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AgroPolicy, Horticulture, Sustainability

The Rs 227-crore programme will benefit over nine lakh farming families

MK Stalin, Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu launched the Kalaignarin All Village Integrated Agriculture Development Programme. The programme is to be implemented for Rs 227 crore and will benefit over nine lakh farming families in 1,997 village panchayats across the state.

The programme will be implemented in all 12,525 village panchayats across Tamil Nadu in five years. It will be implemented by the Agriculture Department in close coordination with the Rural Development Department.

According to an official release, under this scheme, coconut saplings, home farming saplings, horticultural saplings, sprays needed for farming and kit for the vegetable garden will be distributed and a 100 per cent subsidy would be provided to Adi Dravida farmers for sinking wells in drylands, employ drip irrigation, to dig farm ponds, among others.

The Rs 227-crore programme will benefit over

Agrotech, Company News, R&D

  The state of the art Agri Advisory Centre in Pune has employed over 500+ Agri Doctors and provides real-time Agri advisory solutions to farmers.

AgroStar, India’s largest digital farmer network and an end-to-end solutions provider for farmers, announced the opening of India’s Largest Agri Advisory centre and a Quality Assurance Lab for Seeds and Fertilisers at its headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra. The Agri Advisory Centre and quality lab were inaugurated by Dheeraj Kumar, IAS, Commissioner Agriculture, Maharashtra along with the guest of honour,  Umesh Chandra Sarangi, IAS, Retd. Additional Chief Sec (Home), Govt. Of Maharashtra.

The AgroStar Quality Assurance Lab (AQAL), is a part of their R&D efforts and innovation with the single intent to ensure farmers get the absolute best quality inputs through the AgroStar platform. The lab is equipped with advanced equipment to conduct seed testing as per ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) protocols and fertiliser testing as per international standards. It is operated by a team of highly qualified professionals that include seed technologists, seed analysts, quality control professionals, and chemistry quality analysts.

AQAL will carry out tests like physical purity test, moisture test, and standard germination test, maintenance of relative humidity, temperature & time to time monitoring of germination samples. The seed lab has already undertaken more than 150 seed germination & other tests. The lab is in the process of receiving accreditation from NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration) and ISTA (International Seed Testing Association). The fertiliser testing capability will help in testing the quality of all the fertilisers including water-soluble fertilisers and other micro and macro nutrients before supplying them to farmers.

The Agri Advisory Centre has a team of 500+ Agri experts (B Sc. graduates and postgraduates) providing real-time advisory services to farmers at no cost charged. Be it guidance on seed varieties, preventive measures against pests and diseases or crop nutrition management, these advisors are helping farmers to grow good quality crops, increase their yield and reduce their cost of cultivation.

Speaking at the inauguration, Dr. Devraj Arya, Vice President – Farm Solutions and Regulatory Affairs, AgroStar said “The AgroStar Quality Assurance Lab will determine the quality assurance of seed and fertilisers before supplying the products to our farmers on the AgroStar platform. AQAL will also ensure testing of crop nutrition products (Fertilisers & micro nutrients) to ensure high-quality supply of fertilizers and crop nutrition products to our farmers and later we will expand our services for pesticide analysis in near future.”

  The state of the art Agri

Acquaculture, Agrotech, Start ups

Aquaconnect will showcase the startups’ tech-driven solutions at Davos

Aquaconnect, a technology-driven full-stack aquaculture inputs and outputs platform with embedded fintech, supported by a phygital distribution network,  has announced that it will be showcasing its technology solutions, as part of a startup delegation led by UMAGINE, at Davos.

Aquaconnect is one among seven startups from Tamil Nadu visiting Davos, in the backdrop of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meet scheduled May 22-May 26, 2022. Aquaconnect will be seen as part of the UMAGINE Lounge in Davos, where it aims to attract interest towards India’s Blue revolution powered by technology. Rajamanohar Somasundaram, Founder & CEO of Aquaconnect who is representing Aquaconnect in Davos, will demonstrate use cases and the need for a data-driven approach in aquaculture to improve productivity, sustainability and traceability of seafood.

Commenting on this occasion, Founder & CEO, Rajamanohar Somasundaram, said, “We are humbled and delighted with the opportunity to go global and share our learnings and impact stories in this sector with leaders from all over the world. We started our journey in 2017 with an aim to promote sustainable aquaculture among the farming communities and better farmer livelihoods. At Davos, we look forward to meeting and collaborating with the global community and demonstrating how technology is driving improvements in aquaculture.”

