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Agrotech, Company News

Launches Mankind Agritech

Mankind Pharma has announced the launch of Mankind Agritech. The company has entered into the ever-growing Indian agri-Input segment to use technological innovations in the field and bring its expertise to Indian farmlands and the Indian agriculture consumers, respectively. The decision behind foraying into this division is to assist Indian farmers by providing new-age technologies and helping farmers for the betterment of the rural sector.

With the launch of Mankind Agritech, the company will be providing crop care solutions to Indian farmers, including weedicides, insecticides, fungicides, plant growth regulators and biologicals. Mankind Agritech will work towards food safety for the country. The company will invest in the new technological tools and aims to deliver the same to the farmers to support them.

Rajeev Juneja, MD and Vice-Chairman, Mankind Pharma said, “We are happy to announce our launch in the Agritech domain with long-term investment plans with an initial 150 to 200 crore Capex infusion in the first two to three years. Mankind Agritech is committed to bringing world-class crop protection technology to Indian farmers. Technology is playing a crucial role in ensuring the growth of the agriculture sector in India. Agritech has the potential to scale up the agricultural industry through technological intervention. If the farmers get the right products and tools they would be in a position to make an informed decision of user input and the right technology. Mankind Agritech will ensure quality assurance to the farmers.

The new vertical will be headed by Partha Sengupta, a veteran of the Indian agrochemical industry. Sengupta brings in a plethora of experience from the agrochemical industry with over three decades of experience in Sales and Marketing. Sengupta was National Marketing Head and part of the Senior Leadership team at Dhanuka Agritech overseeing marketing operations in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

Launches Mankind AgritechMankind Pharma has announced the

Floriculture, Organic

Raj Petro Specialities is among the few companies globally to have received this certificate for agricultural spray oils

Raj Petro Specialities Private Limited, a Brenntag Group company, has received National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) certification for agricultural spray oils. The Uttarakhand State Organic Certification Agency (USOCA), a state-run organisation that certifies organic food, awarded the company this prestigious certification.

Three products have received accreditation, i.e., Kyros Agrispray E-3 oil, Kyros Duratek Agrispray oils and Kyros Keleol Agrispray oil. Kyros Agrispray E-3 oil is used for crop care in agriculture, horticulture and floriculture farming. Duratek Agrispray oils are specially formulated for Apples to defend against red mites and Sanjose Scale. Keleol Agrispray oils are specially designed for Banana crops and can effectively manage leaf spot diseases when mixed with an appropriate fungicide. 

Raj Petro Specialities is among the few companies globally to have received this certificate for agricultural spray oils. The company’s vision is to safeguard the environment and offer farmers a value proposition for profitable farming. To further this vision, the company plans to expand its product reach in supplying Agrispray oils to Sikkim, the world’s first organic state, which has certified all of its agriculture as organic. Winning against 51 nominations worldwide, Sikkim won the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) coveted Future Policy Gold Award.

On receiving NPOP certificate Mehul Nanavati, Managing Director, Raj Petro Specialities, said, “I feel privileged to receive this certification for our products. Agri-spray products at Raj Petro are formulated judiciously conscious of the environmental impact. These products are alternatives to harsher chemicals and pesticides, which can be harmful to the environment and the end consumer. Keleol Spray oils are tested and approved by the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Tamil Nadu. Duratek Spray oils are tested and approved by Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Srinagar, and Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan.”

He added, “The current scenario has prompted Raj Petro Specialities Pvt Ltd. to continue working on creating innovative environmentally friendly products that are alternatives to conventional pesticides in organic farming.”

Raj Petro Specialities is among the few

Agrotech, Start ups

The start-up will use the funds to build out the product and accelerate business in targeted value chains

Bengaluru-based ag-tech start-up, Agrizy has raised $4 million in a seed round led by Ankur Capital. This round also saw participation from Omnivore and notable angels like Rajesh Yabaji (CEO, BlackBuck), Zetwerk’s Co-founders Srinath Ramakkrushnan, Amrit Acharya, Rahul Sharma, and Vishal Chaudhary among others.

The funds raised will be utilised to build strong business and engineering teams, develop a suite of digital services for the processed agri marketplace and ramp up customer traction in targeted value chains across various locations in India. The start-up will use the funds to build out the product and accelerate business in targeted value chains. 

Founded in September 2021 by Vicky Dodani and Saket Chirania, Agrizy is developing a tech-first platform to bridge the processed agri supply chain. The tech platform connects the processors and buyers of non-perishable farm products across both food and non-food categories like jute, oilseeds, cereals, pulses, and others to optimally discover and fulfill transactions.

