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Company News, India

Kissandhan aims to impact the livelihood of small farm holders and their families

Kissandhan, India’s leading Multi Asset Agri Finance NBFC and a subsidiary of the SLCM Group, on-boards more than 9600+ women loan beneficiaries through its Business Correspondent (BC) Partnership Lending Programme and disbursed more than Rs 413.40 Million of loan to them.

Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO, SLCM Groupsaid, “Throughout our journey, we have always felt the scarcity and need for women in agriculture. Kissandhan aims to impact the livelihood of small farm holders and their families. The loan benefits to women is our next step in the process. We feel delighted and proud that our programme has crossed the mark of 9,600 women loan beneficiaries, and we wish to double this number in the coming year.”

“Kissandhan is an initiative that intends to minimise this disparity and recognise women and their significant role in livelihood generation and thus give them the desired access to capital to improve their social and economic standing”. Till date, Kissandhan has disbursed loan of Rs 25 billion and impacted about half a million farmers, Agri traders, Agri Processors etc.

Kissandhan aims to impact the livelihood of

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, Environment, India, Sustainability

The award compliments Rallis India’s model approach toward promoting sustainable and green practices

Rallis India was conferred with the FICCI Chemicals and Petrochemicals Award for ‘Sustainability- Best Green Process’ at India Chemical 2022 jointly organised by FICCI and Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India.

Out of the 14 distinctive award categories, Rallis India was presented with “Sustainability- Best Green Process” for its WOW! Wealth Out of Waste; Metribuzin Project. The award compliments Rallis India’s model approach toward promoting sustainable and green practices.

“Sustainability has been the nucleus of our strategy and the successful initiation of WOW! Wealth Out of Waste’ Metribuzin Project has further strengthened our vision of creating a sustainable commercial ecosystem. Recognitions like these motivate us to continuously improve our environmental profile to help create a better world.” said Sanjiv Lal, Managing Director, Rallis India.

The award compliments Rallis India’s model approach

Country, India, Trade, Vegetables, World

Fruits and vegetables, cereals, livestock, and processed foods witnessed a spike in exports this fiscal

Exports of agricultural and processed food products have increased by 25 per cent within six months of the current Financial Year 2022-23 (April-September) in comparison to the corresponding period of FY 2021-22. According to the provisional data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), the overall export of agricultural and processed food products has witnessed a growth of 25 per cent during April-September 2022.

The overall export of Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) products increased to $13,771 million in April-September 2022 from $11056 million over the same period of the last fiscal year. The initiatives taken by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through APEDA have helped the country achieve 58 per cent of its total export target for the year 2022-23 within six months of the current fiscal.

For the year 2022-23, an export target of $23.56 billion has been fixed by APEDA for the agricultural and processed food products basket and export of $13.77 billion have already been achieved in these six months of the current fiscal. As per the DGCI&S provisional data, processed fruits and vegetables recorded a significant growth of 42.42 per cent (April-September 2022), while fresh fruits registered 4 per cent growth as opposed to corresponding months of the previous year.

Also, processed food products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported a growth of 29.36 per cent compared to the first six months of the previous year.

In April-September, 2021, fresh fruits were exported to the tune of $ 301 million which increased to $313 million in the corresponding months of the current fiscal. Exports of processed F&V jumped to USD 1024 million in six months of the current fiscal from $719 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

The export of pulses has witnessed an increase of 144 per cent in Q2 of the current fiscal in comparison to the corresponding months of the last fiscal as the export of lentils increased from $ 135 million (April-September 2021-22) to $ 330 million (April-September 2022-23).

Basmati Rice exports witnessed a growth of 37.36 per cent in six months of FY 2022-23 as its export increased from $ 1660 million (April-September 2021) to $ 2280 million (April-September 2022), while the export of non-Basmati rice registered a growth of 8 per cent in Q2 of current fiscal. Its export increased to USD 3207 million in six months of the current fiscal from $ 2969 million in the corresponding months of the previous year.

The export of meat, dairy and poultry products increased by 10.29 per cent and the export of other cereals recorded a growth of 12.29 per cent in six months of the current fiscal. The poultry products alone registered a growth of 83 per cent as its export rose to $57 million within the half-year bracket of the current fiscal from $31 million recorded for the corresponding months of the previous year.

