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AgroPolicy, Sustainable Energy

The Indian government has set in motion various schemes and regulations that will make biofuels, a crucial component to meet the country’s increasing energy needs.

As the country is on the path to recovery from the economic brunt of the pandemic, cutting expenditures that affect the national coffers seems like a logical move. India’s annual crude oil imports have been increasing year on year, while the global petroleum prices have become too prohibitive. Fortunately, India has an advantage in its abundant agricultural produce and surplus raw materials that can be used to manufacture ethanol, a viable renewable energy source. The Indian government has set in motion various schemes and regulations that will make biofuels, a crucial component to meet the country’s increasing energy needs. The oft-repeated Atmanirbhar Bharat vision seems to be at play here, empowering not just the farmers, but also India’s future towards self-reliance in terms of energy demands.

 The Department of Biotechnology has been promoting R&D for biofuel technology development by recognising the need for clean and renewable energy for transportation. The Government of India had, in June 2018, announced a new policy on biofuels and an indicative target of 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol and 5 per cent blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030.

After the country took a massive financial hit due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the government bodies have been actively endorsing biofuel and its usage as it will help the country to cut down on its crude oil imports. In 2019, India imported around 226 million metric tonnes (MMT) of crude oil and this volume keeps rising every year. By mixing a small portion of biofuel with other processed fuels will help the government to provide a renewable source of energy to its citizens and that too at a very low price.

In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated that India needs to bring down its oil import dependence from 77 per cent in 2013-14, to 67 per cent by 2022, when India will celebrate its 75th year of independence. Now, stretching further on this concept of using green energy, the central government is planning to direct oil companies to sell up to 20 per cent ethanol blended petrol from April 1, 2023.

According to reports, India imports 83 per cent crude oil for its domestic use after processing. Similarly, 50 per cent of its natural requirement is fulfilled by imports. The government has set a target to reduce this import dependence by 10 per cent in the next two years.

As per the report by NITI Aayog 2021, India’s net import of petroleum was 185 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) at a cost of $55 billion in 2020-21. Most of the petroleum products are used in transportation. Hence, a successful E20 programme can save the country $4 billion per annum, which is around Rs 30,000 crore. Besides, ethanol is a less polluting fuel, and offers equivalent efficiency at lower cost than petrol. Availability of large arable land, rising production of food grains and sugarcane leading to surpluses, availability of technology to produce ethanol from plant based sources, and feasibility of making vehicles compliant to ethanol blended petrol make E20 not only a national imperative, but also an important strategic requirement.

Relying on biofuels inevitable

Biofuels obtained from organic matter or waste are one of the most valuable renewable energy sources that can help reduce carbon emissions. Bio-diesel, bio-ethanol and biogas are the three most commonly used biofuels. Apart from being a renewable source of energy, biofuels help in reducing the air pollution of the globe. As per the Renewable Fuels Association, an association for America’s ethanol industry, the usage of biofuels has helped in reducing more than 230 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions since 2007.

Adopting biofuels as an alternative source of energy can significantly improve farmers’ income, generate employment opportunities, reduce imports, augment waste to wealth creation, etc. Therefore, the government, through several programmes, promotes the production and usage of biofuels.

In order to further encourage the production and the usage of biofuels, the Government of India has launched various schemes and policies such as National Policy on Biofuels, 2018, Pradhan Mantri JIVAN Yojana, Biogas Power Generation and Thermal Energy Application Programme (BPGTP), New National Biogas and Organic Manure Programme (NNBOMP), Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) etc.

Elaborating on the government’s schemes and policies, Atul Mulay, President, Bioenergy, Praj Industries, said, “Government has already taken various strategic interventions to boost the ethanol production and consumption in the country. Government has recently released a five year roadmap, advancing the E20 target by five years to FY 2025. This has created ethanol capacity building opportunities.” 

Ethanol production

In India, ethanol is produced through various sources and depending on the raw materials used for their production, their outputs are categorised in 1G, 2G and 3G, where ‘G’ stands for ‘generation’.  The source of 1G – the first generation of biofuels – include edible sources like molasses, sugar-containing materials like sugarcane, sugar beet and sorghum, starch-containing materials like corn, cassava and rotten potatoes, and edible oil seeds. 2G biofuels use non-edible sources like non-edible oilseeds (e.g. Jatropha curcas), used cooking oil, agriculture residue such as rice straw, cotton stalk, corn cobs, saw dust, bagasse, etc. 3G biofuels are drawn from industrial waste, municipal solid waste, etc. 2G and 3G biofuels are recognised as being more advanced.

“The supply chain for 1G ethanol production from sugar is well established. Different sugar mills have their own ethanol production capacity. Recently, the government has permitted use of starchy feedstock (surplus and damaged grains) for ethanol production. Starchy feedstock from Food Corporation of India (FCI) will be made available to ensure uninterrupted supply,” said Mulay.

