Connect with:
Saturday / February 22. 2025

logo
mobile-logo
Home2022July (Page 4)
Agrotech, Company News, North America, R&D

PowerCore trait technology, designed to help farmers more effectively manage above-ground insect pressure while leveraging the Enlist corn trait for the ultimate weed management flexibility.

Corteva Agriscience announced new advancements in its portfolio of above-ground pest control products in corn. PowerCore® Enlist® corn is a comprehensive trait package designed for season-long insect protection and weed control and will be introduced as an integrated refuge offering: PowerCore® Enlist® Refuge Advanced® (RA) corn. Additionally, when commercially available, new PowerCore® Ultra Enlist® corn is expected to deliver an extra mode of action for geographies that need added protection and also will be available with integrated refuge as PowerCore® Ultra Enlist® Refuge Advanced® corn. 

“Earlier this year, Corteva Agriscience introduced Vorceed Enlist corn for corn rootworm acres and said that our R&D pipeline was full of promise,” said Judd O’Connor, President, North America Commercial Business, Corteva Agriscience. “Now, we’re excited to bring forward advancements in our PowerCore trait technology, designed to help farmers more effectively manage above-ground insect pressure while leveraging the Enlist corn trait for the ultimate weed management flexibility.”

PowerCore Enlist corn, as both structured refuge and integrated Refuge Advanced options, is stacked with three modes of action for enhanced control over the toughest above-ground pests, including susceptible European corn borer, fall armyworm, southwestern corn borer and corn earworm.

When commercially available, the new PowerCore Ultra Enlist corn will bring an additional mode of action for acres in geographies that need extra protection from higher pressure of above-ground pests like fall armyworm and western bean cutworm.

Corteva is finalizing its commercial plans for launching the new suite of products for PowerCore Enlist corn. Current introductory plans in the United States include:

2023: Expanded access to PowerCore Enlist Refuge Advanced (RA) corn for farmers

2024: Expanded access to PowerCore Ultra Enlist corn and PowerCore Ultra Enlist Refuge Advanced corn available for farmers

Mid-decade: Advancement of a broader set of genetic backgrounds, making more maturities available

PowerCore trait technology, designed to help farmers

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Cold Storage, Supply Chain

Department of Consumer Affairs engages with students, researchers and start-ups to develop a strategy for minimising post-harvest losses in onions

To address the post-harvest losses of onions including loss on account of sub-optimal storage and processing, the Department of Consumer Affairs has announced a Grand Challenge for development of “Technologies for Primary Processing, Storage and Valorisation of Onions”. The Department of Consumer Affairs is engaging with students, researchers and start-ups to develop a strategy for minimising post-harvest losses in onions

The Grand Challenge on Onions invites efficient and cost-effective solution for reducing the wastage of onions from Students (UG/PG/Diploma), Research Scholars, Faculty members, Start Ups and other individuals having interest in this area. There are four verticals of challenge viz. Improvements in the designs of storage structures, Pre-harvesting stage, Primary Processing and Valorization: Value addition and utilisation of onion waste.

The challenge has been rolled out in three stages. There will be evaluation of ideas, technology solutions at three stages (Ideation to Proof-of-Concept stage, Proof of Concept to Product stage and Field implementation) of the proposed technical solution and there is attractive prize money for shortlisted participants at each stage. All the Agriculture Universities and Central Universities have been informed by DoCA about the challenge with the request to participate in the challenge for ensuring maximum participation. The interested participants may register themselves on https://doca.gov.in/goc/

Department of Consumer Affairs engages with students,

AgroPolicy, Cold Storage, Supply Chain

The onion buffer size in current year is 0.50 lakh tons higher than the 2.0 lakh tons created during 2021-22.

