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AgroPolicy

An amount of over Rs 21,000 crores was transferred to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed the ‘Garib Kalyan Sammelan’ in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. This unique public event was organised in state capitals, district headquarters and Krishi Vigyan Kendras across the country to commemorate the completion of eight years of the government led by Prime Minister Modi.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi also released the 11th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme. An amount of over Rs 21,000 crores was transferred to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister of Commerce and Industry, Textiles, Food & Consumer Affairs, and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal participated in the programme from Delhi, in which a large number of farmers besides agricultural scientists were present.

The agriculture minister said that in the field of agriculture, concrete work has been done to raise the production and productivity of farmers, promoting use of technology and to ensure that farmers should get reasonable price for their crop. Earlier, wheat and rice were procured at MSP, Modi also started procurement of other farm produce including coarse grains. PM wants that farmer should move forward, their income should be doubled and that farmers adopt crop diversification, use of fertilisers and water is limited, the cost of farming should also come down, hence a campaign has been launched and crores of farmers are getting benefitted.

An amount of over Rs 21,000 crores

Agrotech, Dairy, Europe, Finance

The goal of the incentive is to increase cattle grazing, biodiversity and climate actions

Valio is updating its sustainability bonus programme for dairy farms on 1.5.2023. Going forward, farms can receive additional pay per milk liter for grazing their cattle and giving them access to outdoor activity, for farming practices supporting biodiversity, and for efforts aiming to reduce the farm’s carbon footprint. The renewal is significant also in the big picture of agriculture because about 80 per cent of the milk produced in Finland is within the sphere of Valio’s sustainability bonus programme. After the update, Valio will pay its dairy farmer owners, through cooperatives, nearly 50 million euros for actions exceeding the statutory requirements.

Valio launched the sustainability bonus programme in 2018 to encourage dairy farms to carry out sustainability actions that go beyond the statutory requirements. So far, the farms have received the bonus for actions improving animal welfare. Meeting the criteria has required, e.g., veterinarian visits, planned healthcare for cows and systematic monitoring of welfare. The healthcare of the cattle is monitored through the national and certified Naseva, the Centralised Health Care Register for Finnish Cattle Herds.

“The goal we set four years ago was for all Valio dairy farms to commit to the sustainability bonus programme actions to improve animal welfare by 2021. Now that the original goal has been achieved, we are further developing the sustainability bonus programme. Going forward, dairy farms will receive a sustainability bonus also for farm actions that strengthen biodiversity and mitigate climate change. Animal welfare continues to be an important theme, and now we will focus particularly on increasing grazing and year-round outdoor activity for cows,” says Ilkka Pohjamo, Senior Vice President, Primary Production at Valio.

The new actions are voluntary for farms, and the idea is that each farm will choose the actions that are right for them. Previously, the sustainability bonus was two cents per liter of milk; now it will be possible for farms to earn an additional cent by combining various actions. For example, the average size farm of 45 cows currently receives a sustainability bonus of 8,000 euros. With the programme update, it’s possible to increase the bonus to 12,000 euros.

The goal of the incentive is to

Agrotech, IT, Sustainability

Over 17000 assets, including its internationally recognised scientific and research publications, standards, textbooks, annual meeting papers, will be migrated to the new platform

Impelsys, a leading global provider of digital transformation solutions, announced the launch of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE’s) new eLibrary on its iPC Scholar 3.0 platform. ASABE – a global leader in promoting sustainable technology and practices, will migrate over 17000 assets, including its internationally recognised scientific and research publications, standards, textbooks, annual meeting papers, and more, to the new platform.

The first phase of the migration process has gone live with journals and will soon be followed by ASABE’s other publications. The new eLibrary on iPC Scholar 3.0 platform accentuates an enhanced user experience for ASABE’s individual and organisational members.

Joseph Walker, Director of publications,, ASABE, said, “We will be able to host and distribute our journals to multiple types of subscribers with the iPC Scholar 3.0. The platform will provide our customers with an intuitive user experience, easy navigation, and content discovery. With this launch, we are looking forward to migrating all our content and digital assets to the iPC Scholar 3.0 platform.”

As an intelligent content delivery platform, the iPC Scholar 3.0 is a ‘ready-to-deploy’ journal solution and caters to all aspects of content management, distribution, and monetisation. A white-label solution that represents an organisation’s brand effortlessly, it is a unified solution for publishing valuable content like journals and other digital research content. 

