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Trade

The five day show saw massive footfalls of more than 50000 B2B visitors making this one of the largest trade shows of the country

High-quality agricultural, food, and beverage products from Indian and international players were on display at the recent iteration of the AAHAR Food and Hospitality trade show. Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), as one of the co-associates of the Government of India’s Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), marked attendance like never before.

FIFI International pavilion itself had participation from over 100 businesses, representing over 1750 brands from more than 100 countries topped with 6 country pavilions. The five day show saw massive footfalls of more than 50000 B2B visitors making this one of the largest trade shows of the country.

Amit Lohani, Founder Director, FIFI said, “We are thrilled to see that the sector has re-engineered itself and we are proud to be a part of this fraternity. This segment stood tall during the global pandemic and is now emerging as a market leader for others to learn from. We also appreciate the support we have received from the senior administration of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and applaud participation from international community members. This says India is shining and that we are here to grow with the India story.”

The five-day event saw attendance from various luminaries. FIFI pavilion was inaugurated by the CEO of FSSAI Arun Singhal, who was accompanied by his colleagues Inoshi Sharma, Executive Director, and Director Imports Dr Amit Sharma.

The five day show saw massive footfalls

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains

Need for increased investment in agriculture sector and integrating high end technologies to improve the sector

Addressing the 8th edition of ‘India Maize Summit 2022’, organized by FICCI, Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt of India assured the industry of government’s support to boost the maize sector . Tomar said that the popularity of maize is not only growing globally but also in India with its diversified use in many sectors including poultry and ethanol production. The government, under crop diversification is promoting farmers to increase maize production through various initiatives. “The MSP of maize has been increased by 43 percent in last 8 years and with the increase in production the farmers are also getting benefited from this,” he added.

 T R Kesavan, Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE said that maize holds immense potential for food and nutritional security. It provides the right avenue for crop diversification and also for increasing farmer income, especially for small and marginal farmers in the rainfed areas, he added.

Earlier during the inaugural session, Amrendra Pratap Singh, Minister of Agriculture, Govt of Bihar said that maize is one of the most important food crops in the world and provides food security to majority of developing nations. In India, Maize is developing as the third most important crop after wheat and rice. Bihar contributes to over 9 percent of total maize production in India and is the fifth largest producer of maize after Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, he added.

Need for increased investment in agriculture sector

Agro Universities, Agrotech, R&D

The admission is currently open and will close in July 2022

SVKM’s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) commenced admission for four years B.Sc. Agriculture (Hons.) undergraduate degree programme to impart education in agriculture and allied sectors from a wider perspective.

The programme offers various theoretical and practical sessions in several disciplines that include: agronomy, genetics and plant breeding, soil science and agricultural chemistry, agricultural entomology, agricultural economics and agribusiness management, plant physiology, plant biochemistry, plant pathology, agricultural extension, horticulture, agricultural statistics and information technology, plant molecular biology and biotechnology, environmental sciences, nutrition and food technology, humanities and animal sciences.

Students will get an insight into their day-to-day functioning and entrepreneurship. In the Experiential Learning modules, hands-on training is imparted on the production of agri-inputs and relevant commercialisation aspects.

The admission is currently open and will close in July 2022. For the batch commencing in August 2022, SAST’s total intake strength is 60 seats.

The admission is currently open and will

Agrotech, Finance, Start ups

The startup will use the capital raised for its expansion to new markets and towards research and development to support more crops.

IAN, an existing investor, joined the US Million $ round in Fyllo, an agri-tech startup led by Triveni Trusts, Ninjacart and new investors Venture Catalysts, StarAgri, Kia Ora Ventures, Singualrity Ventures, Mastermind Capital and angel investors. The start-up will use the capital raised for its expansion to new markets and towards research and development to support more crops.

Founded in 2019, Fyllo brings certainty in quality and quantity of agricultural produce through its data-driven Agri-science platform. Their IoT system understands and measures precise requirements of plants on real-time basis and then Agri-science platform backed by AI provides timely advice to farmers. The startup has developed crop-specific models for irrigation, nutrients, diseases, pests, and weather management for each physiological stage of crop and soil.  Fyllo helps farmers grow export quality crops through its data-driven platform that is powered by IoT, AI, and Agronomy. Fyllo has expanded its services to 2000+ farmers and 10+ corporates across 4 states in India covering 20,000 acres.

