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Acquaculture, AgroPolicy, India

Planning meeting that aimed to kick-start the event planning along with understanding on-ground challenges and stakeholder expectations

Department of Fisheries under the chairmanship of Parshottam Rupala, Union Minster of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAH&D), Government of India, organised the planning meeting for ‘Sagar Parikrama’ Phase III in New Delhi. The program was attended by JS (Marine Fisheries), DoF GoI, welcomed all participants and set the agenda for the meeting while Secretary, DoF GoI, summarised the last two programs and highlighted that key activities such as completion and upgradation of harbours, promotion of artificial reefs etc should be promoted amongst fishermen communities.

Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister, MoFAH&D launched the Marathi version of the “Sagar Parikrama Song”. Further, he thanked all participants for joining the meeting, share their thoughts and determine to make the program a success.

Phase III program of ‘Sagar Parikrama’ is being organized in the state of Maharashtra and a tentative plan was proposed by the state officials. The program locations and dates were deliberated upon by the officials as per weather suitability and other influencing factors. Plausible options for locations to hold rallies, site visits, house visits etc were discussed. The state officials also put forth on-ground challenges that they maybe posed with during preparation of the program for discussion and guidance by the leadership.

The meeting is a planning meeting that aimed to kick-start the event planning along with understanding on-ground challenges and stakeholder expectations. The interactions aim to resolve the issues of the fishers and other stakeholders and facilitate their economic upliftment through various fisheries schemes and programs being implemented by the Government of India such as ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana’ (PMMSY), KCC and FIDF.

Planning meeting that aimed to kick-start the

Agrotech, Company News, Finance, India, Machinery - Pre-harvesting

Newly raised funds to be utilised as growth capital in increasing dealership business presence and enhancing technology to organise supply channels. 

MeraTractor, a Pune-based start-up and a ‘Phygital’ marketplace catering to farm mechanisation products, has raised Rs 5 Cr in Pre-Series A funding, bringing total capital raised to Rs 7.25 Cr post this round.

The funding round was led by Vibhor Sahare, CEO & Co-founder of ANS Commerce and Ex-CEO & Co-founder of Gaadi.com, Real Time Angel Fund and Digital Futuristic Angels Network. The newly raised funds will be utilised in increasing dealership network presence and enhancing technology to organise supply channels.

“We liked the holistic ecosystem approach that the MeraTractor team is using to solve structural issues in the used tractor space. It’s a unique niche within the broader agri-tech space that can have a substantial impact in democratising tractor ownership” said the lead investors.

Agritech start-up, MeraTractor is trying to create an entire ecosystem to become a one-stop solution for all stakeholders engaged in the farm mechanisation sector. Despite being asset-light, the company, which is a dealer-owned and company-operated model, controls the entire transaction and creates a sustainable business proposition for farmers, dealers, financiers and new tractor OEMs. Its dealership network is based out of rural locations which are slated to eventually become its gateway for tapping into the entire rural business opportunities related to them.

Commenting on the problem that the start-up is trying to solve, Sajith Abraham Co-founder MeraTractor said “There has been significant work in crop cultivation, in ensuring better yield, farm gate solutions and a push from the government to improve farmer income. However, farm mechanisation for Indian farmers of which over 85 percent are smallholders, has been vastly missed out because of purchase capabilities. This creates challenges starting from discovery, financial facilities, and other key milestones in the process, making it difficult for an unassuming farmer. As a solution, MeraTractor is looking at bridging the gap between a smallholder farmer and access to farm mechanisation/financial products.

Highliting the opportunities that lay ahead, Monak Gohel, Co-founder MeraTractor said, the farm mechanisation sector is on the verge of massive disruption and has created an environment or innovation that will help start-ups like MeraTractor address the inefficiencies in the sector. We believe farm power is an essential input in Agriculture; hence, we are excited about the fundraise as it will help us accelerate our journey in growing the network further by tapping into massive rural business opportunities that lie ahead.