Echoing similar sentiments, Dr Anjan Ray, Director Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) said, “The new biofuel policy has opened up new avenues of using 1G, as well as 2G and also mixed feedstock. While 1G-bioethanol technologies are well established, and the 2G-bioethanol processes are moving towards maturity, the Indian energy sector now has to roll out production by focusing on economically viable and scalable technologies using waste-based feeds as far as possible and also by enhancing productivity and utilisation of 1G crops other than sugarcane.” 

To read more click on http://www.agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine 

 

The Indian government has set in motion

Agro chems – Chemicals, IT

nurture.farm has developed a comprehensive ecosystem of integrated solutions to increase accessibility, connectivity and resilience, and secure sustainable outcomes

nurture.farm, a digital platform for growers, farming communities and food systems, is scaling and expanding its global reach as a part of the OpenAg network. The OpenAg network was conceived by UPL, a world leader in sustainable agriculture. 

 

The nurture.farm platform fosters resilient farmers, making agriculture simple, profitable and sustainable for generations to come through technology-led solutions covering every step of the farming life cycle. nurture.farm, which was incubated by UPL, will operate as an open platform in the supply of products, innovation and mechanisation.

 

Dhruv Sawhney, COO and Business Head, nurture.farm said, “We are democratising technology, creating a shared infrastructure and uniting farmers and buyers under a global community committed to driving sustainability. We look forward to taking our revolutionary platform to new markets, as we endeavour to change the game for farmers and make food systems more sustainable.”

 

“We are pleased to welcome nurture.farm to the OpenAg network, and excited for the role they will play in our mission to unlock opportunities for farmers, food security and sustainable agriculture worldwide,” says Carlos Pellicer – COO, UPL.

 

Through a holistic approach, nurture.farm has developed a comprehensive ecosystem of integrated solutions to increase accessibility, connectivity and resilience, and secure sustainable outcomes. 

 

As a part of its mission to create sustainable food systems, nurture.farm is encouraging regenerative agriculture practices through its selection of products, services, and projects. It is driving numerous new programmes, including stubble burning avoidance programmes, biological products, carbon credits and reward programmes to advance this mission.

 

Jai Shroff, Global CEO, UPL said, “nurture.farm is one of the most exciting initiatives within the OpenAg network, unlocking opportunities for farmers and food systems worldwide, delivering shared prosperity for our growers and their communities, and supporting environmental sustainability.”

nurture.farm has developed a comprehensive ecosystem of

Finance, Poultry

The new company will have state-of-the-art operations and will continue to invest in its workforce and employee safety

Cargill, Continental Grain Company and Sanderson Farms announced that they have reached a definitive agreement for a joint venture between Cargill and Continental Grain to acquire Sanderson Farms for $203 per share in cash, representing a total equity value for Sanderson Farms of $4.53 billion. The purchase price represents a 30.3 per cent premium to Sanderson Farms’ unaffected share price of $155.74 on June 18, 2021, the last full trading day before media speculation about the potential sale of Sanderson Farms; a 22.8 per cent premium to the Sanderson Farms 30-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) as of June 18, 2021, and a 15.2 per cent premium to the all-time high share price as of June 18, 2021. fUpon completion of the transaction, Cargill and Continental Grain will combine Sanderson Farms with Wayne Farms, a subsidiary of Continental Grain, to form a new, privately held poultry business.

The combination of Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms will create a best-in-class US poultry company with a high-quality asset base, complementary operating cultures, and an industry-leading management team and workforce. The new company will be well-positioned to enhance its service to customers across retail and foodservice and drive organic growth in an industry fueled by affordability and key consumer trends around the health, sustainability, and versatility of chicken.

The new company will have state-of-the-art operations and will continue to invest in its workforce and employee safety. Operations will include poultry processing plants and prepared foods plants across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas.

Cargill expects to support the new joint venture with its longstanding relationships with retail and foodservice customers. Wayne Farms, part of Continental Grain’s food, agriculture and commodities investment portfolio since 1965, has roots in the poultry industry that go back more than a century.

 

The new company will have state-of-the-art operations

Agro Universities, AgroPolicy, R&D, Sustainable Energy

The study focussed on four major crops namely rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton

Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), an autonomous organisation under Department of Science and Technology (DST) has published a study report titled ‘Estimation of Surplus Crop Residue in India for Biofuel Production’ jointly with Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI).

As a follow up to the aforesaid study, TIFAC along with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad has carried out an estimation of residual biomass and its energy potential on pan India basis on a further disaggregated at a level of 1 square kilometre through spatial information system. This has focussed on four major crops namely rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton.