“We welcome ASABE to the iPC 3.0 community of innovative future-ready societies. iPC Scholar 3.0 is one of the most comprehensive content delivery platforms for societies and associations and will help ASABE to empower its members to improve their research with easy and quick access to relevant content. We are excited about many new possibilities in the future, working with ASABE and enabling them in their digital transformation journey,” said Mahesh Chikodi, Vice President of Products & Platforms at Impelsys.

Over 17000 assets, including its internationally recognised

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, AgroPolicy, Dairy, Live Stock

The institute has been able to bring in a revolutionary change in animal husbandry, fishery and food processing that has made a revolutionary change in the Goa

The Government of Goa felicitated the ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa on the occasion of 35th Statehood Day at Raj Bhavan, Goa.

Dr Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR-CCARI received the award from Shripad Naik, Union Minister of State for Tourism, Shipyard and Waterways in the presence of PS Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Goa; Dr Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister, Government of Goa and other dignitaries.

The institute has been bestowed with the Certificate of Appreciation and Citation for its outstanding contributions toward the progress and development of agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery and food processing that has made a revolutionary change in the Goa.

Since the institute’s establishment in 1989, 17 varieties of the different crops like rice, cashew, brinjal, okra, cowpea and red amaranthus have been developed for Goa which are grown in the state. Besides, the native breeds of cattle – Shweta Kapila and Agonda Goan Pig have also been characterised and registered.

The institute has also helped the Government of Goa in getting the GI of agricultural products like Khola Chilli and Myndoli Banana.

The institute has been able to bring

Agro Universities, Animal Health, Dairy, Live Stock

Discussions were held on camel conservation like the promotion of milk for human health, popularisation of its nutraceutical-rich products, development of ecotourism etc

The ICAR-National Research Centre on Camel, Bikaner, Rajasthan recently organised a seminar on ‘Arid Animal Husbandry and One Health Concept: Challenges and Opportunities’ in Bikaner.

Dr Bhupendra Nath Tripathi, Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR stressed the need of linking animal husbandry in the dry arid region with the One-Health concept. The progress made by India in improving the per capita availability of milk, egg, meat and their products was highlighted in Dr Tripathi’s address. The DDG emphasised achieving better production by linking the traditional methods of animal husbandry with the upcoming scientific and technological advancements in the area of livestock husbandry. Dr Tripathi also interacted with the trainees on camel wool processing for the women farmers to promote the utilisation of wool in the cottage industry for the value-addition.

Dr Artabandhu Sahoo, Director, ICAR-NRC on Camel, Bikaner underlined the centre’s research achievements. Continuous efforts are done in the field for camel conservation like the promotion of milk for human health, popularisation of its nutraceutical-rich products, development of ecotourism, value-addition of camel wool/hair and development of leather and bone products, etc., were also outlined by Dr Sahoo.

Dr Hemant Dadhich, Director Research, RAJUVAS, Bikaner, Rajasthan deliberated on ‘Emerging and Re-emerging Camel Health Issues and their Management.’

Dr Yashpal, Director, ICAR-National Research Centre on Equine, Hisar, Haryana also participated in the seminar.

Discussions were held on camel conservation like

Textile industry, Trade

 

The US was followed by EU, Bangladesh and the UAE

India scaled its highest ever exports tally at $44.4 billion in Textiles and Apparel (T&A) including handicrafts in FY 2021-22, indicating a substantial increase of 41 per cent and 26 per cent over corresponding figures in FY 2020-21 and FY 2019-20, respectively.

The US was the top export destination accounting for 27 per cent share, followed by EU (18 per cent), Bangladesh (12 per cent) and the UAE (6 per cent).

In terms of product categories, the export of cotton textiles was $17.2 billion with 39 per cent share registering a growth of 54 per cent and 67 per cent during 2021-22 over FY 2020-21 and FY 2019-20, respectively.

Export of Ready-Made Garments was $16 billion with 36 per cent share showing a growth of 31 per cent and 3 per cent during 2021-22 over FY 2020-21 and FY 2019-20, respectively.

Man-made textiles export was $6.3 billion with 14 per cent share which shows a growth of 51 per cent and 18 per cent during 2021-22 over FY 2020-21 and FY 2019-20, respectively.

 The US was followed by EU, Bangladesh

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Fertilizers, R&D

The centre is aimed at providing quality training and creating a competent workforce for the chemicals and petrochemicals industry 

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated CIPET’s Vocational Training Centre in Bhavnagar, Gujarat today. This was the 45th such vocational training centre of CIPET across the country, aimed at providing quality training and creating a competent workforce for the chemicals and petrochemicals industry. 