Newly raised funds to be utilised as

Agrotech, Company News, Environment, Europe, Sustainability

With the efforts of XAG’s partner, AutoSpray Systems, drone spraying and spreading on farms become legal in the UK

XAG Agricultural Drones, P40 and V40, have been granted the UK’s first-ever Operational Authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for agricultural spraying operations. With the efforts of XAG’s partner, AutoSpray Systems, drone spraying and spreading on farms become legal in the UK, which means that agriculture is about to embrace automation and AI for the net-zero goal.

Drone technology has been developed and widely used in various industries, where agriculture is one of the most promising. In the UK, the applications of drone are strictly regulated by the CAA. Drone’s takeoff weight was limited to under 25kg, and dropping materials from drones is also prohibited. Although farmers have a growing demand for intelligent production tools, agricultural drones did not ground on UK farmland.

Change comes with the release of the UK Government’s ambition statement and vision for commercial drones, after which CAA started to consider granting Operational Authorisation to heavier spray drones. XAG’s autonomous drones for agriculture can spray and spread precisely straight to the target. They not only conform to the operational safety standards, but also help farmers boost yields with less input.

According to PwC’s forecast for the future of commercial drones in the UK, by 2030, the country will have 900,000 drones in operation, which would create 650,000 new jobs, contribute £45 billion to the UK economy, save £22 billion in business and reduce carbon emissions by 2.4 million tons. The widespread use of commercial drones will benefit the UK rural economy and reduce environmental footprints.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs shows that the UK’s utilised agricultural area accounts for 71 percent of UK’s land total, which puts larger pressure on the environment. To help farmers produce in a greener, energy-smart way, the government released the Sustainable Farming Incentives. Farmers will be paid up to £40/hectare for the effective improvement of soil health and for mitigating climate change during production.

Drones deliver clear environmental benefits in agriculture. Running on batteries, the electric XAG Agricultural Drone reduces diesel use and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. It is designed for precision, with RTK centimetre-level navigation, to decrease the amount of chemicals used. Also, aerial operations protect the soil from compaction. Typical applications for drones include plant protection spraying, fertiliser spreading, broadcast sowing, and greenhouse shading.

Traditionally, UK farmers use large tractors or self-propelled sprayers. In addition to high costs, the use of heavy ground machinery is limited by the rainy climate and mountainous terrain. The alternative solution is to apply the fully autonomous drone to reach and treat previously inaccessible land with no damage.

Since cooperating with Harper Adams University in research on precision agriculture in 2018, XAG has never stopped exploring the UK drone market. The grantee of Operational Authorisation marks a significant change that agricultural drone officially set foot in the country.

With the efforts of XAG's partner, AutoSpray

AgroPolicy, India

The WSC will open new opportunities to promote international trade of Indian spices with G20 countries

With an aim to open up newer opportunities to promote international trade of Indian spices, the 14th edition of the World Spice Congress (WSC), is to be held in Mumbai from 16-18 February 2023. The theme of the WSC 2023 is VISION 2030: S-P-I-C-E-S (Sustainability, Productivity, Innovation, Collaboration, Excellence and Safety). The WSC is organized by the Spices Board with active participation of Spice Trade Associations in India like the Indian Spice & Foodstuff Exporters’ Association –Mumbai, Indian Pepper and Spice Trade Association –Kochi, Indian Chamber of Commerce-Kolkata and Federation of Indian Spice Stakeholders – Unjha, Gujarat.

D Sathiyan, Secretary, Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, stated that this edition of the WSC is special because it coincides with India’s G20 presidency. He was speaking at the curtain-raiser press conference held in Mumbai. He further said that it will provide a platform for the stakeholders to discuss the industry’s current trends after COVID-19 and chart out a way forward. The event, organised to create a platform not only for traders but also policy regulators, will have special business sessions dedicated to promoting spice trade among the G20 countries. Policy makers, regulatory authorities, spice trade associations, government officials as well as technical experts from key G20 countries will participate in the event, informed Sathiyan.