Beating past records, the Centre has procured 2.50 lakh tons of onion for the buffer in 2022-23. The onion buffer size in current year is 0.50 lakh tons higher than the 2.0 lakh tons created during 2021-22. The onions were procured from current rabi harvest for the price stabilisation buffer. The stocks have been procured by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) from farmers through the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in rabi onion growing states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The stocks will be released through targeted open market sales and also offered to states/UTs and government agencies for supplies through retail outlets during the lean months (Aug – Dec) to moderate price rise. Open market releases will be targeted towards states/cities where prices are increasing over the previous month and also in key mandis to augment the overall availability.

The price stabilisation buffer serves the twin objectives of providing remunerative prices to onion farmers and augmenting the availability of onions at affordable prices to the consumers. Onion is a semi perishable vegetable and post-harvest losses due to physiological weight loss, rotting, sprouting etc. are estimated to be substantial. Rabi onion harvested during April – June accounts for 65 per cent of India’s onion production and meets the consumer’s demand till kharif crop is harvested from October-November. It is therefore vital to successfully store onion in order ensure the regular supply.

The onion buffer size in current year

AgroPolicy, Horticulture

Conference discusses areas such as Natural Farming, Digital Agriculture, Crop Insurance, promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Agricultural Infrastructure Fund

The two-day National Conference of Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers of the States, organized by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in coordination with the Government of Karnataka, concluded successfully in Bengaluru. On the basis of extensive deliberations in various sessions during the conference, the States agreed to increase their contribution in areas such as Natural Farming, Digital Agriculture, Crop Insurance, promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Agricultural Infrastructure Fund towards achieving the Central Government’s efforts for Sustainable Agriculture Development, which will be a concrete step towards achieving the goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India).

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar said that there is tremendous potential in the agriculture sector. There is a need to focus on Innovation and technological advancements to address the emerging challenges in this sector and work towards the welfare of small farmers. He said that compared to other sectors, Agriculture performed positively during the Covid pandemic due to specific interventions of the Central Government such as the uninterrupted relaxation given to agricultural works and running Kisan Rail benefitted the agriculture sector and farmers.  Tomar emphasized that there is a need to focus our attention towards better implementation of the policies and programmes of the Government of India in coordination with the State Governments. This includes effective implementation of Digital Agriculture Mission, promotion of FPOs, development of better trade mechanism of agricultural produce through e-NAM, making best use of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and Agriculture Infrastructure Fund for development of Infrastructure in rural areas. He said that the States need to focus on Crop Diversification keeping in view the demand for high value crops to enable increase in the farmers income. On this occasion, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje and the Agriculture Minister of Karnataka, B.C. Patil were present.

During the two-day conference, discussions were held with the States on important topics for the overall development of Agriculture in the country. The conference also deliberated upon the International Year of Millets – 2023 to be observed in the next year. Keeping in view the importance of Nutritious Cereals, the States agreed to increase their production and area, as well as promote the processing, value addition and marketing of nutritious cereals, taking all possible steps along with the Central Government.

Conference discusses areas such as Natural Farming,

AgroPolicy, India, Trade

Export of products APEDA has increased to USD 5987 million in April-June 2022 from USD 5256 million over the same period of the last fiscal.

Continuing with the trend from the previous year, the exports of agricultural and processed food products rose by 14 percent in the first three months of the current Financial Year 2022-23 (April-June) compared to the corresponding period of FY 2021-22.

For the year 2022-23, the government had set an export target of USD 23.56 billion for the agricultural and processed food products basket under APEDA. The initiatives taken by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry have helped the country in achieving 25 percent of the total annual export target in the first three months of the current fiscal.

According to the Quick Estimates data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), the overall export of products under APEDA ambit (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) increased to USD 5987 million in April-June 2022 from USD 5256 million over the same period of the last fiscal. The export target for April-June 2022-23 was USD 5890 million. The APEDA basket excludes Tea, coffee, spices, cotton and marine exports.