Similarly, dairy products recorded a growth of 58 per cent as its export rose to $ 342 million in Q2 of the current fiscal from $216 million in Q2 of the previous year.

Wheat export registered an increase of 136 per cent in Q2 of the current fiscal. Wheat export rose to $1487 million in April-September 2022 from $630 million in April-September 2021.

Other cereals’ export increased from $ 467 million in April-September 2021 to $525 million in April-September 2022 and the export of livestock products increased from $ 1903 million in April-September 2021 to $ 2099 million in April-September 2022.

Fruits and vegetables, cereals, livestock, and processed

Acts & Schemes – Centre, India, Start ups

Agri startups one of key partners to boost agriculture exports

Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State (Agriculture and Farmers Welfare), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India said that soon an accelerator programme of Rs 500 crore will be started to take forward the successful initiatives of Agri Startups in which DARE, DPIIT, Agri Incubators, agriculture universities, research institutes, investors and other stakeholders will be included.

Choudhary said that there will be a separate division of Agriculture Startup to be set up in the Ministry to be led by Joint Secretary. “A cell will also be created to work as a single window agency to facilitate all the linkages required for agri startups,” he added.

Dr Sudhanshu, Secretary, APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, GoI, emphasised that increasing agriculture exports is a national imperative and Agri startups are potential partners in this journey. Efforts are being made to promote and support agri startups for engagement in agri exports and strengthening of the startup ecosystem.

Agri startups one of key partners to

Agrotech, Company News, Finance, India, Institutions

Farm Pass serves over 600,000 farmers in India and two million globally, providing a standard interface for farmers and buyers

To economically empower smallholder farmers in rural India, Bayer, Rabo Partnerships and MasterCard have entered into a partnership to launch a scalable programme to advance the digitisation of the country’s agricultural finance ecosystem. This collaboration brings together the decades of expertise of the three companies in digital and agri finance and payments technology to bear upon the task of expanding access to agronomic knowledge, products, services, and partnerships. Over five years, the program aims to benefit 10 million smallholder farmers in India by enabling them to gain easier access to formal financial services.

Smallholder farmers account for 86 per cent of India’s agrarian economy but have difficulty sourcing quality farm products and are often at the mercy of middlemen when it comes to pricing. MasterCard’s Farm Pass is a digital ecosystem platform that works offline, even with feature phones, connecting buyers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and other agriculture ecosystem players with farmers digitally, and helping them get the best value for their produce. The solution, which serves over 600,000 farmers in India and two million globally, creates a standard interface for farmers and buyers that facilitates greater efficiency in the agriculture value chain.

The program is part of Bayer’s commitment to reach 100 million smallholder farmers worldwide by 2030 with much-needed inputs, digital tools and financial services. Bayer’s FarmRise provides various digital advisory services to smallholders today and through MasterCard’s Farm Pass digital platform, farmers will gain access to new marketplaces and a much wider pool of potential buyers, enabling them to improve their livelihoods in a commercially sustainable way. Rabo Partnerships will enable access to financial services over the platform by the Indian financial sector, by enabling data-driven credit scoring, credit analytics and product development within the partner financial institutions.

D Narain, President, of Bayer South Asia and Global Head of Smallholder Farming said, “Bayer has been working with farmers to increase their income and productivity by enabling access to best-in-class products, the latest technology, and low-cost finance. Its initiatives like Better Life Farming, food value chain partnerships, etc. are already transforming the lives of millions of farmers in India. We are delighted to now join hands with Rabo Partnerships and MasterCard to build a digital ecosystem, which will further help smallholders in India. Through this partnership, smallholder farmers will not only gain easier access to agricultural advisory services and direct market linkages, but also build their credit profiles and lower their input costs through access to institutional credit, allowing them to increase efficiency, improve crop yields, and grow their profits significantly.”

Nikhil Sahni, Division President, South Asia, MasterCardsaid, “As part of MasterCard’s pledge to connect one billion people to the digital economy, the company has been actively working with farmers in several countries to bring them onto a digital platform that directly connects them with buyers, empowering them to negotiate the best price for their produce. This is in line with the Indian government’s efforts towards inclusive growth by leveraging technology. The collaboration with Bayer and Rabo Partnerships is helping build a very effective model of agricultural digitisation that can serve as a global example.”

