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AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Cold Storage, India, Supply Chain

Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare inaugurated conference as “India Cold Chain Conclave” in New Delhi

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, along with PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PHDCCI) in association with National Centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD) as a knowledge partner, organised a one-day exhibition and conference as “India Cold Chain Conclave” in New Delhi today. The conference was organised with the objective to bring together all the stakeholders on one common platform where they can contribute thoughts and ideas for the growth of industry in a sustainable manner and to explore ways of reducing post-harvest losses with relevant technologies. An exhibition was also organised concurrently to demonstrate Innovations and Excellence in Cold Chain Sector by industry leaders.

The Conclave and exhibition were inaugurated by Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. He said that Ministry of Agriculture recognises the importance of the cold chain industry in ensuring food safety, reducing food waste and increasing the shelf life of perishable products and ministry has set up an extensive outlay of policies and programmes to give strength to this sector. Technological innovation is crucial for the growth and development of the Indian Cold Chain industry. With the advent of advanced refrigeration and cooling systems, the industry is now able to store and transport goods at much lower temperatures, which helps to extend the shelf life of perishable products. This has led to an increase in the export of perishable goods from India, as the products can now reach international markets in better condition.

Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary (DA&FW) said that the Indian Cold Chain industry is expected to experience significant growth in the coming years. The increasing demand for perishable goods such as fruits, vegetables, and meat products, as well as the rise in e-commerce and online grocery sales, are driving this growth. As the demand for these goods continues to grow in India, the government recognises the need to support the development of the cold chain industry in order to ensure food security and public health.

Priya Ranjan, Joint Secretary (Horticulture) said that the Agriculture Ministry, under the dynamic leadership of Agriculture Minister, is working fast in understanding the new needs which are emerging on the cold chain front and we are progressing ahead with various programmes initiated to bring new developments in the cold chain sector.

During technical sessions, various issues relating to Logistics and cluster development to unlock Cold chain development prospects, Cold chain energy efficiency, Refrigeration technology and Importance of Internet of Things in Cold-chain etc were deliberated in detail by the delegates with the objectives to bring improvement of the development of cold-chain industry in sustainable manner.

The event was attended by other senior officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, APEDA, Bureau of Energy Efficiency etc. The conclave was also attended by over 250 participants/delegates belonging to Various Government Departments, Corporates, Technology Providers, Traders, Exporters, Researchers and other stakeholders from various parts of the country.

Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and

Agro Universities, Agrotech, India, R&D

The MOU aims at R&D for Development of few prototype drones for agriculture and surveillance purposes

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/S Assam Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (AMTRON), and M/S RC Hobbytech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (RCH), on 18th January 2023 with a motive to work together on strengthening and expanding drone-based training, research and development, manufacturing for varied sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, wildlife conservation and health care, among others.

The MoU was signed between Prof. Parameswar K. Iyer, Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati, and S. Sundar, IFS – Managing Director, AMTRON, and Biswajit Dey, Co-Founder – RC Hobbytech Solutions Pvt Ltd.

Speaking during the MoU signing event Prof. Parameswar K. Iyer, Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati, said, “The three organizations will work in tandem to actively engage in the research and development activities and the esteemed members of IIT Guwahati Drone Centre and Technology Incubation Hub will be integral parts in this endeavor for the greater good of the region.”

The scope of operations under the new collaboration will include –

Establishment of a Commercial Drone Flying School at IIT Guwahati campus

The Commercial Drone Flying School will offer commercial drone flying fresher courses and other related advisory and consultancy services such as renewing their drone flying license, secure necessary commercial drone permits and help prepare students for drone flying tests.

Along with this, the school will also connect the students with organizations that need professional drone flyers.

Professional Drone Courses

Professional courses in the field of drones that will offer a wide range of services such as Drone based survey and mapping; Geographic Information Systems courses; Coding and AI related courses, and other related courses will be a part of this objective. The classes for these courses will take place at IIT Guwahati campus.

Research and Development for initial Development of few prototype Drones for Agriculture and Surveillance purposes

IIT Guwahati along with the industry partners will work on initially developing few prototype drones with an aim of getting it certified by the Quality Council of India (QCI) which will be used in activities including Agriculture; Spraying/ Seeding and Crop health monitoring, and Vertical Take-Off and Landing fixed wing Drone for payload delivery, mapping and surveillance.The Institute will provide all the necessary machinery, software, related hardware and other utilities for the same.

