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AgroPolicy, Environment, Sustainability

The project will be executed in collaboration with Andhra Pradesh government promoted Rythu Sadhikara Samstha

Govt of Odisha is set to roll out a climate-resilient natural farming programme in tribal-dominated areas of five districts in a step toward sustainable agriculture. The project will be executed in collaboration with Andhra Pradesh government promoted Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), to implement natural farming, they said.

The project, covering 3.15 lakh hectares of farmland, will be rolled out from 2022-23 fiscal with an investment of around Rs 312 crore over five years. A cluster approach will be adopted for the scheme, to be undertaken through women’s self-help groups (WSHGs) in Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada and Koraput districts.

The WSHGs will be trained for crop diversification, initial preparation of bio-inputs and pre-monsoon sowing. They will be assisted in the establishment of common facility centres for cleaning, grading, segregation and storage.

The project will be executed in collaboration

Agrotech, Sustainability

The report shares insights into sustainability transformation as the company drives action across its four strategic priorities of advancing soil health and soil carbon sequestration through smart solutions

AGCO, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology, has recently released its 2021 Sustainability Report.

“In 2020, we established AGCO’s sustainability strategy and have made meaningful progress in 2021 against our goals,” said Eric Hansotia, AGCO’s Chairman, President and CEO. “These early results have confirmed that our commitment to precision agriculture innovation places us on the right path to addressing sustainability.”

The report shares insights into sustainability transformation as the company drives action across its four strategic priorities of advancing soil health and soil carbon sequestration through smart solutions; decarbonising our operations and products; elevating employee health and safety; and prioritising animal welfare in food production. It represents a significant step forward in measuring and demonstrating our progress against our goals and commitments set in 2020, including:

  • Completing a global climate risk assessment and disclosing against the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework in inaugural TCFD report.
  • 13 per cent reduction in GHG emission intensity (scope 1 and 2)
  • 52 per cent renewable electricity use, up from 40 per cent and 32 per cent renewable energy use, up from 27 per cent.

“Our 2021 Sustainability Report shows AGCO is committed to accelerating progress in sustainability into our design, manufacturing, and distribution of smart agricultural solutions across the entire value chain,” said Roger Batkin, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief ESG Officer, and Corporate Secretary.

The report shares insights into sustainability transformation

Agrotech, Horticulture, Start ups, Supply Chain, Trade

The combined entity will foray into growing its export business with multiple crops and new regions

AgroStar has acquired Mumbai-based INI Farms, exporters of F&V crops like bananas and pomegranates from India. AgroStar has acquired 100 per cent of INI Farms through a combination of cash and stock. Through this acquisition, AgroStar will provide additional value to its large network of farmers by making their products available to quality-conscious consumers around the globe. This acquisition provides a scaled presence to AgroStar in the USD 300B+ agri output market.

Following this acquisition, AgroStar will provide market linkage solutions for the domestic and export markets to its large network of farmers. In addition, INI Farms’ customer base of global retailers will get access to a wider basket of F&V products. AgroStar will also provide access to great quality inputs, tech-based farm interventions and solutions designed to increase yields to INI Farms’ network of farmers across multiple states. Pankaj and Purnima along with the entire INI Farms team will continue to operate and scale the’ Kimaye’ brand across more countries and many more crops.

The combined entity will foray into growing

R&D, Water

Transitioning from traditional irrigation to drip irrigation systems decreases water use and has less of an impact on humidity

Irrigated agriculture areas have expanded greatly throughout the Indo-Gangetic plain, and water use has consequently increased, contributing to an increase in summer wet-bulb temperature. A study in the AGU journal Earth’s Future, by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, looks into improved water savings and reduction in moist heat stress caused by efficient irrigation.

The researchers used observations and simulations from the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model to examine the impact of efficient (drip) irrigation on moist heat stress and water savings over the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Irrigated area has increased more than 20 per cent over the Indo-Gangetic Plain during the 1970-2005 period.

The study highlights:
From 1970 to 2005, irrigated agricultural areas in the Indo-Gangetic plain grew by 20 per cent.
Greater irrigation use has increased humidity, leading to higher wet-bulb summer temperatures and greater heat stress, and contributing to declines in groundwater.
Heat stress is a primary hazard for agricultural workers.
Transitioning from traditional irrigation to drip irrigation systems decreases water use and has less of an impact on humidity.
The irrigation expansion partly contributed to the rise of 0.46 °C (P-value < 0.05) in the summer (April-May) season wet-bulb temperature over the Indo-Gangetic Plain, which is a measure of moist heat stress.

