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AgroPolicy, Start ups

Aims to promote startups and encourage entrepreneurship in the state

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched Madhya Pradesh’s Startup Policy and Implementation Plan – 2022 which aims to promote startups and encourage entrepreneurship in the state. This startup policy has been especially developed to strengthen and bring to reality the entrepreneurial ideas of the youth of Madhya Pradesh. The Prime Minister launched the policy virtually at a programme organized at the Brilliant Convention Center, Indore in the presence of the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Prime Minister Modi also launched the Madhya Pradesh Start-up Portal, which will be a one-stop avenue for entrepreneurs, providing them with vital information and guidance on launching a start-up. The portal will be integrated with the central government’s start-up portal. Besides this, Prime Minister Modi engaged in online interactions with several entrepreneurs and encouraged them to build India from the grassroots.

Modi said, “We have come a long way, and today, the Madhya Pradesh portal and i-Hub Indore has been successfully launched under the start-up policy of the state. I want to congratulate the government of Madhya Pradesh for this exceptional feat.”

Madhya Pradesh has over 1,900 start-ups with more than 800 start-ups founded by women entrepreneurs. The state is an agricultural powerhouse and aims to promote more than 200 start-ups in the agriculture sector with special emphasis on product-based start-ups. The state has also focussed energy on the capacity-building of startup incubation centres. The policy will usher innovation, experimentation, and risk-taking, boosting the spirit of entrepreneurship in the state.

Aims to promote startups and encourage entrepreneurship

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains

Wheat stocks are comfortable, export curbs will combat market speculation

The government has said that the decision to restrict wheat exports will control food prices, strengthen the food security of India and countries facing a deficit, and that India remains a reliable supplier as it is honouring all contracts.

Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary Department of Food and Consumer Affairs, and Manoj Ahuja, Secretary Agriculture, the Commerce Secretary said that all export orders where the letter of credit has been issued would be fulfilled. He added that directing the wheat exports through government channels would not only ensure fulfilling the genuine needs of our neighbours and food-deficit countries but also control inflationary expectations.

He said that the control order serves three main purposes: “It maintains the food security for the country, it helps others who are in distress, and maintains India’s reliability as a supplier”.

He explained that the government’s order on exports was giving a clear direction to the wheat market. “We do not want wheat to go in an unregulated manner in places where it might just get either hoarded or it may not serve the purpose of serving the food requirements of vulnerable nations. That’s why the government to government window has been kept open,” he said.

Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary Department of Food and Public Distribution said that the country has adequate food stocks. After consulting with the states, the Centre has reallocated some quantities by changing ratios of wheat and rice. For example, states getting wheat and rice in the ratio of 60:40 will get it in the ratio of 40:60. Similarly, the ratio of 75:25 is made 60:40. Where rice allocation was zero, they will continue to get wheat. For all small states-NE states and special category states, allocation has not been changed.

As a result of the reallocation, “With this, we have boosted the availability of wheat to about 110-111 LMT more. Adding it to 185 LMT, it becomes 296 LMT which is almost as last year’s. Last year the production figures of wheat were 109 LMT for the country. This year in February, we have come out with advanced estimates for this year’s production and we have estimated 111 LMT.  Our estimates show 105-106 LMT of wheat availability this year and we are quite the same in terms of quantity and availability as last year,” he added.

Wheat stocks are comfortable, export curbs will

AgroPolicy, Dairy, Live Stock

Purabi Cattle Feed Plant at Changsari was commissioned by the CM of Assam

Government of Assam recently signed an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The agreement will delegate the operational management of the East Assam Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union to the national dairy body.

The agreement was signed in presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during Northeast Dairy Cooperative Conclave 2022.

The Purabi Cattle Feed Plant at Changsari was commissioned by the Chief Minister. The cattle feed plant will supply concentrated, nutritious cattle feed to farmers of the state.

Purabi Cattle Feed Plant at Changsari was

Agri Genomics, Agro Universities, Agrotech

The workshop was held in association with National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute and Mohali and Biotech Consortium India

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) recently organised a workshop on ‘Genome Editing in Agriculture: Science, Potential and Policies’ in association with National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali and Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL), New Delhi. The goal of the workshop was to highlight the application of innovative technologies like genome editing in the crop breeding programmes and also to create awareness among the key stakeholders viz. scientists, students, agriculture officials and industry about the technology and its potential. Around 400 active participants including scientists, students, and research fellows from PAU and nearby institutions attended the workshop and listened to learned speakers very attentively.