This will support agri processors with innovative technology solutions, for effective utilisation to execute the trade through Agrizy’s logistics partners. The founding team comes with a good mix of operations, finance, and logistics experience at high-growth start-ups like Blackbuck, Bizongo, and Zoomcar, as well as deep ties to the agri processing domain. 

Vicky Dodani, Co-Founder, Agrizy, said, “We aim to be the single point of contact for the agri processing units by providing them an end-to-end fulfillment platform and simplifying their procurement and sales cycle. The recent round of funding from two notable funds investing in Agri Tech reinvigorates our vision of transforming the processed agri supply chain.”

Saket Chirania, Co-Founder, Agrizy, added, “There is a lot of untapped potential in the way agri processing units can leverage technology to grow and thrive. Agrizy offers solutions across digital vendor management, and supply and value chain automation to its Agri Processing Units. We are sustainably growing our business by 100 per cent MOM from inception.”

The start-up will use the funds to

Agrotech, Finance

The new fund will continue to invest in early-stage start-ups developing breakthrough technologies for agriculture, food, climate, and the rural economy

Omnivore, India’s leading agritech venture capital firm, announced that the launch of its third fund, with a target corpus of $130 million (Rs 1000 crore). The new fund will continue to invest in early-stage start-ups developing breakthrough technologies for agriculture, food, climate, and the rural economy. Omnivore generally invests in Seed, Pre-Series A, and Series A rounds, with follow-on capital for future growth. 

Originally founded by Jinesh Shah and Mark Kahn in 2010, Omnivore pioneered agritech investing in India, and over the past decade has backed over 35 start-ups which are making farming more profitable, resilient, sustainable, and climate-proof.  Omnivore is targeting a first close of the new fund by September 2022 and a final close by June 2023.  With this new fund, Omnivore expects to make 25 to 30 new investments over the next four years, continuing to fund entrepreneurs building the future of Indian agriculture and food systems. 

Omnivore Fund 3 will have a sharper focus on catalysing climate action in agriculture, backing start-ups addressing both climate mitigation (reducing India’s GHG emissions) and climate adaptation/resilience (securing a future for India’s farmers).  Along these lines, earlier this year, Omnivore launched the OmniX Bio initiative to provide additional support to agrifood life science startups, initially targeting the fields of agricultural biotechnology, novel farming systems, bioenergy and biomaterials, as well as innovative foods, including alternative protein.  With the new fund, Omnivore aims to deepen the reach and impact of OmniX Bio, and help reboot the agrifood life sciences ecosystem in India.

Mark Kahn, Managing Partner of Omnivore, stated, “For over a decade now, we have been a part of the evolution of the agritech ecosystem in India. Through Omnivore’s investments, we have touched the lives of almost 7 million smallholder farmers, improving their profitability and resilience, while creating value for our investors.  We believe agritech is just getting started, and we look forward to supporting a new generation of entrepreneurs building a future for rural India.”

The new fund will continue to invest

Agro chems – Chemicals

BAL had received the patent for Ronfen, which covers the composition of Pyriproxyfen 8 per cent, Diafenthiuron 18 per cent, and Dinotefuran 5 per cent in a unique suspension concentrate formulation

Best Agrolife Limited (BAL), one of the fastest-growing agrochemical company in India, has recently made two major announcements. The Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee granted the registration for the indigenous manufacturing of the company’s much-awaited patented ternary insecticide to BAL u/s 9 (3) in the 437th RC meeting.

The company will launch it by the brand name Ronfen. BAL had received the patent for Ronfen, which covers the composition of Pyriproxyfen 8 per cent, Diafenthiuron 18 per cent, and Dinotefuran 5 per cent in a unique suspension concentrate formulation, in August last year. With this BAL has become the first Indian agrochemical company to manufacture this first-of-its-kind, three-way insecticidal combination that effectively controls the entire sucking pest complex in various stages in one shot.

Other than Ronfen, the leading agro-inputs company has also been granted the registration for the indigenous manufacturing of Dinotefuran 15 per cent + Pymetrozine 45 per cent WG along with technical manufacturing of Pyrithiobac Sodium u/s 9(4) TIM category in the same RC meeting. The company has decided to launch it with the brand name AxeMan.

