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Agro Universities, Environment, Sustainability

The company’s CSR project is in alignment with the government’s initiative to prevent stubble burning

CNH Industrial, a global leader in agriculture and construction equipment, has received top honours at the 11th Edition of the Global CSR Excellence and Leadership Awards under the Best Environment-Friendly Project category for its ‘Prevention of Crop Stubble Burning/Straw Management’ CSR Project in India.

The award was presented by SK DUTT, Senior Advisor, UN’s UNCTAD – Empretec India and Managing Director – First Equals Global with a jury of experienced professionals from different backgrounds such as journalism, Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility.

“With our global agriculture brand New Holland Agriculture, a leader in crop residue management, CNH Industrial can provide a relevant solution to farmers and contribute towards the protection of natural resources and the environment,” said Raunak Varma, Country Manager, CNH Industrial India and SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation).

First instated in 2017 at Kallar Majri, Patiala, the project is currently in its fifth year of operations, having extended to Fatehabad and Panipat in Haryana as well as eight locations covering the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. In collaboration with India’s Department of Agriculture and different state governments, Krishi Vigyan Kendras & ICAR – IARI, CNH Industrial India has donated advanced solutions including New Holland Gyro Rakes and Balers to support farmers to run the project that aligns with the government’s initiatives to create awareness and prevent further environmental hazards.

The company’s CSR project is in alignment

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

The new Terrus CVT tractor combines style and function, blending a bold and rugged exterior design with a premium interior focused on operator comfort and ergonomics

STEYR, a regional agricultural brand of CNH Industrial, has been awarded the prestigious 2022 Red Dot Design Award for its Terrus CVT Tractor, the latest in a series of accolades for this vehicle. The award is determined by an international design jury who, this year, evaluated a record number of international entries from companies and design studios. As a winner in the Product Design category, the Terrus CVT will feature in the next edition of the Red Dot Design Yearbook and will be present in the winners’ area of www.red-dot.org.

The new Terrus CVT tractor combines style and function, blending a bold and rugged exterior design with a premium interior focused on operator comfort and ergonomics. In the cab, a passenger seat can also serve as an office table and the all-new Multicontroller III armrest is customisable to user preference or application requirements, making operation more intuitive, more enjoyable, and ultimately more productive.

The Red Dot Design Award honours the outstanding design work carried out by the CNH Industrial Design team and is the latest recognition of the company’s continued excellence in industry-leading style and quality.

The new Terrus CVT tractor combines style

Agrotech, North America, R&D

Expands North America based innovation

Kubota North America Corporation (KNA), the parent company for Kubota Tractor Corporation (KTC) and Kubota Manufacturing of America (KMA), and Kubota Canada Ltd (KCL) celebrated the grand opening of the new 280-acre, Research and Development Center in the state of Georgia to meet the needs of North American customers. Kubota has invested more than $85 million to bring the new facility online and will open with 70 engineering and technical employees and grow to nearly 200 employees over the next five years.

The new state-of-the-art centre is 100 per cent powered by renewable energy and built on the sustainable principles that are in keeping with the company’s global mission to use technology and efficient operations and practices. For example, the centre is powered in part by solar sunflowers and the parking lot features a solar-powered roof to support electric vehicle charging stations. The centre will house engineering offices, workshops and testing labs, and outside are tracks for testing turf, utility vehicles, tractors and construction equipment.

Expands North America based innovationKubota North America

Agrotech, Environment, Sustainability, Water

The tie-up will help bolster India’s agri-output with the power of micro-irrigation

AgriBazaar signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rivulis, a global leader in micro-irrigation products and solutions. As part of the collaboration, agribazaar will enable the farmers on its platform to deploy Rivulis’ best-in-class field irrigation management products and solutions to increase their lands’ yield output effectively.

In the first phase of the partnership, agribazaar will facilitate purchasing and installing Rivulis’ drip irrigation systems for the sugarcane farmers on its platforms. Eventually, the services will be offered to all the farmers – over 3,00,000 – currently registered on the agribazaar platform.

agribazaar will leverage agribhumi, its remote sensing engine, to determine the exact condition of the farmland and ensure the use of irrigated water in a uniform manner. It will assess the need of individual farmers based on their land topography, soil conditions, crop selection and weather forecasting. The platform will also provide in-depth field state analytics with the agriculture weather forecast, vegetation indices, and stages of plant growth, among other vital factors.