Development of a Disaster Response Management System to Identify and Actuate any Disaster Response within the State of Assam

By utilizing the expertise of all stakeholders, a Disaster Response Management System will be developed to address the identify and actuate any disaster in Assam. For the same, a team of students, professionals along with ready to fly surveillance and payload delivery drones will be setup for emergency response.

For the same, IIT Guwahati will develop drones to cater to the needs of the state to contain disasters, AMTRON will provide communication support, and RCH will provide necessary technical expertise in developing the drones and associated systems.

The MOU aims at R&D for Development

Company News, Dairy, Finance, India, Start ups

The company shall use this fund for new product development, infrastructure upgrades, deeper retail penetration, and digital transformation

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) dairy brand, Sid’s Farm has raised $1 million in a bridge round from its customers and their referrals. Being a bootstrapped enterprise driven by organic growth so far, this first fund raising from its high net-worth customers and their referrals is testimony to its brand credibility, superior quality, and unparalleled customer experience. The company shall use this fund for new product development, infrastructure upgrades, deeper retail penetration, and digital transformation in order to gear up for future trajectory.

Founded in 2016 by Dr Kishore Indukuri, Sid’s Farm has now become synonymous with pure milk and clean production. As a brand promise, Sid’s Farm is trying to revolutionise the testing of milk ensuring no traces of antibiotics, hormones, or preservatives in the milk and dairy products. With a model farm, state-of-the-art laboratory, and modern production facility at Chevella near Hyderabad, Sid’s Farm ensures that more than 15,000 customers wake up healthy every day.

The revenue of India’s organised dairy industry is expected to rebound a solid 12 percent year-on-year this fiscal to Rs 1.6 lakh crore. As per a report from Statista, online sale of milk has grown to 2.1 percent of organised milk sale in India from 0.5 percent in 2017.

The company shall use this fund for

Agrotech, Company News, Europe, R&D

Oerth’s unique PROTAC® protein degradation technology is expected to be a new, game-changing generation of more sustainable crop protection products.

Bayer and the agricultural biotech company Oerth Bio announced a new collaboration seeking to develop the next generation of more sustainable crop protection products. The unique protein degradation technology used by Oerth Bio has the potential to generate products that support Bayer’s sustainability objective to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, via lower application rates and favorable safety profiles.

Oerth Bio was founded in 2019 by Bayer’s impact investment arm, Leaps by Bayer, and Arvinas (NASDAQ: ARVN), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leading the way in the development of targeted protein degradation therapeutics. Initially developed to fight human diseases like cancer and other difficult to treat diseases, Oerth’s patented PROTAC® (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera) protein degradation technology provides an innovative pathway to entirely novel crop protection and climate resilient farm solutions. Oerth Bio remains the first and only company researching agricultural PROTAC® solutions.

“The world’s farmers need dependable and sustainable solutions to crop protection challenges, and PROTAC protein degradation technologies show an increasingly promising path toward a new way to develop tailored technologies,” said Dr. Robert Reiter, Head of R&D at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “We expect protein degradation technology, already used in medicine, to be an important cornerstone for the development of new crop protection products that reduce the impact on the environment significantly. Oerth Bio’s work has proven to be promising, and we are looking forward to what the next phase of our work together will bring.”

Oerth Bio’s targeted protein degraders offer the capacity for high-precision product development, low application rates, and paths to overcome biological resistance. Oerth molecules are designed to interact with only one target protein, and safeguard off-target/beneficial organisms. These attributes combine to offer a very attractive pathway for the development of novel crop protection products that are sustainable, and highly effective. PROTAC® molecules activate a specific naturally occurring process within target species. The impact is expected to be precise and limited to interrupting the specific targeted processes in weeds, diseases or insects that impact crops negatively.

“This collaboration further emboldens our ambitions for first-in-the-world farm centric protein degrader solutions,” said John Dombrosky, Oerth Bio CEO.

Oerth’s unique PROTAC® protein degradation technology is

Agrotech, Biofuel industry, Company News, India

MNRE supports new age digital marketplace for bioenergy and encourages entrepreneurial model for FPOs and farmers

 BiofuelCircle- a digital marketplace for biomass and biofuels, is developing a digital enterprise for FPOs and farmers. Under the guidance of MNRE and GIZ, it has partnered with BAIF to set up 20 such enterprises in Maharashtra. A workshop was organized in Pune to showcase the model and demonstrate on-ground development of strengthening the biomass supply chain.