David Gerbrands, Global Head Advisory & Inclusive Ventures, Rabo Partnerships said: “Rabo Partnerships aims to contribute to the improvement of farmer livelihoods worldwide. Achieving this requires sustainable partnerships, which is why Rabo Partnerships is excited to partner with Bayer and Mastercard to establish a scalable digital ecosystem, enabling farmers and as well as other agricultural value chain partners with a wide array of services, including agro advisory, inputs procurement, marketing, and access to formal financial services.”

Farm Pass serves over 600,000 farmers in

Company News, E-commerce, India

The company has started building demo farms in its B2B segment to broaden its reach and address market demand

GROWiT, India’s leading protective farming company, has announced plans for rapid expansion, including the milestone of opening 350+ franchise stores across India by the end of this fiscal year. The Surat-based company is looking to expand its operations in seven new states: Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. It will allow GROWiT to expand its presence pan India and deepen its mission to disrupt the protective farming space in India. 

As a part of GROWiT’s drive to broaden its reach and address market demand, the company has started building demo farms in its B2B segment. GROWiT will be able to show farmers and consumers the positive outcomes of using its products. The company has also introduced a digital platform for its B2B clients to place orders independently of any third party. Every functionality expected from an e-commerce app has been built into the mobile-first platform. There are also plans to enable farmers to place orders online through a similar platform.

Talking about their expansion plans, Saurabh Agarwal, Director and CEO of GROWiT, said, “We have always promoted protective farming techniques because of their advantages in terms of crop quality, yields, and sustainability. As a result of our expansion strategies, farmers will be more aware of the significance of boosting their yields, hence doubling their income. The focus is on reforming the protective farming industry and easing farmers’ access to higher-quality products in an effort to reduce the risks of the global food shortage.”

GROWiT recently announced collaborations with KVK Baramati and Samunati in line with its continued efforts toward empowering Indian farmers. There are many more partnerships and expansion plans in the works. The company hopes to keep on bringing more value to the sector and help the country emerge as a global food exporter. 

The company has started building demo farms

Environment, India, Interaction, Sustainability, World

The FAO conference focuses on increasing crop yields with less environmental impact

The need for innovative approaches to agriculture that make crop production efficient and resilient to shocks and disruptions came under the spotlight at the opening of the first Global Conference on Sustainable Plant Production organised by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Under the theme Innovation, Efficiency and Resilience, the hybrid event held at the FAO headquarters will focus on how to sustainably produce more food, with less of an environmental impact and ways to strengthen local and diversified communities’ agrifood systems. 

The conference which runs from November 2-4, comes at a time when global demand for food, feed, fuel and fibre is increasing, with estimates that the world will need 50 per cent of food by 2050 to feed the increasing global population. Currently, some 8.28 million people face hunger and a third of the world’s population – 2.3 billion people – do not have access to adequate food.

In his opening remarks, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu called for the need to speed up action in addressing these issues.

“Current agricultural practices are unsustainable. Investment is urgently needed. They are putting pressure on the environment and on our finite natural resources, including biodiversity, land and water,” he said, noting how to land the conversion from natural ecosystems to agriculture is contributing extensively to deforestation, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions, this in a context where the threats from plant pests and diseases are increasing and are compounded by the effects of the climate crisis.

“We cannot continue ‘business as usual need to get on a technology ivenainable track. That’s the only solution. Tomorrow’s agriculture will need to produce more food with a lower environmental footprint – this means producing more with less. And also, we need to produce more diversity and more quantity in situ,” Qu said.

“Science-based sustainable plant production can enable this,” he added. The Conference brings together FAO Members, farmers, scientists, development agencies, policymakers civil society and private sector representatives to discuss farmer-centric agricultural practices that produce more while considering ways to mitigate the impact of climate change and geopolitical disruptions among other issues.

Discussions will focus on ways in which to achieve food security by using the right seeds, diverse and adaptable food cropping systems and efficient management of natural resources. Pest management, ad mechanization and digitalization will also feature in the sessions.

This conference aims to raise awareness about the contribution of sustainable plant production to attain the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals at the regional and national levels and demonstrate ways in which FAO can lead members in this direction.

