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Cold Storage, Company News, Supply Chain

ISE Foods, is bringing “ISE Integration System” to produce Japanese standard hygienic and nutritious eggs indigenously in Punjab for Indian people

Japan’s largest and world’s 5th largest egg producer, ISE Foods Inc, has launched the production and sales of its quality eggs, ISE Egg Premium, in India through ISE-Suzuki Egg India Private Limited, its Indian subsidiary, from June 27, 2022. ISE Foods, is bringing “ISE Integration System” to produce Japanese standard hygienic and nutritious eggs indigenously in Punjab for Indian people.

ISE Foods Inc has established “ISE Integration System” for over 6 decades which is a complete ecosystem to produce hygienic, nutritious, and fresh eggs in Japan: It boasts strict hygienic standards and operation in a temperature-controlled environment.

ISE Foods now has transferred its technology and know-how to India.

Fresh ISE Egg Premium will be sold at chilled shelves of selected stores in Chandigarh and Delhi, NCR for the first time in India. Ise Egg Premium has full traceability via its ERP system.

ISE Egg is a pioneer and a game-changer for egg hygiene and safety in the Indian market and revolutionises to take a step toward the brand’s aim of advancing and building India’s cold chain system to make the Ise eggs first such high quality, fresh, and safe eggs for Indian consumers.

“We want our safe eggs to be eaten by your beloved ones,” says Mitsuko Takahashi, COO of ISE-Suzuki Egg India. “It is the 70th anniversary of the India-Japan diplomatic relationship this year. How appropriate and symbolic it is that Japanese technology is transferred and is helping boost made in India collaboratively,” remarks Mitsuko Takahashi.

ISE Foods, is bringing “ISE Integration System” to

AgroPolicy, India, Seeds

Unapproved varieties of HtBt cotton seeds harming country’s cotton production, will hurt farmers in the long run.

The Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) has been informing stakeholders about the increasing usage of unapproved herbicide-tolerant Bt (HtBt) cotton seeds across the country that is posing threat to the health and income of the farmers. FSII requests the Government of India to approve the new HtBt variety to ensure that farmers get access to upgraded varieties coming through proper regulatory systems.

“Legally deregulating HtBt will help farmers in managing cotton crops much better as it will give them access to legally approve high quality HTBt seeds.  This will give them superior weed control with lower labour and pest management costs and will save time.   It will minimize crop loss and ensure yields,” Dr Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, FSII and Alliance for Agri Innovation (AAI) said.

Dr Bajaj further said that cotton farmers need technology support to compete globally. We believe the government will take cognizance of the matter and make the GM regulatory process predictable and science-based to help farmers and make India a major cotton producing country globally.

Crop varieties are constantly modified by proprietary companies to reverse yield losses that start surfacing after a few years of the first use of a variety. The objective is to make the seed capable of facing fresh pest challenges and thereby, improve yield.

“Cotton cultivation in India has a huge potential as well as scope for improvement that can be achieved by embracing new technologies such as HtBt cotton and introduction of new practices like High Density Plating System (HDPS) “, said Ram Kaundinya, Director General, FSII. He also added that Bt Cotton now covers 95 per cent of the cotton production area in India. In spite of these yield leaps, India is far behind the average global productivity compared to China, Brazil and USA. Recent decrease in yield and production is due to lack of adoption of new technologies and efficient agronomic practices, poor management of newer pests like pink bollworm and poor weed management. On the other hand, demand from the textile industry is growing rapidly. They need 45 million bales of cotton by 2026 while we are now stuck around 32 to 35 million bales production per annum. If we have to meet this requirement and also not sacrifice our cotton exports it is imperative that we introduce new technologies including HTBt, HDPS and eventually mechanical picking of cotton”

Given the delay in granting approval to the legal variant of HtBt seeds, farmers have been resorting to planting the illegal variety, sold at a 60% premium over the government-fixed price of Rs 810 per packet for regular Bt cotton, as the unapproved seeds help them in weed management and cut costs.

“Farmers have been illegally growing HtBt cotton since 2017, and the acreage is growing every year. This means farmers are in dire need of adopting the next technology. Farmers pay high prices and yet their crop is at risk due to quality issues with illegal seeds and no redressal mechanism,” said Dr Shivendra Bajaj. Since the illegal seeds contain unknown and unapproved traits, these could contaminate regular seeds, thereby putting legitimate seed growers at risk.

“Bt Cotton cultivation in India has completed 20 years. The farmers have immensely benefited from this technology and today, India is just behind China in cotton production. Several studies have been conducted to assess the impact of the adoption of Bt Cotton in India and all have found substantial increase in cotton yields, farmer’s profits and also a sizable increase in socio-economic benefits for rural households. The yields and productivity have been on an upward trajectory since,” said Kaundinya.