The workshop was graced by the presence of Dinesh Jagdale, Joint Secretary, MNRE, Government of India as a keynote speaker where he elaborated on the changing energy landscape in India and how the country has taken a leadership position in terms of renewable energy. 

The two-day workshop was organized at the BAIF Campus in Pune where various industry experts deliberated on the potential of clean energy using technology-based solutions.  

Elaborating further Dinesh Jagdale, Joint Secretary, MNRE, Government of India said, “A digital marketplace like BiofuelCircle can shape the future biomass market for India. It gives an opportunity to a buyer and seller to interact anonymously, discover price through market mechanism, for – delivery time, place, and commodity of their choice. It also presents an opportunity for FPOs and rural enterprises to create viable business model to supply Agri residue as a green energy alternative.”

Adding to this, Suhas Baxi, Co-founder and CEO, BiofuelCircle said, “At BiofuelCircle we aim to establish a connect between industrial and rural India. We are working towards demystifying and standardizing biomass to make it more accessible by providing value discovery for manufacturers and buyers. Challenges for the development of FPOs have been identified and we are now working towards addressing them by taking the mission forward which will contribute towards sustainability and green energy in India.”

Bharat Kakade, President and Managing Trustee, BAIF said “It is a privilege to be a part of this initiative where we are working towards shaping the bioenergy landscape by transitioning it into an enterprise with the support of MNRE and BiofuelCircle. We are working on an integrated program by leveraging technologies to give a new direction to the rural program by creating a vibrant bioeconomy.”  

MNRE supports new age digital marketplace for

Agrotech, Company News, India, Oilseeds

Each Samadhan center intends to support the planting of 2,000 hectares of oil palm and help farmers achieve a sustained productivity in mature gardens.

Godrej Agrovet’s Oil Palm business has introduced a ground-breaking initiative called Samadhan, a one stop solution centre that would provide a comprehensive package of knowledge, tools, services and solutions to oil palm farmers. ‘Samadhan’ aims to be a critical enabler in Palm Oil industry and assist oil palm farmers in optimising their yields by adopting latest agricultural techniques and boosting their productivity. With the focus to provide knowledge and access to contemporary technologies, ’Samadhan’ will enable famers to make informed decisions about venturing into oil palm cultivation thereby enabling sustained growth in their income.

Since the launch of National Mission on Edible Oil – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), in August 2021, Godrej Agrovet Ltd., a diversified agri-business company and a pioneer in the Oil Palm sector in India, had established a goal to add 60,000 hectares of additional oil palm plantations over the course of the next five years to support the long-term sustainable development of oil palm in India. The company has developed Samadhan in order to achieve this goal.

Each Samadhan center intends to support the planting of 2,000 hectares of oil palm and help farmers achieve a sustained productivity in mature gardens through the use of modern agricultural technologies and expert advice. Through this initiative, Godrej Agrovet Ltd. plans to share global best practices with the Indian oil palm farmers and help the farmers to adopt these practices across geographies. It will also help to support farmers to avail developmental finance, Government subsidies/schemes & other benefits. Speaking about the initiative Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet Limited said, “With more than thirty years of experience in the oil palm business, we have been working with and educating farmers on sustainable palm oil plantation processes. With the help of Samadhan, we hope to provide solution for industry’s expansion and prosperity. We are aiming to provide a variety of resources, services, professional guidance and latest technologies to these palm oil farmers. We have recently opened two centers each in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and by March 2023, we intend to expand it. By 2027, we plan to establish 50 more centers similar to

Each Samadhan center intends to support the

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, Finance, India

Company has posted net profit of Rs. 22.55 crores for the quarter ended December 31,2022 as against net profit of Rs. 71.05 crores for the quarter ended September 30, 2022.

Rallis India Limited has reported total income of Rs. 632.47 crores during the quarter ended December 31, 2022 as compared to Rs. 953.26 crores during the quarter ended September 30, 2022. It reported total income of Rs.633.57 crores during the quarter ended December 31, 2021.

Rallis India Limited has posted net profit of Rs. 22.55 crores for the quarter ended December 31,2022 as against net profit of Rs. 71.05 crores for the quarter ended September 30, 2022. The company posted net profit of Rs.39.55 crores for the quarter ended December 31, 2021.

For the 9-month period ended December 31, 2022, Rallis India reported total income of Rs.2452.53 crores as compared to Rs.2116.35 crores during the 9-month period ended December 31, 2021.