At the inaugural session, Dr Parveen Chhuneja, Director, School of Agricultural Biotechnology, PAU welcomed all the dignitaries and the participants. Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, highlighted the need for innovative solutions to meet the challenges being faced by agriculture. Dr Vibha Ahuja, Chief General Manager, Biotech Consortium India Limited, presented a brief overview of the workshop.

In his keynote address, Prof Ashwani Pareek, Executive Director, NABI, Mohali, pointed out the need for technological innovation. Dr Shammi Kapoor, Registrar and Dr Gurjit S Mangat, Additional Director of Research, Crop Improvement-cum-Director GS Khush Institute of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, PAU also participated in the workshop. Experts from different institutes highlighted the advancements, potential and applications of Genome Editing in two technical sessions.

Dr Navtej Singh Bains, former Director of Research, PAU, delivered an informative talk on potential applications of gene editing in the breeding field, and vegetable and fruit crops. Dr Naveen Singh Bisht explained the manipulation of mustard oil through the editing of glucosinolates in Indian oilseed mustard.

Dr Baljinder Singh Nandra from the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) provided a glimpse of the national and international status of gene-edited plants and the importance of strong linkage between scientists and industry partners.

Dr Vibha Ahuja, Chief GM, Biotech Consortium India Limited, discussed the Government of India’s policies and procedures for the approval of genome-edited crops. Scientists from NABI presented their work on increasing β-carotene content in banana and iron (Fe) content in wheat grains. Scientists from PAU, Ludhiana presented their research on starch resistance wheat and potato, increasing the tomato shelf-life, reducing the acrylamide content in wheat and potato, haploid induction, and biofuel production in sugarcane through genome editing.

Later, an interactive session was held between researchers and speakers about the future of genome editing in crop improvement.

The workshop was held in association with

AgroPolicy, Trade, World

Trade delegations will visit Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon

The Centre will send trade delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon for exploring possibilities of boosting wheat exports from India. India has set a target of a record 10 million tonnes of wheat in 2022-23 amid rising global demand for grain globally.

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has already set up a task force on wheat exports with representatives from various ministries, including commerce, shipping and railways, and exporters under the aegis of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

The Department of Commerce has also planned to organise a series of sensitisation meetings on exports in major wheat growing states such as Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The APEDA organised one such interactive meeting with various stakeholders including farmers, traders and exporters in Karnal, Haryana for the promotion of wheat export and to ensure the shipment of quality produce. The stakeholders’ meet was organised in collaboration with ICAR-Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, where experts discussed opportunities and challenges in the sphere of wheat export.

“We are extending our support to all the stakeholders in the wheat exports value chain for boosting shipment from the country,” M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, said.

According to estimates by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India has exported a record 7 million tonne (MT) of wheat in 2021-22 which is valued at $ 2.05 billion. Out of the total shipment around 50% of wheat was exported to Bangladesh in the last fiscal.

Recently, Egypt, which is one of the world’s biggest importers of wheat, had agreed to source wheat from India. Egyptian authorities have put India as one of the origins of this strategic commodity. Egypt imported 6.1 MT of wheat in 2021 and India was not part of the list of accredited countries which can export wheat to Egypt. More than 80 per cent of Egypt’s wheat imports estimated to be close to $2 billion in 2021 were from Russia and Ukraine. APEDA has already communicated to exporters to register with Egypt’s public procurement agency – the General Authority of Supplies and Commodities, which manages wheat and sugar imports to the north African country.

Trade delegations will visit Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia,

AgroPolicy, Finance

UNDP will provide responsive, demand-driven technical assistance for effective implementation of agriculture credit and crop insurance

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) wherein UNDP will provide technical support for Centre’s aspirational Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) scheme & Kisan Credit Card – Modified Interest Subvention Scheme.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar by CEO-PMFBY Ritesh Chauhan and UNDP Resident Representative Shoko Noda. Under the MoU, UNDP will leverage its expertise in systems and global know-how for supporting the Ministry of Agriculture in the implementation of combined agriculture credit and crop insurance. Union Minister of Agriculture for State Kailash Chaudhary and Secretary, Agriculture, Manoj Ahuja also witnessed the signing ceremony.

