share in 2020, garnering nearly two-fifths of the global agriculture drones market. Simultaneously, the market across Asia-Pacific would cite the fastest CAGR of 23.80 per cent from 2021 to 2030.

The key market players analysed in the global agriculture drones market report include AgEagle Aerial Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Microdrones, America Robotics, DJI, Parrot Drones, PrecisionHawk, AeroVironment, Trimble and Yamaha Motor Corp. These market players have incorporated several strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to brace their stand in the industry.

COVID-19 distorted manufacturing activities and disrupted supply

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

The agro solutions app will create an additional source of earning for the farmers

Sonalika Tractors has launched ‘Sonalika Agro Solutions’ tractor and has implemented a rental app to bridge the gap between farmers and hi-tech farm machinery – from land preparations to harvesting. The platform connects the farmers with a huge range of machinery renters that offer high tech agricultural implements on rent within their vicinity. The farmers can choose from various options available as per their convenience and requirement.

‘Sonalika Agro Solutions’ tractor and implement rental app supports the farmers to do farming in an effective way by making the right farm machinery available at right time. The app also assists skilled operators in the area to check out employment opportunities and earn a better living for their families.

‘Sonalika Agro Solutions’ app will create an additional source of earning for the farmers who are owing agriculture implements as they can register themselves as freelancer renters. This app can be downloaded from ‘Google PlayStore’ without much hassle. Also, registration on this app is free of cost and anybody can register to avail of unique services from Sonalika. There is also a tele customer support team to assist farmers with the registration process, in case of any assistance.

Raman Mittal, Executive Director, Sonalika Group, said, “We have launched ‘Sonalika Agro Solutions’ app especially for tractor and implement rental, through which the farmers can check advanced farm machinery available nearby as per their crop requirements through their smartphones. The app will provide a platform for enlisting the tractors/implements on rent or availing the same on rent by the respective interested farmers.”

Equipment owners/service providers and farmers that will hire equipment on rent or avail any kind of services by using the ‘Agro Solutions’ tractor and implement rental app would not be required to pay any service charges to Agro Solutions/International Tractors.

The agro solutions app will create an

Acquaculture, IT

Aquaconnect has an opportunity to work with Google mentors and industry experts on tech guidance, machine learning, product strategy

Aquaculture technology platform Aquaconnect has been selected for the fifth class of Google for Startups Accelerator (GFS) India. Out of the 700 start-ups screened for the programme, Aquaconnect, along with 15 other start-ups, has been selected to be part of the GFS India programme.

Aquaconnect works with 35000+ fish and shrimp farmers using AI predictive tools for better farm productivity and connects them with formal finance, insurers, and processors to improve Indian aquaculture value chain efficiency.

Under the GFSA-India programme, Aquaconnect has an opportunity to work with Google mentors and industry experts on tech guidance, machine learning, product strategy, UX and design, leadership workshops, networking opportunities and Public Relations support.

The company raised $4 million in July in pre-Series A round led by Rebright Partners and Flourish Ventures. AgFunder and 6G Capital also participated in this round, along with existing investors Omnivore and HATCH-Norway.

On the selection in the eminent GFSA programme, Rajamanohar Somasundaram Founder and CEO, Aquaconnect, said “We are looking forward to receiving mentorship and support from the network of Google and industry mentors for more inclusive solutions to navigate the challenges in the aquaculture value chain.”

Aquaconnect has an opportunity to work with

Finance, Start ups

AgNext will use the funds for scaling its full-stack platform for AI-enabled trade to solve for trust and transparency in global food value chains

Deep-tech agritech start-up AgNext Technologies has raised a total of $21 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Alpha Wave Incubation (AWI) fund, which is backed by DisruptAD and managed by Falcon Edge. Existing investors Omnivore and Kalaari Capital also participated in the Series A round.

 

With this new capital infusion, AgNext will now enter newer commodities, strengthen its pan-India presence and expand to international markets such as the Middle East, Europe, and South Asia. The funds will also be used for the development of its tech platform Qualix, to enable quality-driven trade transactions across the food value chains. Additionally, the company will also establish a new office in Abu Dhabi for deeper penetration into the targeted markets by diversifying its commodities portfolio and accelerating innovation to make food trade better, fairer, and more secure in the new geographies.

 

 

AgNext will use the funds for scaling

Acquaculture, IT

The AI-driven solution will include a mobile app that is powered by the SAS Viya platform

International aquaculture consultancy and farmer Blue Aqua International will partner with SAS and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to develop a smart aquaculture solution to boost local production of fish and shrimp in the Asia region including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and India.

The partnership will create a collaborative ecosystem to support the local aquaculture industry in the region through the development of a smart aquaculture solution for farmers. The AI-driven solution will include a mobile app that is powered by the SAS Viya platform. This will enable farmers to gain insights on critical parameters in aquaculture such as water quality, feed management and animal health through real-time data analytics technology.

The application is specifically designed for farmers in Asia, taking into consideration common species grown, farm infrastructure, weather and insights on common disease challenges in the region.

Farmers will also be able to receive alerts on the app informing them of any potential issues and the appropriate remedies needed. The constant collection of data can also help generate dashboards to provide users with analytical insights on the quality of their farms.

“The solution will help in monitoring the culture environment and provide the insights that will support our productivity and yield goals for our smart aquaculture farms. With our extensive network and expertise, we are also able to bring this solution to the aquaculture sector in the Asia region,” said Dr Farshad Shishehchian, Group President, CEO & Founder, Blue Aqua International.