The FAO conference focuses on increasing crop

India

Developed by Shankar Krishnapillai, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, jointly with farmers NGO ‘Pothu Vivasayeegal Sangam’

Researchers at IIT Madras, jointly with a farmers NGO ‘Pothu Vivasayeegal Sangam, have developed a unique, efficient and cost-effective agricultural transportation system that addresses labour shortage, a major issue faced by Indian farmers. This transportation system, which is a lightweight monorail type, can economically carry agricultural produce from the fields to collection points near the farmlands. 

An IIT Madras team, jointly with the non-governmental organisation for farmers, has successfully tested this prototype cableway system at a farm in Nanjai Thottakurichi village of Karur district in Tamil Nadu. This transportation system developed by Shankar Krishnapillai, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, jointly with the farmers NGO provides an economical and simple solution to this problem.

Highlighting the unique features of this transportation system, Shankar Krishnapillai, Department of Mechanical Engineering, said, “Indian farmers will face severe shortage of labour in the coming years, especially in post-harvest operations. The simple agricultural transportation system is made in local workshops, from locally available components, based on the lightweight overhead rail concept. It can be easily installed on Indian farms and reduce labour requirements in transporting the produce. The system has also minimal environmental disturbance as it passes over the ground”.

Developed by Shankar Krishnapillai, Department of Mechanical

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, Finance, India, Institutions

Net profit up by 15.2% YoY

The leading agri input company, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd has announced financial results for the second quarter of FY 2022 has posted Rs 73.02 crore profit during July to September quarter, up by 15.22 per cent from the same quarter last year. The company earned Rs. 63.37 crore net profit in the same period of the previous year. Commenting on the Q2 performance, M K Dhanuka, Managing Director, Dhanuka Agritech said: “We have witnessed reasonable growth in the top line but faced pressure on our margins due to high raw material prices. While the prices of raw materials increased, we did not pass them on to the consumers, which has impacted our margins. Apart from this, the margins were impacted due to the depreciation of the Rupee Vs Dollar”.

“Uneven rainfall has also adversely impacted our top line and bottom line. While one-third area received excess rainfall, one-third area received deficit rainfall and only one-third area received normal rainfall. As a result, sowing was impacted and this in turn has impacted the growth of the industry,” he added,

“However, despite the global volatility, farmers received good returns for their produce as commodity prices remained high globally. This augurs well for the industry. Also, the monsoon recovered to a large extent towards the latter half, and accordingly, the soil has reasonable moisture and dams are full of water. Thus, we expect the Rabi sowing to be good. We are confident a good rabi season is likely to ensure a double-digit growth in the current fiscal,” added M K Dhanuka..

During the second quarter, the company brought three new products into the market Cornex, Zanet and Decide, which have been very well received by farmers. The company has set up the “Dhanuka Agritech Research and Technology Centre” at Palwal, Haryana equipped with all laboratory facilities and a training hall with a capacity of 100 farmers. The R&D centre will be inaugurated this month.

The company also launched a massive campaign in August – ‘India ka Pranam Har Kisan ke Naam’ — to honour and recognise the contribution of Indian farmers in nation-building and helping India become food secure.

Net profit up by 15.2% YoYThe leading

Agrotech, India

Use of drones is a key component of the Centre’s mission of promoting digital agriculture to strengthen farming sector

Drones are becoming famous in every aspect of life—from social media reels to shipment delivery to traffic monitoring. So how can agriculture stay away? Drones have become a crucial agent for the rapid transformation of the agriculture sector worldwide. And India is no exception to it. The use of drones is a key component of the central government’s mission of promoting digital agriculture to strengthen the farming sector. State governments too are adopting it with vigour as they are experimenting with drones in farming and promoting their use.

Artificial Intelligence enabled drones are used for precision farming that increases productivity and thus farm income. Drones have multi-faceted uses. They make farm operations faster and more efficient. They also help farmers to save significant money by making optimum use of fertilisers and pesticides and by ensuring uniform sowing of seeds. Spraying chemicals is a time-consuming process and it poses a health hazard. Drones can fly at low height (1-3 metre) over the crops, which make the spraying of nutrients and pesticides effective and efficient, as well as allow farmers to assess standing crops through cameras. All this not just facilitates higher productivity but also brings down the expenses on crop inputs.

