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Agrotech, R&D

The site will focus on capturing field data and characterising grain sorghum and corn hybrids

Corteva Agriscience announced the opening of a new seed research station in Navasota, Texas. The site will focus on capturing field data and characterising grain sorghum and corn hybrids, applying an analytics-based approach to the challenges facing farmers in South Central Texas.

By leveraging local data, Corteva’s Seed Product Development team can bring new, locally tested, high-performing genetics to market faster.
The new research station opened in February, expanding research, pre-commercial product testing, and characterisation efforts for sorghum and corn products optimised for the southern Plains and Coastal regions. Its proximity to Texas A&M University is expected to bring opportunities to collaborate with world-class sorghum experts as Corteva continues to advance agricultural research technology. In addition, the new research station will provide educational opportunities for K-12 and university students in the area.

The site will focus on capturing field

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy, Seeds, Sustainability, Water

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare inaugurates the fair

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare inaugurated the Farmers’ Fair organised by the Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh at the Santha Village of Morena District, Madhya Pradesh today. The fair was organised under the Farmer FIRST Programme Project.

The Union Minister urged the small and marginal farmers for making the Farmers’ Producers’ Organizations (FPOs) that can revolutionise the agriculture sector of the country. Tomar expressed his concerns on the major irrigation water-related problems like majority of farmers in Chambal Region use flood-irrigation resulting in low yield, quality of produce, decreasing water table and soil quality. The adaptation of the improved methods of irrigation through border strip, furrow, pressure irrigation with fertigation for improving the yield, income and water productivity was stressed in the Union Minister’s address.

Tomar accentuated on reducing the cost of production with direct seeding, bed planting, water management technologies, stopping the burning of farm residue and utilising for soil water storage and improving the soil quality and safer environment.

Prof Surapaneni Koteshwara Rao, Vice-Chancellor, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Gwalior emphasised promoting the integrated farming system, protected cultivation, vegetable production, processing and value-addition and agro-based enterprises for higher profit. Prof Rao also urged for developing the aggregation modules for the farmers on commodity and community-based group farming linked with the Farmers’ Producers’ Organizations that can help in increasing the farmers’ prosperity.

More than 1,000 farmers, rural youths, senior officials and the various dignitaries attended the fair.

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture

Agro chems – Chemicals

The state-of-the-art integrated plant will produce both, liquid as well as powder formulations

Atul Limited, one of the leading producers of sulphur black in the world, has recently completed the expansion of its sulphur black manufacturing facility from 9,800 tonnes per annum to 26,000 tonnes per annum.

The state-of-the-art integrated plant will produce both, liquid as well as powder formulations. The automated packing and stacking system with zero manual intervention will further increase production efficiency. The plant will be equipped with a zero liquid discharge facility in line with the commitment of the Company towards sustainability. The products are GOTS approved and Oeko-Tex Standard 100 compliant.

The first Sulphur Black plant of the company was commissioned in 1952 and had a production capacity of 2,500 tonnes per annum. Sulphur Black production capacity has steadily grown in the last seven decades, catering to the Textile, Paper and Leather industries.

The state-of-the-art integrated plant will produce both,

Agrotech, Finance, Schemes - Banks

Unnati – the co-branded credit card will offer cashless credit convenience to farmers

BOB Financial Solutions Limited (BFSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Baroda (BoB) and CreditAI Fintech (CAI), a Singapore and Bengaluru-based farmer digitisation and credit scoring company have launched Unnati – a co-branded credit card exclusively for farmers. The card has been launched as a contactless offering on the Visa network.

The Unnati Credit Card will empower farmers to avail agricultural inputs in time and at any time during the cultivation cycle. Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) will further help farmers understand and avail the benefits of this card. The Unnati Credit Card will work in a ‘closed-loop system’ with an ‘end-use monitoring’ feature to both enable and trace agricultural credit to its last mile.

CreditAI’s proprietary mobile app and inputs shop management system will ensure that the end-use of credit is primarily for the purchase of inputs at FPO owned input sales shops. The Unnati Credit Card is uniquely designed to allow farmers to use credit on a rotation basis so that it avoids delays in renewals. Initially, a base credit limit will be provided and over time, once the farmer’s credit profile improves with more transactions and repayments, the limit could be increased based on the farmer’s credit score and their actual cultivation needs.

CreditAI aims to positively impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of farmers, aided by the Unnati Credit Card, which will first be launched in Karnataka and later scaled across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and other states in India.