As per the MoU, UNDP will provide responsive, demand-driven technical assistance for effective implementation of agriculture credit and crop insurance, as well as providing capacity development and Information, Education & Communication (IEC) support to existing national and state institutions, keeping in mind the interest of small and marginal farmers, women farmers, sharecroppers, tenant and non-loanee farmers.

On this strategic partnership with UNDP, Tomar said, “Technical assistance provided by UNDP in the last four years has yielded good results. I am sure that through this partnership, we will obtain even better results in the implementation of crop insurance and agricultural credit schemes.”

UNDP will provide responsive, demand-driven technical assistance

Company News

The company will be participating in the BMO Global Farm to Market Conference to be held on May 18-19, 2022

Local Bounti Corporation, a breakthrough US indoor agriculture company combining the best aspects of vertical and greenhouse growing technologies, has announced that it will be participating in the BMO Global Farm to Market Conference to be held on May 18-19, 2022.

Craig Hurlbert, co-CEO, Travis Joyner, co-CEO, and Kathleen Valiasek, CFO, will host a presentation on Wednesday, May 18, at 1:15 pm ET. Additionally, members of the management team will host meetings with investors. A live audio webcast of the panel will be available to all interested parties through the Company’s Investor Relations website.

Local Bounti is redefining indoor farming with an innovative method – its proprietary Stack & Flow Technology – that significantly improves crop turns, increases output and improves unit economics.

The company will be participating in the

Live Stock

The report has covered 184 recognised indigenous/exotic & crossbred breeds of 19 selected species that are registered by the NBAGR

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala released the Breed-Wise Report of Livestock and Poultry based on 20th Livestock Census on May 12, 2022. Dr L Murugan, Minister of State, for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, graced the occasion. Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Upamanyu Basu, JS were present.

The breed-wise data collection was done along with 20th Livestock Census during the year 2019. It was for the first time in the country that breed wise data was collected by using tablet computers instead of paper mode which is indeed a unique attempt. 

The major highlights of Breed-wise Report of Livestock and Poultry are summarised below:

  • The report has covered 184 recognised indigenous/exotic & crossbred breeds of 19 selected species that are registered by the NBAGR (National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources).
  • There are 41 recognised indigenous whereas 4 exotic/crossbred breeds of cattle covered in this report.
  • As per the report, the Exotic and Crossbred animal contribute nearly 26.5 per cent of the total cattle population whereas 73.5 per cent are Indigenous and Non-descript cattle.
  • Crossbred Jersey has the highest share with 49.3 per cent as compared to 39.3 per cent of Crossbred Holstein Friesian (HF) in total Exotic/Crossbred cattle.
  • ·       Gir, Lakhimi and Sahiwal breeds have major contribution in total Indigenous Cattle.
  • In Buffalo, the Murrah breed majorly contributes with 42.8 per cent which is commonly found in UP and Rajasthan.
  • In Sheep, there are 3 exotics and 26 indigenous breeds were found in the country. Among the pure exotic breeds, Corriedale breed majorly contributes with 17.3 per cent and in the indigenous breeds the Nellore breed contribute the highest in the category with 20.0 per cent share.
  • In Goats, there are 28 indigenous breeds found in the country. The Black Bengal breed contributes the highest with 18.6 per cent.
  • In exotic/crossbred pigs, crossbred pig contributes 86.6 per cent whereas Yorkshire contributes majorly with 8.4 per cent. In indigenous pigs, Doom breed major contributes with 3.9 per cent.
  • In Horse & Ponies, the share of Marwari breed majorly contributes with 9.8 per cent.
  • In Donkeys, the share of Spiti breed contributes with 8.3 per cent.
  • In Camel, Bikaneri breed majorly contributes with 29.6 per cent.
  • In Poultry, desi fowl, Aseel breed majorly contribute in both backyard poultry and commercial poultry farm.

The report has covered 184 recognised indigenous/exotic

Allied Industry, Biofuel industry

This is believed to be the first transition loan to be provided by a foreign bank to India’s biofuel manufacturing industry

To support India’s push to double the country’s ethanol distillation capacity and blend 20 per cent of ethanol in petrol by 2025, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd (SRSL), a subsidiary of Wilmar International Ltd, Singapore and one of the largest sugar and green energy (ethanol and renewable power) producers in India, has obtained a five-year Rs 1.75 billion (SGD31 million) transition finance facility from DBS. The proceeds will be used to finance the expansion of SRSL’s sustainable bioethanol business in India. This is believed to be the first transition loan to be provided by a foreign bank to India’s biofuel manufacturing industry.