In the 2020-21 crop year (July-June,) the ministry of agriculture while fixing the price of a packet of Bt cotton-II abolished the trait value payable to the license holders (Bayer-Mahyco), thus allowing reduction in the prices to the farmers. Unless technology intervention is expedited, it will be difficult for India to meet the cotton requirement of 45 million bales in the coming five years.

Unapproved varieties of HtBt cotton seeds harming

Agro Universities

The collaboration is part of FMC’s multi-year scholarship programme for renowned agricultural schools across eight states in India aimed at promoting talent in the field of agriculture

FMC India, an agricultural sciences company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with one of the country’s premier agriculture universities – Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana. The collaboration is part of FMC’s multi-year scholarship programme for renowned agricultural schools across eight states in India aimed at promoting talent in the field of agriculture. The MOU was signed by Dr Anandakrishnan Balaraman, Director, Research & Development at FMC India, and Dr Shammi Kapoor, The Registrar, PAU in the august presence of Dr Sandeep Bains, Dean, Post Graduate Studies, other Directors, Deans and Heads of various departments of the university.

Under the agreement with Punjab Agriculture University, FMC will award four scholarships annually to students from the university pursuing doctorate and master’s degrees in agricultural sciences. FMC will work with the university to identify its brightest students and develop their passion for science and research. Fifty percent of the scholarships have been earmarked for female candidates to encourage more women to pursue careers in agricultural sciences and research.

“The FMC Science Leaders Scholarship Programme is designed with an aim to create greater opportunities for aspiring scientists to develop their aptitude in agricultural research. Additionally, through the FMC scholarships, the awardees will be provided opportunity to internship and industry mentorship for their overall development. This will encourage students to pursue rewarding careers in the agricultural industry and eventually contribute to Indian agriculture by solving the emerging problems of the farming community,” said Dr Anandakrishnan Balaraman, Research and Development Director at FMC India.

The collaboration is part of FMC’s multi-year

AgroPolicy

Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare was addressing the ‘11th Agrochemicals Conference 2022, organized by FICCI.

 Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt of India said that the private sector should come forward and support the government in reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the agriculture sector. Addressing the ‘11th Agrochemicals Conference 2022 -Policy Landscape for a Flourishing Agrochemicals Industry’, organized by FICCI, with the support of Department of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt of India.

Tomar also stated that the government is promoting the use of newer technology to be adopted by the farmers to produce expensive crops. “Work is also being done to ensure uniformity in production of crops along with ensuring quality in the production”, he added.

Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers and New & Renewable Energy, Govt of India urged the industry to focus on organic pesticides as this will take time to adopt to mitigate the side effects of pesticides currently used. “We must also promote manufacturing these organic pesticides in India as well”, he added.

Mr RG Agarwal, Chairman, FICCI Crop Protection Committee & Chairman, Dhanuka Group said, “We urge the government to reduce GST rates on pesticides and bring it at 5 per cent like fertilizers so as to benefit small and marginal farmers as well. The government should also provide PLI to pesticides industry to develop the domestic industry as an international manufacturing hub.”

FICCI-PwC Knowledge paper ‘Policy Landscape for a Flourishing Agrochemicals Industry’, was released during the event.

Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture &

Interaction

The meet focussed on agricultural products from the eight states of the North Eastern Region and witnessed the presence of multiple national and International Brands

With the vision to promote sustainable trade and create market linkages, a mega buyer-seller meet was organised at under One District One Product initiative of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the support of Ministry of Development of North East Region (MDoNER) and its PSUs, North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation (NEHHDC) and North East Regional Agriculture Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC). The meet focussed on agricultural products from the eight states of the North Eastern Region and witnessed the presence of multiple national and International Brands.

Over 70 sellers, traders, farmers, aggregators from various districts of each of the NE States – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim – showcased their products to the buyers at the meet in Guwahati. Products included Meghalaya’s world-famous Lakadong Turmeric with more than 7 per cent curcumin content, the GI Tagged Large Cardamom from Sikkim and Queen Pineapple from Tripura, Orthodox Assam Tea, Manipur’s Black Chakhao Rice and more. These products have been showcased to over 30 large buyers representing big brands such as Reliance and ITC, as well as upcoming start-ups in India.

The keynote address for the event was made by Lok Ranjan, Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region in the presence of officials and subject matter experts from the Agricultural and Horticultural Departments of the various state governments. B Ramanjaneyulu, Director DPIIT, Manoj Kumar Das, Managing Director, NERAMAC, and Brig R K Singh, Managing Director, NEHHDC were also present.