Farmers in the US, who grew corn, soybean and wheat could save around $1.3 billion every year by incorporating drones in their farm operations. There are reports that drone-led precision farming can reduce input cost by 18-20 per cent while enhancing yield by 30-100 per cent in India. Drones have shown they can be beneficial in planting seeds in the Indo-Gangetic plains, where the rice-wheat cropping system is prevalent.

Farmers can make crop surveillance of the field using infrared cameras and get real-time information about crop growth, infestation, and requirement of inputs. This helps farmers in responding to any problem sooner and take active measures to nip it in the bud. Applications of drones can also be used for mapping water spread areas, pest infestation, and livestock farming besides assisting farmers in adopting good agricultural practices (GAP). Crops can be contamination-free, making them get good export prices.

Government support and encouragement for drones was evident when the Prime Minister of India inaugurated India’s biggest Drone Festival – Bharat Drone Mahotsav in May 2022.

Prime Minister called the use of drones a “milestone” for Indian agriculture and expressed confidence it would create more opportunities. The government of India has extended huge subsidies to different agriculture-related instructors, farmers producers organisations (FPO) and custom hiring centres (CHC) for purchasing and promoting drones under a new scheme of Kisan Drone. These drones are helpful for government agencies also as they can be used for crop assessment of production estimates or to process farm insurance, digitisation of land records, and can expedite claim processing and bring transparency.

Many state governments have shown interest such as the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to procure 200 Kisan Drones, which would solve the problem of labour shortage and health hazards. As excessive rains flooded farms, Karnataka has decided to use drones for crop assessment to bring transparency. Tamil Nadu too has roped in drones as a part of the digital intervention to make agriculture and farming profitable and sustainable.Gujarat, Rajasthan too, have joined the journey of digital revolution.

Drones were used in 2020 to ward off locus attacks, saving millions of hectares of farmland. Farmers are getting first-hand experience in operating drones and their usefulness such as testing the moisture of soil, which is not possible through traditional ways. State governments are confident that drones will be game-changer not only for farmers but for the entire agri economy.

Despite knowing the importance of technology, our agriculture did not adopt it for years. However, we can see a gain in momentum now. Both central and state governments are keen on embracing it. The involvement of agri start-ups, FPOs and CHCs in drone technology will allow farmers especially those financially poor to try new technological solutions. As drones become affordable and easily accessible, more and more farmers will start using them. Moreover, drones can create employment opportunities in rural parts, especially for the tech-savvy youth and bring them back to farms. As they say, artificial intelligence is set to transform the world, drones are going to change the face of farming in the 21st century.

Use of drones is a key component

Company News, India

Exports 1455 tractors globally

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES), part of the Mahindra Group, has announced its record high tractor sales numbers for October 2022. Commenting on the performance, Hemant Sikka, President – Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd said, “We have sold 50539 tractors in the domestic market during October 2022, a growth of 11 percent over last year. Festive season kept the spirits high and led to very strong momentum in demand for tractors and farm machinery. The recent Government announcement of higher MSP for key Rabi crops, good moisture content in the soil, high reservoir levels and good progress in sowing for Rabi crops are all positives for continued good demand for tractors in coming months. In the exports market, we have sold 1455 tractors.”

Exports 1455 tractors globallyMahindra & Mahindra Ltd’s

Agrotech, Company News, India

Best Launch of the Year (Implement) award for the New Holland Roll-Bar 125 Round Baler

New Holland Agriculture, a brand of CNH Industrial, has been awarded with Best Tractor in 31-40 HPcategory for the New Holland 3037 TX 4WD tractor at the fourth Farm Power Awards. The New Holland Roll-Bar 125 Round Baler also won the Best Launch of the Year (Implement)at the awards.

Honoured by the recognition, Gagan Pal- Director Agriculture Brand India, CNH Industrial,said “At New Holland Agriculture, we are committed to offering world-class quality products for the Indian farmers that are also technologically advanced. Beyond the existing products, the brand is also dedicated to investing resources to develop sustainable solutions for the industry. We are delighted to have received this award and are further invigorated to continue providing best-in-class machines and help develop the sector in India.”