Speaking on the latest development, founders Sudhanshu Rai and Sumit said, “Farmers have seen the impact of technology and the adaptability has increased. Having received the funding, we are looking to invest in expanding our brand to new markets and more crops.”

M.K Dhanuka, Managing Trustee, Triveni Trust said, “Fyllo’s specific, precise and AI-driven advise to farmers helps them increase their crop productivity and lower input cost. 100% customer retention reflects the farmer’s confidence in Fyllo’s offering. This will contribute to transforming India through agriculture. We are excited about our investment in Fyllo.”

Ninjacart co-led this round and Thirukumaran Nagarajan, Co-founder & CEO , of Ninjacart said, “ Fyllo provides actionable insights through a combination of technology, science and data. We look forward to working with Fyllo team to expand their distribution through Ninjacart’s farmer network across the country.”

Padmaja Ruparel, co-founder of IAN said, “IAN invests in changemaker-startups like Fyllo — which have witnessed continuous business growth. The founders bring both passion and leadership and we are excited to be a part of the Fyllo journey.”

The startup will use the capital raised

Agro Universities, AgroPolicy, Poultry

Discussions were held on the role of poultry industry and its contributions to the national economy.

The ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad recently organised a national seminar on ‘Revisiting Poultry Production and Marketing Systems for Addressing the Fast Changing Consumer Preferences’ in Hyderabad. The seminar was organised in collaboration with the Indian Poultry Science Association, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Chapter.

The Chief Guest, Dr G Ranjith Reddy, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Chevella Constituency, Telangana urged that the deliberations should focus on highlighting the health benefits of egg and chicken meat. He urged the industry to stay strong in the marketing, publicising and advertising their products. Dr Reddy also encouraged the young veterinary graduates for venturing into the poultry sector that has a lot of opportunities.

The Guest of Honor, Dr V Ravinder Reddy, Vice Chancellor, PV Narsimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University, Hyderabad emphasised on the need for supporting the poultry farmers by providing the feed ingredients on time at a reasonable cost.

Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries, Dr RN Chatterjee, Director, ICAR-DPR, Hyderabad underlined the role of poultry industry and its contributions to the national economy.

The scientists from ICAR-DPR, Hyderabad along with officials, staff and students from the veterinary university, poultry entrepreneurs and industry representatives from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; officials from the Animal Husbandry Department and Members of IPSA-Telangana State and Andhra Pradesh Chapter participated in the seminar.

Discussions were held on the role of

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, Agrotech, Environment, Live Stock, Sustainability

Discussions were held on the integration of pisciculture and agriculture to make Goa a self-reliant state in the agriculture

The ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa has recently organised a National Symposium on ‘Self-Reliant Coastal Agriculture.’

The symposium has been organised in association with the Association for Coastal Agricultural Research as a part of the “Bharat Ka Amrut Mahotsav” to commemorate 75 Years of India’s Independence.

Chief Guest, Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State for Tourism, Shipyard and Waterways briefed about the various constraints to take-up agriculture in the coastal ecosystem. The opening-up of the new avenue by the agro-ecotourism to enhance the farmers’ income was emphasised by the minister.

The Guest of Honour, Nilesh Cabral, Minister of Environment, Legislative affairs, Law & Judiciary and Public Works Department, Government of Goa stressed on the need to revive the 5th Century old and traditional agriculture system of Goa through the eco-friendly methods of bund stabilisation, integration of pisciculture and agriculture to make Goa a self-reliant state in the agriculture.

The Guest of Honour, AK Mishra, Secretary (Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science), Government of Goa urged the participants to deliberate on the inherent challenges for the self-reliant agriculture and address the nutritional security of the coastal area.

