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A slew of measures is likely to benefit the sector

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while announcing the Budget 2022, gave a special emphasis on the agriculture sector. Sitharaman mentioned the government’s priority for farmers cultivating paddy, kharif and rabi crops under which 1,000 LMT Paddy is expected to be procured benefitting over 1 crore farmers.

Rs 2.37 lakh crores will be transferred to 163 lakh farmers as Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the procurement of paddy, wheat, rabi and kharif. Chemical-free, natural farming will be promoted across the country with a focus on farmers’ land in 5 km wide corridors along the river Ganga. She also mentioned branding millet products nationally and internationally.

The budget also mentioned the use of drone technology for farming activities. States will be encouraged to revise syllabi of agricultural universities to meet the need for natural, zero-budget and organic farming, modern-day agriculture.

Sitharaman also mentioned a fund with blended capital raised under co-investment model facilitated through NABARD to finance startups in agriculture & rural enterprises for farm produce value chain. Apart from these, finance startups to receive incentives to aid rural enterprises.

A slew of measures is likely to

About 53 scientists and students from ICAR institutes and state agricultural universities attended the interaction lecture

The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organised an online lecture on ‘Ecosystem Services of Forest Plantations and Agroforestry Systems’ to give emphasis on intangible benefits. About 53 scientists and students from ICAR institutes and state agricultural universities attended the interaction lecture that was held under the ICAR development grant.

Dr SK Chauhan, Prof and Head, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, welcomed the guest speaker Gitanjali, IFS, and participants in the programme.

Gitanjali, joined from Helsinki, Finland and made a presentation on quantification of ecological services of plantations. She emphasised on provisioning, regulatory, cultural and supporting services of the plantations, which are very beneficial but have least been attempted. In recent years, some emphasis has been placed on carbon trading, otherwise, other intangible services (water, soil, biodiversity, oxygen, etc.) have least been quantified and no monetary values are attached, she added.

Dr Dipankar Saha, an Ecologist from ICAR institute, proposed a vote of thanks.

About 53 scientists and students from ICAR

Amai Mahalinga Naik’s farm has become a model farmland and has over 1,000 visitors a Year including foreign tourists

Amai Mahalinga Naik, age 77 years, an innovative farmer from Adyanadka village of Coastal Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka has been conferred with the Padma Shri Award – 2022 for transforming an arid sloping hill into a fertile farm through the Innovative Zero-Energy Micro-Irrigation System.

Naik single-handedly dug six tunnels of 315 Ft length to bring over water to his farm. He also constructed 300 percolation trenches alone in the hills surrounding the farm with around 5,000 large laterite stones that he carried himself to his farm. Naik built two revetments (15-Ft long, 30-Ft wide and 5-Ft high) and a tank of 12,000 Litres capacity to fill up the revetments. He turned a deserted and barren plot of land into a lush oasis comprising 300 areca nut palms, 75 coconut trees, 150 cashew trees, 200 banana saplings and pepper nines.

In addition to this, he also keeps bees and produces Azolla for his cows as a dietary supplement. For all his efforts, he is also known as the ‘One-Man Army’ and ‘Tunnel Man’ in his surrounding areas. Naik’s farm has become model farmland and has over 1,000 visitors a year including foreign tourists.

Amai Mahalinga Naik's farm has become a

82.79 lakh farmers benefitted with MSP value of Rs. 1,25,020.85 crore

The government has procured paddy from farmers at MSP as like previous years.

A quantity of 637.86 LMT of Paddy has been procured in KMS 2021-22 up to 30.01.2022 in the procuring States/UTs of Chandigarh, Gujarat, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Telangana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, NEF (Tripura), Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Till now about 82.79 lakh farmers have been benefitted with MSP value of Rs 1,25,020.85 crore.

82.79 lakh farmers benefitted with MSP value

Gross margins improved from 39 per cent in FY2020 to 42 per cent in FY2021

Bee Vectoring Technologies International released an update letter to shareholders from Chief Executive Officer Ashish Malik announcing financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year which ended September 30, 2021. 

The company has also made strong progress in key financial metrics: Revenue of $400,000 which represents a year-on-year growth of +47 per cent using constant currency (US$/CAD$) exchange rates for FY2021 and FY2020. As reported, revenue growth is +38 per cent since the CAD strengthened in 2021 as compared to 2020. Gross margins improved from 39 per cent in FY2020 to 42 per cent in FY2021. This improvement was driven by the lower cost of production of BVT’s Clonostachys rosea strain BVT CR-7 and the introduction of the higher-margin honey bee solution.

The company has cash on hand of $2.7 million. The strong cash balance allows the company to continue executing its growth plan as we enter 2022. The company continues to focus on operational efficiency and cash management as evident by a reduction of cash used by operations from $3.67 million in FY2020 to $2.85 million in FY2021.

Gross margins improved from 39 per cent

Hits the Rs 10,000 crores Gross Transactional Value (GTV) mark across its agri commerce and agri finance business

Agritech firm Samunnati is setting up weather stations for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to collect data that can be used to structure insurance products for the members of these collectives.

Recently Samunnati had hit the Rs 10,000 crores Gross Transactional Value (GTV) mark across its agri commerce and agri finance business. Furthermore, 50 per cent of this GTV came in over the last 18 months, the company said in a statement.

Anil Kumar SG, Founder and CEO, Samunnati, “Currently, we work with about 1500 FPOs or farmer collectives. The cumulative membership is about 6 million smallholder farmers. We don’t work with 6 million, but they have a membership base and it is growing. On the demand side, we work with about 3500 agri enterprises. We see a lot of traction in terms of making the value chains operate at a higher equilibrium by removing the working capital constraint.”

Hits the Rs 10,000 crores Gross Transactional

The company has reported total income of Rs 100.34 crores during the period ended December 31, 2021

Hyderabad-based Bhagiradha Chemicals & Industries has recently posted net profit of Rs 8.91 crores for the period ended December 31, 2021 as against net profit of Rs 8.34 crores for the period ended September 30, 2021.

For the third quarter, the company reported sales was Rs 1,001.07 million compared to Rs 692.52 million a year ago. Revenue was Rs 1,003.47 million compared to Rs 694.07 million a year ago. Net income was Rs 89.2 million compared to Rs 70.92 million a year ago.

For the 9 months ended December 31, 2021, Bhagiradha Chemicals has reported total income of Rs 298.45 crores as compared to Rs 220.97 crores.

Furthermore, the company has posted net profit of Rs 24.86 crores for the 9 months period as against net profit of Rs 16.00 crores.

The company has reported total income of

Organic fertilisers have helped greatly to consumers so that they can avail access to clean-label food items

As per the exclusive report by Vantage Market Research, the global Organic Fertilisers Market size is expected to reach over $22.13 Billion by 2028, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.1 per cent during the forecast period.

Organic fertilisers have helped greatly to consumers so that they can avail access to clean-label food items, to the extent that they are ready to pay a higher price for such products. Key manufacturers are therefore investing in bolstering their R&D capabilities and disperse eco-friendly fertilisers heavily, states Vantage Market Research, in a report, titled “Organic Fertilisers Market by source (Plant, Animal, Mineral), by crop type (Cereals & grains, Oilseed & pulses, Fruits & vegetables, Others), by form (Dry, Liquid), by Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa) – Global Industry Assessment (2016 – 2021) and Forecast (2022 – 2028)”.

The agriculture sector depends largely upon fertilizers for improvement in soil productivity. Majorly chemical or synthetic fertilisers are used for enhancing crop yield. Moreover, there is trend towards use of these fertilisers, due to increase in awareness of adverse effects because of chemical fertilisers to both environment and human beings.

Organic fertilisers have helped greatly to consumers

The President was addressing the Joint Sitting of two Houses of Parliament

The government is working continuously to empower the farmers and the rural economy of the country. This was stated by President of India Ram Nath Kovind to the Joint Sitting of two Houses of Parliament. He said, despite the pandemic, Indian farmers produced more than 30 crore tonnes of food grains and 33 crore tonnes of horticulture produce in 2020-21.

The government procured 433 lakh metric tonnes of wheat during the Rabi season benefiting about 50 lakh farmers. A record quantity of about 900 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured during the Kharif season, benefiting 1 crore 30 lakh farmers.

He further mentioned, “Agriculture exports have also reached a record level due to the efforts of the government. Agricultural exports registered a growth of more than 25 per cent in the year 2020-21, and have reached nearly Rs 3 lakh crore.”

Because of incentives provided to honey production, domestic production of honey has reached 1,25,000 metric tonnes in 2020-21, an increase of about 55 per cent compared to 2014-15. Export volume of honey has also grown by more than 102 per cent as compared to 2014-15, is what was stated by the president.

Kovid said, “To ensure remunerative prices to farmers for their crops, the products must reach the right market. In this direction, the government has endeavoured to open new avenues of prosperity for the farmers by launching Kisan Rail Seva. During the corona period, Indian Railways operated over 1,900 Kisan Rails on more than 150 routes to transport perishable food items like vegetables, fruits and milk, thereby transporting about 6 lakh metric tonnes of agricultural produce. This is an example of how new avenues can be created from the existing resources if the thinking is innovative.”

He added, “Under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 1,80,000 crore have been provided to more than 11 crore farmer families. With this investment, the agriculture sector is witnessing major transformations today. Thousands of projects have been approved under the agriculture infrastructure fund having a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore. To ensure self-sufficiency in edible oil, the government has also launched the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm with an outlay of Rs 11,000 crore. The government is also making special efforts like organic farming, natural farming and crop diversification.

The President was addressing the Joint Sitting

Experts from different backgrounds explained the latest advances proving the commitment of producing countries to sustainable palm oil production

The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) has organised a webinar ‘Net-Zero Emissions: Achievements and Way Forward in the Palm Oil’s Production’ on January 26, 2022. The webinar presented facts and figures on palm oil industry is well on its way to achieving carbon neutrality.

During the opening session, MEP Seán Kelly underlined the need for a partnership between the European Union and producing countries, and reaffirmed that palm oil can be produced sustainably. MP Kelly’s statement assuring progress on sustainability was confirmed by CPOPC Executive Director Tan Sri Dr Yusof Basiron, who insisted that the palm oil industry had started working on carbon neutrality well before other sectors and recalled the crucial role of this oil in the development of producing countries.

Experts from different backgrounds explained the latest advances proving the commitment of producing countries to sustainable palm oil production. The scientific data presented during the event, once again demonstrated that the false narratives concerning palm oil, in particular concerning its role in deforestation, must and can be debunked.

Dr Rosediana Suharto, Director of the Indonesian NGO Responsible Palm Oil Initiative, clarified that deforestation in Indonesia is constantly decreasing and that the palm oil industry is constantly evolving to operate in a sustainable way, in accordance with the strict measures of the government. She emphasised the crucial role of smallholders as well as their interests in the global palm oil debate.

The importance of smallholders was also highlighted by Dr Ruslan Abdullah, Malaysian Palm Oil Council, who gave a comprehensive overview of Malaysia’s performance in reducing CO2 emissions compared to other countries. other countries, outlining national measures to improve palm oil production and reduce GHG emissions.

Experts from different backgrounds explained the latest

The government has decided to convert 150 villages around the Centers of Excellence into Villages of Excellence with technical assistance from Israel

Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon called on the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan. Welcoming the Ambassador, Tomar congratulated him on taking over as the Ambassador of Israel to India. The minister expressed satisfaction at the functioning of 29 Centers of Excellence in 12 states which are producing more than 25 million vegetable plants, over 387 thousand quality fruit plants and can train more than 1.2 lakh farmers per year.

Tomar informed that it has been decided to convert 150 villages around the Centers of Excellence into Villages of Excellence with technical assistance from Israel, out of which 75 villages are being taken up in the first year to commemorate the 75th year of India’s independence where India and Israel will work together.

The Ambassador of Israel Gilon expressed satisfaction over the functioning of the Centers of Excellence, stating that these CoEs are a great example of cooperation between the two countries. The ambassador appreciated the working of ICAR institutes and showed interest in further collaboration with ICAR and making available the latest technologies available with Israel. He proposed the certification of CoEs to further enhance the standards and quality of services being provided to the farmers.

The government has decided to convert 150

In December 2021, exports of Marine Products touched $720.51 million, registering a growth of 28.01 per cent over $562.85 million logged in December 2020

Exports of Marine Products registered a growth of 35 per cent to $ 6.1 billion during April-December 2021 (Provisional) as compared to $ 4.5 billion during same period in the year 2020. As compared to April-December 2019 ($ 5.5 Billion) and April-December 2014 ($ 4.4 Billion), exports of marine products registered a growth of 12 per cent and 38 per cent respectively.

In December 2021, exports of marine products touched $ 720.51 Million, registering a growth of 28.01 per cent over $562.85 million logged in December 2020.

The overall exports of Marine Products in the last financial year (March, 2020-April, 2021) was $5.96 Billion, and with $6.11 billion scaled during the first three Quarters of FY2021-22, the sector is very likely to exceed the all-time high of $ 7.02 Billion exports achieved in the FY2017-18, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic since January, 2020.

Top five export destinations in April-November 2021 (latest available, share percentage in bracket) are: the US (44.5 per cent), China (15.3 per cent), Japan (6.2 per cent), Vietnam (4 per cent) and Thailand (3 per cent). Frozen shrimps constitute the major share in India’s Marine Products exports items with 74 per cent share in value terms ($); Frozen Fish (7 per cent), Others (6 per cent) and Frozen Squid (5 per cent) constitute the other major items in the Marine Products exports basket in FY2020-21. Others category included primarily Surimi and Surimi analogue (imitation) products.

In December 2021, exports of Marine Products

Discussions were held on the current and future needs of Indian agriculture

Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR inaugurated the 21-day ICAR-Winter School on ‘Advances in Social Science Research and Evaluation’ at ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad.

Delivering the inaugural address, Dr Singh highlighted the prospects of social sciences research in general and extension research in particular in strengthening the interface of research with the farming community for addressing the current and future needs of Indian agriculture.

Dr Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad stressed the need for a rigorous approach in advancing the extension of science. Dr Rao also emphasised the urgent need for looking into the mechanics of conducting extension research, besides outlining the efforts of the Academy in the direction.

Earlier, Dr P Venkatesan, Course Director delivered the welcome address.
The 21-day Virtual School being organised from January 25 to February 14, 2022, is aimed at imparting advanced knowledge and skills in conducting impact-oriented research and evaluation in social sciences in agriculture.

A total of 42 participants representing the NARS Institutions from 15 States and 1 Union Territory are participating in the event.

Discussions were held on the current and

The company posts EBITDA of Rs 19 crore

Snowman Logistics recorded revenue of Rs 73.40 crore against Rs 60.18 crore in Q3 FY20-21. The EBITDA increased by 11 per cent to Rs 19.40 crore from Rs 17.45 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. PBT decreased to Rs 1.05 crore from Rs 1.42 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year and PAT decreased to Rs 0.83 crore in the current quarter from ₹1.42 crore in the same period in the previous year.

The company posts EBITDA of Rs 19