SRSL’s focus on the capacity expansion of its bioethanol plants in India supports its commitment towards promoting sustainable growth and combating climate change.

Sunil Ranka, CFO, SRSL, said, “Bioethanol production is not new to India. But it holds the key for the transition of the energy sector’s reliance on fossil fuels, to more sustainable biofuels which have a lower carbon footprint and will lead to energy independence of the country. To provide some perspective, India has an ethanol production capacity of about 849 crore litres today. For India’s targeted 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol by 2025, the market will need 1,700-crore litre capacity (80 per cent plant efficiency), and this is where we hope to contribute to the growth of the global biofuel industry by ramping up our bioethanol production capacity to contribute to achieving this ambitious but meaningful target.”

This is believed to be the first

AgroPolicy, Bamboo industry

This is the world’s largest bamboo cultivation drive by a public-private partnership which encompasses the plantation of 100,000 hectares of forest and village land with bamboo.

 A joint venture of CREDUCE and HPCL has signed a MoU with the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh’s Bamboo Resource & Development Agency (APBRDA) for the cultivation and development of bamboo resources in the state. The agreement encompasses the plantation of 100,000 hectares of forest and village land with bamboo, also called ‘green gold’. The landmark agreement signed under the visionary leadership of the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prema Khandu is set to propel the state into the green growth phase, leading the country and the world towards carbon neutrality.

Shailendra Singh Rao, MD, CTPL, said, “Through this agreement, we will be able to cultivate 100 million carbon credits in 10 years, which will be valued at $1.5 billion over the same period. These carbon credits were waiting to be captured and shared for the public resources. We are truly honored to be tasked with the opportunity to help the state and Bharat. We will make the most of this effort.”

“We are extremely bullish with the green opportunity presented by the north-eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh. They have the requisite land and a strong political will to bring change among the locals and emerge as the flag bearers of Bharat’s green revolution. We are proud to be partners with such professional government agencies,” added Kartik Upadhyay, MD, HCPL.

Bamboo plantation and cultivation is an effective carbon sink and an integral nature-based approach to mitigating global warming. Studies have revealed that a one-hectare plantation of bamboo and its products could sequestrate 10,000 kilograms of carbon per hectare per year, making them effective green gold ventures.

Chairman of APBRDA, Tungri Effa, said, “We are proud to be the torchbearer of this exciting new project. It is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has resolved to make Bharat clean and green by 2030. The development and plantation of ‘Green Gold’ would benefit the state as it will generate large scale employment and keep the people connected to their roots.”

The yields from this joint venture would last for over 30 years, divided into three phases of 10 years each. The effort is the first among many more to come as all the northeastern states have fertility for bamboo cultivation.

This is the world’s largest bamboo cultivation

Agrotech, Finance

The Purdue Ag-Celerator funding allows NanoBio Designs to collaborate with Purdue and industry partners to commercialize the ExpresSeed platform

NanoBio Designs LLC, a company that provides grain distributors and seed suppliers with onsite, rapid genetic detection solutions, has received a $100,000 investment from the Purdue Ag-Celerator, an agriculture innovation fund.

Ryan Skaar, chief operating officer of NanoBio Designs, said new DNA testing solutions are needed because of growing regulatory oversights to label genetically modified food. The company’s ExpresSeed platform reduces genetic testing from three to five days to just minutes.

Skaar added that the Ag-Celerator funding allows NanoBio Designs to establish its laboratory presence in Indiana.

“With an established lab presence, we will be able to more effectively collaborate with Purdue University,” he said. “Collaborations with Purdue and industry partners will be key to our ability to commercialize the ExpresSeed platform.”

Ag-Celerator, created in 2015, is a $2 million innovation fund designed to provide critical startup support for Purdue University innovators who bring Purdue patented intellectual property or Purdue “know-how” technologies to market. The fund is operated by the Purdue Foundry, with assistance from the Purdue College of Agriculture, Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization and the agricultural industry.