Providing details of the events planned for the Congress, Sathiyan said that, Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Anupriya Patel, Minister of the State, Ministry of Commerce and Industry have consented to grace the WSC 2023, to be held at the CIDCO International Convention Centre, Navi Mumbai. Piyush Goyal will also distribute the trophies and Awards for Excellence in Exports of Spices on 17th February 2023.

WSC 2023 Highlights:

This year’s WSC 2023, supported by the Government of India, is expected to be bigger and far more diverse compared to previous editions and will have special state pavilions and commodity pavilions. The event will provide an opportunity for the spice fraternity to meet and promote Indian brands before a bigger global audience.

The business sessions of WSC 2023 will focus on topics such as:

India – The Spice Bowl for Global Market

Perspectives on addressing Food safety & Quality Requirements for Spices (Presentation/Panel Discussion with Regulatory Authorities);

Strengthening Global Spice Trade-Country Perspective & Opportunities

Crops & Markets – Forecasts & Trends

Spice Market outlook by International Spice Trade Associations

The WSC will open new opportunities to

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agrotech, Biostimulants, Company News, North America

First commercial sales are expected to commence in the second half of 2023, after receipt of the required regulatory approvals.

Plant Health Care plc and Novozymes South Asia Pvt. Ltd. have signed an agreement for the exclusive distribution of Harpinab for use in sugar cane production in India. First commercial sales are expected to commence in the second half of 2023, after receipt of the required regulatory approvals.

This is the first product introduced into India by PHC. India is the world’s second largest producer of sugar cane with about five million hectares under cultivation. Harpinab has been used on more than 180,000 hectares of sugar cane in Brazil since the launch in 2018.

Evaluated by Novozymes in prior growing seasons in India, the application of Harpinab to sugar cane bolstered crop yield by more than 10 per cent on average. Harpinab works by triggering the plant’s own self defence systems, in a manner similar to vaccinations in humans, with crops responding with improved quality, nutrient use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress and ultimately, increased yield. Being a biological product, Harpinab has a very favourable human and environmental safety profile.

First commercial sales are expected to commence

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Trade

  Regulatory standards for Basmati rice will be enforced from 1st August 2023

For the first time in the country, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has specified the identity standards for Basmati Rice (including Brown Basmati Rice, Milled Basmati Rice, Parboiled Brown Basmati Rice and Milled Parboiled Basmati Rice) vide Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2023 notified in the Gazette of India.

The standards are aimed at establishing fair practices in the trade of Basmati rice and protect consumer interest, both domestically and globally. These standards will be enforced w.e.f 1st August 2023.

As per these standards, Basmati rice shall possess natural fragrance characteristic of basmati rice and be free from artificial colouring, polishing agents and artificial fragrances. These standards also specify various identity and quality parameters for basmati rice such as average size of grains and their elongation ratio after cooking; maximum limits of moisture, amylose content, uric acid, defective/damaged grains and incidental presence of other non-basmati rice etc.

Basmati rice is a premium variety of rice cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of the Indian sub-continent and is universally known for its long grain size, fluffy texture and unique inherent aroma and flavour. Agro-climatic conditions of the specific geographical areas where Basmati rice is grown; as well as the method of harvesting, processing and ageing of the rice contributes to the uniqueness of Basmati rice. Due to its unique quality attributes, Basmati is a widely consumed variety of rice both domestically and globally and India accounts for two thirds of its global supply.

Being a premium quality rice and fetching a price higher than the non-basmati varieties, Basmati rice is prone to various types of adulteration for economic gains which may include, among others, undeclared blending of other non-basmati varieties of rice. Therefore, in order to ensure supply of standardised genuine Basmati rice in domestic and export markets, FSSAI has notified regulatory standards for Basmati rice that have been framed through extensive consultations with the concerned government departments / agencies and other stakeholders as well.

