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Agrotech, Company News, India, R&D, Start ups

With the DGCA certificate, AG 365 drone is now eligible for Rs 10 lakh unsecured loans from the AIF

India’s leading drone manufacturer, Marut Drones’ has received the Type Certification approvals from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its tested and robustly designed multi-utility agricultural drone AG 365. “AG 365 is designed and developed for Indian conditions and can be used for multiple purposes giving a higher ROI to the user. AG 365 is extensively tested for more than 1.5 lakh acres and optimised for performance to be used in agriculture. Further, extensive research is undergone with AG 365 for development of crop-specific drone spraying SOPs in collaboration with agricultural universities and research institutes,” the drone manufacturer said.

Having been awarded a type certificate for AG 365 model, the drone is now eligible for INR 10 lakh unsecured loans from the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) at a minimal 5-6 per cent interest rate. Further, a 50-100 per cent subsidy can be availed from the Government of India. The made-in-India Kisan Drone – AG 365 has been developed particularly for agricultural purposes to reduce crop loss, lower agrochemical usage, better yield and profits to the farmers, the company said.

With the DGCA certificate, AG 365 drone

Acts & Schemes – Centre, AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Schemes - Govt, Sustainability

Rajasthan State Agriculture Marketing Board aspires to set up hundred Millet Processing units in the state, and a subsidy up to 50 lahks will be provided to each of such units.

On the occasion of ‘The National Farmers’ Day’, the Agribusiness and Food Processing committee along with the Rajasthan State Chapter of  PHDCCI, organised an Industry Meet themed,  MILLETS: Power House of Nutrition, at National Institute Of Agriculture Marketing (NIAM), Jaipur, Rajasthan. 

Murari Lal Meena, Minister for Rajasthan State Agriculture Marketing Board, Government of Rajasthan inaugurated the event.  While addressing the meeting, the Minister informed the gathering that Rajasthan is the first ever state to have released a separate Agriculture budget. 

 He also spoke about how the Rajasthan State Agriculture Marketing Board aspires to set up hundred Millet Processing units in the state, and a subsidy up to 50 lahks will be provided to each of such units. 

He further concluded his address by saying that Govt of Rajasthan has already announced mission millets in the state, and in the coming times, the work will be progressing at high-speed. 

Ramavatar Meena, IAS, Director, Integrated Child Development Studies (ICDS) mentioned that the incorporation of millet and millet-based diet in the mid-day meal services of the state government programmes in Aanganwadis will improve the nutritional status of the state population. He further informed that ICDS is planning on arranging many such millet meets and awareness programmes across the state for better reach of producers and consumers.

Rajasthan State Agriculture Marketing Board aspires to

Finance, Foodgrains, Institutions, Schemes - Banks, Sustainability, World

As part of the additional financing, the project will support the procurement and distribution of emergency seeds, fertilisers and small-scale machinery to vulnerable farmers.

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved additional grant financing of $50 million from the Crisis Response window for the Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project in Tajikistan to support efforts of the Government of Tajikistan to mitigate food and nutrition insecurity impacts on households and enhance the overall resilience of the agriculture sector.

According to the World Food Programme, by the end of the year, 30 per cent of the population in Tajikistan will be classified as moderately food-insecure, up from 20 per cent in 2021, while those acutely affected by food insecurity could more than double to 8.6 per cent of the population.

Despite significant progress over the last decade, malnutrition among children and women continues to remain a major challenge for the country. With 18 per cent of children under the age of five being stunted, Tajikistan has the highest rate of stunting in the Europe and Central Asia region.

As part of the additional financing, the project will support the procurement and distribution of emergency seeds, fertilisers and small-scale machinery to vulnerable farmers, including women farmers; procurement and distribution of micronutrient and vitamin supplements for pregnant and lactating women and young children under the age of five, ready-to-use therapeutic food for children threatened by severe wasting; and a media communication campaign to improve infant and young child feeding practices and dissemination of critical nutrition messages.

The project will also finance the establishment of additional agri-logistical centres to improve the competitiveness of horticulture value chains and improve farmers’ access to markets. It will strengthen the national capacity for the prevention and management of future crises and food fortification, as well as support the government in revising the food security law and development of a food security crisis preparedness plan.