UMAGINE is a community-driven project by the Government of Tamil Nadu that aims to improve the technology ecosystem in the State and provide a breeding ground for deep-tech companies in the state. Umagine will host its flagship Summit in Chennai annually, the inaugural edition for which will be hosted from 21to 23 September 2022. Currently, UMAGINE is reaching out to captains of global companies on the side-lines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting at the Umagine Lounge in Davos. As part of this, UMAGINE is leading a delegation of seven tech entrepreneurs who are creating an impact in their respective fields and contributing to the growth of the state.

Aquaconnect will showcase the startups’ tech-driven solutions

Company News, Environment, R&D

The hybrids are photo-insensitive, drought-tolerant and have better resistance to diseases

Ankur Seeds has launched GMS-based Indian Bean (Dolichos) Hybrids. Dr Manoj S Phalak, a vegetable breeder at Ankur Seeds, has successfully developed a stable genetic male sterility system in Indian beans using the mutation breeding technique and has effectively combined it with a unique system of cross-pollination mechanism for hybrid seed production. Ankur Seeds has successfully commercialised the hybrid technology by developing two protein-rich hybrids viz. Ankur Dolly and Ankur-427, that are proving to be valuable contributions to the nutritional security of the vegetable world and have immense potential to revolutionise global vegetable cultivation.

Both the Dolichos beans hybrids are photo-insensitive, drought-tolerant, have better resistance to diseases and can grow and yield well in harsh weather conditions. 

The hybrids are photo-insensitive, drought-tolerant and have

Agrotech, Environment, Start ups

Organisations joining forces to develop the next generation of crop nutrition and food tech startups

ICL, a leading global speciality minerals company, has partnered with startup accelerator StartLife in its quest to invest in startups focused on new ways to address global challenges in food and agricultural production. These challenges range from increasing yields and tackling food insecurity, to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Both organisations are fully geared toward accelerating the business development and growth of early-stage startups, and this partnership enables them to advance in their shared mission.

Headquartered in Israel, ICL Planet Startup Hub serves as the vehicle ICL uses to cultivate, nurture and accelerate innovation in the AgriFood tech ecosystem, through open innovation and collaboration on a global basis. Potential targets also include novel ways to recycle minerals, extract them from waste streams and convert them to fertilisers or develop innovative functional proteins for clean label applications, among others.

“ICL Planet Startup Hub seeks to establish a new generation of plant nutrition solutions, and we aim to invest in startups, which can make a meaningful difference,” said Hadar Sutovsky, VP of External Innovation at ICL Group. Sutovsky first encountered StartLife through its annual summit – F&A Next – which is centered on disruptive AgriFood technologies and brings together startups, investors and corporates from all over the world.

“StartLife has a strong track record of spotting and attracting promising early-stage startups globally, and its position at the heart of the European AgriFood tech ecosystem, its focus on sustainable food systems, and its strong links with the world-renowned Wageningen University & Research were central to our decision to enter into a partnership,” continued Sutovsky.

StartLife’s Operations Director, Laura Thissen, said, “Through this partnership, StartLife aims to accelerate startups’ scaling journey and, at the same time, support ICL in finding the best startups, which match their innovation challenges. Our team is already identifying startups looking to partner and help solve a piece of the innovation puzzle for Planet Startup. The scope includes crop nutrition, such as next-generation fertilisers and biostimulants, but also precision farming and alternative proteins.”

Thissen added, “To boost innovation, StartLife actively connects startups to leading players in the industry. ICL’s core domain is complementary to our partner community value chain coverage. In our talks, we quickly discovered we have a lot of synergies in our activities and the same drive for sustainability in food and agriculture.”

Startups have much to gain from a collaboration with ICL Planet Startup Hub, including market access, expertise and world-class scientists, as well as the ability for sample testing. As an on-the-ground industrial partner, ICL can also provide agronomic or food application feedback. ICL Planet Startup Hub is already an active investor in several AgriFood startups, most recently in alternative protein companies Plantible and Protera.