“Sucking pests pierce plant parts, suck the plant sap which in turn results in minute white, brown, or red spotting on the leaves, fruits, or stems of the plant. It may also cause curling leaves, deformed fruit, general wilting, browning, and drying of the entire plant. Until now, safeguarding their crops from the sucking pests was a very costly business for the farmers in India and across the globe as they had to spend their hard-earned money on various pesticides. Motivated by a strong sense of urgency and eyeing the opportunity, our R&D team worked on developing a revolutionary one-shot solution for all the sucking pests and innovated Ronfen.” said Vimal Alawadhi, MD Best Agrolife Limited.

“Ronfen was under extensive scale field trials for the last two years. Due to its incredible power on the entire sucking pest complex Ronfen was much awaited by the farmers in India and abroad,” he added further.

On the other hand, AxeMan, with its dual mode of action, helps in protecting the rice crop from the devastating pest BPH which develops high resistance against all agrochemicals.  AxeMan provides healthy and vibrant tillers at the reproductive stage and helps in the long-duration control and resistance management of BPH in paddy.

BAL had received the patent for Ronfen,

Agro Universities, Bee keeping

Discussions were held on managing various diseases of Italian honey bees and development of quality queen bees of Apis mellifera

The National Bee Board (NBB), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India (GOI), has sanctioned two new projects in Apiculture to the Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) scheme of the GOI. This information was shared Dr DK Sharma, Head of the department.

According to Dr Pardeep Kumar Chhuneja, Incharge of the Apiculture Unit, the new projects included ‘Facilitating honey bee health through diagnosing and managing various diseases of Italian honey bees’ and ‘Development of quality queen bees of Apis mellifera.’

Dr Sharma disclosed that earlier also, PAU was sanctioned two projects in succession by NBB, the previous being on Queen bee rearing and supplies, followed by a mega project of Integrated Beekeeping Development Centre/Centre of Excellence in the year 2016-17 which had bee disease diagnosis and bee breeding as the components.

Dr Jaspal Singh, Principle Entomologist, “PAU is the lead institute in India in breeding of Italian honey bees and supply of quality queen bees to beekeepers.”

Dr Amit Choudhary and Dr (Mrs) Bharathi Mohindru are the Principal Investigators of the projects, respectively, according to whom, these projects will facilitate in building necessary infrastructure and developing technologies in the areas of bee pathology and bee breeding.

DK Tiwari, Vice-Chancellor, PAU and Additional Chief Secretary, Punjab; and Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, congratulated the apiculture team and wished them for the successful conduct of the projects.

Discussions were held on managing various diseases

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agro Universities

The MoU is aimed at carrying out the collaborative research on ‘Efficacy Evaluation of ICAR-CIRCOT Nano-Sulphur as Fertilizer Formulation for different Field Crops’

The ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra.

Dr Prashantkumar Patil, Vice-Chancellor, MPKV, Rahuri and Dr Sujata Saxena, Director, ICAR-CIRCOT, Mumbai signed the MoU on the behalf of the respective organisations.

Dr Patil stressed on the importance of efficient use of fertilisers for the sustainable agriculture. The conduct of the field trials of the different nano-materials by the University was underlined by Dr Patil.

Dr Saxena emphasised on the importance and relevance of the different Nanotechnology Research & Development Activities carried out at the institute. She stated that the MoU is about the nano-sulphur developed at the institute which will be evaluated at the field level in MPKV, Rahuri for the different field crops.

Earlier, Dr BD Bhakare, Head, Department of Soil Science & Agriculture Chemistry, MPKV, Rahuri delivered the welcome address.

The MoU is aimed at carrying out the collaborative research on “Efficacy Evaluation of ICAR-CIRCOT Nano-Sulphur as Fertilizer Formulation for different Field Crops.”

As per the MoU, the collaboration will provide the new insights into the development of fertilisers in the Nano-dimensions and help in the optimal use of sulphur in the different oilseeds and other field crops.

The MoU is aimed at carrying out

Agro Universities

The agreement will be valid for five years

A tripartite agreement was signed by ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, South Goa and Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce (DITC), Goa.

The agreement is aimed at establishing a Common Incubation Centre (CIC) under the Pradhan Mantri Formalization of the Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme. The agreement will be valid for five years.

Dr Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR-CCARI, Goa stated that the Institute will act as a Mentor Institute and play a key role in establishing the CIC, demonstration and operation. The CIC is expected to benefit the Entrepreneurs of South Goa District in processing the coconut and local seasonal fruits.