The Guest of Honor, Mahesh Patil, Chairman, Goa State Pollution Control Board, Government of Goa opined that Khazan land has to be revived through an integrated farming approach and encourage the agro-ecotourism to improve the farmers’ income.

The Guest of Honour, Dr Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), ICAR highlighted the significant contributions of the coastal agriculture despite, the complex and compounded problems in the coastal ecosystems. The importance of the high-density cashew plantations and harnessing the potential of the animal sector for doubling the coastal farmers’ income was underlined by the DDG.

Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries, Dr Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR-CCARI, Goa outlined the scenario of the coastal agriculture and provided a gist about the different sessions and deliberations to be conducted during the symposium.

The dignitaries also felicitated Amai Mahalinga Naik for his innovation in water conservation and converting barren lands into green and fertile lands.

About 260 participants participated in the inaugural session of the symposium.

Discussions were held on the integration of

Agro Universities, Agrotech

The technology transfer will add new products to the market

The ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu licensed and transferred the Basil Seed Suspended Clarified Banana Juice to the Thottiyam Banana Producer Company – Member of Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation in Tiruchirapalli.

Dr S Uma, Director, ICAR-NRC for Banana, Tiruchirapalli stated that the technology transfer and converting the over ripe banana to juice will add new products to the market. She said that the banana is grown in 6,000 Ha area in Trichy District and approximately 1 Lakh Hectare in Tamil Nadu.

Dr P Suresh Kumar, Principal Scientist, one of the inventors of the Technologies, ICAR-NRC for Banana briefed that the market is flooded with artificially flavoured, Synthetic Chia Seed Suspended Juice having the traces of fruit juice with a lot of added sugar. He emphasised that this is the first of its kind that the bureau has come-up with the novel technology of using the traditional basil seeds to make Suspended Clarified Banana Juice.

G Ajeethan, MD, FPO said that the technology from the ICAR-NRC for Banana will be used for producing the new beverage from banana.
The institute has also developed more than 55 different technologies using the different parts of banana including minimally processed foods, low sugar bakery and confectionary foods and utilising the wastes like peel, stem, corm and male flower for functional foods for the benefit of the entrepreneurs, consumers, etc.

The technology transfer will add new products

AgroPolicy, Start ups

Aims to promote startups and encourage entrepreneurship in the state

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched Madhya Pradesh’s Startup Policy and Implementation Plan – 2022 which aims to promote startups and encourage entrepreneurship in the state. This startup policy has been especially developed to strengthen and bring to reality the entrepreneurial ideas of the youth of Madhya Pradesh. The Prime Minister launched the policy virtually at a programme organized at the Brilliant Convention Center, Indore in the presence of the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Prime Minister Modi also launched the Madhya Pradesh Start-up Portal, which will be a one-stop avenue for entrepreneurs, providing them with vital information and guidance on launching a start-up. The portal will be integrated with the central government’s start-up portal. Besides this, Prime Minister Modi engaged in online interactions with several entrepreneurs and encouraged them to build India from the grassroots.

Modi said, “We have come a long way, and today, the Madhya Pradesh portal and i-Hub Indore has been successfully launched under the start-up policy of the state. I want to congratulate the government of Madhya Pradesh for this exceptional feat.”

Madhya Pradesh has over 1,900 start-ups with more than 800 start-ups founded by women entrepreneurs. The state is an agricultural powerhouse and aims to promote more than 200 start-ups in the agriculture sector with special emphasis on product-based start-ups. The state has also focussed energy on the capacity-building of startup incubation centres. The policy will usher innovation, experimentation, and risk-taking, boosting the spirit of entrepreneurship in the state.

Aims to promote startups and encourage entrepreneurship

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains

Wheat stocks are comfortable, export curbs will combat market speculation

The government has said that the decision to restrict wheat exports will control food prices, strengthen the food security of India and countries facing a deficit, and that India remains a reliable supplier as it is honouring all contracts.

Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary Department of Food and Consumer Affairs, and Manoj Ahuja, Secretary Agriculture, the Commerce Secretary said that all export orders where the letter of credit has been issued would be fulfilled. He added that directing the wheat exports through government channels would not only ensure fulfilling the genuine needs of our neighbours and food-deficit countries but also control inflationary expectations.