Through the joint efforts, the best-in-class products from the region are being matched with big brands to improve the earning potential of farmers. Focused trade discussions were also facilitated between the buyers, sellers and the State Government representatives from all the 8 NER states. Additionally, Letters of Intent (LOI) worth Rs 6 crores were signed during the event. 

The meet focussed on agricultural products from

Agro chems – Pesticides, Company News

The three insecticides developed for rice, cotton and vegetable crops are a combination effective chemicals and fungicide will protect paddy crops from sheath blight and rice blast infections.

Agrochemical and fertiliser major Coromandel International launched three insecticides and a fungicide in recent.Company’s senior assistant vice-president and head (formulations-sales and marketing) B.V.S. Satish, launched Ortain Super, Phendal Plus, Canister and Prop-Plus, in the presence of firm’s assistant vice-president and head (formulations-sales and marketing) G.V. Suryanarayana, dealers and distributors.

  B.V.S. Satish said “All the four products had been developed in-house the company after a lot of research and development work. “The three insecticides developed for rice, cotton and vegetable crops are a combination effective chemicals, while fungicide Prop-Plus will protect paddy crops from sheath blight and rice blast infections”.

Satish also added that  the company was working towards strengthening its product portfolio for all major crops.Company’s senior general manager and regional business head S. Venkata Reddy, senior general manager and expert (marketing) Satish Tiwari and general manager (strategic marketing) Sourav Chakraborty were present on the occasion.

The three insecticides developed for rice, cotton

Company News

Biologicals by FMC demonstrates FMC’s commitment to providing farmers with science-backed biological solutions to help sustainably manage crops, protect yields and combat resistance

FMC Corporation, a leading global agricultural sciences company, has launched a new brand identity for its Plant Health business to reflect the company’s continuing growth and expansion of its biological’s platform. Agricultural biologicals represent a diverse group of crop protection and stimulant products derived from living organisms and naturally occurring compounds. Biologicals by FMC demonstrates FMC’s commitment to providing farmers with science-backed biological solutions to help sustainably manage crops, protect yields and combat resistance.

“FMC is investing substantially in the biological segment and is committed to providing growers with products offering unique modes of action as either stand-alone solutions or complementary to FMC’s portfolio of crop protection chemistries,” said Dr Bénédicte Flambard, global director of FMC Plant Health. “We are rapidly expanding our existing offerings into additional geographies by launching four new biopesticides around the world in the next four years. As part of this initiative, we are excited to share that we are introducing Zironar biofungicide/bionematicide in the US and Provilar biofungicide in Brazil this year.” 

Biologicals by FMC demonstrates FMC's commitment to providing

Agro chems – Chemicals, Interaction

FICCI has said that GST Council should consider the agrochemical industry request favourably seeking reduction of the tax rate on agrochemical inputs for the farm sector from current 18 per cent to 5 per cent at the maximum

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in a press conference held on June 22, 2022, has said that GST Council should consider the agrochemical industry request favourably seeking reduction of the tax rate on agrochemical inputs for the farm sector from current 18 per cent to 5 per cent at the maximum.

The 47th meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will be held in Chandigarh on June 28 and 29.

Addressing the Press Conference on ‘Policy Landscape for a Flourishing Agrochemicals Industry’, organised by FICCI, R G Agarwal, Chair, FICCI Committee on Crop Protection and Chairman, Dhanuka Group said that high Goods and Service Tax (GST) on crop protection chemicals especially hurts small and marginal farmers by increasing their input cost and prompting them to use these essential ingredients in sub-optimal quantities to the detriment of farm output and their own financial health.

“A GST of 18 per cent on agrochemical is highly unjustified since they act as insurance to not only crop health but also increase their quality, yield and income of farmers. This high rate of 18 per cent is not justified and it should be brought down to a maximum of 5 per cent at par with fertilisers.”

Dr CD Mayee, a Former Agriculture Commissioner opined that Agrochemical industry acts as a backbone to our farmers and assures them of high yield with better quality produce while mitigating crop losses. In view of the climate changes and emerging threats of pest and disease there is urgent need to overhaul the regulatory system for introduction of new and innovative chemistries and technologies. There is also an urgent need to improve the enforcement mechanism, at several levels, to ensure the supply of high-quality agrochemicals to farmers on a sustainable basis.   

“This can be achieved with the cooperation of the private sector in addition to hiring adequate manpower and strengthening government laboratories, providing the latest analytical instruments, reference standards and making ISO17025 NABL certification mandatory as done under FSSAI Act as well as support from Quality Council of India or other independent organisations,” said Dr Mayee.