Unnati – the co-branded credit card will

Agro Universities, Foodgrains

The varieties include rice, cotton, maize, sorghum and bajra

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has developed and recommended eight new varieties of rice, cotton, maize, mash and fodder for general cultivation in Punjab. These include PR 131 and PR 130 of rice, PAU Bt 2 and PAU Bt 3 of cotton, Punjab Baby Corn 1 of maize, Mash 883 of mash, SL 45 of fodder (sorghum) and PCB 166 of fodder (bajra). The varieties were approved after thorough discussion during the State Variety Approval Committee meeting for field crops, held under the chairmanship of Dr Gurvinder Singh, Director of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Punjab. Dr AS Dhatt, Director of Research and Dr Ashok Kumar, Director of Extension Education, PAU, also attended the meeting.

PR 131 (on adhoc basis) of rice is a high yielding, medium maturing and lodging tolerant variety. PR 130 of rice is a high yielding, mid-early and lodging tolerant variety. PAU Bt 2 is a Bt cotton variety developed by the public sector with inbuilt resistance against spotted and American bollworms. PAU Bt 3 is also a Bt cotton variety developed by the public sector with inbuilt resistance against spotted and American bollworms. Punjab Baby Corn 1 of maize is a single cross hybrid that is male sterile, having medium-tall plants. Mash 883 of mash has been recommended for the whole of Punjab state. Its plants are dwarf, erect and compact with determinate growth habits. SL 45 of sorghum is a single cut late maturing variety having tall (297cm) plants with long and broad leaves. Its stem is juicy and sweet. PCB 166 of bajra is a dual purpose composite variety with more number of tillers. 

The varieties include rice, cotton, maize, sorghum

Agrotech, Pulses, Start ups, Sustainability, Trade

The fresh capital will be used to scale the traceable, sustainable, and profitable ecosystem of seed spices, oilseeds and pulses

Delhi-based agritech startup BharatRohan Airborne Innovations has raised seed funding investments in a round led by Upaya Social Ventures and Acumen Fund.

The fresh capital will be used to strengthen its foothold across Rajasthan and Gujarat and scale its traceable, sustainable, and profitable ecosystem of seed spices, oilseeds, and pulses across 2 lakh acres of area in the next 18 months. The investment will help build the capability to sell close to 7,000 metric tonne of seed spices like cumin, coriander, fenugreek, carom, and fennel to different institutional buyers.

The startup provides drone-based advisory services to nearly 6,000 farmers across 20,000 acres in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Out of which almost 20 per cent purchase agri-inputs from the company. This relationship enables the company to implement sustainable farming practices and to track every farm activity on the ground. Consequently, this ensures that the farm output meets the quality parameters of the buyers as BharatRohan also procures farm produce from the same farmers and supplies them to the major retail chains, FMCG players, masala makers and exporters based in India.

The fresh capital will be used to

Agro Universities, Sustainability, Water

The programme aims to transform the practising agricultural inputs dealers into para-extension professionals thereby, strengthening the agricultural extension system

The Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers’ Programme was inaugurated at the NTI-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Washim, Maharashtra.

The Chief Guest, SM Totawar, Project Director, ATMA, Washim, Maharashtra emphasised the severe degradation of the soil health and problems of water, air and soil pollution in the present scenario. He urged for adopting poison-free farming practices. The importance of organic carbon and ways to improve soil health and enhance crop production were also highlighted by Totawar.

Delivering the inaugural address, the Guest of Honor, RM Ambenagare, Representative, Dr PDKV, Akola Agricultural Research Station, Washim, Maharashtra highlighted the role of the input dealers in the extension services. He also stressed the need for know-how for each input dealer while providing scientific advisory services to the farmers.

SK Deshmukh, Nodal Officer, NTI-KVK, Washim, Maharashtra underlined the background, methodology course content module and suggested creating good linkages with the Block Level Officials and KVK.

The programme aims to transform the practising agricultural inputs dealers into para-extension professionals thereby, strengthening the agricultural extension system. This will enable the inputs dealers to serve the farmers better.

A total of 40 agri-input dealers and extension staff members of ATMA attended the programme.

The programme aims to transform the practising

Agrotech, Supply Chain

60 women were initiated as Community Value Chain Resource Persons from 10 FPOs of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh

Arya.Ag in partnership with Bayer Foundation India organised an initiation programme for women community Value Chain Resource Persons (CVRP). Through this programme, 60 women were initiated as Community Value Chain Resource Persons from 10 FPOs of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

The virtual event was attended by Sarita Bahl, Director, Bayer Foundation India, Chattanathan D & Prasanna Rao, Co-founders, Arya.ag and representatives of FPCs who encouraged women from the farm communities to #breakthebias, speak up and empower themselves through farm practices that can benefit their communities economically and socially.

