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The company has trademarked the name “Healing the Earth Farms” as its brand name for all growing activities.

Green Planet Group an emerging leader in green technology, announced recently that its wholly owned subsidiary, Healing the Earth (HTE) has launched its urban farm operation. The company has trademarked the name “Healing the Earth Farms” as its brand name for all growing activities.

The farm will utilise its patented growing technology to both demonstrate its effectiveness in growing 100 per cent organic food with 97 per cent less water, using no soil or chemical fertilizers, while accelerating growing time by as much as 300 per cent. The farm will begin growing three varieties of micro-greens, a Kalefetti, Radish, and a Spicy Micro mix. The ‘living’ micro-greens are harvested with their roots intact which improves shelf life while maintaining taste and nutrition values.

The Healing the Earth Farms label includes a QR code which will permit the retail customer to connect directly to its website to obtain additional product information and suggested recipes from Chef Alex. In addition, Chef Alex will begin a promotion whereby customers can submit their recipes for cash rewards.

The farm will harvest food every day, 365 days per year, and will begin delivering its products to up-scale grocery chains in the fourth week of this month, at the rate of 280 units per day or 8,500 units per month.

The company has trademarked the name "Healing

Sonalika has sold 1,05,250 tractors in April-December 2021.

Carrying forward the strong momentum built throughout FY’21, Sonalika Tractors has breached past 1 lakh tractor sales mark in just 9 months (April-Dec’21) of FY’22, thereby charting the path to a new paradigm in 2022. Meanwhile, Sonalika has also entered the coveted club of 25,000+ export tractor sales in 9 months, a unique feat which remains a distant dream for many companies globally. Sonalika has further extended its lead in exports with 3,432 tractor sales and 31.2 per cent market share in December 2021.

Cumulatively, Sonalika has sold 1,05,250 tractors in Apr-Dec 2021. Year after year, Sonalika Tractors has been fast forwarding its sales performance of crossing 1 lakh tractors mark. The company has been manoeuvring through toughest of COVID-19 waves while addressing farmer’s critical requirements with superior technology powered tractors and implements. This also includes the recently launched Sonalika Tiger DI 75 4W CRDs tractor that delivers twin benefits in one tractor – the power of 75 HP tractor and fuel economy of 65 HP tractor. 

Sharing his viewpoint on the remarkable achievement, Raman Mittal, Executive Director, Sonalika Tractors, said, “It gives me great pleasure to announce that we have created a new record sales performance to breach the 1 lakh tractor sales mark in just 9 months of FY’22. Month after month, our strong focus on our mission and persistent approach of closely working with farmers while addressing their diverse needs, has enabled us to clock the extraordinary record 1,05,250 overall tractor sales within 9 months of FY’22 (April-Dec’21).

Sonalika has sold 1,05,250 tractors in April-December

The selected 12 winners of the challenge will be awarded a cash grant of Rs 2 Lakh each to 10 shortlisted start-ups

The Department of Fisheries, Government of India in association with Startup India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently launched the “Fisheries Startup Grand Challenge.”

The following themes have been identified for submission of problem statements under the Fisheries Start-up Grand Challenge:

Design and develop technology/solutions for enhancing productivity so that the fishers and fish farmers can achieve better price realisation

Develop infrastructure and post-harvest management solutions that will enable fishers, fish farmers in creating value addition, value creation and value realisation ensuring minimal wastage across the fisheries value chain

Develop business solutions and outreach activities that will make fish and fish products easily accessible, acceptable and popular among the meat consuming population in the country

Develop sustainable solutions to reduce/stop soil erosion, siltation of the water bodies and develop eco-friendly solutions for costal fishers

The challenge is expected to foster start-up culture within the sector and to establish a strong foundation of the entrepreneurial model, the Department of Fisheries has earmarked funds to the tune of Rs 3.44 crore for the challenge. The selected 12 winners of the challenge will be awarded a cash grant of Rs 2 Lakh each to 10 shortlisted start-ups for translating their ‘Idea to PoC’. In the final round, a grant up to Rs 20 lakh (General category) and Rs 30 Lakh (SC/ST/Women) will be provided to the winners for transforming their ideas into effective pilots which would further translate into commercialisation.

The launch event was attended by various stakeholders including key start-ups, industry experts, entrepreneurs, investors, incubators and policymakers.

The selected 12 winners of the challenge

This programme represents a comprehensive solution designed specifically to combat nematodes

Netafim USA, a subsidiary of Netafim Limited has announced its partnership with Bayer to create the Precise Defense programme. This programme represents a comprehensive solution designed specifically to combat nematodes, an invisible but devastating threat to the health and productivity of almond trees. Precise Defense delivers a powerful one-two punch by utilising Netafim’s precision drip irrigation technology to deliver VelumÒ One Nematicide and other crop protection products directly to the root zone. This delivery method maximises residual efficacy through uniform application rates and significantly reduces the amount of water used to irrigate almond trees.