The agreement will be valid for five

Horticulture, Interaction

ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research has organised a three-day National Seminar on “Fruit Production in Eastern Tropical Region” 

The ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka has organised a three-day National Seminar on “Fruit Production in Eastern Tropical Region” at its Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Bhubaneswar, Odisha from March 24 to 26, 2022. 

The Seminar was aimed at devising a roadmap for the development of the fruit industry in the Eastern Tropical Region through deliberations and recommendations.

Dr Anand Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Science), ICAR emphasised on the judicious use of the resources to promote sustainability in the fruit production and enhancing the farmers’ income. The scope of Entrepreneurship development in the horticulture sector as it is the most vibrant sector in agriculture was underlined by Dr Singh.

Professor DP Ray, Chancellor, S‘O’A, Bhubaneswar, Odisha highlighted the importance of crop diversification owing to the prevalence of the different agro-climatic zones.

Dr PK Agarwal, Vice-Chancellor, Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha outlined the importance of the post-harvest management including the processing and value-chain management in fruit crops for the development of the sector in the region.

Dr V Pandey, ADG (Horticultural Science), ICAR emphasised on the importance of the genetic diversity in fruit crops for the ecological sustainability and nutritional security.

The Scientists and Students from 23 Universities, 18 ICAR Institutes, FSSAI and IIP, Mumbai, Maharashtra participated in the Seminar.

ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research has organised

Company News, Sustainability

The company is working directly with farmers around the world on initiatives that protect, regenerate, and restore the land

Cargill is working directly with farmers around the globe to focus on advancing nature-positive agriculture production and farmer-centric approaches to sustainably.

Nature-positive production focuses on limiting the destruction and depletion of land by evolving the techniques proven to increase volume and efficiency, while adopting regenerative agriculture practices that prioritise land sustainability. By doing so, farmers can feed more people and address climate change.

These practices include planting cover crops and implementing reduced- or no-till farming to help sequester carbon in the ground, build soil resilience and improve water quality. One way Cargill is helping make these practices more tenable for farmers is through RegenConnect, a voluntary market-based programme that pays farmers per ton of carbon captured in their soil.

“If we’re going to succeed in sustainably transforming our food and agriculture system, we have to help farmers take a nature-positive approach,” says Pilar Cruz, Cargill’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “That’s why we’re working directly with farmers around the world on initiatives that protect, regenerate, and restore the land. This is how we will make a meaningful difference, one field and one farm at a time.”

Another way Cargill is helping farmers make sustainable agriculture economically feasible is by ensuring they receive a premium for sustainably sourced crops. Through the Triple S (sustainability sourced and supplied) soy program in South America, Cargill provides customers in Asia, Europe and North America certified deforestation-free soy from farmers in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

These programmes demonstrate how scaling sustainable agriculture requires removal of the financial and market access barriers that still exist in farming.

The company is working directly with farmers

Machinery - Pre-harvesting, Machinery – Post-harvesting

Exports for the month stood at 1651 units

Mahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES), part of the Mahindra Group, announced its tractor sales numbers for March 2022.
Domestic sales in March 2022 were at 28112 units, as against 29817 units during March 2021.

Total tractor sales (Domestic + Exports) during March 2022 were at 29763 units, as against 30970 units for the same period last year.
Exports for the month stood at 1651 units.

Hemant Sikka, President – Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “We have sold 28112 tractors in the domestic market during March 2022. Record procurement of Kharif acreage, a substantial increase in exports of agricultural products like wheat, sugar and cotton will help improve the financial position of the farmers leading to better cash flow in the rural market to help boost tractor demand going forward. Acreage of Kharif crop has already crossed last year’s levels, which augurs well for agri incomes. This will get a further boost with an early forecast of a normal monsoon. In the exports market, we have sold 1651 tractors, a growth of 43 per cent over last year.”

Exports for the month stood at 1651 unitsMahindra &

People

Kumar is an MBA in Agribusiness from Symbiosis Institute of International Business

Syngenta India has appointed Susheel Kumar as the Managing Director and new country head of the company. Kumar is an MBA in Agribusiness from Symbiosis Institute of International Business and a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Operations and Related Sciences from Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University.

Kumar hails from Haryana and has a marketing strategy background. He has been associated with Syngenta for almost twelve years. Recently, he has completed an international assignment in Switzerland, where he contributed to the global strategies of the company as well as projects for commercial excellence.