The company has posted net profit of Rs.161.07 crores for the 9-month period ended December 31, 2022, as against net profit of Rs.178.41 crores for the 9-month period ended December 31, 2021.

Company has posted net profit of Rs.

Agrotech, Company News, Machinery – Post-harvesting, North America

Dynamics 365 platform is a powerful foundation for the next generation dealer business system, with the ability to be configured based on customer needs.

John Deere is launching a new dealer business system using Microsoft Dynamics 365.System to provide a common technology platform for many aspects of a dealer’s business, enabling new opportunities for growth, innovation, and customer insights for dealers. Both companies will use their expertise to deliver this new and innovative technology.

The Dynamics 365 platform is a powerful foundation for the next generation dealer business system, with the ability to be configured based on customer needs. The technology aligns with John Deere’s Smart Industrial strategy and digitalisation efforts of the company and John Deere dealers.

“We are positioning dealers to align with Deere’s growing focus on technology and unlocking value for our customers,” said Siva Ganesh, vice president, John Deere Global IT. “This new, common dealer business platform will allow John Deere and our dealers to engage with each other more efficiently and gain new insights.”

John Deere’s network of independent dealers have delivered market-leading customer support for decades. Now, by pairing John Deere’s products and innovation with a more efficient and integrated technology platform the dealer network will be enabled to realise:

  • Growth through deep and actionable customer and market understanding
  • Increased operational performance through efficient processes and trusted insights
  • Enhanced system capabilities, security, scalability, and mobility
  • Exceptional and consistent customer experiences with John Deere products and services

To support these outcomes, Dynamics 365 applications will seamlessly integrate John Deere dealers’ sales, rental, aftermarket, and administrative capabilities to enable higher levels of process automation and insights for decision making.

“With Microsoft Dynamics 365, all key parts of the dealership will be connected,” said Ray Smith, Vice President, Supply Chain, Business Application and Platform, Microsoft. “Dealers will be empowered to collaborate across locations and departments. They’ll have the insights to make critical decisions, take advantage of new trends, disrupt, adapt, and reimagine what’s possible. It will also enable them to develop a more effective and efficient ecosystem to anticipate needs and take care of their customers.”

The Dynamics 365-based dealer business system is currently being developed and will have a multi-year rollout.

Dynamics 365 platform is a powerful foundation

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Company News, India, R&D

IoTechWorld will be the technical partner in setting up of Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTO) for agricultural drones with MPKV.

Leading agri-drone manufacturer IoTechWorld Avigation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (Agriculture University), Rahuri, Maharashtra to promote the use of drone to boost farm productivity in the country.

The MoU was signed by Dr P N Rasal, Dean(F/A) & Director of Instructions, on behalf of the university, while Anoop Kumar Upadhyay, Co-Founder & Director signed on the behalf of IoTechWorld Avigation.

IoTechWorld will be the technical partner in setting up of Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTO) for Agricultural Drones with MPKV, which in turn will help reduce drone pilot shortage in the country.Under this partnership, IoTechWorld Avigation and MPKV aim to work collectively in science and technology and promote the use of drones in agriculture.

Anoop Kumar Upadhyay said his company and the university will also work on joint educational and Research and Development projects to build a modern and sustainable smart agricultural system.

IoTechWorld Avigation mentioned that the tie-up with an institution like MPKV will help IoTechWorld Avigation to promote research activities promotion of drone n agriculture. Together we are going to work for the promotion of drone technology for the betterment of Indian agriculture.

IoTechWorld will be the technical partner in

AgroPolicy, India, Seeds

The seed society will promote Seed Replacement Rate (SRR) and Varity Replacement Rate (VRR) and help reduce the yield gaps and enhance productivity

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a historic decision to set up and promote a national level multi-state seed cooperative society under Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 which will act as an apex organization for production, procurement, processing, branding, labelling, packaging, storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds; strategic research & development; and to develop a system for preservation and promotion of indigenous natural seeds; through various cooperative societies across the country with support from relevant ministries especially Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and national Seed Corporation (NSC) through their schemes and agencies following the ‘Whole of the Government Approach’.

PACS to APEX: Primary to national level cooperatives societies including primary societies, district, state and national level federations and multi state cooperative societies can become its member.  All these cooperatives will have their elected representatives in the Board of the society as per its bye-laws.

The national level multi state seed cooperative society would act as an apex organization for production, procurement, processing, branding, labelling, packaging, storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds; strategic research & development; and to develop a system for preservation and promotion of indigenous natural seeds; through various cooperative societies across the country with support from relevant ministries especially Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and National Seed Corporation (NSC) through their schemes and agencies.