This initiative is part of, ‘Strengthening and Nurturing FPO’s (Farmer Producer Organizations) and providing holistic solutions and is supported by #BayerFoundationIndia and implemented by Arya to support 10 farmer producer organisations and 6000 agricultural households in Araria and Katihar districts of Bihar and Khandwa and Barwani districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The project envisions support for FPCs through capacity building of local cadres and farmers, strategic business planning and piloting business operations, and enabling linkages with other market factors and financial institutions. The project also aims to leverage various government schemes to strengthen the FPCs. The programme will also skill 100 local women and 40 youth in post-harvest management and provide them with job training during the project period.

Arya.ag aims to promote the rightful place for women in agricultural value chain activities and the projects in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh supported by Bayer Foundation India is yet another opportunity for us to assure women’s important role in community-based organisations.

60 women were initiated as Community Value

Agrotech, R&D

The site will play a strategic role for collaborative efforts with its sister R&D centres around the world to innovate and leverage the leading-edge technology and digital ecosystem in India

CNH Industrial, a global leader in agriculture and construction, has officially inaugurated its new India Technology Center (ITC) in Gurugram. The strategic hub is an integral part of the company’s global R&D footprint focusing on Product Development and digital solutions.

The ITC is equipped with the latest technology and capabilities including an innovation centre, vehicle simulation and a state-of-the-art Extended Reality/Virtual Reality laboratory to support global technology-led projects. The centre has been operational since March 2021 and considering its early returns, the addition of further design development spaces for additive manufacturing, embedded software, data analytics, and User Interface & User Experience (UI/UX) with advanced simulation capabilities are foreseen. The site will play a strategic role for collaborative efforts with its sister R&D centres around the world to innovate and leverage the leading-edge technology and digital ecosystem in India, with increased efficiencies to benefit customers.

The centre will focus on developing core competencies in customer-influenced software solutions and technologies including cloud, embedded, electrification, autonomous, advanced analysis, simulation, automation and mechanical & electrical design.

Located in the Gurugram SEZ (Cyber City), the ITC employs over 100 people and is currently recruiting more through a rigorous and discerning talent search that prioritises diversity.

The site will play a strategic role

Live Stock, Packaging & Labelling, Start ups, Sustainability, Water

Selected startups to pitch at Tyson’s first Demo Day on July 11

Tyson Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tyson Foods, announced its first-ever pitch event for sustainability entrepreneurs and startups. Tyson Demo Day will be held virtually on July 11, 2022, and selected participants will be invited to demonstrate how their solutions could help create a more sustainable food system. The goal of the day is to identify and ultimately invest in breakthrough, sustainable technologies that can help Tyson Foods reach its sustainability goals.  

At Tyson Demo Day, the selected companies will virtually pitch their solutions to a group of Tyson Foods executives. Following Demo Day, selected startups will have the opportunity to engage with Tyson Foods’ senior leadership and partner with the company on breakthrough ideas to help advance sustainability across the company.

Applicants will be evaluated based on alignment with Tyson Ventures’ investment strategy, the solutions they present, and the potential those solutions have to help Tyson Foods meet its sustainability goals. Solutions that align with those goals include, but are not limited to, greenhouse gas emission reduction, reducing food waste, animal welfare, regenerative agriculture, packaging, soil health, and water management. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2022.

Selected startups to pitch at Tyson’s first

Agrotech, R&D

The key objective of the tripartite MoU signed by the Ministry of Ayush, ICAR and CSIR is to draw cognizance to the traditional agricultural practices of India

Ministry of Ayush has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for Inter-Ministerial co-operation for the promotion and facilitation of research and development, validation, and deployment of agri-technologies related to medicinal plants and their value-added products of benefit to humans, plants and animals. The MoU was signed by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General, ICAR and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and Dr Shekhar C Mande, Director General, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR in the presence of senior officials from the three organizations in New Delhi.

The key objective of the tripartite MoU signed by the Ministry of Ayush, ICAR and CSIR is to draw cognizance to the traditional agricultural practices of India, and take up joint R&D pursuits for validating and deploying these interventions for facilitating socio-economic growth in the country.

On this occasion, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush drew attention to valuable traditional knowledge in the form of Vrikshayurved, Mrigayurved, etc., stating that the cooperation will be instrumental in validating these traditional sciences and practices towards integrative agriculture for the benefit of not only humans, but also plants and animals.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General, ICAR and Secretary, DARE stated that the cooperation being signed by ICAR, Ayush and CSIR is a historical milestone towards reaffirming the mandates of the three organisations to the national goals on food & agriculture. The effort will focus on specific joint activities by the three Parties in the said areas to make a significant impact to the lives of Indians.

The key objective of the tripartite MoU

China

The new wholly owned subsidiary in Hainan province will focus on nutrition enhanced corn research, seed production and feed corn production

China based Origin Agritech Limited, an agriculture technology company, announced that the company established a new subsidiary in Hainan Island to expand the capacity of nutrition enhanced corn production. 