Organisations joining forces to develop the next

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Foodgrains, Supply Chain, Warehousing

Discussions were held on the efficient management of stored grains

The “7th Meeting of the Indian Grain Storage Working Group (IGSWG)” was recently organised by the Division of Agricultural Engineering, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi at the National Agricultural Science Centre Complex, New Delhi.

Inaugurating the meeting, Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR) urged for looking into the bulk storage of grains and bringing out a comparison of its advantages and disadvantages to the traditional methods as a document. The Director-GeneralDirector-General also suggested establishing the extensive linkages with the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Food Corporation of India, Industry Partners and other stakeholders for the efficient management of the stored grains.

Dr SN Jha, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Engineering), ICAR briefed about the salient achievements of the group since its inception. Dr Jha highlighted the Theme of the 7th Meeting – “Natural Modern Grain Storage Technologies” and its importance in the era of organic farming and natural farming.

Dr Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), ICAR highlighted the importance of the grain storage vis-à-vis the location and environmental conditions of the place.

Dr Tilak Raj Sharma, Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR suggested the adoption of modern technologies along with natural techniques for enhancing the shelf life of the grains.

Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR also graced the inaugural session of the Meeting.

Earlier, Dr Kanchan K Singh, ADG (Farm Engineering), ICAR delivered the welcome address.

The scientists from the various ICAR Institutes and All India Coordinated Research Project on Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology Centres, Faculty Members and Students from ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; delegates from CFTRI, FCI and Industries, etc., participated in the meeting.

Discussions were held on the efficient management

Acquaculture, Agri Genomics, AgroPolicy

A nano aquarium was also unveiled at the VGP Marine Kingdom

Anitha R Radhakrishnan, Minister for Fisheries & Animal Husbandry, Government of Tamil Nadu has launched the hatchery bred marine ornamental shrimps and nano aquarium at VGP Marine Kingdom, Chennai. The initiative has been introduced by the ICAR-National Bureau of Fisheries Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and VGP Marine Kingdom, Chennai.

Radhakrishnan underlined the initiatives of the fisheries department for the betterment of the fishers of the state for improving their livelihood options. The minister appreciated the ICAR-NBFGR and VGP Marine Kingdom’s efforts on the new concept of Marine Nano Aquaria with the captive-raised shrimps.

Dr KK Lal, Director, ICAR-NBFGR, Lucknow outlined the bureau’s initiatives, the concept of community-based ornamental aquaculture and the need for collaborative involvement with the market leaders like the VGP Marine Kingdom.

VGP Ravidas, Managing Director, VGP Group stated about the VGP Marine Kingdom and the pioneering efforts in establishing the first oceanarium in the country at Chennai.

A nano aquarium was also unveiled at

Agri Genomics, Agro chems – Chemicals, AgroPolicy, Animal Health, Dairy, Live Stock

Discusses various initiatives to increase cooperation in the dairy sector through R&D, genetic improvement, and trade and investment

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala recently visited Brazil from May 16-20, 2022 on invitation from the Marcos Montes Cordeiro, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Brazil and led a delegation of experts from animal husbandry and dairying sector and representatives of the private sector.

Rupala held discussions with his Brazilian counterpart and both Ministers agreed to further strengthen the mutually beneficial ties.
Rupala held meetings with Presidents of the Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders (ABCZ), the Mayor of Uberaba, the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), and the Brazilian Cooperatives Organization (OCB) and discussed ways to increase cooperation in the dairy sector through R&D, genetic improvement, and trade and investment.

Rupala visited the facilities of UPL, an Indian multinational company that manufactures and markets agrochemicals and also offers crop protection solutions. During the visit, the minister was accompanied by Dr B Arun Prasad, Director, Central Frozen Semen Production and Training Institute and Dr Neelesh Nayee, Senior Manager, Animal Breeding, National Dairy Development Board among other members of the delegation.

Discusses various initiatives to increase cooperation in

Agro chems – Chemicals, Finance

Net profit declined by 45 per cent to reach Rs 243.57 crores in the same quarter

Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals has reported a 101 per cent growth in total income at Rs 3331.67 crores in Q4FY22 as compared to Rs 1656.01 crores in the same period in Q4FY21.

However, the company’s net profit declined by 45 per cent to reach Rs 243.57 crores in Q4FY22 versus Rs 447.89 crores for the period ended March 31, 2021.