  Regulatory standards for Basmati rice will

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, Middle East countries

The long-term agreement will begin in June of 2023 and will initially be focused on supply in North America

Israel based ICL, a leading global specialty minerals company, announced it will be the strategic specialty phosphate solutions supplier to General Mills. The long-term agreement will begin in June of 2023 and will initially be focused on supply in North America, with the potential for international expansion.

“Our focus is always on the customer and on delivering best-in-class product, quality and service. We’re pleased General Mills appreciates our efforts and is also dedicated to providing best-in-class products to their customers,” said Phil Brown, president of ICL Phosphate Specialties and managing director of North America for ICL. “We’re looking forward to working with their R&D team to find new ways to support their product development and are excited to turn to our global innovation team for support.”

“As part of our strategy to develop long-term partnerships with key suppliers, we’re excited to work with ICL and leverage their technical expertise to support our business growth plans,” said Sebastiao Pinho, global sourcing director for General Mills.

The long-term agreement will begin in June

Agro chems – Fertilizers, India

Will allow farmers to get the best crop yields while saving money and reducing harmful nitrous oxide emissions

New research by an international team of scientists, including International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) agricultural systems and climate change scientist Tek Sapkota, has identified the optimum rates of nitrogen fertiliser application for rice and wheat crops in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India.

By measuring crop yield and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes over two years, Sapkota and his colleagues reported that the optimum rate of N fertiliser for rice is between 120 and 200 kg per hectare, and between 50 and 185 kg per hectare for wheat. The results of the study have the potential to save farmer’s money and minimise dangerous greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining crop productivity.

Nitrous oxide, one of the most important greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere, is responsible for ozone depletion and global climate change, and has a global warming potential 265 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Research has shown that agricultural soils account for around 60% of global nitrous oxide emissions. These emissions are directly related to the application of nitrogen fertilisers to croplands. While these fertilisers help crop yields, studies show that only about one third of the applied nitrogen is actually used by crops. The rest is released as nitrous oxide or seeps into waterways, causing harmful algal blooms.

In India, the total consumption of nitrogen fertiliser is about 17 million tonne — expected to rise to 24 million tonne by 2030 to feed a growing population. Nitrous oxide emissions will rise along with it if farmers do not minimise their fertiliser use and manage application more efficiently. What’s more, farmers receive a higher subsidy for nitrogen fertiliser — a policy that leads farmers to apply more fertiliser than the recommended dose.

Measured methods

The study, led by Sapkota, estimated the rate of nitrogen fertiliser application with the most economically optimum yield and minimum environmental footprint. Applying more fertiliser than this would be a waste of farmer’s money and cause unnecessary harm to the environment.

Researchers measured crop yield and nitrous oxide fluxes for two wheat seasons and one rice season from 2014 to 2016.  The scientists found that nitrogen fertilisation rate clearly influenced daily and cumulative soil nitrous oxide emissions in wheat and rice for both years. Nitrous oxide emissions were higher in both wheat and rice in the nitrogen-fertilised plots than in the control plots.

Using statistical methods, the researchers were able to measure the relationship between crop productivity, nitrogen rate and emissions intensity, in both rice and wheat. This gave them the optimum rate of nitrogen fertiliser application.

This work was carried out by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and implemented as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), with support from the CGIAR Trust Fund and through bilateral funding agreements.

Will allow farmers to get the best

Agrotech, India, Supply Chain

Camel milk will now be available across the country

An MoU was signed between ICAR-National Research Centre on Camel, Bikaner and Pearl Lacto to transfer the innovative Camel Milk Powder Technology (CMP) technology. With the transfer of innovative technology of CMP, camel milk will now be available across the country.

Artabandhu Sahoo, Director, ICAR-NRCC and Mr Aman Dhill, Founder, Pearl Lacto Company signed the MoU on behalf of the respective organisations.