The new wholly owned subsidiary in Hainan province will focus on nutrition enhanced corn research, seed production and feed corn production by taking advantage of the three corn growing seasons per year on Hainan Island. Over 50,000 Mu contract growing of feed corn has been initiated for the 2022 growing season, and significant growth is expected for next growing season.

Origin Agritech nutritionally enhanced corn reduces the need for expensive additives such as soybean meal for feed stock companies. As global grain prices surge, it offers great cost savings to feed stock companies. Origin Agritech is currently in discussion with numerous feed stock companies for large orders as well as for partnerships, such as the previously announced collaboration with BaoDao Feed Limited.

“I am very proud of our scientists for having bred a corn variety that is having such a positive impact for feed stock companies and for the entire food supply chain,” said Dr Gengchen Han, Origin Agritech’s Chairman. “With our leading position in GMO and gene editing technology, we expect to market more nutrition enhanced corn hybrids in the near future and thus help to increase China’s domestic food production.”

The new wholly owned subsidiary in Hainan province will

Trade, Uncategorized

The export of products under APEDA ambit increased from $15,974 million in April-January 2020-21 to $19,709 million during the period

India’s exports of Agricultural and Processed Food products have rose by more than 23 per cent in terms of US dollars in the first ten months of the current fiscal (April-January, 2021-22) compared to the same period of the previous year.

The export of products under APEDA ambit increased from $15,974 million in April-January 2020-21 to $19,709 million during the period.

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has fixed the target for exports under APEDA basket products at $23,713 million in 2021-22.

The export of rice was the top forex earner at $7696 million during April-January 2021-22, growing 13 per cent over the corresponding period in 2020-21 when it touched $6,793 million.

The export of wheat recorded a huge surge at $1742 million during April-January 2021-22, growing 387 per cent over the corresponding period in 2020-21 when it touched $358 million, while other cereals registered a growth of 66 per cent by fetching $869 million during April-January 2021-22 over the corresponding period in 2020-21 when it touched $527 million.

The significant rise in agri-exports is seen as a testimony of the government’s commitment to increase farmers’ income through giving thrust on boosting exports of agricultural and processed food products of the country.

Dr M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA, said, “We are also promoting exports of Geographical Indication registered products along with those unique from the north-eastern and hilly states.”

ProductsExports (April-January) 2021-22 in $ millionExports (April-January) 2020-21 in $ millionGrowth (%)
Rice7696679313
Meat, Dairy & Poultry Products3408300513
Cereal Preparations and Miscellaneous Processed Items2956259914
Other Cereals86952765
Cashew38334511
Wheat1742358387
Fruits & Vegetables1207103716
Miscellaneous processed items1448131010
Total19,70915,97423
     
Agricultural and processed food products exports (April-January), 2021-22 vs 2020-21

The export of products under APEDA ambit

Agrotech, Allied Industry, Finance, Industry Reports / Analysis, Sustainability

85.7 per cent of rural respondents made income decisions only after discussing it with their families

On International Women’s Day, nurture.farm, India’s leading AgTech startup, announced the results of an internal survey conducted for women as a part of its Women In Agriculture (WiA) programme.

The WIA survey found that 90 per cent of rural respondents spend their income to fulfil familial obligations/responsibilities. The survey also saw that 85.7 per cent of rural respondents made income decisions only after discussing it with their families. In contrast, only 43 per cent of urban respondents sought family opinions while making their income-related decisions. When it came to safety and health, the survey found that 80 per cent of rural respondents do not have health/life insurance, while the number was cut in half in urban areas, with 40.5 per cent not having health/life insurance.

The survey further revealed that 43.5 per cent of rural women do not use any digital modes of payment, while 100 per cent of the urban respondents used them. Besides, 34.3 per cent of rural respondents did not have any savings plan, and 41.8 per cent have only just learned about financial planning, which they intend to explore soon. 85.3 per cent of rural women learned about finance management from it.

Around 95.7 per cent of rural respondents felt optimistic, seeing immense potential in the agriculture sector and wishing to remain invested. In addition, 80 per cent of rural women felt their opinions on family matters were sought more than before, now that they are earning and are financially independent. At 80.5 per cent, the urban counterparts seemed to be on par with them. Realising the respect and importance that they receive, 60.3 per cent of women from rural India identified these as their primary motivators to continue working.

81.7 per cent of rural working women and 78.6 per cent of urban women workers prefer flexible working hours. Apart from this, 60 per cent of women manage household chores themselves, before/after/in-between their work schedules. However, gender inclusiveness continues to be a challenge, with 64.3 per cent of rural women feeling men have better opportunities to be gainfully employed. In urban regions, 80 per cent of women felt men had better work opportunities.

85.7 per cent of rural respondents made