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India

The three improved varieties are resistant to scorch and blight disease

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Kailash Chaudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare visited the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, and inspected the paddy field of IARI, Pusa and the paddy being cultivated there. 

They inspected an advanced line of coarse rice, an improved high yielding variety of Pusa 44, and commended the work being done by the Pusa Institute. They observed three varieties which are resistant to scorch and blight disease of Basmati rice, – the Pusa Basmati 1847 which is an improvement of Pusa Basmati 1509, Pusa Basmati 1885 which is an improvement of Pusa Basmati 1121 and Pusa Basmati 1886 which is an improved form of Pusa 1401. There will be no need to spray pesticides in these varieties, which will reduce the cost as well as produce Basmati rice free from chemical residues, which will fetch good price in the international market and directly benefit farmers’ income.

The three improved varieties are resistant to

Agrotech, India

‘Drones for Precision Agriculture’ training programme held at MPKV, Rahuri

The Centre for Advanced Agricultural Science and Technology for Climate Smart Agriculture and Water Management (CAAST-CSAWM), under the aegis of ICAR-National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) recently held a National Training Programme entitled ‘Drones for Precision Agriculture’ at its Central Campus at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri for capacity building of academicians, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, farmers and practitioners.

While inaugurating the programme in hybrid mode as Chief Guest, Dr R C Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Agric Education) and National Director, ICAR-NAHEP said that the country is now experiencing the Agriculture 4.0 phase that particularly emphasises the use of digital technology; and opined that drones have assumed great importance in the age of digital technology.

He expressed that the use of artificial intelligence, coupled with drones, sensors and internet of things (IoT) enabled devices  which will establish new bench marks in Indian agriculture. He urged CAAST, MPKV to organise such capacity building programs regularly and also to schedule workshop on “Drone Awareness” for senior officers of SAUs and ICAR Institutes in the country.

‘Drones for Precision Agriculture’ training programme held

Agrotech, India, Logistics, Supply Chain

First cold chain logistics company to offer fifth-party logistics services in India

Snowman Logistics, a group company of Gateway Distriparks, has announced the launch of Fifth-Party Logistics or 5PL services in India. The need for 5PL services has grown incrementally in the last couple of years due to the development of e-commerce businesses, the rise in international trade activities, and the increased complexities in the supply chain. The post-pandemic rises in the ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food categories is also a major reason for the boost in the 5PL service segment in this sector.

Leveraging this growth, Snowman Logistics now provides distribution and consolidation services, including sourcing on behalf of its customers, in addition to the existing bouquet of 3PL services of transportation and warehousing.

Commenting on the launch of the 5PL service, Sunil Nair, CEO of Snowman Logistics, says, “The launch of 5PL services has opened up a huge opportunity for us to convert our existing 3PL accounts to 5PL accounts. Being the industry leader in cold chain and integrated solutions for the last three decades, this is a win-win situation for us and our customers. By using our expertise, the network of suppliers and customers and offering distribution and consolidation services in addition to our existing solutions, we are now offering one-stop distribution services, right from the manufacturing plant to the consumption points through which we are able to add further value and enhance earnings from our existing businesses without needing to invest in infrastructure. We have already started offering this service to IKEA, Tim Hortons and Baskin Robbins and are targeting aggressive growth in this segment.”

First cold chain logistics company to offer

Agrotech, Company News, IT, Start ups

The partnership will bring entire agriculture ecosystem under one platform

Bengaluru-based TraceX Technologies, a blockchain-powered traceability platform that enhances food and supply chain transparency, has forayed into Africa by partnering with Ghana-based agritech consulting firm Univision to offer end-to-end traceability in the agriculture supply chain. Through this partnership, TraceX and Univision will bring the entire agriculture ecosystem under one platform. From smallholder farmers in Ghana to financial institutions that provide loans to farmers, all members of the agri supply chain will be able to interact and transact under one platform.

Univision Consultancy Ltd offers Ag-Tech consulting services, Agribusiness Mapping, Export Aggregator, and Business Support Services to clients both in Ghana and abroad.  As a part of its consulting services, they help agribusinesses in Ghana with the right Ag-tech platforms that would assist them to reduce their cost, improve their operational activities and also improve their yield per acre of their farms. Similarly, as a part of their agribusiness mapping services, they bring several smallholder farmers (cooperatives) together to cultivate a certain farm produce, link them to input companies and financial institutions who can support these farmers with inputs like quality seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals, provide loans to the farmers, and finally, they assist them to market for their produce.

Commenting on the partnership, Isaac Ampiaw, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Univision, said, “One of the main reasons we chose to work with TraceX is that they enable us to bring all the key stakeholders of the ecosystem together under one digital platform. Additionally, they offer an offline and online model of communication that allows smallholder farmers to easily communicate with other members of the supply chain. We look forward to working closely with TraceX to offer end-to-end traceability in the agri supply chain”

Commenting on the partnership, Srivatsa Sreenivasarao, Co-Founder and CEO, TraceX, said, “Africa is a key geography for us because of the strong growth opportunities that exist for agribusinesses. Supply chain digitization has a lot of potential, particularly in West Africa, and we are happy to partner with Univision to tap into this opportunity. End-to-end digitization enables traceability, which in turn increases opportunities for smallholder farmers and improves their access to capital”.

The partnership will bring entire agriculture ecosystem

India

A sack full of urea can now be replaced by a single bottle of nano urea

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi recently inaugurated PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 at Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi. He also inaugurated 600 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PMKSK) under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers. 

The Prime Minister also launched ‘Indian Edge’, an e-magazine on fertiliser, he remarked that India is rapidly moving towards self-sufficiency in liquid nano urea production and pointed out, “Nano Urea is a medium to produce more with less cost.” Stating its benefits, Modi said that a sack full of urea can now be replaced by a single bottle of nano urea. He further added that the transportation costs of urea would go down significantly.

Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said that PM’s presence on this occasion reflects his commitment for farmers. Dr Mandaviya said that PM has always worked with ‘Total Approach’ for farming sector and that several initiatives have been taken to strengthen farmers by government. Union Minister further said that whether its adoption of new technology in Agriculture, encouraging ‘Smart Technology’ or providing better marketplace for farmers’ produce, much has been achieved under PM’s leadership. He further added that, research in Agriculture has also been encouraged and due to this, India has become the world’s first country to start commercial production of Nano Urea.

A sack full of urea can now

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, India

The company will supply two novel life science related specialty chemicals for the next three years

Anupam Rasayan has signed two contracts with one of the leading European crop protection companies for supplying two new life science related specialty chemicals.

The company will supply these products for the next three years under the contract. These products will be manufactured in the company’s existing manufacturing facilities. The provision of two novel life science related specialty chemicals. The deal calls on the firm to deliver these items for the next three years. These goods will be manufactured at their current facilities.

These goods were conceptualised in three months, and it took less than 18 months for them to be commercialised. We were able to supply these items in such a short amount of time due to our customer’s urgent request. This displays the company’s commitment to the customer as well as our outstanding R&D skills, said company in release.

These contracts are consistent with the company’s aim of expanding wallet share and strengthening relationships with current clients. Having these additions, the total number of molecules with this MNC now stands at 6.

Anupam Rasayan is working with a few more MNC clients, and anticipates that 20 to 25 specialty goods will be added to its product range in the near future as part of Europe plus one plan.

The company will supply two novel life

Acts & Schemes – Centre, India

Centre to continue providing all possible assistance to the farmers in coastal states to promote coconut cultivation in the country

While addressing the Coconut Community Farmers’ Conference in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Centre will continue to provide all possible assistance to the farmers in the coastal states to promote coconut cultivation in the country.

Tomar further said that he is happy to be among the coconut farmers, and congratulated the Coconut Development Board and Sugarcane Breeding Institute for their initiatives towards the prosperity of the coconut growers community. With the increase in the number of coconut based industries in the country, new products and many employment opportunities are also increasing in the market.

Presently there are 697 Coconut Growers Societies, 73 Coconut Growers Federations and 19 Coconut Producing Companies in the State. Support has been given to set up 537 new processing units in India with a processing capacity of 3,638 million coconuts per year. In the end, Tomar said that the schemes of the Central Government are for the prosperity of the farmers and to bring happiness in their lives.

Centre to continue providing all possible assistance

India

To unleash new possibilities in academia-industry research collaboration in future

Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (ICAR-CIAE), Bhopal and CNH Industrial (India) Pvt. Ltd – (NEW HOLLAND TRACTORS) have signed an MoU at ICAR, Krishi Anusandhan Bhawan, New Delhi in the presence Dr S N Jha, DDG (Engg), Dr C R Mehta, Director, ICAR-CIAE and Rajender Chaudhary, Director, CNH (India). The MoU primarily aims at development of public-private partnership and industry-ready human resources in the field of farm mechanisation.

As per the MoU, ICAR-CIAE will offer space and AV facilities for organising the training programmes. CNH (India) will invest in the development of the training centre, facility creation, training equipment, and upkeep the facility to the industry practices. 

This Academy-Industry cooperation will benefit industrial and academic trainees to access new facilities for skill upgradation and to know new development in tractor industries. It will also open a new vista for exploring many possibilities in academia-industry research collaboration in future.

To unleash new possibilities in academia-industry research

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Fertilizers, India, Start ups

The PM also inaugurated the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates a two-day event titled “PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022” at Mela Ground, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi. On this occasion, Modi released Rs 16,000 crore under the PM-KISAN flagship scheme as 12th instalment through Direct Benefit Transfer. He also inaugurated the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition. 

Under the scheme, eligible farmer families are provided a benefit of Rs 6000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2000 each, every four months. The benefit is then transferred directly to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer mode, using modern digital technology.

Along with that, he also inaugurated 600 PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PM-KSK) of Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers and will launch Bharat Urea Bags, India’s biggest move in fertilisers-One Nation One Fertiliser Scheme for Farmers.

On this occasion, Modi addressed crores of farmers, Agri Start-ups, Researchers, Policymakers, Bankers and other stakeholders. The event brought farmers and Agri startups on same platform. Over one crore farmers virtually joined this event.

Since the launch of this path breaking scheme, the scheme has crossed many milestones and has received accolades from several quarters for its scale, transparency and seamless transfer of funds directly to the accounts of eligible farmers.

The PM also inaugurated the Agri Startup

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, India

Part of strategic decision to meet growing agrochemical demand in domestic and global markets

Agrochemical major, Meghmani Organics Limited has begun the commercial production of Cyfluthrin and Spiromesifen, with initial capacity of 500 MT per annum for both the products, at Dahej in Gujarat. The production of Cyfluthrin and Spiromesifen are part of the Meghmani Organics Ltd’s strategic decision to meet the growing agrochemical demand in domestic and global markets. Going forward, company will further announce a series of new chemicals to be manufactured at its plants.

“With our unique product basket and growing global footprint, backed by prudent capital investments, we are thinking about the future to ensure sustainable long-term growth and create value for our farmers, customers, and the environment”, mentioned the company in release.

Meghmani Organics Limited is one of the leading agrochemical manufacturers with a strong presence in Pan India and global markets. Its agrochemical portfolio includes the intermediates, technicals, and formulations of insecticides and herbicides applicable to crop protection, veterinary and public health.

Part of strategic decision to meet growing

Agrotech, Company News, North America

The company is working with 16 agribusinesses to help farmers navigate a complex soil carbon market in the United States

As the voluntary agricultural carbon credit market continues to grow in value, Indigo Agriculture announced an additional seven carbon farming collaborators have joined the effort to help farmers access this new sustainability-focused revenue stream. Working with Indigo to reach 30 states representing nearly 80 per cent of U.S. cropland, the companies offer wide-ranging expertise, with capabilities across finance, inputs, data management, and more. Indigo’s collaborative approach equips farmers with the flexibility to enter the carbon market supported by advisers in their communities that they already know and trust, a key consideration for those looking to get started.

To date, companies including AcreValue, Compeer, Corteva Agriscience, FarmTogether, GROWMARK, Landus, Midwestern BioAg, National Indian Carbon Coalition, and Verdova have collaborated with Indigo to help farmers begin their carbon farming journeys alongside their trusted advisors on over 1.8 million acres. These enablement efforts have helped bring the total number of acres working to generate the industry’s highest-quality credits with Indigo to over 5.5 million.

Indigo’s carbon program is supported by a network of premium credit buyers (including global brands like JPMorgan Chase, Ralph Lauren Corporation, The North Face, and Barclays). As the market for agricultural carbon continues to grow, credits have already been pre-ordered for as high as $40/credit (a 100 per cent increase since the program’s launch). Farmers take home at least 75 per cent of the credit sale price with Indigo’s market-based pricing approach. A second round of payments to participating farmers is anticipated later this year, with farmers earning $30 per verified credit produced and sold in the 2020 and 2021 crop years.

“Whether driving quality in the market today or designing resources and learning tools to demystify carbon farming, we’re working hard to make sure the carbon market works for farmers. That’s why these ag industry collaborations are so important. We want farmers to work with people they know and trust to learn about and participate in Indigo’s carbon program,” Heather Gieseke, VP Commercial, Carbon at Indigo Ag said.

Since launching the first collaboration approximately a year ago, the network has grown substantially. Seven new organisations have recently joined the effort to support scaling ag sustainability solutions by helping their customers enter the carbon market with Indigo. Today, the company, which was recently issued the world’s first crop of verified ag carbon credits produced at scale, is working with a total of 16 agribusinesses to help farmers navigate a complex soil carbon market and confidently get started on their carbon farming journeys.

The company is working with 16 agribusinesses

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Pesticides, Company News, India

The broad-spectrum fungicide can help fight the current mortality of the plant ranging which is 20 to 80 per cent

Insecticides (India) Limited (IIL), one of the nation’s leading crop protection and nutrition companies, has unveiled a fungicide that is made in India called Stunner to combat mainly Downy Mildew disease in grapes. This broad-spectrum fungicide comes as a respite particularly for the production of grapes as huge losses, in the form of mortality of the plant ranging from 20 per cent to 80 per cent, are incurred by farmers due to this fungal disease. Downy Mildew disease plays havoc by significantly affecting the quality of grapes.

″This is the first time that this technical and formulation is being manufactured in India. Owing to the requirement of a fungicide for successful grape cultivation, our farmers were mainly dependent on the imported fungicide formulations till date. However, being a firm believer of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, we took this step, and here we are with Stunner in hand for the first time in India. Stunner is an effective fungicide for Downy mildew disease in grapes, ″ said Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides (India) Ltd.

″The lion’s share of the potential market will be from Western Maharashtra, mainly the areas of Nashik, Baramati, Sangli, Narayangaon, Solapur  and Satara. We are elated that this unique formulation would be a big relief to the farmers who were struggling with the disease of Downy Mildew. Stunner works by activating the defense mechanism of the plant against the fungus. ″, added Sanjay Vats, Vice President, Insecticides (India) Limited.

″IIL has a strong footprint in the Maharashtra Market and our products like Sofia, Monocil, Hercules, Lethal Gold are popular among the farming community. With the launch of new products like Stunner, Shinwa and Izuki, we will be able to provide the complete solution to the farmers within their reach″, mentioned N. B. Deshmukh, DGM – Marketing, Insecticides (India) Limited.

The broad-spectrum fungicide can help fight the

Agrotech, Company News, India

Smallholder farmers growing paddy, soyabean, corn and cotton, FPOs and Agripreneurs to benefit

Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, has initiated the commercial application of drones in agriculture from Kharif 2022. Drone services will be made available for crop protection purposes across paddy, cotton, soyabean, corn and horticulture crops in a phased manner. Bayer became the first company to initiate internal trials and association with universities and research stations for technology development and regulatory data generation.

The services will benefit smallholder farmers across the states of Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and many other states in field crops and other horticultural crops where farmers are facing challenges. Additionally, the move will also benefit Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Progressive farmers by providing opportunities to village entrepreneurs who are running Better Life Farming centres and others interested in leveraging drone services for their enterprises to offer solutions to smallholder farmers. Bayer will support such entrepreneurs by facilitating machinery, Crop and product know-how, business support and training.

Speaking on the development, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, said, “We welcome the Government’s encouraging efforts to develop drone technology ecosystem for Indian farmers and allow commercial usage of drones for Crop protection purposes. This is a positive step toward sustainable agriculture and for enhancing smallholder farmers’ prosperity. We are committed to bringing about a positive change by advancing digitisation and mechanisation in agriculture to spur food security in the region.

Bayer supports the vision of Make in India and has partnered with innovative Indian drone startups, to make drone-based services available to farmers and create livelihood opportunities for upcoming rural entrepreneurs.

Smallholder farmers growing paddy, soyabean, corn and

Agrotech, Company News, IT, Textile industry

The platform enables tracing of sustainably produced FiberMax® cotton from seed to sew

BASF Agricultural Solutions has initiated a ‘Seed 2 Sew’ pilot project to establish a blockchain platform as a response to one of the most complex supply chains – cotton production. Fashion brands can now be guaranteed greater transparency and traceability when sourcing sustainable cotton.

Classically, the traceability within the cotton value chain has been limited from ginning to end fabric. Farmers have often been left behind due to a mere lack of applications, infrastructure, and technology to record and certify their inputs. This leads to an information and trust gap in the textile industry.

To close this gap, BASF Agricultural Solutions has partnered with five farms in their existing Certified Sustainability FiberMax® cotton program and other local players along the cotton value chain in Greece – the largest cotton producing country in Europe – to guarantee a professional and transparent system of supplying sustainable cotton to the fashion industry. It follows the journey of a cotton garment starting from BASF seed all the way to retail. All the partners are within 250 km radius from Komotini to Thessaloniki, Greece, which additionally allows to reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing cotton garments.

Bext360, a supply chain sustainability software service company, has partnered with BASF to digitalize the cotton supply chain onto a blockchain platform which uses Hyperledger to bring greater IT flexibility and lower energy use: 99.95 per cent compared to earlier blockchain networks. Traceability and transparency are now in the hands of the end customer by using fully digitized and secure crypto blockchain technology, where every step along the value chain must be approved on a digital record by everyone on the network. “We are proud to advance our longstanding commitment to sustainability and digital advancement, leveraging the power of blockchain technology,” said Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro, Senior Vice President Agricultural Solutions EMEA & CIS at BASF Agricultural Solutions. “Offering such digital tools to farmers and consumers is another important step towards reaching our sustainability commitments”.

After this first concept milestone, BASF will continue to work on the blockchain ensuring data points are covered during the current harvest and will explore the tokenization aspects available in every blockchain platform. These are a reward system for sustainable practices which could be used for offsetting and/or in setting carbon emissions in the value chain.  

The platform enables tracing of sustainably produced