 

The National Policy on Bio-fuels, 2018 envisages creation of a National Biomass Repository by conducting appraisal of biomass across the Country. This information was stated by Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli.

 

The study focussed on four major crops

AgroPolicy, Schemes - Govt, Sustainable Energy

Bathinda (Punjab) of HPCL, Panipat (Haryana) of IOCL, Bargarh (Odisha) of BPCL and Numaligarh (Assam) of NRL will be provided Rs 150 crore each under the Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana.

  The government has approved financial support of Rs 150 crore each to four commercial projects at Bathinda (Punjab) of HPCL, Panipat (Haryana) of IOCL, Bargarh (Odisha) of BPCL and Numaligarh (Assam) of NRL and Rs 15 crore to one demo plant at Panipat (Haryana) of IOCL under the Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana.

The government has allowed procurement of ethanol produced from other non-food feedstocks besides molasses, like cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials including petrochemical route. Oil PSUs have entered into Memorandum of Understanding with state governments and technology providers for 2G ethanol bio-refineries. Oil PSUs have planned to set up second generation (2G) ethanol bio-refineries to augment ethanol supplies for Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme at Panipat in Haryana, Bathinda in Punjab, Bargarh in Odisha, Numaligarh in Assam and Davangere in Karnataka. 

Under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, the quantity of ethanol supplied for Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and ongoing ESY 2020-21 as on 02.08.2021 is 150.50 crore litres, 188.57 crore litres, 173.03 crore litres and 209.67 (till 02.08.2021) crore litres respectively. The details of biodiesel procured by PSU OMCs for blending with diesel during the years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 (April to July) are 8.22, 10.55, 0.51 and 0.05 crore litres respectively. 

 

 

Bathinda (Punjab) of HPCL, Panipat (Haryana) of

AgroPolicy, Oilseeds

According to the association, the decision will have a positive impact on oil palm farmers, and help increase their net earnings

The Oil Palm Developers and Processors Association (OPDPA), the nodal agency for oil palm cultivation in India has welcomed the announcement by the Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi, on taking up oil palm plantations aggressively in India to make India self-sufficient in edible oils. The PM announced a new national initiative on palm oil production to help increase oil palm production in the country, thereby helping curtail imports and simultaneously increasing farmer income. The scheme, namely, National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), for self-reliance in edible oil involves an investment of over Rs 11,000 crore towards palm oil development.

 

According to OPDPA, through this announcement, the government places its emphasis on the Make In India and Atmanirbhar Bharat agenda which will make India self-sufficient in edible oils. The OPDPA has been requesting a significant policy change to push local oil palm cultivation and thanks to the PMs vision, the same has been accommodated.

 

The scheme, according to sources, is expected to incentivise the production of palm oil to reduce dependence on imports and help farmers cash in on the huge market availability for oil palm. The centre plans to raise the domestic production of palm oil by three times to 11 lakh MT by 2025-26. This will involve raising the area under oil palm cultivation to 10 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and 16.7 lakh hectares by 2029-30.

 

The special emphasis of the scheme will be on India’s north-eastern states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the conducive weather conditions in the regions.

 

Commenting on the announcement made by the PM, Sanjay Goenka, President, OPDPA said, “The expanse of oil palm cultivation in the country is very negligible today as compared to the potential the crop possesses. We have seen the transformation this crop has brought about in the lives of the farmer community in Andhra Pradesh and we hope to emulate the same in the other potential states as well. A robust, long-term policy mechanism will give this crop the required push across India. Given the new scheme National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), India can truly achieve its goal of self-sufficiency in edible oils by pushing for development in the oil palm plantation sector. While we await the detailed policy guidelines on this front, we appreciate the move by the Government of India and simultaneously assure our PM that all of us processors at the OPDPA of India will strive hard to make his dream of self-reliance in edible oil come true.”

 

“The industry needs several reforms to maintain its viability and attract further investments in various states of India. OPDPA has been aggressively pursuing the agenda with the government to bring in structural policy changes which will greatly propel the industry to new growth levels. With these policy changes and new scheme NMEO-OP, we can truly achieve our PM’s vision of Atmanirbharta in edible oils,” Goenka added.

According to the association, the decision will

Agro chems – Pesticides

Global reform is needed to develop framework and system for bioprotectants to enable their registration, distribution, and sale across nations. An insight by Shashi Sharma, President of the World BioProtection Forum, UK

Bioprotectants (erroneously known as biopesticides) have enormous potential to be the fastest growing industry in plant health and pest control sectors. The global community is eagerly waiting for the delivery of novel bioprotectants. Industry is ready, expecting global leaders, policy makers and regulators to put their act together and enable them to develop and deliver novel products to humanity for safeguarding the at-risk resources from biological threats. 