Sahoo exhorted that by using innovative techniques the functional properties present camel milk remains intact to a greater extent. He said ‘Camel Milk’, can be called ‘MEDICINAL-STOREHOUSE’ or SUPER-FOOD due to its therapeutic and nutraceutical properties. Sahoo stressed that the transfer of this non-thermal powder-making technology to Pearl Lacto Company, will expand access to needy consumers across the country. He also urged that camel rearers should fully adopt camel milk entrepreneurship and move forward in this direction so that the camel milk market can be converted into an organised food supply chain.

RK Sawal, Principal Scientist said that the processing methods of cow and buffalo milk cannot be directly used for processing camel milk as camel milk has different characteristics, therefore scientists of the centre are being made efforts to process camel milk by innovative methods and to make various quality products.

During this occasion, Aman Dhill said that the company is at present mainly engaged in the business of cow’s milk, the intention of the company is to bring ‘Camel Milk’ in the market so that the needy and common people can get its benefit. The company will make available the powder and its manufactured products through its parlours located in different cities across the country and through online channels, he added.

Camel milk will now be available across

Agrotech, Sustainability, World

CS-MAP is a participatory approach that integrates local knowledge and science-based researches in developing maps of climate-related risks and adaptation plans for crop production

To provide technical support on participatory climate-risk mapping and adaptation planning, the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) Initiative on Asian Mega-Deltas conducted a training workshop on Climate-Smart Mapping and Adaptation Planning (CS-MAP) for local research partners in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The workshop introduced the CS-MAP approach as the tool for conducting the mapping activities in the AMD target provinces in Cambodia, such as Kandal, Takeo, Prey Vieng, and Svay Rieng.

Developed and implemented by the Department of Crop Production of Vietnam and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia from 2016 to 2020, CS-MAP is a participatory approach that integrates local knowledge and science-based researches in developing maps of climate-related risks and adaptation plans for crop production, suitable to location-specific conditions. It has been effectively implemented in five ecological regions of Vietnam, including the Mekong River Delta region, in order to help farmers mitigate climate-related risks, such as flooding, drought and salinity intrusion.

Bui Tan Yen, Senior Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) – Vietnam, emphasised that “CS-MAP is the methodology and not the maps”. He shared that CS-MAP takes into consideration the local specific conditions and the conflicts in natural resources management, and support climate-smart management of food production.

Yen also explained the scientific basis of implementing CS-MAP in Cambodia’s context. He presented the historical statistics of climate-related risks in Cambodia and current gaps in risk management in agriculture. He also demonstrated how multiple layers including spatial risk data, land cover, main food products and other spatial data are combined to produce the base-map for the participatory CS-MAP process.

To give a better context of the local food systems and vulnerability risk in the targeted provinces in preparation for CS-MAP activities, Trang Vu, Associate Scientist at IRRI Vietnam, presented the findings of the AMD team’s field visits to Kandal and Takeo provinces in October 2022. She reported on the key agricultural products (i.e., rice, vegetables, fish, and poultry) and main climate-related risks that had strong effect on agricultural production (i.e., drought, flood), as well as the current system for disaster warning and response in these areas.

Trang also discussed the four supporting tools for participatory discussion and mapping, such as focus group discussion, key informant interview, climate risk listing, and pairwise ranking. These are the tools to be used in conducting the participatory mapping process.

Using hands-on approach, Yen introduced each of the steps in the CS-MAP process, including the objectives, outputs, methods, required materials and equipment, and specific activities for each step. The participants were divided into two groups to practice developing risk map and adaptation plans for Kandal Stueng district and S’ang district of Kandal province. They were also given the opportunities to lead the facilitation, especially the participants from Department of Agricultural Land Resources Management (DALRM) – General Directorate of Agriculture, WorldFish Cambodia, and IRRI Cambodia, as they will lead the CS-MAP process in the four AMD target provinces

In her closing remarks, Rica Joy Flor, Innovation Systems Scientist at IRRI Cambodia, said that the workshop is a great start for the participants to make a solid contribution to the AMD initiative. She stressed that “now we have the tools and the capacity in us to bring this down (the CS-MAP process) to the level of our partners in the provinces.” She encouraged all the participants to work on this together to deliver results that can be shared at the national level and can influence the production systems at the farmers’ level.