The exports of fresh fruits & vegetables registered 8.6 percent growth, while processed food products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported an impressive growth of 36.4 percent (April-June 2022-23) compared to corresponding months of the previous year. In April-June, 2021, fresh fruits and vegetables were exported to the tune of USD 642 million that increased to USD 697 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal. Other cereals’ export increased from USD 237 million in April-June 2021to USD 306 million in April-June 2022 and the export of meat, dairy and poultry products increased from USD 1023 million in April-June 2021 to USD 1120 million in April-June 2022.

Rice exports witnessed a growth of 13 percent in the first three months of FY 2022-23, while the export of meat, dairy & poultry products increased by 9.5 percent and export of other cereals increased by 29 percent.The export of rice increased from USD 2412 million in April-June 2021 to USD 2723 million in April-June 2022.The dairy products were exported to the tune of USD 1120 million in the first three months of the current fiscal from million in the same period last year.

Export of products APEDA has increased to

Acquaculture, AgroPolicy

NN Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development was addressing, the first conference on Fishtech, organised by the industry chamber FICCI.  

It is crucial to have an integrated chain of activities when organising fish farmers, especially those who are poor, said NN Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, at the First Conference on Fishtech, organised by the industry chamber FICCI.  

Delivering the Special address, Sinha alluded to the need to develop an integrated structure akin to the dairy sector. “There is a lot of scope for developing such a value chain”, he said. The secretary also referred to growing seaweed, ornamental fishing, and cage culture as viable livelihood activities. “We think aquaculture is an important livelihood option for a large number of people”, he said, adding, “we will work with everyone in the sector”.

A FICCI PwC report, “Championing the blue economy: Promoting sustainable growth of fisheries sector in India”, was released on occasion. The report showcases the potential of India’s fisheries sector, trends, opportunities, challenges, and strategic interventions needed to support the blue economy in India and build a sustainable and profitable future for the industry.

Speaking on occasion, Hemendra Mathur, Chairman, FICCI- Taskforce on Agri-Startups, said, “we need a dedicated fund for fishery start-ups, which can put in early-stage funding for start-ups trying to build interesting models and features”.

 Further, Mathur said, “We should at least have 500 fishtech start-ups in the country, given the sector’s potential. All start-ups put together account for less than 2-3 per cent of the market potential”. He said that fishery is an important sector with more than 1.5 crore fishermen engaged in the activity and its contribution to GDP being more than USD30 billion.

 Noting the considerable headroom for growth, Mathur alluded to the need to develop an innovation ecosystem in fishtech on the lines of agriculture and said, over the last five to seven years; we saw 1500-plus agri-tech startups in the country due to ecosystem development.

Shashi Kant Singh, Executive Director, Agri & Natural Resources, PWC, also noted the potential of increasing the use of technology and, further, the headroom available to increase the production, exports and domestic consumption in the fishery sector. He added that a lot of “policy support”, “ecosystem support”, and “well-designed schemes” were introduced by the government during the last four to five years.

 Devleena Bhattacharjee, Chair, FICCI Committee on Fishtech and Founder & CEO, Numer8 Analytics, said, “India is the second largest fish producing country in the world and contributes to about 7.56% of the global fish production. She noted that the fishery sector is a sunrise sector owing to tremendous scope in domestic consumption and expansion, strong export potential and greater economic returns with strong policy support.

NN Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development

AgroPolicy, Horticulture

The conference will discuss topics such as Digital Agriculture, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).

The National Conference of State Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers has been organized after two years due to the Corona crisis, in Bangalore. It was inaugurated in the presence of Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Health and Family Welfare, and Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai. This conference has been organized by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare coinciding with the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, in which key issues will be deliberated upon to ensure the development of agriculture and farmers in the country.

On this occasion, Union Agriculture Minister Tomar listed out the various topics to be discussed in the two-day conference. These include Digital Agriculture, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), taking Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi to its saturation level, International Year of Nutritional Grain (2023), Rs 1 lakh crore worth of Agricultural Infrastructure Fund, promotion of Natural Farming, New Age Fertilizers and New Technologies developed by ICAR.

