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Bee keeping, Biostimulants, North America

The dossier included CR-7 trial data already completed in Mexico and studies into human safety, environmental impact, and product efficacy as required to support product registration.

Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc. has announced that the Company has submitted its proprietary Clonostachys rosea CR-7 (CR-7) biological fungicide for registration in Mexico. The registration dossier was presented on April 19, 2022 at a meeting with COFEPRIS (The Federal Commission for Protection from Sanitary Risks), the Mexican health authority responsible for registration of plant protection products. The dossier included CR-7 trial data already completed in Mexico and studies into human safety, environmental impact, product efficacy and more, as required to support product registration.

This application is part of a 2022 program to submit in up to four new jurisdictions allowing the Company to significantly increase its geographic footprint and open new revenue streams.

“We’re anticipating a quicker review process as compared to chemicals in Mexico because CR-7 should be considered a low-risk product,” said Gerardo Suazo, Senior Technical Manager for Mexico at BVT. “However, registration timelines with Mexican health authorities have been experiencing delays due to pandemic-related labor shortages and the backlog of submissions making it hard to predict review timing.”

Mexico’s growers offer significant market potential for BVT’s natural precision agriculture system: official statistics indicate that the country’s production in 2019 included 41,600 acres of strawberries, 12,100 acres of blueberries and over 377,000 acres of tomatoes and peppers. In the same year, US imports of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables from Mexico amounted to US$15.6 billion.

“Mexico is a huge export market, and high-volume growers are keen to adopt low- or no-chemical solutions to fight diseases and increase crop yields,” said Ashish Malik, CEO of BVT. “The country uses US$1.3 billion worth of pesticides each year, but an increasing number of growers are turning to biologicals as an alternative that offers better quality, greater food safety and reduces the need for chemicals.”

The dossier included CR-7 trial data already

AgroPolicy, Agrotech

The workshop was held under the Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari Campaign 2022

Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, recently organised a One District One Product (ODOP)-based workshop on the processing and value addition of Walnuts in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

The event was inaugurated by Ashok Kumar Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar. The ODOP workshop was aimed to set the stage for all food-tech stakeholders to impart, discuss and acquaint the stakeholders with the new emerging trends in food processing and technological innovation in walnut processing in the Kishtwar district.

The workshop witnessed the presence of eminent industry speakers sharing their insights for micro-enterprises and farmers to pave the way for walnut-based products to scale to domestic and global levels.

The ODOP workshop under Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Hamari Campaign is a one-of-its-kind-initiative by the Ministry along with the support of distinguished industry experts to educate and guide the farmers in the Kishtwar District of Jammu and Kashmir to make informed decisions to scale up their food business in walnut processing in the present scenario.

The workshop was held under the Kisan

Sustainability, Uncategorized, World

The report reviews the rising demand for environmentally-friendly
biological crop protection products that support sustainable agriculture

Edison Investment Research, the London-based investment research and advisory company, has released Feeding the World: Biological Products for Sustainable Crop Protection, a research report that details the rising demand for alternatives to broad-spectrum conventional pesticides. The paper presents exciting advances in biological pesticide technologies—such as RNA interference-based biopesticides—and discusses the growing investment interest in environmentally friendly crop protection products that support sustainable agriculture.

The report includes the discussion of companies such as Bayer, GreenLight Biosciences, Monsanto (acquired by Bayer in 2018), Renaissance BioScience, Syngenta, and others that are working on environmentally friendly innovations in the rapid-growth area of biological crop protection and biopesticides.

“The United Nations’ second sustainable development goal is to eliminate hunger globally and improving agricultural yields through the continued application of sustainable crop protection products will be key to achieving this goal,” said Anne Margaret Crow, Director TMT/Industrials, Edison.

The report reviews the rising demand for

Inputs

The increased application flexibility on the new label will allow growers to apply Howler at any time of day and any crop stage

Howler fungicide, the first product from agricultural innovator AgBiome, has been granted EPA approval for an updated label with expanded crops, disease targets and application flexibility. This new label brings the addition of 20 new crops, new pathogens and new use patterns for both aerial and seed treatment applications and exciting news on pollinator safety.

Even more specialty crop growers will be able to unleash the power of Howler on their soil-borne and foliar diseases with Howler’s expanded label featuring key crops like hops, sugar beets, oilseed crops, and ornamentals. 

Howler’s list of targeted pathogens grows three-fold with this new label, inclusive of those listed on a FIFRA Sec 2ee label issued in 2021. The updated label adds to Howler’s expansive list of pathogens that frequently affect high-value crops, including downy and powdery mildews, rusts, and Botryosphaeria.