 

During the last century, we had developed a high degree of reliance on chemical pesticides for pest and disease management. Because of many unacceptable environmental safety and human health concerns associated with these products, the pesticides-based global pest and disease management system is not tenable. There are examples of serious adverse impacts of pesticides on human health and the environment. In a region in South Asia where pesticides were indiscriminately used, cancer incidence in the farming community is so high that hundreds of patients travel regularly by train to a cancer hospital approximately 300 km away. The train is dubbed as the ‘cancer train’ unfortunately. 

 

I often dream that humanity has released a global tender seeking quotations for safeguarding food and agriculture, and other plant and animal resources on this planet, from pest and disease threats. The rationale for this tender is that food that can feed over two billion people is being lost due to pests and diseases, and the overall economic damage caused by them amounts to trillions of dollars. The key caveat of this tender, however, is that the safeguarding products, tools, and processes should not have adverse impacts on the environment as well as on the ability of future generations to use the natural resources that are available to present generations. 

 

I also dream that scientists, entrepreneurs, policy makers and regulators have responded to the tender and provided evidence that ‘biologicals’ fit that niche well. In our enthusiasm, we have even started calling these biologicals ‘biopesticides’, making humanity wonder as to why we label beneficial biologicals such as a fungus, a virus, or a nematode as a type of ‘pesticides’? Let us rectify this mistake and henceforth resolve to call them ‘bioprotectants’, as the World BioProtection Forum, a non-profit organisation, has advocated.  

 

It appears to surprise many people that, already, 500+ businesses have come forward in producing these bioprotectants around the world. Unfortunately, game changing bioprotectant products that have consistently comparable, if not better, efficiency and effectiveness of the chemical pesticides have not been delivered. Lack of long-term vision, strategic direction, global initiatives, funds, and enthusiasm are all among the key reasons for the lower impressions of bioprotectants’ efficacies. 

Two decades of the 21st century have already passed, and we have made sub-optimal progress in replacing the 20th century’s chemicals-based plant pest management system with a biologicals-based systems. Numerous pesticides have been banned from use due to their toxicity, but rather than being replaced by bioprotectants that could fill those “gaps in the market”, farmers across the world find themselves with no tools to fight pests and diseases. This raises the question of why more bioprotectants are not available. The answer relates, at least in part, to the fact that in many parts of the world new bioprotectants are still being evaluated and regulated using the systems and protocols developed for chemicals. The consequence of this one-size-fits-all approach is that there is little tangible progress made worldwide in delivering novel bioprotectants, as trying to meet the requirements of regulatory systems that do not fit the products in question present an insurmountable hurdle. New approaches and systems are needed to be developed for changing the basic operating system for safeguarding the food and agriculture and plants and animals in the natural environment from pest threats.

 

We have also failed to accelerate the identification and characterisation of microbial diversity to discover the game changing microbes that can be potentially used as bioprotectants. The global microbial diversity is a vast source of promising populations and strains and we have so far been able to identify only about 1 per cent of the global microbial biodiversity. We have not yet adequately progressed the development of a global microbial gene bank and resource centres for preserving, culturing, maintaining, studying, and distributing the material and associated information to scientific institutions and industry worldwide. We do not even have adequate protocols needed to accelerate and enhance the smooth exchange of microbial resources across nations. It will require streamlining of laws, regulations, standards, and practices across the national boundaries to enable easy access to resources, and products developed from these resources. A European network, Common Access to Biological Resources and Information (CABRI), appears to be a potentially good model to expand and develop global systems.

 

Global reform is needed to develop framework and system for bioprotectants to enable their registration, distribution, and sale across nations. At present, the regulatory frameworks of different nations are inconsistent and not much progress has been made to streamline them. A reform in the regulatory thinking and processes will help to achieve system compatibility across regions and nations and facilitate innovation, market access and trade. In a fast-changing technology driven world where the scales of technologies and business change rapidly, regulators need help to develop and enforce regulations and properly monitor compliance. Novel approaches, tools and partnerships are needed to regulate the new technologies including the evaluation and delivery of bioprotectants. 

 

Partnership of policy makers and regulators with industry and academia will be crucial to achieve regulatory frameworks and systems that are outcome-focused, fit for purpose, reduce the time and cost for businesses, and promotes innovation and growth. Regulators may have to deviate from the ‘business as usual’ regulatory processes and focus more on providing clear and comprehensive guidelines for developing and registering new bioprotectants. Regulators should also be ready to acknowledge the best practice industry standards and protocols, which may be assessed as equivalent in meeting the regulatory purpose. The skill set, mindset and attitude required for the modern regulatory role is to facilitate and help in making it happen. This would require new working models to engage and synergistically collaborate with academia and industry to access knowledge and expertise needed to effectively regulate and facilitate innovation for the development of the bioprotection sector. 

 

The development of new bioprotectant based pest management system requires financial investment and commitment from political leaders juggling competing priorities. However, they should be mindful that we have a broken pest and disease management system and, if a new system is not developed, we will suffer trillions of dollars of economic losses on an ongoing basis. There is urgency to put our act together and deliver outcomes to safeguard humanity and this planet. Incidentally, a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has revealed that the global arms spending steadily increased over the past 20 years to $1.9 trillion in 2019. The global community expects that politicians worldwide who readily endorse funds for the procurement of arms and ammunitions would pay equal attention to the funding needs of the institutions and initiatives that are critical for safeguarding the food and agriculture, natural biodiversity, and humanity from the real threats to their survival. The development of bioprotectants based pest management system needs immediate attention of the global leaders. This is a high priority, which we cannot afford to neglect.

Global reform is needed to develop framework

AgroPolicy, Finance

The PM talked of the sowing season and expressed the hope that the amount received will help the farmers

The Prime Minister (PM), Narendra Modi released the next instalment of financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) today through a video conference. The PM interacted with farmer-beneficiaries during the event. This enabled the transfer of an amount of more than Rs 19,500 crores to more than 9.75 crores beneficiary farmer families. It was the 9th instalment of the financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN).

 

Addressing the gathering, the PM talked of the sowing season and expressed the hope that the amount received will help the farmers. He also mentioned that the scheme of Kisan Infrastructure Fund with 1 lakh crore rupees corpus also completes one year today. The PM touched upon initiatives like Mission Honey-Bee and making saffron from Jammu and Kashmir in the NAFED shops. The honey mission has led to Rs 700 crore export of honey resulting in extra income for farmers.

 

Referring to the upcoming 75th Independence day, he said that apart from being an occasion for the pride it is also an opportunity for new resolutions. We have to take this opportunity to decide where we want to see India in the coming 25 years, he said. The PM remarked that our agriculture and our farmers have a big role in determining the condition of India in 2047 when the country completes 100 years of independence. It is time to give direction to India’s agriculture to face new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. He called for changes in Indian agriculture according to the demands of changing times. He lauded the farmers for record production during the pandemic and outlined the government’s measures to reduce the hardships of farmers during the difficult period. The government ensured an uninterrupted supply of seeds, fertilisers and access to markets. Urea was available throughout and when prices of DAP increased manifold in the international market, the government immediately arranged 12000 crore rupees for that so that the load is not felt by the farmers.

 

The PM said the government has made the biggest ever purchase from farmers at MSP, be it Kharif or Rabi season. With this, about Rs 1,70,000 crore have reached directly into the accounts of rice farmers and Rs 85,000 crore have gone directly into the account of wheat farmers.

 

The PM reminded that he urged the farmers to increase the production of pulses, when there was a shortage of pulses in the country, a few years ago. He said that as a result, there has been an increase of almost 50 per cent in the production of pulses in the country in the last six years.

 

The PM highlighted National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm i.e. NMEO-OP as a pledge for achieving self-reliance in edible oil. He said that through the National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm mission, more than Rs 11,000 crore will be invested in the cooking oil ecosystem. The government will ensure that farmers get all the facilities, from quality seeds to technology. The PM pointed out that today, for the first time, India has reached among the top-10 countries of the world in terms of agricultural exports. The country has set new records of agricultural exports during the corona period. Today, when India is becoming recognised as a big agricultural exporting country, it is not right to stay dependent on imports for our needs of edible oil.

 

The PM remarked that the small farmers are now being given utmost priority in the agricultural policies of the country. With this spirit, in the last few years, serious efforts were being made to provide convenience and security to these small farmers. Under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 1 lakh 60 crores have been given to farmers so far. Out which Rs 1 lakh crore were transferred to small farmers during the pandemic period. More than two crore Kisan Credit Cards were issued during Corona person, most of them to small farmers. Such farmers will be benefitted from the agriculture infrastructure and connectivity infrastructure that is coming up in the country. Initiatives like food parks, Kisan Rails and infrastructure funds will help small farmers. In the year gone by, more than six thousand projects have been approved under the Infrastructure Fund. These steps increase the small farmer’s access to the market and his bargaining power through FPOs, said the Prime Minister.

The PM talked of the sowing season

Animal Health, Poultry

The primary cause for significant growth in demand for poultry diagnostics is rising outbreaks of poultry diseases worldwide

The global poultry diagnostics market is projected to expand at a healthy CAGR of 9 per cent till 2031, surpassing $660 million in valuation, reports, market research and competitive intelligence provider. Historical data suggests that the market expanded at a CAGR of 8.3 per cent from 2016 to 2020, according to Fact.MR.

The primary cause for significant growth in demand for poultry diagnostics is rising outbreaks of poultry diseases worldwide. These flock infections affect world trade in layers of poultry, broilers, and turkeys. As a result, ongoing efforts are being made to increase awareness among farmers about these diseases. Different bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoon pathogens, and environmental and nutritional deficiencies are causing these diseases.