Addressing the Inaugural ceremony, Tomar said that the Central and State Governments are working together in the field of agriculture, yet we all bear the important responsibility to solve the challenges facing the agriculture sector, formulate policies and their proper implementation.

In his address, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, while explaining the global situation of fertilizers, said that India has to import it in large quantities, the raw material is also very expensive, and yet the central government is giving excessive subsidy. Subsidy on DAP has been hiked from Rs 512 in 2020-21 to Rs. 2,501 for the 2022-23 Kharif season. DAP price in India is lowest as compared to other countries.

Dr. Mandaviya said that as per the directions of the Prime Minister, the burden of increased cost is not being passed on to the farmers and the government is committed to the easy availability of fertilizers across the country, but now there is a dire need to increase the use of nano fertilizers and undertake this as a campaign across the country. Requesting cooperation from the states in this regard, he said that district-wise data of availability of fertilizers should be maintained so that it can be properly managed and distributed. Strict monitoring should also be done that farmers’ fertilizers is not diverted to industries anywhere. He said that model outlets will soon be launched across the country.

The conference will discuss topics such as

AgroPolicy, Finance, Schemes - Govt

The grant will benefit about 3.5 lakh farmers leading to the goal of setting up of 10,000 FPOs.

 The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar released an equity grant of more than Rs 37 crore to 1,018 FPOs under the CSS which will benefit about 3.5 lakh farmers leading to the goal of setting up of 10 thousand FPOs. The Producer Members’ equity, supplemented by a similar equity grant from the Central Government, would strengthen the financial base of the FPOs and help them to avail loans from financial institutions for their projects and working capital requirements for business development. Under the scheme, up to Rs. 18 lakh financial aid per FPO will be provided for a period of 3 years. In addition, a loan of Rs. 2,000 for each farmer member of the FPO within a limit of Rs.15 lakh per FPO will be available. There is also a provision of project loan or equivalent grant from any eligible lending institution of up to Rs.2 crore per FPO.

Besides Tomar, the dignitaries present included the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje and Kailash Choudhary, Agriculture Minister of Karnataka, BC Patil, State Ministers, Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja and other senior officers.

Coffee Table Book on e-NAM

The Coffee Table Book released by the Agriculture minister showcases the endeavor and journey of e-NAM in bringing transparency and efficiency in the trade of agricultural products in the country through innovation and technology. Coffee Table Book on e-NAM focuses on showcasing the benefits and success of farmers and stakeholders by facilitating digitization of APMC mandis.

The grant will benefit about 3.5 lakh

Company News, Environment

The addition of the new facility in central Georgia fortifies Local Bounti’s distribution with the ability to directly service 19 retail distribution centres within an approximate 400-mile radius of the facility

Local Bounti Corporation, a breakthrough US indoor agriculture company combining the best aspects of vertical and greenhouse growing technologies, has recently announced the commencement of farming operations at its new innovative controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facility in Byron, Georgia.

“We are cementing our presence in the East Coast market with our new Georgia facility, providing Local Bounti with a bi-coastal presence that is able to service the growing demand for our products,” said Craig Hurlbert, Co-CEO of Local Bounti.

The addition of the new facility in central Georgia fortifies Local Bounti’s distribution with the ability to directly service 19 retail distribution centres within an approximate 400-mile radius of the facility. The East Coast presence enhances service to the Company’s customers and the approximately 10,000 retail locations that they operate across 35 US states and Canadian provinces. Further, the facility will provide additional capacity to meet existing demand from the Company’s direct relationships with blue-chip retail customers, including Albertsons, Kroger, Target, and Walmart, as well as Whole Foods and AmazonFresh.

Local Bounti plans to install its innovative Stack & Flow Technology at all of its facilities, and is in the process of initial planning to install Stack & Flow at its Georgia facility, which was acquired in the previously announced transaction with Pete’s, to further expand revenue generating capacity.

The Company has started the expansion of the 3-acre facility, which will double the facility capacity to 6-acres and has the opportunity to expand to 24 acres to execute growth initiatives and broaden its product offering.