Kumar is an MBA in Agribusiness from

Agro Universities, Bee keeping

The objective of this conclave is to create awareness about the production of other high-value beekeeping products

A National Conclave on Production of Bees Wax was organised by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Gujarat in collaboration with the National Bee Board (NBB), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The conclave was supported by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) & Tribal Co-Operative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED). The objective of this conclave is to create awareness about the production of other high-value beekeeping products viz. bee wax, bee pollen, royal jelly, propolis, bee venom, etc.

Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, said that beekeeping, besides pollination support, also provides extra income and creates employment opportunities for rural/ landless farmers and beekeepers. NDDB, NAFED & TRIFED have been identified as implementing agencies under NBHM for implementing beekeeping activities through a cluster-based approach by making Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) on beekeeping.

Abhijit Bhattacharjee, GM, NDDB informed that NDDB is always committed to bringing policies/ schemes beneficial to farmer/ milk producers with the aim to uplift the economy of rural farmer/ milk producers. NDDB has a wide approach that the economy of Indian farmers/ milk producers will only increase if farmers/ milk producers will utilise the resources present in their local area and do not import resources from outside.

Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB, Anand suggested that engaging beekeepers in multiple streams of income through diversified activities is important for building economic resilience. Scientific beekeeping is one such activity that can provide additional income not only from honey production but through the production of other beehive products. He informed that NDDB is promoting beekeeping by using dairy cooperative channels present in the country and creating FPOs by organising beekeepers with the support of NBB.

Dr Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner, DA&FW advised beekeepers to work in the field of value-added products in beekeeping to get more financial benefits and uplift their economy.

Dr NK Patle, Executive Director, National Bee Board (NBB) has briefed about the central sector scheme entitled National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) and practices aspects relating to beekeeping. He invited beekeepers to avail the facilities available under NBHM and adopt beekeeping in a scientific manner to get additional income through honey & other beehive products. He assured full support to beekeepers across the country under the NBHM scheme.

Dr Balraj Singh, Project Coordinator, Honeybee and Pollinators (HB&P), IACR said that in India, beekeeping is mainly practised for the production of honey only and therefore there is a need to create awareness about the diversification of beekeeping for the production of various other beehive products.

Dipenkumar C Patel, Progressive Beekeeper & Director, One Bee Organic, Gujarat introduced the participants to different types of honey, various bee products, its collection methods and types of equipment/machinery used.

Jaswant Singh, Tiwana Bee Farm, Ludhiana, Punjab inform that their firm is involved in the production of all kinds of bee products and equipment/machinery. His firm is involved in the production of Comb Foundation Sheets (CHS) from bee wax.

Jai Prakash, Senior Manager, Indian Bank has informed that to address the issue of adulteration in honey & other beehive products, National Bee Board has launched online registration and developing a blockchain /traceability system of the source of honey and other bee products. He showcased the procedure of online registration on Madhukranti Portal and requested all beekeepers/ other stakeholders to come forward and register themselves on this portal.

The objective of this conclave is to

Agro Universities, AgroPolicy

According to Narendra Singh Tomar, the new building will help in advancing the research on the cashew crop

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare virtually inaugurated the Silver Jubilee Building of the ICAR-Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur, Karnataka.

Tomar underlined the cultivation of cashew in around 11.25 Lakh ha area having an annual production of 7 lakh tonnes. He stated that the area under cashew in the country is the second-largest in the world. Tomar accentuated that India is the second-largest country in the production of raw cashew nuts in the world. Highlighting the ever-increasing consumption of cashew in the country, he also stressed the need for setting a goal to fill up the gap between its production and consumption. Adopt the ways for strategic planning to enhance the export of cashew instead of its import was also emphasised by Tomar.

“There is a need to enhance the cashew’s production and its productivity by bringing more area under the cashew cultivation,” stressed Tomar. He urged exploring the possible suitable areas for its expansion. The release of 26 varieties, the development of Virtual Software and the Mobile App ‘Kaju India’ by the ICAR-DCR, Puttur for apprising the farmers about the latest developed varieties and technologies were underlined by the Union Minister. The large scale employment opportunities generated by cashew processing, which involves around 95 per cent of farmers along with the cashew processing units providing employment to about 15 Lakh people were highlighted by Tomar.

The Union Minister regarded the New Silver Jubilee Building as a new dimension in the council’s vision of empowering and benefiting the agricultural community which will help in advancing the research on the cashew crop. He stated about the council’s efforts of enabling the farmers to connect with it through technological advancements. This, he said, is beneficial to a large extent for the farmers.

According to Narendra Singh Tomar, the new