At the outset, Dr Mandaviya appreciated the capabilities CIPET has in creating a skilled workforce. He said that CIPET in Bhavnagar has strong potential to become an important cog in the wheel of the development of Bhavnagar. Owing to the vibrant petrochemical industry in Gujarat, such centres would create the much needed skilled manpower for the industry and will create employment for our youth. CIPET will fulfil this need for skilled manpower in the chemical and petrochemical industry. 

According to the minister, CIPET solves this practical problem and the needs of the industry by providing a model of self sustainable institution and industry-academia collaboration. Apart from training, CIPET has been able to provide job opportunities to students, out of 1 lakh pass outs every year, 90 per cent of the students get placed in the industry. 

CIPET is a premier Academic institution for higher & technical education under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India fully devoted to all the domains of plastics viz:- Design, CAD/CAM/CAE, tooling and mould manufacturing, production engineering, testing and quality assurance. CIPET operates from various locations spread across the country to cater to the needs of the Polymer and allied industries. 

Its objective remains to provide qualified professionals at various skill levels through academic long term, short term, skill development and entrepreneurship development programmes in petrochemicals including plastics. CIPET offers Technology Support & Consultancy Services in Design, Tooling, CAD/CAM/CAE, plastics processing, testing and quality assurance, inspection services and calibration to the petrochemical industries including plastic industries.

CIPET also undertakes research and application development in the petrochemicals sector including plastics, synthetic rubber, technical textiles, solvents, fertilisers, pharmaceuticals, additives, explosives, adhesives and coatings. 

The centre is aimed at providing quality

AgroPolicy, Trade

Directs to physically verify all documents of applicants for the export of wheat before issuing Registration Certificates

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has directed Regional Authorities to physically verify all documents of applicants for the export of wheat before issuing Registration Certificates (RCs). The order has been issued to ensure that the exporters are not issued RCs based on improper documents.

In order to plug the loophole, it has been decided that regional authorities will do a physical verification of all Letters of Credit, whether already approved or under process. Wherever necessary, the help of a professional agency may be taken for such verification, the order adds. 

The order lays down the following further checks:

1. Validation/endorsement by Recipient Bank to be ensured while doing physical verification

2. In cases where the LC date is on or before May 13, 2022, but the swift message/message exchange date between the Indian and Foreign bank is after May 13, 2022, regional authorities may conduct a full investigation and if these are found to be antedated, immediate proceedings under FT (D&R) Act, 1992 to be initiated against the exporters. Such cases are to be further examined by referring to enforcement agencies like the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) / Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In case of the complicity of any Banker in cases where ante-dating is established, necessary proceedings as per law will be initiated.

The Government of India had earlier (on 13th May 2022) restricted wheat exports to manage the overall food security situation in India and to support the needs of neighbouring and vulnerable countries that are adversely affected by the sudden changes in the global market for wheat and are unable to access adequate wheat supplies. 

Directs to physically verify all documents of

Finance

The demand for pre-processing equipment holds the largest market share, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 7.0 per cent in the coming years

According to the market research report published by P&S Intelligence, the global fruit and vegetable processing equipment market accounted for $5.6 billion revenue in 2021, which is set to reach $10.2 billion by 2030, advancing at a 6.9 per cent CAGR between 2021 and 2030. The growing population and changing food choices, as people’s purchasing behaviour shifts toward higher-value commodities, are the major factors driving the market.

The demand for pre-processing equipment holds the largest market share, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 7.0 per cent in the coming years. This is because fruits and vegetables gathered from farms contain dirt, germs, external nutrients, and biocides, making them unfit for direct eating.

Key findings:

  • In the fruit and vegetable processing equipment market, the packaging and handling equipment category is expected to grow at a significant rate. This will be due to the rising need for packaging and handling equipment to extend the products’ shelf life and mandates by government for proper product labelling.
  • Due to the high nutritional content, manufacturers of plant-based meals are focused on legumes, fruits and vegetables, and pulses to improve the flavour and texture of meals, which offers lucrative opportunities to industry players.
  • The APAC fruit and vegetable processing equipment market is advancing at a significant rate due to the surging population, growing FDI, changing food preferences, and increasing disposable income.
  • The US has a massive market for the equipment in North America, since it ranks third in the globe for ready-to-eat and packaged food consumption. Furthermore, the safety precautions implemented by authorities such as the FDA have resulted in a stronger public trust in processed food.

The demand for pre-processing equipment holds the

AgroPolicy

Wheat procurement in RMS 2022-23 has so far benefitted 17.50 lakh farmers with an MSP value of Rs 37,192.07 Crore

The Food Ministry has recently announced that the government of India has procured 184.58 lakh tonnes of wheat at an MSP value of Rs 37,192.07 crore so far in the ongoing 2022-23 rabi marketing year, benefitting 17.50 lakh farmers.

According to the ministry, 96.16 lakh tonnes of wheat have been procured in Punjab, 44.45 lakh tonnes in Madhya Pradesh, 40.97 lakh tonnes in Haryana, 2.84 lakh tonnes in Uttar Pradesh till May 29 of the current marketing year.

Upto May 29, 2022 a quantity of 184.58 LMT of wheat has been procured, benefiting about 17.50 Lakh farmers with MSP value of Rs 37,192.07 crore.

Paddy procurement under central pool is progressing smoothly in Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2021-22, in various procuring States/ UTs.

Upto May 29, 2022, a quantity of 810.05 LMT of Paddy (includes Kharif Crop 754.69 LMT and Rabi Crop 55.37 LMT) has been procured, benefiting 117.05 Lakh farmers with MSP value of Rs 1,58,770.64 crore.

The wheat procurement target has been revised downward to 195 lakh tonnes for the current year from the earlier 444 lakh tonnes due to a fall in wheat output and increased exports.

Wheat procurement in RMS 2022-23 has so

Agrotech, R&D, Seeds

The new Berso® range is adapted for use in all types of agricultural production systems, from highly intensive farming to ecological and biodynamic production systems.

Symborg presented its new Berso® business unit for industrial seed treatment at the ISF World Seed Congress 2022 international event. The event was organized by the International Seed Federation (ISF) between May 15 and 18 at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona.

Berso® is Symborg’s new business unit, focused exclusively on developing biological solutions for the treatment of seeds at an industrial level. The business unit comprises an R&D, regulation, agronomy, and sales team, specifically dedicated to meeting the seed industry’s needs. The commercialized products are for industrial use and compatible with conventional seed treatments.

With the market launch of Berso®, Symborg wants to care for crops starting with the seed. We seek to offer solutions that respond to seed companies’ and farmers’ needs. We intend to move towards a more sustainable and profitable agriculture model, minimizing risks to the environment and increasing the efficiency of agricultural inputs.

The new Berso® range is composed of microorganism and biomolecule-based formulations. It currently includes two biostimulating products that increase crops’ productive potential, and resilience against stress factors and improve nutrient absorption: Industrial Resid HC and Industrial T-78.

The new Berso® range is adapted for use in all types of agricultural production systems, from highly intensive farming to ecological and biodynamic production systems. It is also compatible with most crop protection products used on the seed.

Berso® was born out of Symborg’s experience and knowledge in microbiology and agronomy to give farmers and the industry solutions based on proven biological products, helping them overcome the challenges faced in farming today: reducing the environmental impact of agricultural production, optimizing agricultural nutrition, limiting nutrient loss, and maximizing the efficiency of fertilization programs to achieve more robust and more resilient crops that reach their maximum productive potential even when they are subjected to stress factors such as salinity, water deficit, or global warming. In short, Berso® was created to make profitability compatible with sustainable agriculture, to achieve greater productivity with less.

The new Berso® range is adapted for

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, R&D

The breeding activity of zebrafish was carried out by manipulating the photoperiod and temperature conditions

Division of Fish Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Fisheries, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K) have successfully conducted the breeding of an ornamental freshwater fish commonly known as Zebrafish, (Danio rerio) under cold water conditions. The experiment was conducted by the B.F.Sc. 4th-year student, Saif-ullah under the guidance of scientists of the division Dr Mohd. Ashraf Rather and Dr Irfan Ahmad. The breeding activity of zebrafish was carried out by manipulating the photoperiod and temperature conditions. The eggs were successfully collected and their hatching process was observed. The methodology can be
used for broodstock and seed production of Zebrafish in the valley.

Zebrafish also being a fish of ornamental value can now be reproduced in cold water conditions and offers tremendous scope for young aquapreneurs of Kashmir. Zebrafish also finds wide application in
scientific and biomedical research for its unique developmental and biological characteristics.

Prof (Dr) Massarat Khan, Dean, Faculty of Fisheries, SKUAST-K and Hon’ble Vice-chancellor SKUAST-K, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai have congratulated the whole team and have pinned hope on the decimation of this technology for the local ichtyofauna for conservation and propagation. It is here pertinent to mention that the Faculty of Fisheries SKUAST-K is located at Rangil, Nagabal, Ganderbal is the only Fisheries College in the country with Hill and Coldwater Fisheries, offering BFSc, MFSc and PhD courses in various disciplines of Fisheries.

The breeding activity of zebrafish was carried

Agrotech, Company News, Horticulture

Building an Atmanirbhar Bharat by a focused impact on augmenting local economies

 India’s largest beverage company, Parle Agro has always been at the forefront of innovation in the development of iconic fruit based beverages like Frooti and Appy which have captured the hearts of India. In order to cater to the massive demand of their products nationally and globally, Parle Agro is focused on updating their internal infrastructure and also aggressively building capabilities and capacities of their fruit processing partners across India.

  Parle Agro continues on this path and has invested heavily on their processing partners to help them extract their highest potential. Subsequently, the company has taken a determined stand to source 100 per cent from within India itself. Historically, Parle Agro has always sourced fruits from India while importing from China too, to meet their apple juice content needs. But now, the company has completely stopped sourcing apple juice imports from China and are sourcing them entirely from India alone through its network of Indian farmers.

 Parle Agro has grown exponentially to currently procuring around 150,000 MT of mango fruits into high quality mango pulp; increasing their consumption of mangoes by 150 times.  Parle Agro’s range of fruit-based products currently utilize around 210,000 MT of fruit collectively.  Over the past decade and a half, the company’s consumption of fruits has increased fivefold.  Approximately one third of the fruit pulp produced in India is consumed by Parle Agro.

After its successful foray in creating robust mango processing supply chains, Parle Agro envisioned the creation of a similar network for apple juice concentrate due to the immense popularity of its apple based drinks like Appy, Appy Fizz and B Fizz.  The company’s requirement for apples has risen from 5,000 MT to around 60,000 MT of fruit.  This has had a significant impact on local economies by contributing to local farmers’ incomes, as well as the growth opportunities for local apple processing partners.

Building an Atmanirbhar Bharat by a focused

Agrotech, Finance, Start ups

The funding will be used to scale up farm operations, implement complete traceability and transparency of produce, marketing and creation of an integrated Farm-tech platform.

Mumbai based Nutrifresh, an agri-tech start-up focusing on hydroponically-grown, fresh, clean, green, residue-free, and chemical-free produce, has attracted $5 million as pre-series seed funding. The funding is led by Theodore Cleary (Archer Investments), Sandiip Bhammer  (Managing Partner – Green Frontier Capital),  Sky Kurtz (CEO & Cofounder of Pure Harvest UAE), Mathew Cyriac (Florintree Advisors & ex MD of Blackstone India), Dr Soumitra Dutta (Dean Elect – Saïd Business School, University of Oxford), Shaishav Dharia (Regional CEO, Lodha Group), Karan Goshar (Samarthya Investment Advisors LLP) among others, for setting up India’s largest soil-less farms.

The funding will be used to scale up farm operations, implement complete traceability and transparency of produce, marketing and creation of an integrated Farm-tech platform. Co-founded by two Agripreneurs’ Sanket Mehta and Ganesh Nikam, Nutrifreshs’ vision is to provide consistent pesticide-free Hydroponic produce that is nutrient-rich providing-rich to the Indian consumer year-round. Nutrifresh is extremely focused on quality and is one of the few growers having certifications like ISO, FSSAI, APEDA, HACCP and GLOBAL GAP.

Commenting on the funding, Sanket Mehta, Co-Founder, Nutrifresh Farm Tech Farms Pvt Ltd, said, “Team Nutrifresh is extremely committed to bringing focused Hydroponic Farming which is robust, tech-enabled, IOT based and gives consistent production. The funding in Ag-tech space is the proof of concept encircling the fact that residue-free and quality veggies are most critical in urban lifestyle and Nutrifresh is focused on bringing quality food security. With the current round of funding, Nutrifresh aims to enhance the production capacities and bring in standardization in the Production process thus, scaling the farms with requisite SOPs to gain a higher competitive edge. Nutrifresh wants to establish itself as a Household Brand.”

 The entire production is controlled right from procurement of seeds, germination, nursery, harvesting, packaging and finally delivery of the produce to the end user. The produce reaches the consumer within 24 hours of harvest which is a testament to the supply chain being fully integrated and in line to maintain consistency of freshness. Boasting of 42+ SKUs, Nutrifresh is supplying its products to over 100 plus B2B aggregators in the Indian market and to Modern Trade aggregators and Delivery Partners like Nature’s Basket, Big Basket, Swiggy, Kissan Konnect and  Zomato Hyperpure.

The funding will be used to scale