The addition of the new facility in

Company News

Monitoring throughout the growing season can help determine the best management strategies now and for the future

Syngenta agronomists are encouraging growers to start their yield defense strategy now by monitoring for pests such as corn rootworm, western bean cutworm, and corn earworm. Monitoring throughout the growing season can help determine the best management strategies now and for the future.

“There are several key insect pest corn growers should keep an eye out for this growing season – including corn rootworm and western bean cutworm,” says Bruce Battles, technical agronomy manager for Syngenta. “For those that plant corn on corn, conditions have supported an increase in corn rootworm populations in the last few years. Conducting root digs and monitoring adult corn rootworm beetles will help guide future management decisions.”

“Some insects, such as corn rootworm, have indicators like previous year beetle counts or roots scores that can help predict next year’s pest pressures and help with management decisions,” says Tim O’Brien, traits manager for Syngenta. “But for other insects, their migrations and pressures can be unpredictable. Therefore, the best game plan against 16 different above- and below-ground insect corn pests like corn rootworm, western bean cutworm and corn earworm is the defense provided by DuracadeViptera.”

Using DuracadeViptera offers growers peace of mind and is the only trait stack on the market that protects against 16 above- and below-ground pests, allowing farmers to focus on more than just pests, which is essential to the success of their operation, according to O’Brien. 

Monitoring throughout the growing season can help

AgroPolicy, IT

With the introduction of POP, farmers will be facilitated to sell the produce outside their state borders.

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, launched the Platform of Platforms (POP) under the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) on the side-lines of the State Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers’ Conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka

With the introduction of POP, farmers will be facilitated to sell the produce outside their state borders. This will increase farmers’ digital access to multiple markets, buyers and service providers and bring transparency in business transactions with the aim of improving price search mechanism and quality commensurate price realisation. 41 service providers from different platforms are covered under POP facilitating various value chain services like trading, quality checks, warehousing, fintech, market information, transportation etc. The PoP will create a digital ecosystem, which will benefit from the expertise of different platforms in different segments of the agricultural value chain.

e-NAM integrates the platform of Service Providers as “Platform of Platforms” which includes Composite Service Providers (Service Providers who provide holistic services for trading of agricultural produce including quality analysis, trading, payment systems and logistics), Logistics Service Provider, Quality Assurance Service Provider, Cleaning, Grading, Sorting & Packaging Service Provider, Warehousing Facility Service Provider, Agricultural Input Service Provider, Technology Enabled Finance & Insurance Service Provider, Information Dissemination Portal (Advisory Services, crop forecasting, weather updates, capacity building for farmers etc.) and other platforms (e-commerce, international agri-business platforms, barter, private market platforms etc.).

The inclusion of various service providers not only adds to the value of the e-NAM platform, but also gives the users of the platform options to avail services from different service providers. It enables farmers, FPOs, traders and other stakeholders to access a wide variety of goods and services across the agricultural value chain through a single window, thereby giving more options to the stakeholders. Moreover, while selecting a good quality Goods/Service Provider, it saves the time and labour of the stakeholders. The POP can be accessed through e-NAM mobile app which can be downloaded from Google Play Store.

With the introduction of POP, farmers will

AgroPolicy, Dairy, Live Stock

Rupala also felicitated 75 entrepreneurs under AHIDF (Different categories/ FPO/Farmer/ Women)

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying launched Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) projects and felicitated entrepreneurs in the AHIDF conclave held in New Delhi. Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, MoS, FAHD graced the event with his presence.

 Rupala in his address highlighted the importance of the dairy and fisheries sector and congratulated the entrepreneurs for their contribution in the development of the sector and for generating employment for farmers and people in rural areas. He further said that there is a need to focus on livestock health including sustainable food systems for the livestock. Dr Balyan congratulated the entrepreneurs and urged them to find innovative ways to reduce livestock feed cost.

 Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, DAHD highlighted the need to focus beyond poverty alleviation and increasing farmers income towards wealth creation in rural areas. He further said that AHIDF scheme is a major step in this direction. Dr O. P. Chaudhary, JS, DAHD thanked NABARD and SIDBI for their continuous support to the sector. Sivasubramanian Ramann , CMD SIDBI and Dr G.R. Chintala, Chairman , NABARD, Dr Praveen Malik , Animal Husbandry Commissioner were present in the event.

The conclave saw the launch of Credit Guarantee Online Portal, inauguration of five major plants setup with the support of AHIDF scheme, felicitation of Entrepreneurs/ lenders & Networking between all stakeholders and upcoming entrepreneurs. The one-day Conclave had various sessions followed by discussion by a group of highly esteemed panel members.

Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying organised the conclave in collaboration with Small Industries Development Bank of India and Industry Associations etc. The conclave aimed at ensuring the participants with best possible knowledge inputs related to the AHIDF Scheme and facilitation of various stakeholders. The conclave saw the participation of over 600 Entrepreneurs/ Stakeholders, Lenders/SLBC’s, Government Officials (State and Centre Government), Common Service Centers, Industry Associations/ farmers associations and Government organisations.

Rupala also felicitated 75 entrepreneurs under AHIDF

Agrotech, Interaction

In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Aneesh Jain,  Founder, Gram Unnati talks about the current status of agriculture in India.  Edited excerpts;

Agriculture is unquestionably the most important component of the Indian economy both in terms of its contribution to the GDP as well as a source of employment for the majority of the country’s  population. This sector is currently showing immense opportunities, with India presently being one of the world’s largest agricultural producers by value. Gram Unnati is  working closely with multiple stakeholders to help farmers in the Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand save 4,000 litres per acre by bringing climate-compatible agriculture to over 5,000 acres of farmland. In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Aneesh Jain,  Founder,Gram Unnati talks about the current situation in agriculture in India.  Edited excerpts;

What are the major plans in store for 2022-2023, particularly in terms of investments and product launches in India?

We plan to launch our end-to-end technology application suite for farmers, our on-ground field executives, and our sales enablement platform to optimise market linkages for large agro processors and input manufacturers.

What is so unique about your company? How does it stand different from others in competition?

Unlike most competition Gram Unnati is present across the value chain and works directly with large agro processors. We believe in bringing the market to the farmers rather than the other way round and that we believe would be our biggest edge.

How do you foresee the future of the agriculture industry in India in the next 5 years?

New-age technologies focus on robotics, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, block chain technology, and more. Use of digital and analytic tools is driving continuous improvement in agriculture, resulting in improving crop yields and helping in the overall income enhancement and improvement in livelihoods of the farming community. The Government of India has contributed to this by launching the Digital Agriculture Mission initiated from 2021-2025 for projects based on new technologies. 

Over the next five years more farmers will get access to smart devices and will be more digitally connected. Modernisation of the agriculture sector will continue by infusing the new-age technologies that will not only help in increasing incomes of farmers but will also contribute to food and nutrition security of the nation while being climate compatible. 

Please list out the key achievements of your company since inception, particularly in terms of product launches, patents, R&D investment.

  • Over the last 9 years of operations, we have been able to onboard 200,000+ farmers across 7 states in our network
  • We have grown 5x in top-line during the pandemic years and 100 per cent + annually over the last three years with stable and improving unit economics as a result of our structured approach and maturing relationships that we have built with 20+ major agro processors pan India
  • We have been able to bring about sustainable income enhancement of 15-20 per cent within our farmer network
  • We are a trusted enablement partner for various state governments, national agencies, farmer mobilisation organisations, and agro-logistics companies.

How much revenue was generated in FY 21-22? What are the growth expectations this year?

We are expecting hyperscale growth (500 per cent + Y-o-Y) over the next three years driven by a healthy pipeline. We have a strong order book in place across diversified customers comprising a mix of MNCs, Indian (listed and unlisted) and export-oriented players.