Growers who purchase a complete Netafim Dual Line Drip Irrigation System from an authorised dealer and purchase two annual applications of Velum One from an authorised dealer are qualified to earn a $40 per acre rebate. Over a three-year trial, Velum One treated trees returned an average yield increase of 18.1 per cent, or 292 pounds per acre.

“Netafim’s cutting edge drip irrigation systems improve irrigation uniformity and have the ability to reduce the amount of water needed to grow a pound of almonds by 20 per cent. In addition, our systems provide an efficient and effective delivery solution for Velum One and other crop protection chemicals,” said Mike Hemman, President and CEO, Netafim USA.

“The Precise Defense programme is a best-of-both-worlds partnership that addresses today’s almond growers’ most pressing concerns and now incentivises them to voluntarily adopt better solutions to combat climate change. By participating in the Precise Defense rebate program and investing in a drip irrigation system, growers can feel confident they have the tools to mitigate nematode damage, maintain, and use water more efficiently.” said Chuck Bates, Vice President of Products and Agronomy, Netafim USA.

This programme represents a comprehensive solution designed

The raw material will be supplied by Pune-based Praj Industries

Swaraj Green Power & Fuel (Swaraj)  plans to set up the largest ethanol plant (1100 KLPD) in Maharashtra in two stages, first stage capacity of 500 kilo litres per day (KLPD) and in second stage capacity shall be enhanced to 1100 KLPD based on sugarcane juice and BIOSYRUP.  Necessary permissions have been acquired to enhance the plant capacity up to 1100 KLPD in near future. 

Swaraj and Praj have signed an agreement for expanding up to 500 KLPD capacity that is expected to be operational by the third quarter of FY 2022-23. Praj is responsible for the design, engineering, supply and commissioning of the plant, deploying its advanced sugarcane juice and BIOSYRUP to ethanol technology. Praj’s Innovative solution to process sugarcane juice into a new sustainable feedstock BIOSYRUP will help Swaraj secure round the year ethanol production.

The raw material will be supplied by

To certify, the company had to undergo 200 science-based standards covering everything from adequate space to proper temperature, air

Chile-based Agrosuper, the Las Cornizas broiler chicken farm is the first in South America to earn certification from American Humane the largest certifier of animal welfare in the world.

To qualify as an American Humane Certified producer, Agrosuper’s Las Cornizas broiler chicken farm had to meet the programme’s rigorous requirements, including nearly 200 science-based standards covering everything from adequate space to proper temperature, air and water quality, the ability to express natural behaviours and much more.

Agrosuper also voluntarily agreed to undergo stringent, yearly audits by expert, independent, third-party auditors to ensure the programme’s standards are being implemented correctly.

To certify, the company had to undergo

This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

The US Department of Agriculture has announced a $9 million investment in new Cooperative Extension and USDA Climate Hubs partnerships to bolster climate research and connect and share climate-smart solutions directly with the agricultural community.
 
“The Cooperative Extension system and the USDA Climate Hubs have unmatched capacity to reach agricultural, Tribal and undeserved communities, as well as educators and students, and our nation’s farmers directly,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
 
This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the nation’s leading competitive grants programme for agricultural sciences. This new AFRI program area provides effective, translatable and scalable approaches to address climate change through regional partnerships, including the USDA Climate Hubs, and further extends outreach through organisations such as the Cooperative Extension Service.
 
“These new NIFA-funded projects will work toward net-zero emissions in agriculture, working lands and communities adapted to climate change, training a diverse workforce that can communicate and incorporate climate considerations into management and climate justice that is appropriate for unique US agronomic conditions,” said NIFA Director Dr Carrie Castille.

The initial six funded projects include:

  • University of California (Davis) 
  • Pennsylvania State University 
  • Montana State University 
  • Ohio State University 
  • The Desert Research Institute Native Climate 
  • The USDA Caribbean Climate Hub 

This investment is part of the National

Experts opine for adopting sustainable agricultural practices to help farmers in the long run

The agriculture sector is looking ahead for Budget 2022 and has a lot of expectations from the Finance Minister.
According to Prithviraj Sen Sharma, MD and Country Head, Agoro Carbon Alliance, India, Indian growers are poised to benefit greatly from the fresh thinking the administrative bodies have around building newer, smarter, more digitally-connected ways of producing more food with fewer resources. With initiatives like More Crop Per Drop, we are taking the first steps towards building longer-term resiliency towards more and more frequent climate swings and shifts in the geo-political scenario to cement India’s place as one of the most important node points ensuring food security globally.

He says, “The upcoming union budget should reflect the shift in attitude towards being more grower-centric, building highly resilient food distribution mechanisms and ensuring our farmers are adequately compensated for their work.”