FICCI is organising its 11th Agrochemicals conference 2022 on the theme ‘Policy landscape for a flourishing Agrochemicals Industry’ on June 23 in New Delhi.

FICCI has said that GST Council should

Biostimulants, Europe

Bionema’s new line of microbial solutions for vector management is eco-friendly, effective, and significantly reduces the use of chemical pesticides in public health.

With growing public awareness and concerns about the effects of chemical pesticides on human health, biodiversity and the environment, public health experts are looking for alternative solutions to control insects that transmit human diseases. Bionema Ltd, a world-leading developer of biocontrol solutions, believes that – when applied and used correctly – natural products and systems can meet the requirements and expectations of end users.

The biocides market size was estimated to be USD11.3 billion in 2021 and is projected reach USD13.6 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 3.7 per cent. The market is mainly driven by the rising demand for biocides in applications such as water treatment, household and personal care, paints and coatings, wood preservatives and others. Factors such as increased use of antimicrobial protection in end-use industries and stringent regulatory environments will drive the biocides market. APAC is the key market for biocides, globally, followed by Europe and North America, in terms of volume and value.

Bionema’s new public health biocontrol range comprises core products:

BioLarTM: Next generation liquid bioinsecticide formulation, developed for the control of larvae and pupae of mosquitoes, midges, and sandflies, before they grow into adults.

BioAdTM: Next generation liquid bioinsecticide formulation, developed to kill adult mosquitoes, midges, and other biting insects.

AttraKillTM: This ‘Lure & Kill’ product is designed to attract insects to the bioinsecticide, providing targeted and selective effects.

AutoMontTM: Designed for remote monitoring and mass capturing of insect populations for agriculture and public health importance, providing a quantitative reduction of insect populations over time.

Bionema encourages the implementation of a natural integrated pest management (IPM) approach. That might include, for example, ecological management, monitoring traps, pheromones, bacterial and fungal bioprotectants, all working together to provide the best possible pest control. “As well as launching the new line of public health products, we are working with end users to design pest management solutions that are suited to each individual customer’s requirements, using customised products,” explains Dr Minshad Ansari, Founder and CEO of Bionema Ltd. “Biocontrol solutions can be very effective as part of a natural IPM. We want to make sure that our customers achieve optimal results from our products, so we take the time to deliver that advice and a personalised approach that will ensure the best results, every time”.

Bionema’s new line of microbial solutions for

Start ups

The Kalpa Agri-Business Incubator, ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala in collaboration with Kerala start-up has jointly organised the RIBC 2.0

The Kalpa Agri-Business Incubator, ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala in collaboration with Kerala start-up has jointly organised the “Rural India Business Conclave – 2022 (RIBC 2.0)” from June, 9to 13, 2022. The Chief Guest, Rajmohan Unnithan, Member of Parliament, Kasaragod, Kerala inaugurated the Conclave.

Dr Anitha Karun, Director, ICAR-CPCRI, Kasargod briefed about the main objective of the Conclave. Dr Karun stated that the programme could network the Knowledge Partners, Entrepreneurs and Financial Institutions for the inclusive Agri-business development.

The Conclave witnessed a wide array of activities like Rural-Agri Tech Hackathon, Funder’s Talks, Expert’s Talks, Panel Discussions, Startup Pitch, Interdisciplinary Workspace for Innovative Research, Investors Meet and Dream Big Kalpa, etc.

The Institute also signed two Memorandums of Understanding during the occasion.

The Kalpa Agri-Business Incubator, ICAR-Central Plantation Crops

Company News, Supply Chain

This new in-house production capability of Indoxacarb is expected to improve the Company’s control over the availability, quality and cost of this important active ingredient

ADAMA Limited, a leading global crop protection company, announced that it has begun the in-house production of Indoxacarb, a key insecticide active ingredient (AI), with its new proprietary synthesis process providing a building block for ADAMA’s differentiated formulations. Producing this complex molecule with an innovative, cost-effective process is expected to improve ADAMA’s supply chain performance while opening access to a global market of approximately $200 million of Indoxacarb sales as of 2021.

“With its vast global market potential, we identified Indoxacarb as a key building block for ADAMA’s future differentiated product pipeline,” said Elad Shabtai, EVP Global Operations at ADAMA. “This new in-house production capability of Indoxacarb is expected to improve the Company’s control over the availability, quality and cost of this important active ingredient. Moreover, our Indoxacarb formulations deliver powerful solutions, thus combining our AI cost position with superior product features on the formulation side.”

ADAMA is targeting more than 15 countries with its self-produced Indoxacarb, including leading markets Brazil, India and the USA.