He said that the control order serves three main purposes: “It maintains the food security for the country, it helps others who are in distress, and maintains India’s reliability as a supplier”.

He explained that the government’s order on exports was giving a clear direction to the wheat market. “We do not want wheat to go in an unregulated manner in places where it might just get either hoarded or it may not serve the purpose of serving the food requirements of vulnerable nations. That’s why the government to government window has been kept open,” he said.

Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary Department of Food and Public Distribution said that the country has adequate food stocks. After consulting with the states, the Centre has reallocated some quantities by changing ratios of wheat and rice. For example, states getting wheat and rice in the ratio of 60:40 will get it in the ratio of 40:60. Similarly, the ratio of 75:25 is made 60:40. Where rice allocation was zero, they will continue to get wheat. For all small states-NE states and special category states, allocation has not been changed.

As a result of the reallocation, “With this, we have boosted the availability of wheat to about 110-111 LMT more. Adding it to 185 LMT, it becomes 296 LMT which is almost as last year’s. Last year the production figures of wheat were 109 LMT for the country. This year in February, we have come out with advanced estimates for this year’s production and we have estimated 111 LMT.  Our estimates show 105-106 LMT of wheat availability this year and we are quite the same in terms of quantity and availability as last year,” he added.

Wheat stocks are comfortable, export curbs will

AgroPolicy, Dairy, Live Stock

Purabi Cattle Feed Plant at Changsari was commissioned by the CM of Assam

Government of Assam recently signed an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The agreement will delegate the operational management of the East Assam Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union to the national dairy body.

The agreement was signed in presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during Northeast Dairy Cooperative Conclave 2022.

The Purabi Cattle Feed Plant at Changsari was commissioned by the Chief Minister. The cattle feed plant will supply concentrated, nutritious cattle feed to farmers of the state.

Purabi Cattle Feed Plant at Changsari was

Agri Genomics, Agro Universities, Agrotech

The workshop was held in association with National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute and Mohali and Biotech Consortium India

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) recently organised a workshop on ‘Genome Editing in Agriculture: Science, Potential and Policies’ in association with National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali and Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL), New Delhi. The goal of the workshop was to highlight the application of innovative technologies like genome editing in the crop breeding programmes and also to create awareness among the key stakeholders viz. scientists, students, agriculture officials and industry about the technology and its potential. Around 400 active participants including scientists, students, and research fellows from PAU and nearby institutions attended the workshop and listened to learned speakers very attentively.

At the inaugural session, Dr Parveen Chhuneja, Director, School of Agricultural Biotechnology, PAU welcomed all the dignitaries and the participants. Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, highlighted the need for innovative solutions to meet the challenges being faced by agriculture. Dr Vibha Ahuja, Chief General Manager, Biotech Consortium India Limited, presented a brief overview of the workshop.

In his keynote address, Prof Ashwani Pareek, Executive Director, NABI, Mohali, pointed out the need for technological innovation. Dr Shammi Kapoor, Registrar and Dr Gurjit S Mangat, Additional Director of Research, Crop Improvement-cum-Director GS Khush Institute of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, PAU also participated in the workshop. Experts from different institutes highlighted the advancements, potential and applications of Genome Editing in two technical sessions.

Dr Navtej Singh Bains, former Director of Research, PAU, delivered an informative talk on potential applications of gene editing in the breeding field, and vegetable and fruit crops. Dr Naveen Singh Bisht explained the manipulation of mustard oil through the editing of glucosinolates in Indian oilseed mustard.

Dr Baljinder Singh Nandra from the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) provided a glimpse of the national and international status of gene-edited plants and the importance of strong linkage between scientists and industry partners.

Dr Vibha Ahuja, Chief GM, Biotech Consortium India Limited, discussed the Government of India’s policies and procedures for the approval of genome-edited crops. Scientists from NABI presented their work on increasing β-carotene content in banana and iron (Fe) content in wheat grains. Scientists from PAU, Ludhiana presented their research on starch resistance wheat and potato, increasing the tomato shelf-life, reducing the acrylamide content in wheat and potato, haploid induction, and biofuel production in sugarcane through genome editing.