As part of the additional financing, the

Company News, Foodgrains, India

Product to be manufactured in accordance with FSSAI guidelines for rice fortification.

Fermenta Biotech Limited (‘Fermenta’) has commissioned a new facility to manufacture Fortified Rice Kernel (‘FRK’) located in Pennepalli, Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh. With this milestone, Fermenta has entered the rice fortification market and bolstered its emerging portfolio in nutrition. The FRK produced will be enriched with Iron, Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid, in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (‘FSSAI’) Guidelines for rice fortification.

An alarmingly high incidence of nutritional anaemia due to deficiency of iron, folate and B12 is seen especially in children and women of childbearing age in developing countries, including India. In light of the rampant malnutrition prevalence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to ensure that by 2024, all rice distributed by the Government of India would be fortified. The government also announced plans to initiate rice fortification under various schemes, including Public Distribution System, Integrated Child Development Services, PM POSHAN (erstwhile Mid-Day Meal Scheme) and Other Welfare Schemes.

Fortified rice manufacturers mix FRK with traditional milled rice thereby enhancing its nutritional content. India is one of the leading producers of rice, with a geographically and economically diverse rice-consuming population. Moreover, the incremental cost for fortifying rice is low, making it a scalable and cost-effective strategy. Studies have shown the acceptability of fortified rice by consumers along with significant retention of micronutrients after processing.

Prashant Nagre, Managing Director, Fermenta Biotech Limited, added, “Fermenta is proud to launch its FRK offering, thereby contributing towards overcoming micronutrient deficiency in India and across the world. As a sustainable and responsible business, we endeavour to provide world-class quality products including FRK that would take our nation closer to achieving the targets for United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on Zero Hunger and Good Health & Well-being.”

Product to be manufactured in accordance with

AgroPolicy, China, Environment, Sustainability

Plans to build a national modern agricultural industrial park, high standard farmland and build a core area of ‘one ton and half grain’, which will increase agricultural production and income.

Qingyun County, Shandong Province, adjacent to the Bohai Sea, is a typical sea leaching area. Because of the salty alkaline water in the area, the grain output is lower than the average level of the city. In recent years, Qingyun County has planned to build a national modern agricultural industrial park, build high standard farmland, and build a core area of ‘one ton and half a grain’, which has realised the increase of agricultural production and income.

Qingyun County guides and encourages village collectives to establish cooperatives, attracts people to join the cooperatives, cooperates with large agricultural enterprises, and implements measures such as salinisation improvement, promotion of organic fertiliser, and trial planting of new grain varieties. We will promote the centralisation of land and the development of large-scale operations. Unify machine type and machine harvest, and purchase agricultural materials uniformly to reduce planting costs. It is planned to build high standard farmland, build tractor roads and dredge ditches. Driven by the core area, the county’s grain output will exceed 650 kg this summer and autumn, achieving a historical breakthrough.

Qingyun County has also built a smart agricultural management platform, where large agricultural operation entities such as farms, large grain growers and cooperatives can be seen through one network. Based on accurate agricultural sensors, it can monitor soil moisture, seedling, pest and disaster data in real time, conduct multi-level analysis on agricultural production, and improve the ability of agricultural production to cope with natural environmental risks. We will encourage the development of agricultural service-oriented social organisations, provide diverse services to the masses, and promote the specialisation of trusteeship services for agricultural production. Set up ‘three rural classes’, invite agricultural experts to give lectures, spread production knowledge, and train new professional farmers.

Up to now, Qingyun County has built 450000 mu of high standard farmland, a national modern agricultural industrial park and a provincial pastoral complex, providing more and more confidence to increase grain production.

Plans to build a national modern agricultural

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, India, R&D, Start ups

To accelerate the journey of indigenous solutions from India for building a sustainable world.

Fifteen Startups selected in the first-of-its-kind product accelerator program for innovators developing sustainable solutions will soon start working towards solutions in the healthcare and agriculture domains.

This is the first cohort of the NIRMAN Accelerator Program launched by Start-ups Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) IIT Kanpur. The accelerator program supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, through its NIDHI scheme portfolio, will help solve challenges in the product development journey of indigenous innovations. The programme takes a leaf out of the best methods and key insights from the 2 very successful national initiatives of SIIC IIT Kanpur, The Ventilator Project and Mission Bharat O2.