“We aim to help farmers draw insights from data to help boost product quality, drive efficiency, lower costs, and increase capacity while maintaining a commitment to sustainable high-quality farming,” said Kong Hoe Chan, MD, HPE Singapore.

The AI-driven solution will include a mobile

Finance, IT

The platform intends to work and support 3,000+ FPOs impacting over 15-lakh farmers

Unnati, a fintech-driven agriculture ecosystem, has joined hands with Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to empower farmers with tech-led business solutions by enhancing their economic strengths and market linkages to improve their income. 

 

This year, Unnati intends to support 3,000+ FPOs that impact 15 lakh farmers. There are plans to increase this number to 10,000+ FPOs that will uplift the lives of one crore farmers by FY24.

 

Unnati is equipping the FPOs to leverage collective strengths and bargaining power to access financial and non-financial inputs, services, and technologies. This will allow the FPOs to optimise transaction costs and tap into high-value markets. Envisaging the empowerment of small farmers by supporting the FPOs directly via the digital FPO platform, Unnati has plans to do achieve this through digital payment services such as UPI, credit/debit cards, mobile wallets, etc., banking services, output sales, loan services, and brand promotions. The platform will also hold agro advisories and conduct farm predictions to reach its goal of enhancing farmers’ lives. 

 

Amit Sinha, Co-Founder, Unnati said, “The FPOs, with Unnati’s digital solutions, will augment the farmer management, accounting, and inventory management, and will help streamline operations while also bolstering the overall business process. With these FPOs, we aim to ensure farmers have access to a one-stop solution that will provide them with digital solutions to improve their quality of life. We will be coming up with more such associations soon.”

 

 

The platform intends to work and support

Finance, Start ups

The platform will use the funds to continue expanding its user base

India’s farmer-centric networking platform, Krishify, has raised $2.7 million in a pre-series A funding round led by Omidyar Network India, Ankur Capital, and existing investor Orios Ventures. Co-founders of Country Delight, Nitin Kaushal and Chakradhar Gade, also participated as angel investors. The platform will use the funds to continue expanding its user base, currently at 3.5 million users and growing 30 per cent month-on-month, as well as create robust monetisation channels.

With the current raise, Krishify is looking to become India’s largest farmer-centric platform for the agri ecosystem, enabling both information exchange and transactions at scale.

Rajesh Ranjan, Founder & CEO, Krishify said, “We are targeting to onboard at least 100 million users and unlock a GMV potential of over $10 billion in the next three to four years. In the next 12 to 18 months, we are eyeing over 10 million weekly active users.”

The platform will use the funds to

Agro chems – Pesticides, Environment

The move will address risk from chlorpyrifos and protect children’s health

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will stop the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on all food to better protect human health, particularly that of children and farmworkers.

In a final rule released recently, EPA is revoking all tolerances for chlorpyrifos, which establish an amount of a pesticide that is allowed on food. In addition, the agency will issue a Notice of Intent to Cancel under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to cancel registered food uses of chlorpyrifos associated with the revoked tolerances.

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide used for a large variety of agricultural uses, including soybeans, fruit and nut trees, broccoli, cauliflower, and other row crops, as well as non-food uses. It has been found to inhibit an enzyme, which leads to neurotoxicity, and has also been associated with potential neurological effects in children.

EPA has determined that the current aggregate exposures from the use of chlorpyrifos do not meet the legally required safety standard that there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will result from such exposures. Several other countries, including the European Union and Canada, and some states including California, Hawaii, New York, Maryland, and Oregon have taken similar action to restrict the use of this pesticide on food.

EPA is continuing to review the comments submitted on the chlorpyrifos proposed interim decision, draft revised human health risk assessment, and draft ecological risk assessment.

The move will address risk from chlorpyrifos

IT, Warehousing

Arya and NCDEX are training 150 farmers from five FPOs of 50 villages in Maharashtra for marketing of their produce through commodity exchange

 The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) partners with Arya – India’s largest post-harvest Agritech player to deliver a series of knowledge sessions for farmers and FPOs in Maharashtra.

 Profitable market linkages are a critical aspect for better realisation by producers. Through its knowledge services platform, Arya and NCDEX are training 150 farmers from five FPOs of 50 villages in Maharashtra for marketing of their produce through commodity exchange. Based on feedback and progress is expected to be expanded to further states and FPOs on mutual agreement.

In the previous year, Arya partnered with the UNDP, CDC-DFID, and various government organizations like UMED, MAVIM and UPSRLM to provide knowledge services and training to 150,000 farmers across the country.

Commenting on the session,  D. Chattanathan, Co-founder Arya said, “Arya has been trying to improve the income stream of famers by enabling access to finance, storage and market linkages nearer to the farm gate. Tech-enabled practices will only help the farmers improve output quality, increase productivity and ensure better returns for their commodity. These capability building and skilling programs prepare small holders and their organisations to embrace technology and innovative solutions which inturn will enable them to improve their incomes.”

 Piyush Jain, Manager – FPO team, NCDEX said, “Through its exchange facilitated market linkage offering, NCDEX endeavors to impart greater transparency, efficiency and better price for farmers produce. We hope our collaboration with Arya in training farmers on commodity exchange offerings will increase smallholder participation in exchange transactions.”

Arya and NCDEX are training 150 farmers