Transitioning from traditional irrigation to drip irrigation

Agrotech, Company News

The new manufacturing line will help the company stay closer to customers, improve the response times, and also provide new job opportunities 

Eaton Fluid Power, a member of Danfoss Group, has launched an all-new production line for hydrostatics at its state-of-the-art facility in Pimpri, Pune, to cater to the demand of the local agriculture sector. Danfoss is the first organisation to have the manufacturing capability of hydrostatics transmission solutions in India.

The addition of this new hydrostatics line will help improve the energy efficiency and sustainability quotient of applications where these solutions are deployed. The fast return on investment and operational efficiency offered by the product also makes it well suited for the Indian market. This new state-of-the-art assembly line and test stand are MES integrated and high on safety. The digitalisation capabilities, size and accessibility benefits of the product are also its highlight.

The new manufacturing line will help the

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech, Sustainability

Rhizo-Flo is a unique and leading soybean inoculant designed to deliver high concentrations of viable and effective cells and ultimately improve yields

AMVAC and BASF are pleased to announce a collaboration to develop Rhizo-Flo granular soybean inoculant as an exciting addition to the expanding SIMPAS-applied Solutions portfolio.

Rhizo-Flo is a unique and leading soybean inoculant designed to deliver high concentrations of viable and effective Bradyrhizobium cells and ultimately improve yields. When Rhizo-Flo inoculant is utilized, the Bradyrhizobium sp multiplies, penetrating the soybean plant root system to form nodules that allow the soybean plant to fix nitrogen. As growers strive to push soybeans to higher yields, Rhizo-Flo inoculant is another important tool the grower has available to achieve yield objectives and improve bottom-line results.

Rhizo-Flo would join a growing portfolio of SIMPAS-applied Solutions (SaS), which are products prescriptively applied with patented SmartCartridge container technology and using the SIMPAS application system to address unique agronomic needs. Across the SaS portfolio are insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, micronutrients, and solutions for soil health and fertilizer efficiency. 

“AMVAC is excited to collaborate with BASF to develop Rhizo-Flo for use as a SIMPAS-applied Solution that can be applied with the SIMPAS system,” said Jim Lappin, Director of SIMPAS Portfolio and Alliances at AMVAC. “SIMPAS gives growers the flexibility to apply exactly what’s prescribed, precisely where it’s needed.”

Rhizo-Flo is a unique and leading soybean

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agrotech, Sustainability

To invest in cutting-edge technology to make farming more sustainable

Proman, an integrated energy company and one of the world’s top ten nitrogen fertiliser producers, announced a new strategic partnership with CropX, a global pioneer in digital farm management systems.

CropX technology provides farmers and industry experts with the data and information they need to increase farming sustainability through conserving resources across the value chain and increasing crop yields, resulting in a more sustainable food production environment.

The investment underlines Proman’s commitment to actively supporting innovative technology solutions that can improve agricultural sustainability at a time when it is crucial for global food security and nutrition.

David Cassidy, CEO, Proman said, “We look forward to contributing our expertise as a fertiliser producer to this initiative and supporting CropX’s vision to utilise technology to boost farmer productivity and incomes, improve food security, and strengthen the resilience of the global food production systems. With food security becoming an increasingly pressing global issue, we believe that Digital Agro technologies have the potential to significantly increase agricultural productivity and support more sustainable agriculture around the world.”

Tomer Tzach, CEO, CropX said, “We are fortunate to partner with such an incredible global leader in nitrogen fertiliser. Using technology to precisely manage fertiliser application is the next frontier, and companies such as Proman and CropX will lead the way. We are excited that Proman sees the great value in our fertiliser management capabilities, which are an important part of the growing suite of decision tools that CropX offers to help farmers grow more with less.”

To invest in cutting-edge technology to make

Agro Universities, Seeds

As many as 52 farmers and scientists of the development departments participated in the webinar organised by PAU
The Department of Vegetable Science, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organised an online webinar on “Hybrid Seed Production of Vegetable Crops” under the guidance of Dr Tarsem Singh Dhillon, Head, Department of Vegetable Science, in which as many as 52 farmers and scientists of the development departments participated.

In his remarks, Dr Dhillon highlighted the scope and importance of hybrid seed production of vegetable crops. “Vegetable cultivation is of immense importance in today’s era for vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates,” he added.