The MoU signing ceremony was attended by Kaushal Jaiswal, MD, Rivulis India, Richard Klapholz, CEO, Rivulis Israel, and Eran Ossmy, President, Drip Products Division. Amit Mundawala, Co-founder and MD and Amith Agarwal, CEO & Co-founder represented agribazaar.

The tie-up will help bolster India’s agri-output

Agrotech, Finance

The funds will be utilised in research activities and to strengthen GROWiT App

Surat-based protective farming agritech platform GROWiT has raised Rs 3 crores in seed funding through a close network of investors. The round was led by Mehul Shah from IVY Growth. Coppermint, Gaurav Singhvi (Co-founder, WFC), Rajeev Goel (Sagar Life Sciences), Sunay Shah (Mahati Electrics), Rohan Desai (CEO, Triumph Capital), and Mukul Goyal (Tapi Capital) are some of the investors that joined in the round.

The platform plans to make use of these funds by investing in its research and marketing processes that will ultimately enable GROWiT in expanding its customer base and produce standard quality cost-effective protective farming materials and products. The fund will also be utilised for strengthening the GROWiT App, which is designed to assist farmers with a better understanding of protective farming practices and products.

The funds will be utilised in research

AgroPolicy, Dairy

Anand-based NCDFI is celebrating its Golden Jubilee and eMarket awards

Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation has bagged the active participation award from the Anand-based National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) for the financial year 2021-22.

NCDFI is celebrating its Golden Jubilee and eMarket awards. The award ceremony was graced by the chief guest Amit Shah, Union Home Minister.

Anand-based NCDFI is celebrating its Golden Jubilee

Agro Universities

On the first day, students were made aware about the benefits of the course

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has started offline classes in the newly established PAU- College of Agricultural at Regional Research Center, Ballowal Saunkhari. The centre offers four years B.Sc. (Agri) Hons.

On this occasion, a ‘Student Welcome function’ was organised by the scientists of the College of Agricultural and Regional Research Center for the formal welcome of students’ first batch. The chief guest of the joyous occasion, Dr Manmohanjit Singh expressed his vision in a welcome address. He also shared information about the importance of education in agriculture for the youth and agriculture in Punjab. At the same time, he made everyone aware of the facilities provided by the college campus for the students.

The current Academic Coordinator of the College of Agriculture, Dr Vijay Kumar enlightened the students about the subjects to be taught in this degree course in four years and the examination system. Dr Abrar Yousuf, Hostel Warden, informed the students about the rules and facilities for staying in hostels. Dr Gurvinder Singh, Extension Scientist, moderated the forum and wished the students a good education and a bright future and thanked all the students, parents, teachers and staff who attended the reception.

On the first day, students were made

AgroPolicy, Trade

A meeting was recently held between Manoj Ahuja, Secretary (DA&FW) and Cameron MacKay Canadian High Commissioner Canada

The negotiations between National Plant Protection Organisations of India and Canada on market access for Indian Banana and Baby corn resulted in Canadian market access for these commodities. A meeting was recently held between Manoj Ahuja, Secretary (DA&FW) and Cameron MacKay Canadian High Commissioner Canada. It was informed that the export of fresh baby corn from India to Canada may begin from this month after the updation of directive D-95-28: Plant Protection Import and Domestic Movement Requirements for Corn and the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS).

Further, based on the technical information provided for fresh bananas by India, Canada has approved, bananas for entry into Canada with immediate effect. The decision of the Government of Canada would immensely benefit the Indian farmers growing these crops and would also enhance India’s export earnings.

A meeting was recently held between Manoj

Agrotech, Cold Storage, Environment, Sustainability

Ecofrost is a revolutionary product and is helping transform the perishable cold in India and globally

Ecozen, a sustainable technology-led solutions company, participated in Tomato Krishi Mela organised by SELCO Foundation with APMAS and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for tomato and allied value chains at Madanapalle, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. The primary objective of the event was to demonstrate solutions that can replicate, and scale decentralised sustainable solutions and create synergy among the actors of the ecosystem; technology manufacturers, financiers, trainers, markets, etc. Madanapalle is Asia’s largest tomato market and can hold approx. 800 – 1700-tonne tomatoes per day.

Speaking at the event, BU Head and President of Ecofrost, Ravindra Dolare, said, “Our solar-powered cold rooms, Ecofrost is a revolutionary product and is helping transform the perishable cold in India and globally. It helps farmers increase the shelf life and reduce wastage of their produce. Tomato Krishi Mela, organised by our esteemed customer the SELCO Foundation, focuses on the need for decentralised renewal energy for technologies that improve the livelihoods of our farmers. We are delighted to be a part of the same to showcase our innovation and how we play a critical role in keeping the quality of perishable products like tomatoes.”