The proposed society will help to increase the seed replacement rate, varietal replacement rate, ensuring the role of farmers in quality seed cultivation and seed variety trials, production and distribution of certified seeds with a single brand name, by utilizing the network of all levels of cooperatives.  The availability of quality seeds will help in increasing agricultural productivity in strengthening food security and also increasing the income of the farmers. The members will benefit both by realization of better prices by production of quality seeds, higher production of crops by use of High Yielding Variety (HYV)seeds and also by dividend distributed out of the surplus generated by the society.

The seed cooperative society will involve all forms of cooperative structures and all other means to increase the SRR, VRR by ensuring the role of farmers in quality seed cultivation and seed variety trials, production and distribution of certified seeds with a single brand name.

The seed society will promote Seed Replacement

Agri Genomics, Agrotech, Company News, R&D

 The new company will facilitate trait development and next-generation plant breeding

Calyxt, Inc.  a plant-based synthetic biology company, and Cibus, a leader in precision gene editing in agriculture, announced that both companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Calyxt and Cibus will merge in an all-stock transaction. The merger will create a new industry-leading company that combines the two pioneers in agriculture-based gene editing and establishes one of the world’s most sophisticated facilities for trait development and next-generation plant breeding.

The combined company will be a leader in two key applications for gene editing in agriculture:

Productivity Traits:

 Productivity traits are a key basis of competition in the “seed and trait” business. The key focus of Cibus’ patented gene editing platform, the Rapid Trait Development System™ (RTDS®), is the development of a new class of productivity traits in seeds addressing the sustainability of farming by increasing crop yields and reducing inputs such as fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.

Renewable Low-Carbon Ingredients:

Gene editing is a key tool in the development of sustainable low-carbon ingredients that can replace fossil fuel-based ingredients and diesel fuel. This is a key pillar of the Net Carbon Zero Climate 2040 goals and the global movement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Cibus has a broad pipeline of productivity traits and collaborations with several leading seed companies. It is currently launching three important productivity traits: one in canola and two in rice with transfers to customers for commercialization beginning in the first half of 2023. In addition, Cibus and Calyxt are both working with leading consumer product companies to develop more sustainable ingredients.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Calyxt will issue shares of its common stock to Cibus shareholders in an exchange ratio such that upon completion of the merger, Calyxt shareholders will own approximately 5 per cent of the combined company, subject to adjustments permitted by the merger agreement. The Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction. Concurrent with the execution of the merger agreement, certain officers of Calyxt, all of Calyxt’s directors, and Cellectis, S.A., Calyxt’s largest shareholder, executed support agreements in favor of the merger. These support agreements provide 49.9 per cent approval from Calyxt shareholders. A majority of Cibus’ shareholders have also provided support agreements in favor of the transaction. The merger is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval of the merger by the shareholders of Calyxt.

 The new company will facilitate trait development

Agri Genomics, Animal Health, Dairy, India

Using this technology, superior males and females can be produced which shall be useful in improving the genetic progress of the breed.

Continuing with their success in the field of cloning, scientists of the ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, have achieved another milestone today by producing a male buffalo calf (Veer Gaurav) through Ovum Pick Up and In-Vitro Embryo Production (OPU-IVEP) Technology from the semen of cloned bull (Hisar Gaurav) and elite female buffalo. Using this technology, superior males and females can be produced which shall be useful in improving the genetic progress of the breed.

“OPU-IVEP has opened avenues for production and dissemination of superior male and female buffalo germplasm”, said TK Datta, Director, ICAR-CIRB.

Sajjan Singh, Head Animal Physiology and Reproduction Division, ICAR-CIRB said sexed semen technology can be combined to this technology to produce superior female offspring.

The team members comprising Jerome, RK Sharma, PS Yadav, D Kumar, Meeti, Rajesh and Rupali were instrumental for this achievement. The proficiency of NDDB experts Gorani and Layek in this attempt is appreciable. Earlier, ICAR-CIRB had produced the clone (Hisar Gaurav) of progeny tested bull (PT4354).

Using this technology, superior males and females

Agrotech, Company News, North America

This partnership with Bloomfield is aligned with Oeneo’s development strategy to build a complete and innovative offer for winegrowers.