Later, an interactive session was held between researchers and speakers about the future of genome editing in crop improvement.

The workshop was held in association with

AgroPolicy, Trade, World

Trade delegations will visit Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon

The Centre will send trade delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon for exploring possibilities of boosting wheat exports from India. India has set a target of a record 10 million tonnes of wheat in 2022-23 amid rising global demand for grain globally.

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has already set up a task force on wheat exports with representatives from various ministries, including commerce, shipping and railways, and exporters under the aegis of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

The Department of Commerce has also planned to organise a series of sensitisation meetings on exports in major wheat growing states such as Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The APEDA organised one such interactive meeting with various stakeholders including farmers, traders and exporters in Karnal, Haryana for the promotion of wheat export and to ensure the shipment of quality produce. The stakeholders’ meet was organised in collaboration with ICAR-Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, where experts discussed opportunities and challenges in the sphere of wheat export.

“We are extending our support to all the stakeholders in the wheat exports value chain for boosting shipment from the country,” M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, said.

According to estimates by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India has exported a record 7 million tonne (MT) of wheat in 2021-22 which is valued at $ 2.05 billion. Out of the total shipment around 50% of wheat was exported to Bangladesh in the last fiscal.

Recently, Egypt, which is one of the world’s biggest importers of wheat, had agreed to source wheat from India. Egyptian authorities have put India as one of the origins of this strategic commodity. Egypt imported 6.1 MT of wheat in 2021 and India was not part of the list of accredited countries which can export wheat to Egypt. More than 80 per cent of Egypt’s wheat imports estimated to be close to $2 billion in 2021 were from Russia and Ukraine. APEDA has already communicated to exporters to register with Egypt’s public procurement agency – the General Authority of Supplies and Commodities, which manages wheat and sugar imports to the north African country.

Trade delegations will visit Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia,

AgroPolicy, Finance

UNDP will provide responsive, demand-driven technical assistance for effective implementation of agriculture credit and crop insurance

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) wherein UNDP will provide technical support for Centre’s aspirational Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) scheme & Kisan Credit Card – Modified Interest Subvention Scheme.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar by CEO-PMFBY Ritesh Chauhan and UNDP Resident Representative Shoko Noda. Under the MoU, UNDP will leverage its expertise in systems and global know-how for supporting the Ministry of Agriculture in the implementation of combined agriculture credit and crop insurance. Union Minister of Agriculture for State Kailash Chaudhary and Secretary, Agriculture, Manoj Ahuja also witnessed the signing ceremony.

As per the MoU, UNDP will provide responsive, demand-driven technical assistance for effective implementation of agriculture credit and crop insurance, as well as providing capacity development and Information, Education & Communication (IEC) support to existing national and state institutions, keeping in mind the interest of small and marginal farmers, women farmers, sharecroppers, tenant and non-loanee farmers.

On this strategic partnership with UNDP, Tomar said, “Technical assistance provided by UNDP in the last four years has yielded good results. I am sure that through this partnership, we will obtain even better results in the implementation of crop insurance and agricultural credit schemes.”

UNDP will provide responsive, demand-driven technical assistance

Company News

The company will be participating in the BMO Global Farm to Market Conference to be held on May 18-19, 2022

Local Bounti Corporation, a breakthrough US indoor agriculture company combining the best aspects of vertical and greenhouse growing technologies, has announced that it will be participating in the BMO Global Farm to Market Conference to be held on May 18-19, 2022.

Craig Hurlbert, co-CEO, Travis Joyner, co-CEO, and Kathleen Valiasek, CFO, will host a presentation on Wednesday, May 18, at 1:15 pm ET. Additionally, members of the management team will host meetings with investors. A live audio webcast of the panel will be available to all interested parties through the Company’s Investor Relations website.

Local Bounti is redefining indoor farming with an innovative method – its proprietary Stack & Flow Technology – that significantly improves crop turns, increases output and improves unit economics.

The company will be participating in the