According to Dhruv Sawhney, Business Head and COO, nurture.farm, to improve farmer incomes, one has to focus on adopting sustainable agricultural practices. Incentivising this for Indian farmers will have a two-pronged impact – on the one hand, it will improve the carbon footprint of agriculture, making it climate-friendly, and on the other, by leveraging carbon credits, farmers will have a scope to earn higher incomes. With the second-largest arable land in the world, India can be a world leader in establishing the potential impact on climate and farmer incomes by adopting sustainable agriculture practices. Enabling public-private partnerships in this domain can help Indian farmers leapfrog towards climate-friendly, sustainable and profitable agriculture.

Experts opine for adopting sustainable agricultural practices

The pulp mill production is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2024

Nouryon has signed a 15-year agreement with Suzano, a world leading eucalyptus pulp producer. Under the long-term agreement, Nouryon will commission its sustainable Integrated Manufacturing Model for the new Suzano eucalyptus pulp mill in the municipality of Ribas do Rio Pardo, located in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

The project, called the “Cerrado Project”, is a $2.8 billion pulp mill with annual production capacity of 2.55 million tonne per year and one of the largest private-sector investments currently under development in Brazil. The pulp mill production is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2024.

Nouryon has successfully operated its Integrated Manufacturing Model in Brazil since 2005 with four existing pulp mill installations that support the country’s fast-growing pulp industry. The concept provides Suzano with tailor-made onsite solutions to manage essential raw materials needed in pulp production. Nouryon will invest in hydrogen peroxide and a sodium chlorate manufacturing facility at the site and will construct and sell a chlorine dioxide manufacturing facility and tank farm to Suzano. Nouryon will be using renewable electricity from Suzano’s new pulp mill to produce sodium chlorate. Additionally, the production process will generate green hydrogen, which is used to sustainably manufacture hydrogen peroxide. It will provide important sustainability benefits as the onsite facilities reduce transportation of raw materials, improve overall safety and maximise available resources.

The pulp mill production is scheduled to

Futures trading in mustard oil on NCDEX has been suspended and stock limits on oils and oilseeds have been imposed

In a bid to reign in the continuous rise in the cooking oil prices since the past one year, the basic duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil has been cut from 2.5 per cent to nil by the Government of India. The agri-cess on these oils has been brought down from 20 per cent to 7.5 per cent for crude palm oil and 5 per cent for crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil.

Consequent to the above reduction, the total duty is now 7.5 per cent for crude palm oil and 5 per cent for crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil. The basic duty on RBD palmolein oil has been slashed to 12.5 per cent from 17.5 per cent recently. The basic duty on refined soyabean and refined sunflower oil has been slashed to 17.5 per cent from the current 32.5 per cent. Before reduction, the agricultural infrastructure cess on all forms of crude edible oils was 20 per cent. Post reduction, the effective duty on crude palm oil will be 8.25 per cent, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil will be 5.5 per cent each.

Apart from rationalising import duties on palm oil, sunflower oil and soyabean oil, futures trading in mustard oil on NCDEX has been suspended and stock limits on oils and oilseeds have been imposed.

Despite international commodity prices being high, interventions made by Central Government along with State Governments’ pro-active involvement have led to a reduction in prices of edible oils. The department is regularly interacting with the oil industry associations and leading market players and has convinced them to reduce the MRP which will translate to passing on the benefit of duty reduction to end consumers. As per the trend from 167 price collection centres, edible oil prices have declined quite significantly in the range of Rs 5 and 20 per kg in the major retail markets across the country.

Major edible Oil players including Adani Willmar and Ruchi Industries have cut prices by Rs 15 -20 per litre. The other players that have reduced the prices of edible oils are Gemini Edibles & Fats India, Hyderabad, Modi Naturals, Delhi, Gokul Re-foils and Solvent, Vijay Solvex, Gokul Agro Resources and NK. Proteins.

The government has recently started to control the prices of oil concerning soya meal. Stock limit on soya meal which is a major source of protein and constitutes almost 30 per cent of livestock feed has been imposed that will be effective till June 2022 by including it in the Schedule to Essential Commodities Act, 1955. This will cool down the prices and improve supply.

Futures trading in mustard oil on NCDEX

The prog will help farmers enhance productivity and profitability

The ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in association with the African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) is organising an E-training Programme on “Agricultural Engineering Technologies for Enhancing Productivity and Profitability in Agriculture Sector” till January 21, 2022.

Delivering the inaugural address, Dr Kanchan Kumar Singh, ADG (Farm Engineering), ICAR highlighted the importance of mechanisation in the production and post-production agriculture for ensuring timely operation, precise input applications and loss reduction.