New Holland Agriculture aims to support the farmers in their journey to a more productive, efficient and effective way of farming with its products backed by superior technology and performance.

Organised annually, the Farm Power Awards honours the efforts of the OEMs and institutions that has led to significant contributions in the industry and have impacted the lives of farmers.

Best Launch of the Year (Implement) award

Bee keeping, Environment, Floriculture, Industry Reports / Analysis, Sustainability, World

Worldwide demand for apiculture products estimated to increase at a CAGR of 4 per cent through 2032

According to a recently published industry report by Fact.MR, the value of the global apiculture market is $ 10.3 billion in 2022 and the same is projected to reach $ 15.3 billion by 2032-end. Worldwide demand for apiculture products is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 4 per cent through 2032.

Bee venom, royal jelly, propolis, bee bread, honeydew, beeswax, and honey are some key ingredients that are available in the market that are widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors. Further, honey is also used as a carrier in Ayurveda and helps prevent colds, coughs, etc., and acts as a laxative. Honey is used as a treatment for acne cure, to reduce weight and anxiety, to improve digestion, and others. The product is also utilized as a sweetener in different organic products. Further, pollen is an effective source of proteins and vitamins.

Propolis consists of natural antibiotics that are used commonly to make anti-ageing and cosmetic products. Elders use royal jelly as a nutrition-rich diet. Furthermore, venom is applied to cure the sting of bees and serve effectively against AIDS.

In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the demand for honey-based products and honey due to shifting consumer preference towards Ayurveda products. A noticeable increase in the demand for chemical-free, natural, and organic products further drives growth opportunities in the apiculture market.

There are various products that are available around the world because of their wider application range. These are useful in different end-use industries such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, polishing, food and beverages, cosmetics, etc.

Bees, propolis, royal jelly, venom, wax, honey but pollen, queens, and their larvae are some useful bee products that are available in the apiculture (beekeeping) industry. Honey can serve as the best cure for a lot of body and health problems; for instance, blood sugar, ulcers, heel burns, cough, etc. Owing to probiotic and anti-bacterial properties, honey is being used at an increased rate to make different soaps, medicines, cosmetic products, etc.

Bee venom is basically an indispensable ingredient that is used generally to cure the sting of the bee. Further, it is also used for the treatment of various problems such as rheumatism and arthritis. Honey is helpful for the reduction of indigestion and acidity, and for glowing skin. Honey is further used to boost immunity and lower the risk of heart disease.

Thus, with the growing use of these products across the medical industry, the expansion opportunities in global apiculture are likely to increase over the coming years.

Worldwide demand for apiculture products estimated to

Agrotech, Company News, North America, R&D, World

Sentera, a Minnesota, USA-based ag analytics platform powered by machine learning, has announced the launch of its Direct Georeferencing (DGR) System, which quickly connects to an ag drone to add high-precision location certainty to high-resolution aerial imagery.

“Drones have transformed data collection processes for agriculture,” said Ryan Nelson, chief mechanical engineer, Sentera. “With the DGR, we’re taking it one step further by eliminating inefficiencies so our customers can deliver insights faster.”

The Sentera DGR System features a tactical-grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) and RTK GPS that tightly integrates with a sensor, like Sentera’s 6X Multispectral or 6X Thermal. DGR-enabled products quickly connect with compatible drones, including the DJI Matrice 300 and several MAVLINK-based platforms.

The DGR System adds high-precision geolocation information in real time, which means fewer images are required to cover the same area. As a result, users can eliminate the need for the orthomosaic stitching process. In real-world use, drone flight times decrease by up to 60 per cent, and the time to move from collection to analysis can be reduced by up to 8x.

“Many times, image stitching is just a necessary evil to assemble the data that produces a crop insight,” said Nelson. “With the DGR System, this process is eliminated – completely transforming how fast we can deliver data.”

Because image stitching is no longer required to precisely geolocate data, many analysis workflows can be accomplished right at the field edge. Where cloud-based processing is preferred, the DGR System’s dramatic reduction in data volume accelerates production rates versus current techniques.

“Efficiency in the field allows our customers to spend their time where it matters most – analysing key crop health and performance measurements to validate outcomes and performance,” said Nelson.

Sentera, a Minnesota, USA-based ag analytics platform