Dr Salesh Kumar Jindal, Senior Vegetable Breeder, explained the activities like identification and maintenance of male and female flowers in tomato and chilli for successful production of hybrid seeds in detail.

Dr Satpal Sharma, Principal Vegetable Breeder, shed light on the activities like identification and maintenance of male and female flowers in muskmelon for successful production of hybrid seeds.

Dr Jagdish Singh, Soil Chemist, Regional Research Station, Gurdaspur, imparted knowledge about soil health management under vegetable crops. He shared experiences about sowing methods and fertiliser practices of different vegetables.

As many as 52 farmers and scientists

Allied Industry, Environment

Enlist herbicides were granted a seven-year amended registration in January and are the first products to complete the EPA’s new ESA Protection risk assessment process

Corteva Agriscience has announced that many growers will have reinstated access to Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides for the 2022 growing season. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued updated supplemental labels for the herbicides that remove geographic restrictions for two listed species, the American Burying Beetle and the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. Enlist herbicides were granted a seven-year amended registration in January and are the first products to complete the EPA’s new Endangered Species Act (ESA) Protection risk assessment process.

“Corteva Agriscience is working on behalf of our customers to see as many labelled-off counties reinstated as possible while still protecting listed species and their habitats,” said Susanne Wasson, president, Crop Protection Business Platform for Corteva Agriscience.

The updated supplemental labels remove geographic restrictions for Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides in 128 counties where American Burying Beetle is found, as well as six counties where Enlist Duo was restricted due to the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake.

The Enlist weed control system includes Enlist herbicides, Enlist Ahead, Enlist E3 soybeans, Enlist cotton and Enlist corn. The comprehensive system offers multiple herbicide modes of action to control tough weeds and is centred around 2,4-D choline with Colex-D technology, which provides key benefits including near-zero volatility, reduced potential for off-target movement and physical drift, and improved handling characteristics when applied pursuant to label instructions.

Enlist herbicides were granted a seven-year amended registration in

AgroPolicy, Organic, Trade

A panel discussion was held on the aspects of new regulatory requirements and emerging market opportunities were detailed

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) organised a webinar jointly with the Indian Embassy in Brussels and Denmark to keep pace with the changing regulatory requirements for export of organic products to European Union,  

The webinar focussed on the revised Regulations being implemented since January 1, 2022 for imports in EU and the market opportunities for Indian organic products. 

While complementing the stakeholders on the milestone achieved by India by crossing remarkable export of more than $ 1billion organic products under NPOP, Dr M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, emphasised that the applicable standards need to be adhered to maintain the market acceptance by the end consumers and the national regulators. He also stated that APEDA provides possible means for market penetration of new products and brand building through participation in organic food fairs in EU. 

A panel discussion was also held with members of OrganicDenmark, Confederation of Indian Organic Industry, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and Organic Processing and Trade Association (Europe) (OPTA). Technical sessions were led by Michel Reynaud of IFOAM and Aurora Abad of OPTA wherein the aspects on new regulatory requirements and emerging market opportunities were detailed. 

In his address, Santosh Jha, Ambassador of India to Belgium, Luxembourg and EU, highlighted the necessity for the market acceptance for organic products, expectation by the importing countries and emerging opportunities for Indian organic products. 

Pooja Kapur, Ambassador of India to Denmark, spoke about the current organic market trend focussing on Europe, significance of regulatory system and brand building for India. 

Though the webinar was aimed for Indian exporters, it witnessed the participation of trade associations in EU, Indian missions of various EU Member States, Certification Bodies, Assessors and officials from various departments. 

APEDA is the implementing body for the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). The programme involves the accreditation of Certification Bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming and marketing, etc. The NPOP standards for production and accreditation system have been recognized by European Commission and Switzerland for unprocessed plant products as equivalent to their country standards. With these recognitions, Indian organic products duly certified by the accredited Certification bodies of India are accepted by the importing countries. APEDA is also in the process of negotiation with South Korea, Canada, Japan, Australia etc.

A panel discussion was held on the

AgroPolicy, Pulses

According to Bimal Kothari, Vice Chairman, IPGA, the notification will certainly control the prices to a certain extent

IPGA has welcomed the government’s move of extending open general license (OGL) on Tur and Urad till March 31, 2023. It’s a well-planned decision which will benefit the trade and industry as well as consumers. IPGA has been in constant dialogue with the various ministries to recommend a consistent and stable import policy and is glad that this notification for 12 months is a step in that direction.