The event was attended by various stakeholders including foundations, delegates, finance institutions, individual farmers, FPOs, NGOs, and government officials, and showcased scalable sustainable energy-driven livelihood technology solutions demonstrated by small and medium enterprises across on-farm and post-processing technologies for tomato and allied value chains. Technologies that focus on improving rural incomes such as solar-powered and efficient- cold storage units, sprayers, bio fermenters, soil testing units, etc. were on display to create awareness and aid in scaling of these solutions.

Ecofrost is a revolutionary product and is

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

The premium haulage special tractor offers maximum torque and high fuel efficiency

Tractors and Farm Equipment (TAFE) has launched MAGNATRAK series tractor during a ceremony in Kolhapur. The Massey Ferguson 8055 MAGNATRAK in the 50HP range is the first in the MAGNATRAK series.

Built with the superior MAGNATORQ Engine, the premium haulage special tractor offers maximum torque and high fuel efficiency. The tractor can easily pull heavy trolleys, both off-road and on-road. The engine and the transmission are well-tuned to deliver exceptional productivity with high road speeds resulting in more savings, faster load completion cycles and high fuel efficiency.

The MAGNATRAK series is well-compatible with a wide variety of agricultural applications like reversible mould board plough (RMB), rotavator, post-hole digger, threshers and newer applications like the baler as well.

In another development, TAFE Chairman and MD – Mallika Srinivasan, has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), Department of Personnel & Training under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension, Government of India.

The premium haulage special tractor offers maximum

Bee keeping, North America

When Pol-line colonies and standard colonies were treated against Varroa mites in both fall and December, Pol-line bees had a winter survival rate of 72 per cent while standard bees had a survival rate of 56 per cent

Pol-line honey bees, a type of Varroa mite resistant honey bee developed by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), are more than twice as likely to survive through the winter than standard honey bees, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

Although ARS developed Pol-line bees in 2014, the study was the first time that they were tested head-to-head alongside standard honey bee stock in commercial apiaries providing pollination services and producing honey. Colonies’ ability to survive winter without being treated to control Varroa mites was followed in four states: Mississippi, California, and North and South Dakota.

In this study, Pol-line colonies that were given no treatment to control Varroa mites in the fall had a survival rate of 62.5 per cent compared to standard bees colonies in commercial apiaries also given no fall Varroa treatment, which had a winter survival rate of 3 per cent.

When Pol-line colonies and standard colonies were treated against Varroa mites in both fall and December, Pol-line bees had a winter survival rate of 72 per cent while standard bees had a survival rate of 56 per cent. So, Pol-line bees still had a better winter survival rate regardless of receiving double Varroa mite treatment.

This research was the culmination of breeding efforts to develop honey bee colonies with naturally low Varroa populations that began at the Baton Rouge lab in the late 1990s.

Winter colony survival is crucial for beekeepers because in February each year, about 2.5 million honey bee colonies are needed in California to pollinate almond crops. Larger, healthier colonies bring beekeepers premium pollination contracts at about $220 a colony.

Varroa mites can cause massive colony losses; they are the single largest problem facing beekeepers since they spread to the US from South East Asia in 1987. While miticides used to control Varroa exist, resistance is developing to some of them.

In addition, overall winter survival, the scientists examined the levels of viruses in Pol-line and standard bee colonies that are commonly transmitted by varroa mites.

The Pol-line colonies showed significantly lower levels of three major viruses: Deformed wing virus A, Deformed wing virus B and Chronic bee paralysis virus, all of which can cause significant problems for colonies.

When Pol-line colonies and standard colonies were

Agro chems – Pesticides, Biofuel industry, Biostimulants, Environment, Interaction, Sustainability, World

The Annual World BioProtection Summit and Awards to be held in Birmingham from May 23-24

The Annual World BioProtection Summit and Awards will be held in Birmingham from May 23-24. The event will cover topics on biopesticides, biostimulants, biofertilisers, biocides and bioremediation. Besides, the summit will have the Annual World BioProtection Summit and Awards (AWBSA).

AWBSA will offer:

  • An excellent conference programme featuring top-billing speakers who will share the latest developments and opinions in bioprotection.
  • A session dedicated to regulatory challenges, with a meaningful panel discussion involving representatives from across the sector, including policymakers
  • Excellent networking opportunities
  • An opportunity to pitch new ideas in a vibrant and energetic InvestorReady session
  • An Awards scheme celebrating the sector’s brightest achievements.