Any new technological innovations you are planning to introduce that specifically help the agri & food industry?

We are developing an end-to-end technology application suite for farmers, our on-ground field executives, and building a sales enablement platform to optimise market linkages for large agro processors and input manufacturers.

How are you aiming to expand your reach in India?

  • Currently we are partnering with various state governments, national agencies, farmer mobilisation organisations, and agro-logistics companies. Through these partnerships we expect to strengthen our on-ground presence and are targeting to have 850,000+ farmers within our network by 2025. 
  • We are looking at both horizontal and vertical expansion opportunities. This includes expansion into new commodities such as livestock, aquaculture as well as new segments like precision agriculture, farm management, and financial services. 

What are the major challenges you are facing in the industry?

The Agriculture Industry is facing highly uncertain times, as witnessed recently when the government banned wheat exports in mid of May due to record-breaking heatwave damaged crops. Earlier in April, the government was planning to export wheat and help the countries affected by the Russia-Ukraine War. Inefficient practices in the industry have also played a huge role to make the sector highly unorganised. The long chain between the farmer and end user results in distribution of farmers income in the hands of traders and other intermediaries, ultimately resulting in value loss for farmers. Inefficient practices such as sowing high water demanding crops like Summer Paddy in places with less irrigation facilities further contributes to the sustainability issues.

What can be done to improve market linkage and sustainability?

Adopting efficient practices would not only enhance the income for farmers, but will also help in addressing issues of sustainability. To tackle this problem in the short term, advisory and assistance services to farmers will be the most efficient way to guide and support farmers in adopting good agricultural practices.

Long chain of intermediaries has been a problem for the sector and farmers, since they wipe off most of the farmer’s margins. In order to address this, the market linkages must be direct with the farmers, so that the demand can be addressed efficiently and also support in better realisation of the margins. 

                                                                                                        Pooja Yadav

                                                                                                    pooja.yadav@mmactiv.com

In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Aneesh

AgroPolicy, Trade

The NE region witnessed an 85.34 per cent growth in the export of agricultural products in the last six years as it increased from USD 2.52 million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in 2021-22.

APEDA signs a MoU with Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat to conduct various training programmes on pre-harvest and post-harvest management and other research activities to give boost to the export of horticulture products grown in North-Eastern (NE) states, the government is now up with a robust strategy to promote locally produced agricultural products to the international markets. The NE region is geopolitically important as it shares international boundaries with China and Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh making it the potential hub for the export of agricultural produce to neighbouring countries as well as other foreign destinations.

As a result, there has been a significant increase in the export of agricultural produce from NE states like Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya in the last few years. The NE region witnessed an 85.34 percent growth in the export of agricultural products in the last six years as it increased from USD 2.52 million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in 2021-22. The major destination of export has been Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Middle East, the UK and Europe.

To provide potential market linkages, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development and Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, organised field visits of importers to have first-hand information about the qualitative cultivation practices being followed by farmers. Importers were mostly the Middle East, far Eastern countries, and European nations and Australia, etc.

In the last three years, APEDA organised 136 capacity building programmes on export awareness across the different parts of NER. Highest, 62 capacity building programmes were held in NER in 2019-20, while 21 in 2020-21 and 53 such programmes were organised by APEDA in the year 2021-22. Apart from capacity building initiatives, APEDA facilitated 22 International Buyer-Seller Meets as well as trade fairs in NER in the last three years.

APEDA also organised organized conference on the Export Potential of Natural, Organic and Geographical Indications (GI) Agro Products in Guwahati on June 24, 2022 to tap the abundant export potential of organic agricultural products from Assam and neighbouring states of NER.

APEDA aims at creating a platform in Assam for the exporters to get the products directly from the producer group and the processers. The platform will link the producers and processors of Assam and exporters from other parts of the country that would expand the base of the export pockets in the North-Eastern states, including Assam and increase the employment opportunities among the people of the state.

The NE region witnessed an 85.34 per