The rising prevalence of these infectious diseases and a growing threat of antibiotic-resistant microbes are key factors bolstering demand for poultry diagnostics across the world. Also, concerns of bacterial and viral transmission from birds to human consumers are supporting the use of diagnostics, as poultry consumption continues growing worldwide.

Key takeaways from the market study
·        By test, ELISA to generate 52 per cent of total market revenue.
·        Market for poultry diagnostics to grow 1.8X in value by 2031.
·        The US to remain dominant in the North American market expanding at 6 per cent CAGR through 2031.
·        Market for poultry diagnostics in China to surge at a CAGR of 12 per cent over the analysis period.
·        Within Europe, the market in Germany to expand at a CAGR of 7 per cent over the next ten years.
·        Demand for PCR tests to rise at a CAGR of 8 per cent over the decade.

“Growing incidence of zoonotic diseases and rising awareness of consumers towards the safety of poultry products to boost demand for poultry diagnostics over coming years,” says a senior research analyst.

Prominent players in the industry are QIAGEN, Zoetis, BioChek Smart Veterinary Diagnostics, IDvet, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Bioneer Corporation, MEGACOR Diagnostik GmbH, Biogenetics Biotechnology Company, FinTech, and IDEXX Laboratories, among others.

The players focus on adopting various strategies to expand their product offerings and strengthen their geographic presence. With advancements in technology, new players are expected to enter the market.

The primary cause for significant growth in

Agro chems – Chemicals, Finance, Inputs

Registered sales of Rs 30,129.2 million

BASF India has registered sales of Rs 30,129.2 million for the first quarter ended June 30, 2021, as compared to Rs 17,864.9 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, representing an increase of 69 per cent.

 

The company has reported a profit (before exceptional items) of Rs 2,484.4 million as compared to a loss (before exceptional items) of Rs 406.9 million in the prior-year quarter.  

 

“We saw a strong start to FY 21-22 and the company recorded growth in revenues and margins compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, which was impacted by the COVID-19 induced lockdown. The intense second wave of the pandemic led to lockdowns in several states impacting industrial activity and businesses, especially related to the automotive sector. However, the company managed to outperform the preceding quarter in most business segments aided by enhanced customer engagement and initiatives that enhanced supply chain resilience,” said Narayan Krishnamohan, MD, BASF India.

 

Digital outreach for products from the agricultural solutions segment helped increase their visibility and demand. The industrial solutions and materials segments delivered strong growth in revenues and results with an increase in volumes and prices realisations.

 

Additionally, the company donated life-saving medical equipment like oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators to augment the medical infrastructure in the vicinity of our facilities.

 

The financial results of the company for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, have been restated to include results of erstwhile BPPIPL (BASF Performance Polyamides India Private Limited), which was merged with the company effective February 1, 2020.

 

Registered sales of Rs 30,129.2 millionBASF India

Agrotech, R&D

The novel product can benefit the farmers and food industry by extending the shelf life of fruits

Indian scientists have developed a composite paper made of carbon (graphene oxide) loaded with preservatives that can be used as wrappers to help extend the shelf life of fruits. Unlike the present preservative dipping technology, where the preservatives are adsorbed by the fruit, causing chronic toxicity to the consumers; here preservatives the wrapper releases the preservative only when needed. The wrapper can be reused, which is not possible with the present technology.

 

Fruits are highly perishable, hence 50 per cent of fruits produced are wasted, causing huge losses. Conventional preservation relies on coating the preservative with the resin, wax, or edible polymer, which may cause chronic health problems.

 

A team of researchers led by Dr PS Vijayakumar from Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, an Autonomous Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India looked for an alternative, that could be generated from waste and would not lead to adsorption of preservatives in the fruit.

 

The activated graphene oxide-loaded molecules were then loaded with preservatives. This high preservative-loaded graphene oxide, when cast into a paper used for fruit wrapping, ensures that the fruit is not loaded with toxic preservatives. But when the fruit over-ripens or gets infested by pathogens, the acidity increases by the secretion of acids, critic, and oxalic acids trigger the release of the preservatives for the preservation of the fruit. Otherwise, the preservative stays with the carbon wrapper. In the fruit dipping method, the preservative will be lost along with the fruit, whereas the wrapper can be re-used after the consumption of the fruit for the preservation of the next batch of fruits. 

 

To develop this non-toxic and reusable wrapping paper, the team allowed the carbon matrix to incubate with the preservative. After the incubation for 24 hours at room temperature, the resultant was washed several times to remove the extra preservatives. And finally, this carbon-preservative composite was cast into paper. The work has been published in the journal ‘ACS applied materials and interface’.

 

“Already waste-derived carbon materials are known to harbour a huge amount of organic molecule loading, hence the preservative loaded carbon has been prepared and cast into paper for the fruit preservation. Increasing the capacity of carbon to hold organic molecules helped us to develop this product,” adds Dr Vijayakumar.

 

The novel product can benefit the farmers and food industry by extending the shelf life of fruits. Using this wrapper for the fruit will also ensure that the customer gets the fruits with healthy quality, as we have found improvement in the phenol content. The production of this graphene fruit wrapper requires only the carbon produced from the heating of biomass, hence it will also benefit biomass consumption and employment generation. 

The novel product can benefit the farmers

Agrotech, Start ups

Award recognizes AgNext’s work to implement AI-led solutions to digitize food quality for multiple commodities and accelerate food trade

 

 AgNext Technologies, India’s leading agritech start-up, has been awarded the ‘AI Game Changers’ award in agriculture by NASSCOM in the second edition of their Xperience Virtual Summit. The award recognizes the pioneering work being done by AgNext to implement AI-led solutions to digitize food quality for multiple commodities and accelerate food trade.

AgNext has built novel AI tech solutions to help agribusinesses in addressing quality assessment issues, to bring more trust, speed and transparency in the food trade across global agricultural value chains. The company is at the forefront of deep-tech implementation in post-harvest agriculture processes. By using integrated interventions of AI, IoT and data analytics, AgNext is helping agribusinesses to create value by adopting digital solutions to support food procurement and trade operations. 

The company presented the use cases of their solutions across commodities such as grains/oilseeds, milk, tea leaves, spices and animal feed. AgNext’s AI implementation story was also covered by NASSCOM in their AI Game changers compendium which brings together 50 AI use cases from across the sectors.

On the recognition, Taranjeet Singh Bhamra, Founder & CEO of AgNext, said “We are delighted and honored to be awarded the distinguished ‘AI Gamechangers’ award by NASSCOM. This esteemed recognition of AgNext’s deep-tech interventions to solve persistent legacy issues in agricultural ecosystems is a great achievement for us. There is a huge potential to scale innovative AI technologies in agriculture and benefit every stakeholder in the value chain. We are working at the forefront of agricultural revolution 4.0 to transform this potential into reality.”

The summit was attended by audiences from diverse backgrounds – Government, Practitioners, AI Experts, Industry Leaders, Academicians, Start-ups & Researchers- bringing a versatile pool of AI stakeholders at one stage to celebrate best use cases of AI in India across the board.

Award recognizes AgNext’s work to implement AI-led

Agro Universities, Foodgrains, Seeds

ICRISAT and ZARS-Kalaburagi are also using genomics to improve pigeon pea in a first-of-its-kind effort for this crop

TDRG 59, a high-yielding variety of pigeon pea resistant to Fusarium wilt and sterility mosaic diseases, has been identified for cultivation in India’s south zone. The new variety produced 23.13 per cent higher yield than the national check-in three-year trials conducted by the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on pigeon pea.

 

Developed by ICRISAT and Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University’s (PJTSAU) Agricultural Research Station in Tandur, TDRG 59 was identified by AICRP in June 2021. Also known as ICPL 99050, the variety produced an average yield of 1719 kg/ha or 23.13 per cent higher than ICPL 8863 (national check) and 26.21 per cent higher than CO 8 (local check) in multi-location trials. The fungal disease Fusarium wilt and the viral disease caused by the sterility mosaic virus are two diseases that significantly lower pigeon pea yields. ICRISAT developed the line which was taken up for testing and evaluation by the research station.

 

“After nine years in the making, TDRG 59 is ready for release. It is a medium-duration variety and matures within 170 days. The variety will become available to farmers after the Central Varietal Release Committee (CVRC) notifies it,” said Dr Rachit Saxena, Senior Scientist, Applied Genomics, ICRISAT. The south zone for pigeon pea cultivation covers the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

 

Bheema, a pigeon pea variety that resulted from ICRISAT’s collaboration with the University of Agricultural Sciences Raichur’s Zonal Agricultural Research Station (ZARS) in Kalaburagi (Karnataka state) was among the recent varieties notified by the CVRC. Bheema was identified for release in India’s central zone covering the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. Bheema matures in 165 days and has high resistance to Fusarium wilt and sterility mosaic virus.

 

ICRISAT and ZARS-Kalaburagi are also using genomics to improve pigeon pea in a first-of-its-kind effort for this crop. Three advanced breeding lines (NAM88, NAM92 and NAM151) that were developed by ICRISAT through a technique called Nested Association Mapping (NAM) were evaluated for two years by ZARS at Kalaburagi. Subsequently, they were picked up for AICRP’s Initial Varietal Trails (IVT) in 2021.