According to Dr Minshad Ansari, Chairman, The World Bio Protection Forum (WBF), the past two years have shown how quickly life can change. The covid pandemic, extreme climate events, and geopolitical challenges that are resonating throughout the world have made us all realise the fragility of our lives, and that of even the strongest business. Few companies were prepared for the changes that the past two years have wrought and, while strengthened supply chains, flexible working and other pragmatisms have provided the resilience that AgriTech needs to continue thriving in the ‘new normal’, old challenges remain.

Ansari said, “Primarily, the biocontrol sector continues to struggle with the challenge of converting brilliant ideas into commercial products that can be sold on the market. There appears to be no shortage of new ideas for biocontrol solutions, but the following challenges remain.”

The challenges are:

  • Innovation: There are not enough biocontrol products on the market to address growing demand – as more toxic chemicals are banned, the world urgently needs more biological solutions to fill those gaps.
  • Formulation: Early biocontrol options failed due to sub-optimal formulation techniques that allow full efficacy to be achieved.
  • Regulation: Despite 30 years of efforts by individual companies and other industry groups, little has been achieved in gaining the regulatory reforms required for new biopesticides.
  • Investment: The biocontrol sector is dominated by entrepreneurs, spin-offs and SMEs that need external investment to advance their innovations and get them to market.

The Annual World BioProtection Summit and Awards

Agro Universities, Start ups, Sustainability

Discussions were held on the promotion of sustainable and equitable agriculture and rural development through participative financial and non-financial interventions

The ICAR-National Institute of Natural Fibre Engineering and Technology, Kolkata recently organised the ‘Interface Meeting with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development’ in Kolkata.

Dr AR Khan, CGM, NABARD, West Bengal Regional Office underlined the initiatives taken by the NABARD for the promotion of sustainable and equitable agriculture and rural development through participative financial and non-financial interventions, innovations, and technology and institutional development for securing prosperity.

Dr DB Shakyawar, Director, ICAR-NINFET, Kolkata outlined a few areas of collaboration, viz., the entrepreneurship development programme, product diversification, establishment of jute fibre quality testing and agric-clinics and agri-business centres, skill-building programmes, start-up funding and awareness and FLD Programmes with the institute which may open a new vista for uplifting the rural people.

Earlier, delivering the welcome address, Kamalesh Kumar, GM, NABARD, West Bengal Regional Office highlighted the collaborative approach with the ICAR-NINFET for disseminating the technologies to the farmers’ fronts.

The senior officials of both the organisations were present during the occasion.

Discussions were held on the promotion of

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Logistics, Pulses, Trade, Transportation

The highest ever exports have been achieved for staples like rice, wheat, sugar and other cereals

Exports of agricultural products (including marine and plantation products) for the year 2021-22 have crossed $50 billion, the highest level ever achieved for agriculture exports. As per the provisional figures released by DGCI&S, the agricultural exports have grown by 19.92 per cent during 2021-22, to touch $50.21 billion. The growth rate is remarkable as it is over and above the growth of 17.66 per cent, at $41.87 billion, achieved in 2020-21 and has been achieved despite unprecedented logistical challenges in the form of high freight rates, container shortages etc.

The highest ever exports have been achieved for staples like rice ($9.65 billion), wheat ($ 2.19 billion), sugar ($4.6 billion) and other cereals ($ 1.08 billion). Wheat has recorded an unprecedented growth of more than 273 per cent, jumping nearly four-fold from $568 million in 2020-21 to touch close to $2119 million in 2021-22. An increase in exports of these products has benefitted farmers in states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra etc. India has captured nearly 50 per cent of the world’s market for rice.

The export of marine products, at $7.71 billion, is also the highest ever, benefitting farmers in the coastal states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Spices exports have touched $4 billion for the second year in a row. Despite facing tremendous supply-side issues, coffee exports have crossed $1 billion for the first time, which has improved realisations for coffee growers in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Exports have taken place from clusters like Varanasi (fresh vegetables, mangoes), Ananthpur (banana), Nagpur (orange), Lucknow (mango), Theni (banana), Solapur (pomegranate), Krishna & Chittoor (mango) etc. Initiatives like ‘Happy Banana’ train, an exclusive train with reefer containers to transport bananas from Anantapur to JNPT, Mumbai have been taken to boost exports from unconventional areas.

The highest ever exports have been achieved