EPS for the fourth quarter dropped by 45 per cent to reach Rs 5.85 as compared to Rs.10.76 for the period ended March 31, 2021.

The company’s board has recommended a final dividend of Rs 3.00 (i.e. 30 per cent) per equity share of Rs 10 each.

For FY22, the company’s total income grew 26 per cent to reach Rs 16136.83 crores as compared to Rs 12766.38 crores during the Financial Year ended March 31, 2021.

The full-year net profit dropped by 5 per cent to reach Rs 1565.98 crores in FY22 as against Rs 1654.76 crores for the financial year ended March 31, 2021.

The company has reported EPS of Rs 37.62 for the financial year ended March 31, 2022, as compared to Rs 39.76 for the financial year ended March 31, 2021.

Net profit declined by 45 per cent

Agro Universities, Machinery – Post-harvesting

Meritorious students from engineering colleges get financial assistance & opportunities to work on live agri-mechanization projects

Swaraj Tractors, part of Mahindra Group, has awarded scholarship to 58 students including 15 girls under Mera Swaraj Education Support Program. The ‘Mera Swaraj Education Support Program’ was launched last year for engineering students across the country and aims to create a future pool of engineers.

Over 1500 engineering students applied for this scholarship this year out of which 148 students were shortlisted post screening and written test. A team comprised of senior members of Swaraj assessed the shortlisted students and finally awarded scholarship to 58 meritorious students.

During the assessment, all shortlisted students got the opportunity to converse with the seasoned professionals from Swaraj and gathered valuable inputs for their career development. This program is designed to support meritorious engineering students from economically weak background to provide them financial assistance along with holistic industry exposure.

Through the ‘Mera Swaraj Education Support Program’, students will not only receive financial support for four years, subject to consistent academic performance but will also get practical exposure to modern tools and technologies through plant and field visits. As a part of their internships, they will also work on live farm-mechanization projects mentored by industry experts. All students under this program will be subsumed into Swaraj’s final placement process. Also during their internships, the students will be allowed to work on live farm-mechanization projects and shall be mentored by industry experts.

Meritorious students from engineering colleges get financial

Agrotech, Interaction

 Future Agriculture Leaders of India Program aims to make agriculture attractive for the next generation by providing interactive learning and exposure to cutting edge agriculture and agribusiness.

The Future Agriculture Leaders of India Program will hold its FALI 8 Convention on June 4 and 5, 2022 on Jain Hills in Jalgaon.  In its eighth year, FALI has established itself as a unique, high impact program that makes agriculture attractive for the next generation by providing interactive learning, field visits, business plan contests, and exposure to cutting edge agriculture and agribusiness. The Board of Directors met and agreed on the expansion plans for FALI.  Over the next ten years, FALI is expected to increase the number of students and schools by 25 per cent a year in Maharashtra and Gujarat, adding Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.  At this rate, FALI would have backed the creation of over 250,000 future leaders of Indian agriculture.  The Directors also agreed on programs for FALI alums, internships, scholarships and seed funding for FALI alumni ventures.

The Directors of FALI also reviewed the plans for the FALI 8 Convention to be held on June 1-2 and June 4-5 on Jain Hills in Jalgaon.  Over its first eight years, FALI has received strong support from several leading agribusinesses of India: Godrej Agrovet, Jain Irrigation, UPL, Bayer and StarAgri.  At the FALI Convention on June 4 to 5, senior managers of these companies will participate along with leaders of about ten other agribusinesses and banks interested in supporting FALI 9 and beyond.  These companies see that the results of FALI has shifted attitudes of students and their parents, who before saw subsistence farming as an unattractive career for their children.  FALI students have taken home modern agriculture practices and with FALI, parents see modern, sustainable agriculture and agro-enterprise as a promising path for their children.

 Future Agriculture Leaders of India Program aims

AgroPolicy, Agrotech

Shomita Biswas, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare  addressing at International Summit ‘Artificial Intelligence & Digital Applications in Agriculture’, organized by FICCI

Shomita Biswas, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt of India said that as the technology advances in India, we will soon have sensor-based use of drone application for which we all stakeholders have to jointly collaborate. “The eco-system is now in place, and it is up to the industry and Start-ups to leverage this eco-system,” she added.

Biswas said, “Once the sensor-based applications of drones start then we might not require huge data generation. Currently, we don’t have sensor based targeted approach of application of pesticides on nutrients through drones.”