 

“These lines were found to have high yield potential, good seed size and adaptation. The three lines have the potential to fulfil the need for good cultivars in early (NAM88) and mid-early (NAM92 and NAM151) maturity groups,” said Dr Rajeev Varshney, Research Program Director for Accelerated Crop Improvement, ICRISAT.

ICRISAT and ZARS-Kalaburagi are also using genomics

Agrotech, Seeds

Single seed chipping proves most advantageous

Researchers at ICRISAT have established seed-chip genotyping for groundnut as a significantly faster and cheaper method for genotyping than the oft-used leaf-disc technique. In a recent research publication, they have also shown that the former can be easily integrated with rapid generation advancement (RGA) to hasten groundnut research by six to eight months.

 

In the single seed chipping method, about 20 mg is chipped off from the posterior of a seed cotyledon (embryonic leaf) using a scalpel. The DNA in this chip is comparable in quality and quantity to the DNA from punched leaf samples. The results of genotyping are clear by 15 days as against 40 days that it takes through the leaf-disc technique. It was also found that chipping does not affect seed germination as both chipped and non-chipped seeds showed similar germination percentages after 30 days of storage at 4˚C. Following the efficiency gains the ICRISAT team has witnessed, an optimised seed-chip based genotyping (shown in the image) has replaced the leaf-disc-based genotyping in ICRISAT’s groundnut breeding programme.

 

Genotyping (determining gene-level differences in an individual compared to the rest of the population) is used for various purposes in breeding programmes, such as the selection of desirable lines in large segregation population, identification of duplicates in germplasm, estimation of genetic purity of available varieties and confirmation of hybrids derived from two-parent or multi-parent crosses.

 

At ICRISAT, the groundnut breeding programme has, for a decade, been using marker-assisted selection (MAS) for developing high-oleic, rust and late leaf spot diseases-resistant groundnuts. The existing process using leaf-disc genotyping involves planting seeds in pots or in the field, label preparation and printing, tagging individual plants with labels, collecting the punched leaf discs from the individual plants, discarding the plants based on the genotype result and harvesting the genotype-confirmed plants while following the results sheet with the labels on the plants. This is a laborious and expensive process. Genotyping using leaf-punching costs $7.76 per sample and takes about 40 days, which can be reduced to $2.5 with a 15 days’ time duration by deploying the new seed-chipping based genotyping.

 

“Seed-chip-based genotyping allows selection without the need for growing plants; which reduces the expenses required during maintenance of undesired and desired lines/accessions in the field during leaf-based genotyping methods,” said Dr Manish Pandey, Senior Scientist -Groundnut Genomics and corresponding author of the paper published in Agronomy.

 

Single seed chipping proves most advantageous when the proportion of selectable candidates is about 10-20 per cent of the total candidates from which selections need to be made. Researchers say that when combined with RGA, single seed-chip genotyping can significantly reduce research duration and increase genetic gain. At ICRISAT’s semi-controlled RGA greenhouse in Hyderabad, India, three-and-a-half generations of groundnut has been achieved per year. Researchers are now working on designing a fully controlled RGA facility to optimise and scale-up RGA to churn out at least 50 per cent of groundnut breeding populations.

 

“The application of seed chipping technology complements low-cost rapid generation advancement for cost-effective development of high oleic groundnut line breeding and cultivar improvement with an enhanced rate of genetic gain. The Breeding Schema for groundnut integrates single seed-based genotyping in F4 and rapid generation advancement (RGA) to advance F2 to F3 and F3 to F4 Single Seed Descents are advanced,” said Dr P Janila, Principal Scientist-Groundnut Breeding and co-corresponding author of the study.

 

According to Dr Rajeev Varshney, Global Program Director, Accelerated Crop Improvement, seed-chip genotyping can be used for several purposes in breeding programmes and can help significantly help accelerate crop improvement.

 

“Reducing the time taken for every breeding cycle is a significant way of enhancing genetic gain in crop research. If we are to continue feeding a growing world and meet the nutritional demands while besting the climate crisis, all means to accelerate genetic gains have to be embraced. Seed-chip genotyping and RGA are two of the most potent tools available,” said Dr Varshney.

 

The authors of the paper, Single Seed-Based High-Throughput Genotyping and Rapid Generation Advancement for Accelerated Groundnut Genetics and Breeding Research, are Parmar S, Deshmukh DB, Kumar R, Manohar SS, Joshi P, Sharma V, Chaudhari S, Variath MT, Gangurde SS, Bohar R, Singam P, Varshney RK, Janila P and Pandey MK (2021).

 

The scientific work described here has been supported by the National Agricultural Science Fund (NASF) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (High Throughput Genotyping Project—HTPG (OPP1130244), and OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and CGIAR Research Program on grain legumes and dryland cereals.

Single seed chipping proves most advantageousResearchers