The increased application flexibility on the new label will allow growers to apply Howler at any time of day and any crop stage. This new label also brings the removal of a previous caution statement around application in the presence of active pollinators, officially confirming Howler as pollinator safe. 

The increased application flexibility on the new

Agrotech

The permanent injunction restrains Udragon from manufacturing, using and selling any product which contains a specific patented intermediate chemical used to make chlorantraniliprole

FMC Corporation, a leading global agricultural sciences company, announced the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang Province, China, granted FMC a permanent injunction against Hangzhou Udragon Chemical and Zhejiang Udragon Bioscience. The Court found Udragon infringed on FMC’s patent for a key intermediate chemical used in the manufacturing of chlorantraniliprole by conducting field trials, attending trade fairs and distributing samples of products manufactured using FMC’s patented intermediate.

The permanent injunction restrains Udragon from manufacturing, using and selling any product which contains a specific patented intermediate chemical used to make chlorantraniliprole, FMC’s leading insect control active ingredient.

Michael Reilly, FMC executive vice president, general counsel and secretary said, “The principles decided by the Court are also significant for future infringement actions where defendants attempt to rely on the so-called ‘Bolar exemption,’ a legal exemption in the pharmaceutical industry, to avoid infringement of valid intellectual property in the agrochemical segment.” 

FMC has invested heavily in the research, development and commercialisation of chlorantraniliprole, a proprietary, breakthrough technology designed to control a wide variety of destructive insects that can destroy a farmer’s crops and dramatically lower food production.

The company maintains an extensive patent estate for its proprietary chlorantraniliprole technology, including patents that cover active ingredient composition of matter, manufacturing processes, intermediate chemicals, formulations and other areas protected by intellectual property laws in the US, China, India, and other important agricultural markets throughout the world.

The permanent injunction restrains Udragon from manufacturing,

Acquaculture, AgroPolicy, Live Stock, Start ups

Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Minister of state for Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying emphasised the importance of adopting the advanced breeding technologies and its implementation at the ground level

Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying is organising awareness programme on entrepreneurship schemes and other beneficiary-oriented flagship programmes of the Department. It is being done through Common Service Centres network by holding 8000 village level camps across the country. The is being organised from April 25 to 28 April 2022. Each day one lakh farmers will be joining through Common Service Centres across the country. 

Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Minister of state for Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying addressed the farmers connected recently through camps and informed that realigned National Livestock Mission (NLM) and Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) schemes now have a component of breeder farm entrepreneurs and fodder entrepreneurs. One lakh farmer from Northern Eastern region states, Bihar, Odisha West Bengal participated, NLM will help in creating rural entrepreneurship and help in creating better livelihood opportunity for unemployed youth and livestock farmers in the cattle, dairy, poultry, sheep, goat, piggery, feed and fodder sector paving the way towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. 

Secretary (DoF & DAHD I/c), Jatindra Nath Swain briefed the farmers about Pradhan Mantri Mantsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Fisheries & Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF). He added that flagship schemes of Department of Fisheries can be availed by fishers and fish farmers from every corner of the country. He also mentioned that, in order to create the forward and backward linkage for the produce available at the unorganised sector and for connecting it with organised sector, these entrepreneurship schemes of the Ministry would help in development of entrepreneurship. 

Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Minister of state for

Agrotech, Finance, Start ups

The funds will be used to digitise wholesale commodity trading

Poshn, a platform for wholesale processed commodity distribution & financing has raised Rs 28.8 crore in seed funding, led by Prime Venture Partners and participation from Zephyr Peacock. Poshn provides a seamless and efficient procurement platform especially for bulk processed commodities in a highly fragmented agri supply chain market.

The startup has partnered with 100+ wholesalers across ecommerce, modern trade, general trade and has seen an aggressive adoption from across the supply chain. Poshn has reported a 20X growth in the last eight months and aims to grow at 25 per cent MoM over the next one year. The startup will use the fresh capital to aggressively grow and hire across tech and business functions.

The funds will be used to digitise

Agrotech, R&D, Sustainability

The study will experiment with varying levels of nutrient concentration and lighting in high-tech greenhouses

China-based Pinduoduo has teamed up with Wageningen University & Research (WUR) of the Netherlands to study ways to improve the quality of greenhouse-grown tomatoes.

WUR is widely regarded as one of the world’s top agricultural research institutions. The study will experiment with varying levels of nutrient concentration and lighting in high-tech greenhouses to improve the quality of fruit without compromising on the output.