CS-MAP is a participatory approach that integrates

Company News, India, Supply Chain, Warehousing

It’s essential that an integrated holistic view of the agriculture value chain is taken towards providing the necessary fillip to the agricultural growth: Saket Dalmia, President, (PHDCCI)

In the run-up to the upcoming Union Budget, many industry stalwarts, stakeholders and experts have expressed their views on what can make or break the agri sector growth. Recently, Saket Dalmia, President, (PHDCCI) shared his views.

The major highlights include:

1) Reforms in rural infrastructure logistics and cold chain are required as it would help in increasing the level of food processing industry and rural entrepreneurship. These would lead to increased participation in the global agriculture and food exports. Exports of agri and food processing products should be increased to the level of $ 100 billion in next three years from the current level of around $ 50 billion (2021-22).

2) The increase in public investments in agricultural infrastructure would attract private investments in cold storage, warehousing and supply chain of agriculture produce in order to reduce food wastage and get them to urban citizens at moderate rates. It shall also raise the returns to agriculturists.

3) Strengthen access to credit for long term loans to enhance growth and productivity in the sector and to enhance farm incomes.

4) Adoption of direct transfer of subsidies on electricity, fertilisers, etc. to the beneficiaries to ensure better delivery of subsidies to the end-users.

5) Minimise the wastage from the current level of more than 30 per cent to less than 10 per cent in next five years by augmenting storage capacities, modernising/ upgrading the godowns.

Need for holistic view

It is essential that an integrated holistic view of the agriculture value chain is taken towards providing the necessary fillip to the agricultural growth. This requires a joint participatory approach from all concerned stakeholders including the farmers, input vendors, traders, processors and the government. The Union Budget can be very effective in laying down a comprehensive policy framework and providing a tremendous thrust through appropriate fiscal benefits and closely monitor the action plans.

It's essential that an integrated holistic view

Acts & Schemes – Centre, India

Centre will soon initiate prompt steps to give proper benefits to the farmers on the issue of small claims after discussing with the State Governments and insurance companies

Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the Centre has decided to make full payment of the pending claims of Kharif 2021 to the farmers of Barmer. At the initiative of the Government of India, the Agriculture Insurance Company last week said it had settled partial claims amounting to Rs 311 crore. Following a review meeting held today, the insurance company will pay additional claim amount of Rs 229 crore to the farmers. Claim payment of a total of Rs 540 crore to the eligible farmers of Barmer will be expedited. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Kailash Choudhary, senior officials of the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture, Chairman and Managing Director of Agriculture Insurance Company and Agriculture Commissioner of Rajasthan were present in the meeting.

Addressing the review meeting, the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has provided better financial security cover to crores of farmers in case of crop loss. By taking decisions in the interest of the farmers, the Government of India is trying to make it easier for the farmers so that they do not face any problem while taking crop insurance. Under the Crop Insurance Scheme, the Central Government will soon initiate prompt steps to give proper benefits to the farmers on the issue of small claims after discussing with the State Governments and insurance companies.

During the meeting there was comprehensive discussion on the ease of crop insurance scheme and the proposed solutions for small claims, in which it was also decided to make consolidated payment for all eligible applications while paying claims to farmers in future.


Centre will soon initiate prompt steps to

North America

The campaign conveys why California walnuts are a smart choice due the ideal climate, fertile soil, among others

California Walnut Commission (CWC) which represents the walnut growers and handlers of California, continues its commitment to educating consumers about the benefits of walnuts and why to include them in the daily diet. Through its new campaign titled ‘Think Walnuts, Think California’.