In addition to the potential sales of Indoxacarb, ADAMA expects to expand the production and sales of its proprietary active ingredient, Novaluron, due to increased demand, given that these two active ingredients are paired together in formulations to provide a highly effective solution against chewing pests in their early stages of development.

ADAMA’s Indoxacarb is now being manufactured in-house at its production facilities in Neot Hovav, Israel, and in India, requiring a dedicated production line with state-of-the art equipment.  

This new in-house production capability of Indoxacarb

Dairy, Supply Chain

The addition of Cainthus to the Ever.Ag portfolio will provide dairy farmers and their advisors new insights from passive data collection

Ever.Ag, a leading agtech provider dedicated to empowering supply chains to feed a growing world, has acquired Cainthus, a company that offers artificial intelligence-enabled cameras for analyzing dairy operations. The addition of Cainthus to the Ever.Ag portfolio will provide dairy farmers and their advisors new insights from passive data collection.

Ever.Ag CEO Scott Sexton commented, “We believe precision agriculture, now in the dairy barn, is the future. We are committed to growing, expanding, and embedding Cainthus technology into our software suite that spans the supply chain.”

The acquisition of Cainthus delivers on Ever.Ag’s mission and continues its decades-long tradition of partnering with the dairy industry from farm to fork. Additionally, as consumers become more focused on purchasing environmentally friendly and sustainably produced goods, the data it collects can validate responsible farming practices throughout the supply chain.

Ever.Ag plans to enhance the offerings of its My Dairy Dashboard product and producer portals ― which integrates data from milk pickups, feed delivered, recorded cow events, milk schedules, and pay information. Cainthus will use the operational data to associate and visually validate herd performance in the barn.

Both Ever.Ag and Cainthus are leaders in data digitisation for dairy farm operations and their animals. Ever.Ag solutions are designed, developed, and produced by a global team with a passion for agtech, client sustainability, and mutual prosperity.

The addition of Cainthus to the Ever.Ag

Supply Chain

Cargill RegenConnect regeneratively-sourced cotton programme works to build a regenerative, traceable supply chain for growers and buyers

Beginning next month, Cargill will start enrolling US cotton growers in its Cargill RegenConnect regeneratively-sourced cotton programme, rewarding cotton growers for the positive soil health practices they are already using. This new addition to the Cargill RegenConnect portfolio furthers Cargill’s role in giving farmers access to emerging market opportunities within sustainable, traceable supply chains, opening doors to Cargill’s downstream customers looking to achieve their sustainable sourcing goals.   

William Barksdale, president of Cargill’s cotton business and chairman of the American Cotton Shippers Association said, “Cargill is committed to playing its role in advancing sustainable cotton production practices around the world. Through the Cargill RegenConnect regeneratively-sourced cotton programme, we are connecting market demand to the growers actively engaged in supporting environmental stewardship through regenerative agriculture practices.”

Cargill will offer one-year contracts to growers who have implemented cover crops and reduced-till or no-till practices since the Fall of 2021. Cotton growers can earn a premium for each pound of regeneratively-grown cotton contracted, produced and delivered to Cargill.  Cargill has partnered with Regrow to make it easy for farmers to securely enter data to verify their use of regenerative agriculture practices through the Regrow MRV platform.

Cargill RegenConnect regeneratively-sourced cotton programme works to

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Environment

As part of the agreement, an additional 84 million restricted shares of DUTV were authorised and are being placed into Escrow

Digital Utilities Ventures, Inc (DUTV), has announced the execution of an agreement with Feed Earth Now, LLC, a privately owned limited liability company of Skokie, IL, in which, as part of the agreement, DUTV will become the majority shareholder. Also, as part of the agreement, an additional 84 million restricted shares of DUTV were authorised and are being placed into Escrow.

For the last 10 years, Feed Earth Now, LLC (FEN) have been developing a revolutionary, proprietary soil microbe formula (Terreplenish) from food waste that absorbs plant-available nitrates through absorbing atmospheric N2, and other beneficial microbes that thrive in soils and assist with enhanced plant growth and disease control while releasing tied up legacy phosphorus already in the soil.

This Terreplenish microbe formula in essence pulls 1/3 of the much-needed fertiliser for agricultural crops from the air, versus requiring it to be manufactured in large factories utilising CO2 emitting fossil fuels. The Terreplenish Microbial product has been commercially available in limited quantities to end-use customers for several years. 

Mark Gaalswyk, CEO of Easy Energy Systems, Inc, observed the technology and then developed a factory built Modular System to fully automate the entire process of making the Terreplenish microbe product from green waste material.  

As part of the agreement, an additional