To be conducted in two phases, the study first experimented with faster-growing dwarf tomatoes before validating the findings using regular greenhouse tomato cultivation. The dwarf tomatoes can be modified for cultivation in vertical farms, while the high-wire tomatoes are commonly grown in greenhouses. Bumble bees are employed to help with pollination, and the tomatoes are grown without pesticides.

The growing plan involves altering light levels that the crop is exposed to and adjusting the electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution that the crop is grown in to derive optimal combinations or ‘crop recipes’ that growers can implement. Using these optimised ‘crop recipes’ in a controlled greenhouse environment, Chinese growers can supply consumers with even better-quality tomatoes all year-round.

“Crop quality can be greatly improved through modifications of cultivation conditions under modern horticulture technologies,” said Professor Leo Marcelis, Head of Horticulture and Product Physiology Department at WUR. “We are glad to partner with Pinduoduo on this project.”
The WUR study is the latest agricultural research collaboration by Pinduoduo, which has worked with leading global research institutes to advance food and agricultural science. As a leading agricultural platform connecting 16 million farmers to over 850 million consumers, Pinduoduo has made it a strategic priority to promote agricultural modernization using technology.

“Consumers are seeking higher-quality produce that is both tastier and healthier, and advancements in plant science and technology can help meet this demand,” said Xin Yi Lim, Pinduoduo’s Executive Director of Sustainability and Agricultural Impact. “As a user-focused agricultural platform, we are supporting research at WUR that can meet the needs of our users and better the livelihoods of growers in China.”

The study will experiment with varying levels

Agro Universities, Agrotech

The machine will help in managing paddy straw management as this machine has advantages of Super Seeder and Happy Seeder technology

A memorandum of agreement on tractor operated PAU Smart Seeder was signed between Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Hoshiarpur Steels, village Dhadha, district Jalandhar, Punjab.

Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research; Dr Ashok Kumar, Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology and Director of Extension Education; and Dr Gursahib Singh Manes, Additional Director of Research (Farm Machinery and Bioenergy) congratulated Dr Rajesh Goyal, Scientist and Dr Manpreet Singh, Extension Scientist for the commercialisation of the technology .

The Head of the Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering Dr Mahesh Kumar Narang said that the machine will help in managing paddy straw management as this machine has advantages of Super Seeder and Happy Seeder technology.

As per the details provided by the concerned scientists, PAU Smart Seeder places wheat seeds in a well-tilled narrow band of soil and covers the seed rows with soil, using furrow closing rollers. The machine can be operated with a 45 to 50 hp tractor. The field capacity and fuel consumption of the machine is 0.4 ha/h and 5.5 l/acre, respectively.

Dr Usha Nara, Plant Breeder, Technology Marketing and IPR cell, PAU informed that the university have signed 289 MoAs till date with different companies/firms/individuals. She also mentioned this was the eighth MoA for this technology.

The machine will help in managing paddy

Agro Universities, Organic, Sustainability, Textile industry

Discussions were held on the great potential of jute in raising the economy of the country

The ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, Kolkata recently organised a two-day programme for mega campaign on natural and organic farming in jute-based cropping system among the farmers of major jute growing districts of West Bengal.

The Chief Guest, Dhrubajyoti De, Joint Commissioner (HQ), Barrackpore, Kolkata underlined the great potential of jute in raising the economy of the country. De stressed on considering the soil and water conservation while adopting the modern methods of farming. The role of conservation of nature, soil and water in making the agriculture profitable and sustainable was also highlighted.

Delivering the inaugural address, Dr Gouranga Kar, Director, ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore accentuated on taking the profitable farming to solve the challenges of unemployment and women empowerment into account while implementing natural and organic farming in the farmers’ fields.

The programme was aimed at promoting the knowledge of natural and organic farming in the production of the good quality organic jute fibre suitable for diversified use and export.

The workshop registered participation by 100 farmers, farm women and scientists of the ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore.

Discussions were held on the great potential

AgroPolicy

Union agri minister will connect with farmers in all implementing states

Government of India will conduct ‘Fasal Bima Pathshala’ under ‘Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Campaign’ till May 1, 2022as a Jan Bhagidari movement under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar will chair the National level special programme on ‘Fasal Bima Pathshala’ today. He will connect with farmers in all the implementing states across the country through specially organised ‘Fasal Bima Pathshala’ coordinated by CSC from 1 lakh locations across the country.