The campaign conveys why California walnuts are a smart choice; the ideal climate, fertile soils and the farmers dedication to providing high quality walnuts for all to enjoy. California walnuts are grown, harvested, and processed under standards and regulations that are mandated by federal and state authorities. In addition, California walnut growers and processors support research and innovation in water quality and conservation; soil health; energy use; and air quality constantly seeking out and incorporating new methods of growing and handling walnuts that minimise waste, enhance productivity, and preserve and protect natural resources. 

Commenting on the campaign launch, Pamela Graviet, Senior Marketing Director, International, California Walnut Commission and Board, said, “The Indian market has a love for high quality foods and great flavours. Nutrient-rich walnuts should be a top addition and this campaign is our humble attempt to generate awareness about walnuts grown in California and our multi-generational family farms that strive to provide this healthy, delicious food.”

She further added, “Mildly sweet and beautifully nutty, California walnuts boasts the potential to enhance any meal-whether you’re munching on these as a smart snack, adding to your curries, salads, and desserts or blending to create smoothies, a nut butter, or more. Just a handful (28g) provides 2.5g plant-based omega-3 ALA, 4g protein, 2g fiber, and 45mg of magnesium – that brings us to another highlight of California walnuts-scientific research has shown they are good for heart, brain, and gut health. Nutrition, versatility, high quality and exceptional flavour-California walnuts provide all that and more. So, when you Think Walnuts, Think California.”

The new campaign will be featured through advertising, on-ground activities, retail promotions and across social media platforms wherein the who’s who of online space-from celebrities, F&B influencers, and health experts will spread the message on why California should be top of mind when thinking about walnuts. 

California walnuts are available at all grocery stores and e-commerce sites. When buying walnuts, look for the California Walnuts logo mark, “California” or “Californian” on the package or produce of USA to ensure that you are buying genuine high-quality California walnuts.

The campaign conveys why California walnuts are

Agrotech, Company News

To offer easily accessible, mobile agriculture insurance products to thousands of smaller farmers

Under a strategic partnership, Lexasure’s digital insurance offering for farmers, Flourish, will be integrated with the AgriON app, providing easy access to purchase and manage agricultural insurance to provide farmers with greater resiliency against adverse events. The launch of Flourish with the AgriON app is planned for the first quarter of 2023.

AgriON promotes financial inclusion for Indonesia’s farmers through a mobile fintech platform that includes a digital bank account, digital loans for seeds, fertiliser, and farming tools, automated payments, and tools to benchmark yield, sales, and productivity. Currently, more than 4,000 farmers are registered with the AgriON platform in Indonesia, which is expected to grow to 20,000 by the end of 2023.

“AgriON is doing groundbreaking work by bringing a suite of digital banking and management tools to smaller farmers across Indonesia, a sector that has historically been unbanked or underbanked without access to credit or high-quality inputs to drive productivity,” said Ian Lim, Founder & CEO of Lexasure Financial Group.

“For this reason, they make an ideal channel partner for Lexasure’s Flourish digital insurance offering for farmers, enabling producers to achieve resiliency and have a solid foundation for productivity growth and investment. Our shared goal is to leverage digital tools to create scalable, cost-effective fintech products that are adapted to the needs of customers in Southeast Asia and promote food security for the region.”

Insurance products that will be available on the platform will include crop insurance, livestock & bloodstock (Equine Insurance), and agriculture machinery and equipment insurance, provided through licensed insurers in Indonesia. 

In addition to financial solutions, AgriON enables the traceability and sustainability of farmers’ products using digital technology, thereby empowering farmers to maximise the yield and value of their products when using sustainable farming practices.

“Digital insurers are now fully aware that the digital transformation of the insurance industry is well underway,” Lim added. “We will continue to pursue innovative partnerships to help our clients digitise the entire insurance value chain and reach underserved populations across the region.”

To offer easily accessible, mobile agriculture insurance