The calls for the programme were launched in July 2022, and the start-ups were selected through rigorous screening. This was followed by training, including residential workshops for getting the start-ups geared up to meet the challenges ahead.

The first 3-day residential workshop for the startups provided the startups with a better understanding of funding opportunities, compliance & business opportunities for health tech and agritech startups, Angel and VC funding for early-stage startups, compliance through Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), ISO and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and ethos associated with team building. Representatives from VCs like growX, YourNest, corporates like DS Group, and government agencies like TDB, GeM shared their insights and learning with the startup founders in this program. Startups under the cohort got opportunities to interact with eminent speakers from government agencies, Angel Investors and VC communities, and prominent industry leaders.

Anita Gupta, Head NEB Division DST, underlined this program’s importance in strengthening the country’s innovation ecosystem and creating startups focusing on areas of national importance.

Regarding the program’s response, Abhay Karandikar, Director IIT Kanpur, said, “NIRMAN Accelerator Program is expected to expedite the journey of startups developing cutting-edge, technology-driven innovations in these critical areas from prototype to market.”

The cohort was encouraged to address the pertinent challenges of the Indian hardware sector through their innovative solutions. The accelerator program will enable comprehensive nurturing and fostering of the start-ups through effective mentoring and market access, and with the completion of the training period this month, the start-ups will get launched in their journey towards indigenous innovations.

The programme can build focused solutions to accelerate the journey of indigenous solutions from India to build a sustainable world.

To accelerate the journey of indigenous solutions

Foodgrains, India, Seeds, Sustainability

Farmers in India sow 620.62 lakh hectares of Rabi Crops.

Union farm ministry data showed that farmers in India have sown rabi crops across 620.62 lakh hectares as of now, an increase of 4.4 per cent year-on-year from the previous cropping season, during the same period last year, the total cropland was 594.62 lakh hectares. 

The increase in crop area is across all crops with the highest in wheat. Out of the 25.99 lakh hectares increase in all rabi crops, the increase in wheat area is 9.65 lakh hectares from 302.61 to 312.26 lakh hectares. 

Though the sowing of rabi crops is still under progress, the area brought under wheat this year (312.26) till 23-12-2022 is more than the normal rabi sown area (304.47) and the total sown area of last year (304.70). 

The agriculture ministry said the production of wheat is also expected to rise this year. 

The ministry said a timely supply of quality seeds is necessary to increase agricultural production and productivity.

Farmers in India sow 620.62 lakh hectares

AgroPolicy, Horticulture, India

Approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices and views of major coconut growing states.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for the 2023 season.  The approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices and views of major coconut-growing states.

The MSP for Fair Average Quality of milling copra has been fixed at Rs 10860 per quintal and for ball copra at Rs 11750 per quintal for the 2023 season.  This is an increase of Rs 270 per quintal for milling copra and Rs 750 per quintal for ball copra over the previous season.  This would ensure a margin of 51.82 per cent for milling copra and 64.26 per cent for ball copra over the all India weighted average cost of production.  The announced MSP of copra for the 2023 season is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times all India weighted average cost of production as announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19.

It is one of the important and progressive steps towards ensuring better remunerative returns to the coconut growers and improving their welfare substantively.

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) will continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) for the procurement of copra and de-husked coconut under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).

Approval is based on recommendations of the

Company News, India, Machinery – Post-harvesting

Mahindra’s Tribute to Indian Farmers on Kisan Diwas.

Mahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector, a division of the Mahindra Group and the largest tractor producer in the world by volume, today celebrated ‘Kisan Diwas’ in a unique way by forming an image of a farmer with 500 nos. Mahindra Tractors at the company’s Nagpur Plant. This honour was bestowed upon the farmers to recognise their noteworthy and purposeful contribution to the field of agriculture, the backbone of the Indian economy. As a part of conveying gratitude towards farmers, Mahindra Tractors made a digital film showcasing India’s largest tractor installation forming an image of a farmer as #Desh ki Tasveer. 

 Also, on the day, a host of on-ground activities & customer engagement initiatives are planned across Mahindra Tractors dealerships, where farmers can bring in their photographs and order their personalised calendars as well.

On the occasion, Hemant Sikka, President, Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd said, “We at Mahindra Tractors adhere to the ‘Rise for Good’ philosophy, whereby we work collectively to enhance the daily lives of the communities in which we live. It is our endeavour to recognise and felicitate the heroes of rural India, our farmers. Our farmers play a multi-dimensional role in the field and execute some of the most challenging tasks, which require tremendous hard work. We at Mahindra understand their commitment, dedication and contribution in building the nation & with this digital film we express our gratitude towards them with ‘Desh ki Tasveer’.

Mahindra’s Tribute to Indian Farmers on Kisan

Agrotech, India, R&D, Start ups, Sustainability

Agriculture solutions will help farmers gain timely, localised, and accurate weather-related information, crop and other farm-related information.

The Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence has received a $1 million grant from Google.Org. Wadhwani AI will use this grant for building AI-powered agriculture solutions, according to the statement.

Agriculture solutions will help farmers gain timely, localised, and accurate weather-related information, crop and other farm-related information, the statement said.

“With roughly half of India’s population dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, this is a sector where technological advancements can lead to pervasive benefits. We’re therefore happy to announce a new 1 million dollar grant to Wadhwani AI via Google.org to support their deployment of AI-based solutions to improve agricultural outcomes,” said Manish Gupta, Research Director, Google Research India.

In 2019 Wadhwani AI had received a USD 2 million grant from Google.org to support the CottonAce AI-powered pest management solution.

The Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence is an independent nonprofit institute developing and deploying AI-based solutions for underserved communities in developing countries.

Agriculture solutions will help farmers gain timely,

Agrotech, India, Start ups

Kisan drones, manufactured by Garuda, are particularly developed for agricultural purposes such as reducing crop loss, crop health monitoring, yield measurement, and crop loss mitigation.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved both Type Certification and RTPO for the indigenously designed Kisan Drones by drone manufacturer, Garuda Aerospace.

The Made in India Kisan drones, manufactured by Garuda, are particularly developed for agricultural purposes such as reducing crop loss, crop health monitoring, yield measurement, and crop loss mitigation with the latest manufacturing capacities, and strong technology backgrounds.

DGCA Type certification is provided on the basis of the quality check of the drones and is issued after a rigorous testing process for the UAVs. The Type certification was introduced by the government of India in August 2021 under Drone Rules and the historic dual DGCA approval validates the Chennai-based startup’s tag of being India’s most valuable Drone startup.

Post the approval of the Type Certificate for the GA-AG model, the startup is now eligible for Rs.10 lakh unsecured loans from Agri Infrastructure Fund at a 5 per cent interest and 50-100 per cent subsidy from the Government of India. Priced at Rs.4.50 lakhs, these Kisan Drones are India’s most affordable advanced automated Agri Drone which has DGCA-approved Type Certification in the under 25kg small category.

With this development, ICAR, KVKs, FMTTI, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer welfare, and several other Government Agriculture bodies will now have an option of procuring high-tech Made in India Drones manufactured by Garuda Aerospace. This will lead to creating job opportunities for the youth in the near future and a vision of training 1 lakh drone pilots in the next 2 years. 

Kisan drones, manufactured by Garuda, are particularly

Agrotech, E-commerce, Horticulture, India, Sustainability, Vegetables

Otur collection centre is launched to directly source certified organic produce for customers across in West India to start with.   

In continued focus to empower farmers and offer the trusted, certified organic high-quality fruits and vegetables to its customers, Amazon Retail India has launched its eleventh farmer collection centre in Otur, Pune, Maharashtra.

In Maharashtra alone, Amazon Retail now operates six farmer collection centres at Manchar, Nasik, Wai, Kunjirwadi, Tembhurni and Ratnagiri, working with over 5000 farmers including various Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) sourcing locally grown fresh fruits & vegetables.

Various types of fruits & vegetables like certified organic vegetables, exotic vegetables, seasonal fruits and fresh leafy vegetables are sourced directly from farms across Maharashtra. These collection centres assure farmers of fast payments, fair and transparent pricing, and guidance on various other farming possibilities.

This new facility at Otur will be an addition to the fast-expanding produce value chain network enabling farming community to leverage the digital economy and have their produce reach consumer as fast as possible. Otur collection centre is launched to directly source certified organic produce for customers across in West India to start with.   