His Excellency, Dr Manoj Nardeosingh, Secretary-General, AARDO opined that mechanization technologies are highly relevant to develop countries. He also stressed that such technologies developed by the ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal and other organisations must reach AARDO member countries for sustainable and profitable agriculture.

Dr CR Mehta, Director, ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal briefed about the Institute’s activities. He also underlined the main objective of the programme to share the innovative agricultural engineering technologies developed by the institute and other organisations for up-skilling and sensitising the participants in the fields of pre and post-harvest mechanisation.

A total of 74 participants from 19 AARDO Member Countries including India are participating in the programme.

The prog will help farmers enhance productivity

Galleon and Birdoo are the latest innovative solutions to help maximise animal health and flock performance

Cargill is assembling a portfolio of AI-driven innovations through proprietary development and strategic partnerships to go beyond nutrition and help customers optimise their operations with actionable insights. Cargill has added two new products to its portfolio of AI-driven innovations- Galleon and Birdoo which offers poultry producers actionable insights.

Cargill’s patent-pending Galleon tool enables broiler producers to decide how changes such as in raw materials, diet, additives, vaccine programs, and farm management practices influence the microbiome of their flock.

Galleon can help producers improve the flock’s performance for economic benefit by means including but not limited to switching feed and additives or improving management practices. It further, pinpoint reasons why different farms with the same inputs, like feed management and antibiotic regimens, have different performance results.

“An animal’s gut microbiome influences its health in so many ways,” said Cargill’s principal microbiome researcher, Dr Briana Kozlowicz. “We’ve accumulated an industry-leading volume of microbiome data that we can now tap into to provide actionable insights to our customers to improve the performance of their flocks.”

To help producers better track broiler performance, Cargill has teamed up with digital technology enablement firm, Knex, to develop ‘Birdoo’, a first-of-its-kind technology that leverages proprietary computer visioning and artificial intelligence that combines hands-free, real-time flock insights with predictive modelling data. This helps producers make informed decisions quicker while supporting their bottom lines through better animal health and well-being, increased uniformity and improved performance of their flocks.

Birdoo will help Cargill producers:

  • Replace manual weighing with precision through 3D imaging
  • Track broiler performance and weight variability in real-time
  • Reduce processing variability and save on costs through better harvest planning

Galleon and Birdoo are the latest innovative

The project is expected to be completed by August 2024.

Pune-based Smartchem Technologies Limited (STL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (DFPCL), a trusted chemicals and fertiliser manufacturer in India, has laid a foundation stone of its Technical Ammonium Nitrate (TAN) complex at Gopalpur Industrial Park on December 9, 2021. CM of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation of the project in presence of Chairman & MD of STL, Sailesh Mehta, and Dibya Shankar Mishra, Minister of Energy; Industries; Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises.

The project is being built with an investment of Rs 2,200 crore and will have a capacity of 377 KTPA. The plant has the best-in-class technology from Casale, that ensures safest plant with lowest possible emission. The project is expected to be completed by August 2024.

On project completion and commencement, Odisha will become a key source of TAN to the entire Eastern Belt where majority of Mining and Infrastructure growth is foreseen in future.  It will generate employment for 1,500 people during the project phase and 325 people during the operation phase.

Sailesh Mehta, said, “STL is partnering with Odisha to support growth in the Mining & Infrastructure Sector and this complex is the first step to accomplish our ten-year-old dream to expand operations in the Eastern Region and come closer to our end users. Technical Ammonium Nitrate is a very important raw material that will fuel the infrastructure, economy, and development of the nation. We are looking forward to reducing our dependence on imports and the Gopalpur Industrial Park’s strategic location may help us do that very quickly in the near future. Tata SEZL can attract ancillary units and become a hub for development.”

The project is expected to be completed

Intend to provide home gardeners with effective pheromone solutions to protect plants while respecting biodiversity

SBM Life Science and M2i, the European leader in producing and distributing biocontrol pheromones, are joining forces through an exclusive R&D partnership to develop and distribute pheromone solutions to gardeners.

SBM Life Science’s ambition is to ease the daily life of consumers, experts, and neo-gardeners by offering innovative, effective, and responsible solutions for their plants, gardens and living spaces.

M2i, a French company specialising in the research, production, and distribution of biological protection products for plants and crops, responded to SBM Life Science’s request to work with them to develop
new pheromone solutions specifically for the garden market.

Together, SBM Life Science and M2i intend to provide home gardeners with effective pheromone solutions to protect plants while respecting biodiversity. M2i, which already offers numerous solutions
in Europe for the agricultural, green space and garden markets, will use its R&D know-how and ability to design breakthrough products to offer SBM answers to some of their specific needs in the garden market.

The first fruits of this cooperation, intended for the European and American markets, should be available in 2024 via SBM Life Science’s usual distribution channels such as DIY stores, garden centres and
general stores, and online marketplaces.

Intend to provide home gardeners with effective