Bimal Kothari, Vice Chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) says, “We have imported over 22.6 lakh tonne of pulses in 2020 – 2021. We still need about 10-12 per cent pulses imports for increased consumption. There were concerns over the scarcity of tur and urad which would have impacted the prices. The current prices of tur and urad are above MSP. This notification will certainly control the prices to a certain extent. Production of tur is around 40,00,000 tonne and NAFED does not have the stock. Tur is selling above MSP price around Rs 67 – 68. We were expecting the prices to increase but since the imports are opened up, we will be able to import around 2 – 2.5 lakh tonne of tur from Myanmar. Additionally, the tur crops from Africa will harvest in August 2022 and the production is likely to be very good. This will supplement our demand in September to November which is the festival period in India as our crop will harvest only around December and would have created shortage.”

Kothari added, “There is no crop of urad before September in India and also there’s been an increase in prices of urad by Rs 7-8 in the last one month. Burma is the only supplier of urad to India and they have harvested a very good crop and the production is expected around 7-8 lakh tons. India imports urad from Myanmar regularly to meet the gap between demand and supply. Hence the extension of OGL is a strategic move by the government and will help stabilising the supply and prices.”

According to Bimal Kothari, Vice Chairman, IPGA,

Finance, People

He will oversee the banking relationships for the collateral management biz

National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC) has announced the appointment of Deepak L Kaku as its new Chief Finance Officer (CFO).
He takes over the reins from Vinod Kumar Garg who has decided to continue as Business Head & SVP for Micro Agri Commodities Lending (Commodity Lite) & Banking Correspondent Businesses of NBHC. He would further oversee the banking relationships for the collateral management business and will also lead the Asset Management businesses in the States of UP / Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu.

Kaku will be based in Mumbai and will be focusing on Finance & Strategic Initiatives. In addition, he will closely work with the leadership team members to implement NBHC’s strategy to achieve business expansion and profitable growth, followed by enhancing the managerial efficiencies in Accounts & Finance, designing and executing financial strategies, and driving value creation through strategic business partnering and technology leverage.

Kaku is a qualified chartered accountant.

He will oversee the banking relationships for

Agrotech, Environment, Start ups

KAVACH is weather-based financial protection for farmers

Leading agritech startup nurture.farm and Digisafe insurance brokers announced their partnership on offering KAVACH – a weather-based cash guarantee programme launched for nurture.farm farmers. Farmers using the startup’s services can enrol in the programme. As a pilot, the farmers of Maharashtra and MP can buy this coverage at a nominal fee.

KAVACH offers farmers a cashback up to Rs 500 per acre against unseasonal rainfall. Highly customised as per local weather data, the KAVACH will transfer payouts directly to a farmer’s bank account if rainfall breaches a pre-set limit. The farmers would not need to intimate for claims. Instead, the payouts will be automatically triggered based on the IMD weather data.

Dhruv Sawhney, Business Head and COO, nurture.farm said, “Offering KAVACH is an incremental step towards enhancing farmer resilience. Through this service, we are nudging a behavioural change in farmers by encouraging them towards embracing financial protection tools. Since every season, every region faces weather-related calamities, we wish to cover our farmers against such weather-related adversities. Through KAVACH, we have defined the parameters of cash out so that farmers will benefit based on localised weather. The automatic payouts, which happen timely within a week of the rainfall breach, will be a gamechanger. We wish to extend this to 3,00,000 farmers this year.”

Within three weeks of its launch, more than 1,21,000 KAVACH have been availed by 30,000+ farmers across nine states, covering 280 districts.

KAVACH is weather-based financial protection for farmersLeading

Inputs

The global agriculture equipment market is expected to grow from $163.4 billion in 2021 to $295.3 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.8 per cent during the forecast period 2022-2030

As per the report published by The Brainy Insights, the global agriculture equipment market is expected to grow from $163.4 billion in 2021 to $295.3 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.8 per cent during the forecast period 2022-2030.

Agriculture equipment is a must for farming these days as there is a shortage of labour and the labour-intensive works from land development to harvesting and threshing need to be done by machinery.

One of the major restraints of the agriculture equipment market is the lack of skilled labour for operating the technologically advanced equipment. Several farmers are reluctant on purchasing these equipment as they don’t have the proper skill for using this equipment. This is restraining the growth of the market.

There are several organisations and government bodies which are providing loan to farmers at low-interest rates or at no interest rates which is an opportunity for the growth of the market. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic affected the market growth as several manufacturing units shut down which resulted in a shortage of raw materials and components and delayed production of the agriculture equipment.

The global agriculture equipment market is expected