Riley Gibb, director of business development for Purdue Foundry, said, “Farmers, growers and producers are always among the fastest adopters of new technologies. Their passion to strengthen crop and livestock production pushes agriculture startups like NanoBio Designs to deliver innovative technologies. We’re proud that Ag-Celerator investments support those technologies.”

In August 2021, Ag-Celerator eligibility was opened to startups in all agricultural fields. Previous recipients of Ag-Celerator investments are AkanoCure Pharmaceuticals Inc., Heliponix, Insignum AgTech, JUA Technologies International LLC, Karyosoft LLC, Krishi LLC, LeafSpec AgTech, Ongenia LLC, Phicrobe LLC, Progeny Drone Inc., Rogo Ag LLC, Verility Inc., VinSense LLC and ZeaVaxx.

The Purdue Ag-Celerator funding allows NanoBio Designs

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agro Universities, Biostimulants

The technology will help to reduce the excessive use of chemical fertilisers in farming

Anand Agricultural University (AAU) has signed an MoU with Amul Dairy for transfer of liquid biofertiliser technology.

The MoU was signed by the Director of Research and Dean of Postgraduate Studies Dr MK Jhala and MD of Amul Dairy Dr KB Kathiria.

The technology will help to reduce the excessive use of chemical fertilisers in farming.

The technology will help to reduce the

Biofuel industry, Finance, Schemes - Banks, Sustainable Energy

The agreement is designed to ensure that payment received by ethanol plants is utilised for servicing the finance extended by these banks

The Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) – Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) have entered into a long-term purchase agreement (LTPA) for upcoming dedicated ethanol plants across India. The first set of Tripartite-cum-Escrow Agreement (TPA) was signed among OMCs, project proponents and banks of the respective ethanol plant projects in presence of Sandeep Poundrik (IAS), Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, Government of Bihar, Ashwani Bhatia, MD State Bank of India and Sukhmal Jain, Executive Director I/C, Marketing Corporate, BPCL.

State Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and Indian Bank are three banks who are involved in this tripartite agreement with OMCs and project proponents. The agreement is designed to ensure that payment received by ethanol plants is utilised for servicing the finance extended by these banks.

As per the agreement, ethanol produced by these dedicated ethanol plants shall be sold to OMCs for blending with Petrol as per Govt of India’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Program. Payment towards the supply of ethanol shall be credited to the escrow account maintained with the financing bank to ensure servicing of the loan as per schedule. TPAs were signed with Micromax Biofuels, Bihar, Eastern India Biofuels, Bihar, Muzaffarpur Biofuels, Bihar, K P Biofuels, Madhya Pradesh and Visag Biofuels, Madhya Pradesh.

In Ethanol Supply Year 2021-22, India achieved 9.9 per cent ethanol blending, consuming 186 crore litre of ethanol, saving over Rs 9000 crores of foreign exchange. However, the government has advanced the target of achieving 20 per cent blended ethanol by 2025, which is commonly known as E20 target. The major challenge is the deficit of ethanol to achieve this target. As per E20 scenario, the country requires 1,016 crore litre of ethanol to achieve the target in 2025-26. But, there is a deficit of approx. Rs 650 crore of ethanol as per the current availability. These five projects are likely to contribute to around 23 crore litres of ethanol per annum.

Ethanol blended petrol not only gives us a cleaner environment as it produces 38 per cent lesser carbon dioxide emission, as well as, supports the rural economy with investment in rural areas and employment generation.

The agreement is designed to ensure that

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Environment, Nature, R&D, Sustainability

Discussions were held on issues related to modern agro techniques, capacity building, transfer of knowledge know-how and support in the fields of agriculture, water management, environment

A round table meeting between Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narender Singh Tomar and Agriculture & Rural Development Minister of Israel, Oded Forer was recently held in Parliament House, Jerusalem during the visit of the Indian delegation to Israel. The minister discussed various issues related to modern agro techniques, capacity building, transfer of knowledge know-how and support in the fields of agriculture, water management, environment and rural development with the Minister of Agriculture, Israel and other stakeholders, keeping in view the scope and potential of agriculture development in both the countries.

During the interaction, MASHAV’s agricultural cooperation programmes and other stakeholders’ professional training activities in India were appreciated. The Minister stated that the Indian Government has to explore the possibilities to adopt MASHAV’s activities in India focusing on capacity building and transfer of knowledge for which Centres of Excellence will be established in each state.

Discussions were held on issues related to