The campaign aims to make the farmers aware about key scheme aspects of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) like basic scheme provisions, importance of insuring the crops and how to avail scheme benefits etc. in the ongoing Kharif Season 2022 along with facilitating farmers in getting benefit of the PMFBY scheme.

Under this campaign, the broader focus will be on importance of PMFBY/RWBCIS (Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme) and how farmers can enrol under the scheme and avail the benefit of the scheme. The detailed information on crop loss intimations during localised calamities and post-harvest losses, tracking of farmers’ application, whom farmers can approach for grievance redressal etc. may be shared and explained in details to farmers for maximum benefit of the scheme.

On this occasion, contact details of district and block level functionaries and offices of implementing insurance companies, toll-free number, email, or any other mechanism developed by ICs like chatbot, separate App etc will be explained in elaborative manner.

The state-specific programme will continue after national programme, where state agriculture minister will interact with farmers from their respective states. One-hour Fasal Bima Pathshala will be conducted at State level in co-ordination with CSC and implementing Insurance Companies. Along with Farmers, Panchayat Raj Representatives (PRIs), members and state government field functionaries working at GP level (from different departments including agriculture, revenue, Panchayat Raj etc) will also be invited for the state specific programme. Local imminent personalities, progressive farmers, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), Village level Organizations (VOs) etc will also be invited as special invitees/guests. Dissemination kit to be distributed to participating farmers will be included basic scheme feature and FAQs.

Union agri minister will connect with farmers

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Environment, Sustainability

A bilingual compendium of success stories of natural farming, consisting of 110 success stories from 13 states across India, was released during the event

NITI Aayog, as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, recently organised a national level workshop on ‘Innovative Agriculture’ in New Delhi.

Dr Neelam Patel, Senior Adviser, Agriculture and Allied Sectors (AAS) Vertical, NITI Aayog welcomed the participants and cited the need to understand the science, fundamentals, and processes behind the practice of natural farming. She hoped that the knowledge, research experience, and expertise of the international experts attending the workshop will aid in building the capacities of the Indian scientists, researchers, and policymakers for the promotion of natural farming in the country.

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, during his address, said “Natural farming is the need of the hour and it is important to identify scientific ways so farmers can be assured direct benefits from natural farming and higher incomes.”

Addressing the workshop, Prof Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog said “We can give a chance to such alternatives because there is no serious threat to food security since we are food surplus.” He also called for stepwise adoption of natural farming. 

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parushottam Rupala pointed out that the awareness about nutritious food, good health and immunity has increased during the pandemic. In this regard, he also highlighted the role of natural farming in providing nutritious food. He stressed the importance of cattle and livestock in ensuring better nutrition. 

Addressing the workshop, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar mentioned that the Government has been encouraging agricultural practices that work in harmony with nature, reduce the cost of production, and ensure good-quality produce and profits for farmers. He also emphasised the importance of science and technology in natural farming.

Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat, shared his experience regarding how shifting to natural farming has led to a significant reduction in the cost of cultivation, improvement in soil health, and enhancement in yield. He also added that adopting natural farming will help optimise the work of farmers and benefit the environment at large, especially when it comes to the use of water. ‘There is huge scope for bringing in innovations in the agriculture sector through natural farming’, he added.

Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog mentioned that the time is ripe to encourage natural farming and share the benefits with the people at large, especially our farmers. The shared experiences of states will help build a robust roadmap to adopt innovative agricultural practices in the country. He expressed his enthusiasm to come up with a successful road map toward natural farming in India post the workshop. 

A bilingual compendium of success stories of natural farming, consisting of 110 success stories from 13 states across India, was released during the event. 

The workshop had four technical sessions: (i) a panel discussion on natural farming in states, (ii) natural farming for soil health restoration and climate change mitigation, (iii) promotion of natural farming, (iv) innovations in natural farming.

During the first technical session, Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, joined the workshop virtually and highlighted the importance and traditional aspects of cow-based natural farming which helps sequester carbon and improve soil health. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh mentioned the state’s plan to promote natural farming on both the sides of the banks of the river Narmada and 5,200 villages. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh stressed the need to enhance research on natural farming and stated the need for support from the Centre for natural agriculture in the ratio of 90:10. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke about the current status, progress and challenges in natural farming in Uttarakhand. 

In the second technical session, academicians, scientists, researchers, and dignitaries discussed the need to promote regenerative agriculture, strategies to reverse and mitigate climate change with traditional farming systems, the importance of sustainable agroecological food systems in the 21st Century, the role played by natural farming in making agriculture climate-resilient, and the need for green economics for a New India. 