Biswas further stated that in terms of mechanization, India is 40 percent mechanized country, but we now need some parameters by which we can also assess our technological progress as well including use of drones, AI, IoT, etc.

She also urged various universities and institutes working on judicious use of pesticides through drones to share the data and research findings with all stakeholders. We are saving up to 30 percent of the pesticides and it will come down further when we adopt targeted approach as part of the sustainable agriculture, she added.

Highlighting the importance of Start-ups, Biswas stated that the Start-ups should work on solutions at lower cost for the farmers along with providing good after sales service. “I urge the Start-ups to come forward and provide these services. The government agencies should also involve Start-ups to find solutions for certain services,” she noted.

Dr V Praveen Rao, Vice Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU) said, “Due to labour scarcity, we are now seeding rice directly through drones. We are introducing high intensity planting of cotton in the state, and we want to use drones for this as well”.

Dr SK Malhotra, Former Agriculture Commissioner, Chairman, CIB&RC and Prjoject Director, DKMA said that we are now focusing on smart farming.

T R Kesavan, Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President, TAFE Ltd said that drone is going to change the way the Indian agriculture will work and technology in agriculture will make it easy for everyone to access.

Dr JP Singh, Additional Plant Protection Adviser & Secretary, CIB&RC and Hemendra Mathur, Chairman, FICCI Task Force on Agri Start-ups & Venture Partner, Bharat Innovation Fund also shared their perspective.

Shomita Biswas, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, R&D

The agreement will initiate a joint effort in nurturing deep-science innovation in agriculture

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), has signed a MoU with Centre for Food Technological Research Institute, CFTRI, in presence of Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science and Technology, Government of India and Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India.

The agreement will initiate a joint effort in nurturing deep-science innovation in agriculture, food technology and allied areas towards sustainability and food security in India’s agri sector. It was formally inked by Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO and Director of C-CAMP and Dr Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, CFTRI at the third edition of the ongoing TechBharat Conclave in Mysore.

On the occasion of the signing Dr Saiyed said, “We are delighted to formalise this pact with CFTRI, India’s leading food technology research institute. The agreement will identify and foster agri innovations and agri entrepreneurships led by the twin pillars of deep-science and sustainability.”

The ministers acknowledged the contribution by both organisations in the development of agritech and agri entrepreneurships in India and appreciated this effort of unifying ecosystems for greater impact.
The new signing is envisioned to augment C-CAMP’s current efforts in Agritech and allied space under its recently launched Centre of Excellence for Agri Innovation in collaboration with the Govt of Karnataka. It will also strengthen science-based entrepreneurships in the CSIR affiliated CFTRI.

The agreement will initiate a joint effort

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Horticulture

Future plans for collaborative work with development departments were presented and discussed

The ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH), Srinagar and Jammu & Kashmir Advisory Board for Development of Kisans, Jammu & Kashmir jointly organised the ‘Farmers, Kisan Board Members, Development Department Officials and Scientists / Experts Interface Meeting’.

The Chief Guest, Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary) Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare Department, Government of Jammu & Kashmir asserted on the government’s commitment with a single focus objective to enhance the farmers’ income manifold through the better technological interventions in farming. He urged the participating farmers, scientists and officers of agriculture and allied Sectors, in particular, horticulture to work beyond the production and productivity to focus mainly on the value-addition, branding, marketing and packaging, etc.

During the meeting vision and progress of ICAR-CITH, Srinagar and future plans for collaborative work with development departments and SKUAST-K, Srinagar were presented and discussed.

Prof (Dr) Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice-Chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences & Technology, Kashmir underlined the SKUAST-K’s role in rejuvenating the orchards and the research fields to increase the production with high density plantations.

Dr Om Chand Sharma, Director, ICAR-CITH, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir highlighted the institute’s role for carrying out the basic, strategic and applied research on the major temperate horticultural crops.

Ghulam Rasool Mir, Director (Horticulture), Government of Kashmir and Abdul Hamid Wani, Secretary, Jammu & Kashmir Advisory Board for Development of Kisans complemented the Institute for organising the programme.

The senior officials of ICAR-CITH, Srinagar and State Government Departments deliberated during the occasion.

More than 300 Officers, Kisan Board Members and Farmers participated in the programme.

 

Future plans for collaborative work with development