Kubota, a world leader in the design and manufacture of agricultural tractors, is renewing its investment and strengthening its commitment to Bloomfield. The aim of this deepened relationship with Bloomfield is to ensure that each farm vehicle becomes a platform for continuous data collection to assess both the health and performance of each plant in the specialty crop sector.

One of Kubota’s global initiatives is to develop solutions that enhance productivity and food safety. In this, this investment reflects Kubota’s confidence in Bloomfield’s ability to provide plant-level insights to help growers make more informed management decisions.

“Through partnership between Kubota and Bloomfield, we believe that we can provide more precise and efficient farm operations and create new values for farmers by collaborating with some of both companies’ technology, products and services.” remarks Koji Hasegawa, Kubota Corporation, GM of Innovation Center Silicon Valley.

Oeneo’s investment is driven by how this particularly powerful technology is indeed promising for the wine industry. The investment provides Bloomfield with direct access to Oeneo’s 10,000 customers in the wine industry worldwide. Oeneo’s deep relationships with its customers will enhance Bloomfield’s ability to provide specific analysis for each wine region and grape variety.

“This partnership with Bloomfield is aligned with Oeneo’s development strategy to build a complete and innovative offer for winegrowers. It will allow us to accelerate our own initiatives, in particular in response to the impacts of climate change. In the vineyard, we want to offer our clients new indicators, enabling them to make the most relevant decisions possible, to secure the quality and quantity of the wine production. These developments will be carried out jointly with the Vivelys teams. “explains Dominique Tourneix, CEO of the Oeneo Group.

These investments by Kubota and Oeneo will reinforce Bloomfield’s commitment to partner with leading players in its strategic markets.

“Our partnerships with Kubota and Oeneo are examples of how we want to service the entire specialty crop supply chain by serving our primary customer: the grower. We believe that by providing actionable, plant-level information to growers that can be used to make more informed management decisions, then we can create greater connectivity within the supply chain and deliver more value to each partner that is responsible for managing our food system.” – says Mark DeSantis, Bloomfield Robotics, CEO.”

Additional institutional investments from The Yield Lab Asia Pacific Fund Pte. Ltd.; WGD Opportunity Fund, L.P. C/O WGD Capital, LP; Pasudeco & Co. Holdings Pte. Ltd; and M7 Ace NEO, LLC among other investors will allow the company to grow the team, deploy the technology to more customers and continue to develop the technology to serve the entire specialty crop industry.

This partnership with Bloomfield is aligned with

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, India, Inputs

BAL to become the first Indian agrochemical company to manufacture Cyhalofop-butyl, a herbicide that controls grass weed growth in rice crops

Best Agrolife Limited (BAL) has informed that it has received the registration for the indigenous manufacturing of Cyhalofop-butyl u/s 9(3) by the Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee. Cyhalofop Butyl is a post-emergence herbicide that controls grass weeds’ growth in rice crops. Vimal Alawadhi, MD, Best Agrolife Ltd (BAL), said, “India is the second largest producer of rice, and it is cultivated on about 44 million hectares in our country. However, rice grain production in India suffers a yearly loss of more than 15 million tonnes due to weeds competition, mainly grassy weeds.” 

He explained further, “A post-emergence, herbicide Cyhalofop-butyl, is used for controlling weeds in rice plantations. These herbicides stop weed growth immediately, thus minimising crop losses and facilitating high production.” 

With Cyhalofop-butyl, the organisation also announced that they had received the registration for the indigenous manufacturing of Propaquizafop Technical, another crucial post-emergence herbicide. Such indigenous manufacturing of herbicides can help rice production in India to a large extent by minimising losses. The estimated market size of Propaquizafop is Rs 350 Cr in India, and the global Cyhalofop-butyl market is set to reach $132.48 million in the coming years, as per the market research. 

Vimal Alawadhi concluded, “We received many important registrations and patents in the previous year, and the new year has begun on an excellent note as well. Our company achieved exponential growth in the last quarter, and we are scaling up our efforts and strategies to improve our performance further. A key element in this strategy is a continuously evolving product line. It helps us remain competitive and maintain our annual growth rate and EBITDA, which at present is at 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively.” 

BAL, as a company, manufactures technical grade herbicides as well as the formulation of the molecules, which in turn helps in curtailing the surge in imports primarily from China which has made Indian manufacturing non-viable to a greater extent till now. These registrations have immense potential for value addition in Indian agriculture. They also work in line with the government policy of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “Make in India” mission.
 

BAL to become the first Indian agrochemical