Amazon’s farmer collection centre has a robust temperature-controlled supply chain infrastructure that provides the right starting point for high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables. After sourcing from farmers, Amazon uses state-of-the-art technologies to inspect and monitor the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables at multiple stages across its supply chain. The fruits and vegetables are sorted, graded, geotagged, and packaged in different sizes in well-aerated sustainable packaging materials at specialised processing centre primarily focused at retaining freshness and quality attributes, which is then trans-shipped to Amazon Fresh fulfilment centres located closer to customers.

Otur collection centre is launched to directly

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agrotech, Company News, India

Deepak Mining Services and STL will be 100 per cent owned subsidiaries of DFPCL. STL would now focus only on the Crop and Nutrition Business (CNB).

Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals (DFPCL) has announced a demerger of its mining chemicals and fertiliser businesses. The company said the demerger was aimed at simplification of the corporate structure and reduction of multiple entities carrying on similar businesses. This would also result in economies of scale for all the business verticals, including a reduction of overhead and administrative costs, company mentioned.

The board of Smartchem Technologies (STL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Deepak Fertiliser, approved the corporate restructuring plan. Under the Composite Scheme of Arrangement, the TAN business would be demerged from STL to Deepak Mining Services (DMS), another wholly owned subsidiary of DFPCL.

Deepak Mining Services and STL will be 100 per cent owned subsidiaries of DFPCL. STL would now focus only on the crop and nutrition business (CNB). STL manufactures NPK and specialty fertilisers in India. Mahadhan Farm Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of STL that manufactures water-soluble fertilisers, would be merged with STL.

Sailesh C Mehta, chairman and managing director, DFPCL, said the proposed corporate restructuring would help create strong independent business platforms within the larger DFPCL brand umbrella and enhance stakeholders’ value over time.

Deepak Mining Services and STL will be

AgroPolicy, India, Live Stock, Sustainability

An effort to strengthen ties with international institutes with the common goal of sustainable livestock production

Australia-India Council (AIC) sponsored two-day international workshop on “Sustainable Livestock Production under Impending Climate Change” has been organised at IVRI.

The inaugural session was started with the welcome address by the co-convener of the program Gyanendra Singh. He stressed the effect of heat stress on various aspects of animal health and production and strategies to ameliorate the heat stress in livestock by nutritional supplementation. Further he emphasised the importance of workshop, that it is an effort to strengthen the ties with international institutes with the common goal of sustainable livestock production under the ongoing climate change scenario.

S S Chauhan, Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne in Australia and the project’s principal investigator, stressed the importance of collaborative research in dealing with the effects of climate change on livestock production. He also talked about the necessity for applying genomic tools for identifying thermo-tolerant breeds specific for the localities and developing for sustainable production.

Triveni Dutt, the director of ICAR-IVRI, elaborates extensively on the steps required to ensure food security for the growing population, the involvement of the younger generation in collaborative research opportunities, and the inputs and efforts of ICAR-IVRI in various farmer awareness activities related to climate change. He also pointed out the importance of climate-smart livestock production and mass awareness of the impending climate change. The inauguration event concluded with a vote of thanks.

In the following technical sessions, the eminent speakers from India and Australia shared their knowledge on the impact of heat stress, advanced tools for the detection of heat stress and the ameliorative strategies for maintaining sustainable livestock production. The different approaches for ameliorating heat stress ie., adjusting the microenvironment, nutritional supplements and genetic modification of livestock were discussed.

The key speakers discussed about the development of climate resilient animals need better understanding of physiology of native cattle and buffalo breeds through genetic tools and clear understanding of global gene expression and proteomics profiling of cattle and buffalo in heat stress condition as well in their specific thermal comfort zone can pave the way to increase the production performance.

Further, the remote sensing for animal heat stress surveillance, the carbon foot print and the mineral supplementation for ameliorating heat stress were discussed. Through this workshop, the University of Melbourne in Australia and the ICAR-IVRI will continue to enhance and explore their bilateral research collaboration efforts that will benefit the students and researchers work toward sustainable livestock production.

Hari Abdul Samad, Scientist, P&C Division. More than 300 researchers and students from India and Australia actively participated in this hybrid-mode workshop.

An effort to strengthen ties with international