In the third technical session, the need to scale up natural farming, integration of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) resources, and the role played by Cooperatives and FPOs in the promotion and scaling up of marketing networks and provision of credit support for natural farming was highlighted. Dr Rajeshwar Chandel (Executive Director, Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana, Himachal Pradesh) spoke about the Community based certification process in Natural Farming. Dr Baljit Saharan (Associate Prof. Haryana Agriculture University) said, “Improved soil biology and biodiversity play an important role in the promotion of natural farming.”

In the last technical session, innovations like pre-monsoon dry sowing, experiences in managing crop residue while practising natural farming, and mechanisation and automation for input preparations and applications in natural farming were shared.

More than 1250 participants from central ministries, state governments, industry, farmers, academic and research institutions, KVK’s and NGOs, delegates from national and international organizations in agriculture and allied sectors, and international delegates from France, Australia and Germany joined the workshop physically and virtually. 

A bilingual compendium of success stories of

AgroPolicy, Seeds

 FSII demand portable kits be made available with agricultural field officers to test cotton seed production areas and destroy crops where HtBt is found.

 Ram Kaundinya, Director General, Federation of Seed Industry for India said, “The success of Bt Cotton has raised hope for farmers in India to adopt the next technology – HtBt Cotton. Since regulatory approvals for HtBt cotton are pending, farmers in India have not been able to legally adopt it. From past three years, farmer organisations have been illegally growing it across India. In 2020, 30 lakh packets of illegal HtBt cotton were sold and in 2021, 75 lakh packets and this year it is expected to reach 90 lakh packets covering 20 per cent of the 120 lakh hectares of cotton area in India. Other than Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are the major states where illegal HtBt seeds are grown. Due to the presence of herbicide trait and the trait to control pink bollworm as claimed by the illegal operators on their packs, this illegal HTBT cotton marketed under several brand names is sold for almost 1500 rupees per packet which is much higher than the price fixed by the government. Last year the farmers have paid more than Rs 500 crores extra money to the illegal operators. This menace can be controlled only in the seed production fields. We demand portable kits be made available with agricultural field officers to test cotton seed production areas and destroy crops where HtBt is found.”

Dr Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry of India said, “Farmers are at risk with these illegal cotton seed sale as he is paying high price and there is no accountability of the quality of seed, either physical quality or trait quality of the seed. Furthermore, there is no redressal mechanism for quality complaints to the agriculture department because the operators from whom the farmers purchased the seeds are not known. Since the illegal seeds are using unknown and unapproved traits in them it can contaminate regular seed production thereby putting legitimate seed growers to heavy losses. The government is losing revenue in terms of tax collection and it is threatening the entire legal cotton seed market in the country. It is very difficult to control once it is supplied to the market. It must be contained in the production fields, ginning factories and warehouses before the supplies to the market.”

 FSII demand portable kits be made available

R&D

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial strategic partner with Bayer in their work to develop biological solutions in fields like nitrogen optimisation, carbon sequestration, and next generation crop protection

Bayer recently announced that the company is pursuing an agreement whereby Ginkgo Bioworks will acquire Bayer’s West Sacramento Biologics Research & Development (R&D) site and internal discovery and lead optimisation platform. The contemplated transaction, projected to close before the end of 2022 pending final negotiation of the agreement terms and subject to regulatory approvals, would also bring Joyn Bio’s nitrogen-fixing technologies to Bayer, successfully closing the joint venture created between Leaps by Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks in 2017.

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial strategic partner with Bayer in their work to develop biological solutions in fields like nitrogen optimisation, carbon sequestration, and next generation crop protection.

The transaction will enable Bayer to expand its leading biologicals position, strengthen its access to key enabling technology in synthetic biology, and maintain Bayer’s role as the preferred research, development, and commercial partner in the biologics segment.

“Bayer’s work in the rapidly growing biologics space is an essential part of our commitment to sustainability and providing effective climate-smart products like nitrogen fixing and optimization technologies,” said Bob Reiter, Head of R&D for Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “Our work with Ginkgo will accelerate our biologicals pipeline by leveraging Bayer’s expertise in bringing reliable and effective biological products to market against Ginkgo’s synthetic biology research engine – now enhanced by an expanded ag biologics research and development platform – and help Bayer continue to expand our biologics product range to create tailored solutions for additional crops.”

This strategic shift to an exclusively external biologics research discovery pipeline with leading partners will activate the international open innovation ecosystem and equip Bayer to better leverage its proven capability in commercialising biologicals to create category-leading products that meet the growing need for climate-smart and sustainable options that complement traditional chemistries.

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial