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R&D

The demand and importance for precision agriculture is growing significantly in EU countries

ABACO Group, Europe’s leading player in software solutions for land resource management and control with a primary focus on precision agriculture and environmental sustainability, partnered with MarketsandMarkets, a revenue impact and advisory firm, to better understand and expand its geographic reach across Europe and Latin America. The demand and importance for precision agriculture is growing significantly in EU countries. MarketsandMarkets leveraged its Market Intelligence Cloud, KnowledgeStore, to help ABACO assess the adoption rate and market potential for their agricultural technologies in the target countries.

Key findings –

  • Europe holds 27 per cent of the global precision agriculture market i.e., $2.1 billion currently and is predicted to be valued at $4.2 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14 per cent.
  • The crop monitoring market in Europe is expected to hold 29 per cent of the total market share by 2026, reaching a value of $1.5 billion and estimated to grow at 16.4 per cent CAGR over the next five years.
  • The GIS market in Europe is currently valued at $2.6 billion and is projected to reach $4.7 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 12.6 per cent by 2026. MarketsandMarkets expert analysts helped ABACO with the competitive benchmarking

Antonio Samaritani, CEO, ABACO Group said, “It is very important for us to have a constantly updated view of what is happening globally in the industry. The technological landscape is evolving very quickly, and it is vital that we understand these changes before they take place so that we can accompany our customers on this evolutionary path and bring our expertise outside of Europe. The growth in the market for precision agriculture has opened new vistas for ABACO, because of which we could partner with MarketsandMarkets to fund a worldwide market study on adoption rate and market potential.”

The demand and importance for precision agriculture

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech, Biostimulants, Company News

Company receives award in Best Biostimulant Product category for its Accudo® biostimulant.

FMC Corporation , an agricultural sciences company, was recognized with the top honour in the Best Biostimulant Product category at the 2022 World BioProtection Awards for its Accudo® biostimulant. Awards across nine categories recognized outstanding accomplishments in the field of biopesticides and their positive impact on crop protection at the World BioProtection Summit in Birmingham, UK.

Accudo® is a microbial biostimulant and strong root colonizer that enables growers to maximize crop quality and yield. The use of this unique and versatile biostimulant has demonstrated more than 15 percent yield increase, improved crop appearance and vigor, strong early establishment and enhanced crop development under select stress conditions.

“We are pleased that Accudo® biostimulant has been recognized with this prestigious award,” said Dr. Bénédicte Flambard, global director of FMC Plant Health. “Biostimulants are important tools for growers and are foundational components in FMC’s biologicals portfolio. Leveraging FMC’s expertise and core capabilities, we are discovering and developing biologicals that can help crops overcome difficult growing conditions, fight pests and disease, and assist in regulating a plant’s uptake of nutrients and water. FMC is helping growers around the globe witness the incredible benefits of biologicals while demonstrating how biologicals work hand-in-hand with synthetics in an integrated approach.”

Company receives award in Best Biostimulant Product

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, People, Singapore

In his new role, Thota will relocate to the company’s Asia Pacific region headquarters in Singapore

FMC Corporation has announced that Bethwyn Todd, FMC vice president and president of FMC Asia Pacific, has decided to leave the company for health reasons.  Pramod Thota, president of FMC U.S.A., will succeed Todd as president of FMC’s Asia Pacific region.  Consistent with his new responsibilities, Thota was elected an FMC vice president, effective July 1, by the company’s Board of Directors.

“I know this was a very difficult decision for Bethwyn,” said Mark Douglas, FMC president and CEO.  “She has been an exceptional leader throughout her 12-year tenure at FMC.  As president of one of FMC’s largest and complex regions, Bethwyn tripled revenue and significantly increased market share and profitability in Asia Pacific.  However, her success extends well beyond the P&L statement.  She has been an inspiring role model for all employees at FMC, and especially for women, demonstrating that professional success and personal achievement come not from luck, but rather from hard work and a passion to reach one’s full potential.  Although we are disappointed, we respect Bethwyn’s decision and wish her the best in her new endeavors.”

In his new role, Thota will report to Douglas and will relocate to the company’s Asia Pacific region headquarters in Singapore.  He joined FMC in 2012 as director of Strategy and Development, and in 2014 was named business director of FMC’s non-crop business, Global Specialty Solutions.  Thota became president of FMC India in 2017, and early last year was named president of FMC U.S.A.

“Pramod is a strong leader with exceptional commercial insights,” said Douglas.  “Having led our India business for four years, as well as serving on our Asia Pacific Operating Committee, he brings experience and deep knowledge of our business in one of the fastest-growing regions of the world.  I know he will build on the many advances that Bethwyn led over the last seven years.”

In his new role, Thota will relocate

Agro Universities, Logistics, Trade

The prorgamme will be held from June 20-24, 2022

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Directorate of Agribusiness Development, Coimbatore will conduct entrepreneurship development programme on agricultural export and import. The programme will be held from June 20-24, 2022.

farmers, business person, youth, women and students can participate in the programme.Visitors will be able to gauge market linkages. The core theme of the programme will be to share the experience of export management, products, logistics and documentation and field visit to air cargo complex.

The prorgamme will be held from June

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Sustainability

The centre will establish a synergistic relationship with various stakeholders such as farmers, entrepreneurs and investors

Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar has set up its agri innovation and extension centre on its premises. The centre has been established as a part of the Centre for Agricultural Research and Innovation (CARI) under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)-2.0.
The centre will establish a synergistic relationship with various stakeholders such as farmers, entrepreneurs and investors to create an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. It will integrate research and outreach education in agriculture, food systems and the environment for establishing ecologically and economically sustainable models of agriculture.

The centre will establish a synergistic relationship

AgroPolicy, Schemes - NABARD

Kumar said applications for the same will soon be filed by the producers with the GI Registry for these products

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has initiated the process to facilitate manufacturers/producers’ association seeking Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Bhojpur’s Udwantnagar ‘Khurma’, Gaya’s ‘Tilkut’ and delicious ‘Balu Shahi’ of Sitamarhi district, an official said.

“We are assisting the producers’/manufacturers’ associations seeking GI tag for ‘Khurma’, ‘Tilkut’ and ‘Balu Shahi’, Chief General Manager, Nabard-Bihar, Sunil Kumar said.

Kumar said applications for the same will soon be filed by the producers with the GI Registry for these products.

Earlier three applications from Bihar have been recently filed with the Geographical Indications Registry (Chennai), seeking a GI tag for Hajipur’s famous ‘chiniya’ variety of banana, Nalanda’s popular ‘Bawan Buti’ sari tradition and Gaya’s ‘Pattharkatti Stone Craft’ with the support of NABARD.

“The applications seeking GI tag for Hajipur banana, Nalanda’s Bawan Buti sari tradition and Gaya’s stone craft have already been filed by associations of farmers, weavers and organisations associated with skilled stone craftsmen of the respective areas with the support of NABARD,” Kumar added.

The CGM further added, “NABARD-Bihar has identified six potential products of the region, including Khurma, Tilkut and Balu Shahi, to be registered under GI. Bihar is a state of taste, where one can find delicious food items. NABARD is playing an important role in the GI registration process and post GI initiative including marketing linkages, branding, promotion and recognised first organisation in the country, who has specific GI Policy and schemes.”

“Bhojpur’s Khurma is very much liked by foreigners. It is so juicy along with the sweetness from inside that the taste reaches the heart directly from the tongue. The same is the case with the famous Tilkut of Gaya. Tilkut is a unique treat made from sesame seeds and jaggery and is quite popular outside the country also. Balu shahi a delicate sweet of village Runni Saidpur in Sitamarhi is also very popular in the country. These products of Bihar must get GI tag,” said the CGM.

Recently, the Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) accepted the plea to rename Bihar Makhana as Mithila Makhana and also suggested further amendments in the brand logo to better reflect its origins apart from identifying and protecting the product’s GI rights. Other products of Bihar that have already got GI tag, include Katarni Rice, Jardalu Mango, Shahi Litchi, Magahi Paan and Silao Khaja.

Kumar said applications for the same will

Organic

The global organic fertilisers market is expected to reach $19.88 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 11.6 per cent during the forecast period 2022–2029

According to a new market research report titled, ‘Organic Fertilizers Market by Source (Animal, Plant, Mineral), Form (Dry, Liquid), Application Method (Broadcasting, Fertigation, Foliar Application), Crop Type (Cereals & Grains, Fruits & Vegetables), and Geography – Global Forecast to 2029’, the global organic fertilisers market is expected to reach $19.88 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 11.6 per cent during the forecast period 2022–2029. Also, in terms of volume, the global organic fertilisers market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.7 per cent during the forecast period to reach 38,570.5 KT by 2029.

The demand for organic fertilisers is growing across the globe. Organic agriculture serves multiple functions. It is an important tool to achieve ‘green productivity’ in agriculture. It also mitigates the negative impact of conventional input-intensive agriculture by excluding agrochemical inputs from the production system, minimising environmental pollution, promoting the reuse & recycling of organic farm waste and crop residues, improving biodiversity, and enhancing soil productivity.

Furthermore, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organic fertilisers market have been noticed since early 2020 in China, one of the world’s largest producers and consumers. The shutdown of production plants in China and restrictions on the export and import of organic fertilisers & raw materials, particularly animal waste to and from China’s restricted areas, affected the supply chain. This scenario impacted the production, sales, and operations of this industry. The pandemic affected the organic fertilisers market in many countries, including the US, India, Australia, Brazil, and the EU-5 countries. In India, many fertiliser plants have shut down or are operating at reduced capacity due to the countrywide lockdown leading to substantial losses in the domestic organic fertiliser production.

The global organic fertilisers market is expected

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech, Europe

BASF continues to invest in digital services for sustainable agriculture, in line with the European Green Deal

 BASF acquired Horta S.r.l., an Italian company specialized in digital farming solutions. Founded in 2008 as a spin-off of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Horta is an established player for the development of highly innovative agronomic Decision Support Systems (DSS) for crops such as grapes, tomatoes, cereals and olives.

With the acquisition, which comes after a long-standing partnership between the two companies, Horta will continue to operate on the market with the current organization and management and its well-established brand in the agri-food market to ensure business continuity.

The agricultural sector increasingly relies on digital farming services, which optimize the use of production factors and enable sustainable and precision agriculture. With this transaction, BASF Agricultural Solutions confirms its commitment to expanding its portfolio, by investing in digital solutions that support the work of farmers and make agriculture more productive and environmentally friendly.

“We, at BASF, strongly believe that innovation and digitalization are the key factors to support sustainable yields and contribute to the targets of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy”, said Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro, Senior Vice President, Agricultural Solutions EMEA & CIS. “BASF strives to leverage the growth potential and opportunities of digitalization toward the benefit of our customers. In this regard, Horta is complementary to our digital farming portfolio. I am therefore very pleased to welcome the entire Horta team, who brings along profound digital know-how and a very unique technological offer.”

As an Italian agro-tech leader in smart agri-food solutions, Horta is a prime example of transferring innovation from R&D and universities to agricultural practice.

 Pierluigi Meriggi, President and Founding Partner of Horta said, “Together with BASF, we pursue a consistent growth path for the next years.” Franco Anelli, Rector of the Catholic University underlined: “BASF’s interest in Horta, one of our spin-off companies, is a significant recognition of the quality and the innovative nature of our research activities. It also confirms the scope of our researchers of the Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences Faculty to combine scientific expertise with a deep understanding of the needs of the agri-food value chain, and with the skills necessary to develop operational proposals. This embodies the sense of responsibility and care for the environment that inspires our Faculty. The partnership bears witness to the quality of our graduates and PhDs, whose skills and competencies have contributed to the development of Horta.”

BASF continues to invest in digital services

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agrotech, India

It will help increase crop yields and provide an alternative to synthetic fertilizers to Indian farmers.

 ADAMA, a leading global crop protection company, and Hyderabad based Groundwork BioAg, a global Bio-agriculture company, announced a new commercial agreement offering sustainable cost-effective mycorrhizal products to help increase crop yields and provide an alternative to synthetic fertilizers (especially phosphorus) to Indian farmers. The collaboration leverages ADAMA India’s vast reach and close relationships with Indian farmers and Groundwork BioAg’s Mycorrhizal BioPlatform.

The first innovation to emerge from this collaboration is Tormos™, a granular mycorrhizal inoculant tailor made for India, catering to its unique growing practices and widespread agricultural diversity. Tormos offers an efficient and cost-effective solution for local farmers growing vegetables, sugarcane, potato, and row crops, including corn and soybeans.

With the rising price of phosphate fertilizers, mycorrhizae can play a major role in farm fertilization programs, which is in alignment with the efforts of the Indian government to improve on-farm sustainability across its 160 million hectares.

“As Indian farmers seek new tools to improve productivity amid extreme weather and soil degradation, we understand that the seasonal pressures they face are compounded by global issues like climate change and global market fluctuations. By delivering targeted cost-effective solutions like Tormos, we continue our pursuit to help our Indian customers grow more sustainable crops. Tormos will help Indian farmers enhance their soil health and provide opportunities to achieve better crop health and yield,” said Sahin Ozkan, ADAMA India CEO. “As the leading mycorrhizal inoculant supplier globally, Groundwork BioAg is the ideal partner to help develop and commercialize new and natural options for our customers, while helping India regenerate its soils.”

 “Regardless of where you farm, growers face mounting environmental and financial pressures, especially this season. While many biologicals may provide a substitute to chemical fertilizers, mycorrhizal inoculants offer farmers an additional opportunity to increase the plant’s resilience to climate challenges and improve soil health in the long term,” said Kanwal Bhat, India Country Manager at Groundwork BioAg. “We are pleased to partner with ADAMA, a global leader in agricultural inputs, to help meet the needs of Indian farmers by providing access to cost-effective, high quality mycorrhizal products.”

It will help increase crop yields and

Company News

Sonalika Tractors has registered a dominating best ever May sales with 12,615 units which was powered by stupendous 42.1% growth

Revolutionising the tractor industry with its heavy duty tractor portfolio, Sonalika Tractors has further reinforced its FY’23 platform for an electrifying year ahead. Sonalika has continued to register yet another dynamic performance in new financial year and clocked its highest ever May overall tractor sales of 12,615 units. The extraordinary performance includes stupendous 42.1 per cent growth over the 8,878 tractor sales recorded in May 2021 as the demand for advanced tractors continues to see uptick across the industry.

Speaking on the staggering performance, Raman Mittal, Joint Managing Director, ITL, said, “It feels invigorating as all our concerted efforts have resulted in another electrifying performance by Sonalika in May 2022. With a record 42.1 per cent growth, we have registered our highest ever May sales of 12,615 tractors. Sonalika truly believes in addressing specific farmer requirements and deliver dynamic tractor performance as well as affordability for farmers’ peace of mind. Favourable factors such as consistent increase in MSP by government, improved rabi crop procurement and now the timely arrival of monsoon in the country will set up viable platform for agriculture activities to flourish in FY’23.”

Sonalika Tractors has registered a dominating best

Start ups

The joint venture together aims to create an ecosystem that is Sustainable, Economic and boosts the Environmental Development of Villages through Agriculture Tourism

A S AGRI AND AQUA LLP, widely recognised as a pioneer in Hi-tech soil-based Vertical Farming in India and one of the largest turmeric producers has announced their investment in Shark Tank fame farmer Pandurang Taware’s startup Agri Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC). The move is a positive step towards bringing attention to Agri Eco-Horti Tourism in India and work on a combined vision of providing the maximum benefits to the farmers, the company statement shared. The joint venture together aims to create an ecosystem that is Sustainable, Economic and boosts the Environmental Development of Villages through Agriculture Tourism.
  

“Agriculture has lot of potential in many ways and if given the right direction, farmers can contribute a lot in the country’s growth. We are looking at working together and bringing hi-tech cluster vertical farming projects under the belt of Agri Eco-Horti Tourism in India. This will serve as a joint platform to further the agenda of helping the farmer community become financially self-sufficient and independent,” shared Dr Prashant Zade, Founder, A S AGRI AND AQUA LLP.

The turmeric produced by A S Agri is consistent in quality, variety, growing method, and contains levels of curcumin suitable for export – giving access to a huge international market.

Pandurang Taware, Founder, Agri Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) shared, “A S AGRI, with its immense expertise has given the much-needed confidence to the farmers to start their own Agri Eco Horti tourism centres. Coupled with vertical farming clusters, the new projects will definitely play an important role in future food production of the country.”

“We’re seeing good reception so far with this model with more than 1500 projects running and this is only going to grow in the coming years with the cluster projects being announced which will benefit lacs of farmers,” Dr Zade shared.

The joint venture together aims to create

Agrotech

The technology uses organic materials such as wastewater as input and offers a dual benefit of bioelectricity generation and waste management

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati  has recently developed a bio-electrochemical device, Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) that can generate green energy by treating wastewater.

The use of organic material such as wastewater in MFC makes it an eco-friendly device that offers a dual benefit of bioelectricity generation and waste management. This research was supported by a grant from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

The research was led by Prof Mihir Kumar Purkait along with his PhD student Mukesh Sharma, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati. They developed a bio-electrochemical device that converts chemical energy contained in organic substrates into electrical energy through microbes.

Commending the work of the research team. Prof T G Sitharam, Director IIT Guwahati, said, “This development has provided an excellent sustainable energy source along with treating several wastewaters. After scaling the process, it can be used as a source of clean energy using municipal wastewater and other such areas economically.”

Explaining the long-term impact of the research Prof Mihir Kumar Purkait, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said, “Further implementation of this process may provide an excellent alternative to several costlier renewable energy extraction processes. The conducted study reveals that the prepared CEMs are cheaper and perform better as compared to the several reported membranes, assisting in the separation of charges and potential development.”

The present research of IIT Guwahati is dedicated to synthesising several novel high-performance Cation Exchange Membranes (CEMs) comprising a polymeric blend of several high-end polymers doped with Cellulose Acetate (CA) and other modifiers like Graphene Oxide (GO) to obtain membranes with high Ion Exchange Capacity (IEC) and proton conductivity.

The technology uses organic materials such as

AgroPolicy

The index can greatly benefit stakeholders across the spectrum including policymakers, local governments, environmentalists

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) with Indian agri-land marketplace SFarmsIndia has launched IIMA-SFarmsIndia Agri Land Price Index (ISALPI), a first-of-its-kind land price index that will record and present ‘quality controlled’ data of prices of agricultural land across the country.

According to IIMA, currently, ISALPI is based on land listing data from six states: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. With the arrival of more data from other states of India, the index could be more valuable in two ways. First, it will offer a superior representation of the national context. Second, it will offer a more granular index at regional levels.

In addition, this index can greatly benefit stakeholders across the spectrum including policymakers, local governments, environmentalists, investors, real estate developers and financiers. For instance, the index can be used by local governments to compensate the people who lose land for highway expansion, a statement from IIMA mentioned.

The index can greatly benefit stakeholders across

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech

Cornex and Zanet has been initially launched in Maharashtra and will be available soon in other parts of the country

Dhanuka Agritech has launched a herbicide and a fungicide for maize and tomato crops. The herbicide is targeted for the protection of maize crops by weed management whereas the fungicide has been introduced focussed on tomato crop protection from fungus and bacteria. The two products Cornex and Zanet have been launched in Maharashtra and will be soon available in other parts of the country. 

Cornex has been developed in technical collaboration with Nissan Chemicals, Japan and is based on Japanese technology. Zanet has been developed in collaboration with two Japanese companies, Hokko Chemical Industry and Nippon Soda, Japan.

Cornex and Zanet has been initially launched