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Agro Universities, Biofuel industry, R&D

 The process can sustainably generate bioethanol and other green chemicals in bioreactors.

 Indian Institute of Technology Mandi researchers have identified microbial pairs that can effectively convert cellulose (a major component present in Agriculture residue and paper waste) into useful chemicals, biofuels, and carbon suitable for several industrial applications.

The details of this research have been published in the journal Bioresource Technology Reports, in a paper co-authored by Dr Shyam Kumar Masakapalli, Associate Professor, School of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Dr Swati Sharma, Assistant Professor School of Engineering and their research scholars Chandrakant Joshi, Mahesh Kumar, Jyotika Thakur from IIT Mandi, Martyn Bennett and Mr David J. Leak from University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom, and Neil MacKinnon from KIT, Germany.

Plant dry matter, also known as lignocellulose, is one of the most abundant renewable materials on Earth.  Lignocellulosic waste from agriculture, forests, and industries can be converted into valuable chemicals such as bioethanol, biodiesel, lactic acid, and fatty acids using a process called bioprocessing. Bioprocessing, however, involves multiple steps and can release undesirable chemicals, requiring multiple washing and separation steps, which increases costs.

Scientists are exploring an innovative method called Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) to convert lignocellulosic biomass into useful chemicals. This method involves combining saccharification (the conversion of the cellulose into simple sugars), and fermentation (the conversion of simple sugars into alcohol) into one step. One way to achieve this is by using a Synthetic Microbial Consortium (SynCONS).  SynCONS are a combination of different microorganisms; in this case, two types of microbes are selected, one brings about saccharification and the other, fermentation. A combination of microbes that is stable at high temperatures (thermophilic consortia) is particularly useful because fermentation is a heat-releasing process.

IIT Mandi scientists studied two SynCONS systems for a cellulose processing process that was followed by pyrolysis. Pyrolysis, a method that decomposes organic materials by heating them above 500 oC in the absence of oxygen, was integrated with microbial bioprocessing. Pyrolysis converts the unreacted raw materials and side-products formed into useful carbon. Pyrolysis also destroys the microbes after their work is done, which eliminates the need for safe disposal.

Explaining the details of the work, Dr Shyam Kumar Masakapalli, IIT Mandi, said, “We analysed multiple microbes to create SynCONS that could convert cellulose to ethanol and lactate. We developed two SynCONS – a fungal-bacterial pair and a thermophilic bacterial-bacterial pair – both of which exhibited effective cellulose degradation with total yields of 9% and 23%, respectively. After pyrolysis of the remnant biomass, we obtained a carbon material with desirable physicochemical properties.”

The researchers obtained even higher ethanol yields (33 per cent) with the thermophilic SynCONS by including another engineered fermentative partner.  The co-use of cellulose-acting enzymes (cellulases) for saccharification resulted in a 51 per cent yield of ethanol.

Dr Swati Sharma, IIT Mandi, added, “The microbial consortia designed can be adopted for bioprocessing of cellulose to valuables such as industrial enzymes like cellulase, ethanol, and lactate. Once scaled up, this process can sustainably generate bioethanol and other green chemicals in bioreactors. The carbon obtained after pyrolysis can be used in a range of applications such as water filtration and electrodes.” The method has been patented, and further scale-up of the bioprocess is ongoing.

 The process can sustainably generate bioethanol and

AgroPolicy, Allied Industry, Environment

The government is expecting new industries from the sector to be set up here and to promote the growth of the rubber industry in the state

The Kerala government is setting up a second rubber park in the Kollam district with the support of the Rubber Board and Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA).

The primary aim of the government is to develop infrastructure facilities like power, water and transportation for promoting rubber and rubber wood-based products manufacturing industrial units.

Only allow rubber-based industries and rubber-wood industries are to be permitted in this rubber park. Also, there will be no compromise on environmental aspects and only PCB (pollution control board)-classified industries are permitted. The park is located in an environmental-sensitive area, and therefore no common effluent treatment plant is constructed.

The state government has developed 19.93 acres of land and approximately 10 acres of land can be allotted for lease for thirty years for industrial use. The government is expecting new industries from the sector to be set up here and to promote the growth of the rubber industry in the state.

The first rubber park is currently in operation. It was established in 1997 at Irapuram village in Ernakulam district.

The government is expecting new industries from

Company News, Finance, India, Supply Chain, Warehousing

Till date, Kissandhan has disbursed loan of more than Rs 2700 Crores and impacted about 6 lakhs plus farmers, Agri traders, Agri Processors, etc.

In another major development, SLCM Group has announced that it has disbursed more than Rs 84.80 Crore to over 19,000 women entrepreneurs till FY22-23 through Kissandhan’s BC (Business Correspondent) Partnership Lending Programme’. The company has onboarded about 10,000 women beneficiaries in the last five months, which not only exhibits a substantial increase in the program’s reach but also indicates the growing scope for women farmers to improve their social and economic stability.

Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO of SLCM Group, said, “We strive to significantly impact the lives of small farm holders and their families. During our analysis, we observed that women’s participation in the agriculture and allied sectors is still meagre, mainly due to a lack of access to credit and empowerment to establish stability. We also noticed women lack decision-making power despite owning land in their name. Women in agriculture earn only 70 per cent of men’s wages, which strongly indicates gender inequality in this space. The launch of Kissandhan Agri Finance business unit is intended to address this pressing issue and ensure that women in our country lead a socially and financially stable life.”

Naresh Kumar, Chief Business Officer, Kissandhan, said, “Crossing the milestone of 19,000+ women loan beneficiaries is a proud moment for all of us at SLCM Group. We aim to double this number in the coming times. Kissandhan is our way of recognizing women farmers for the hard work they do for their livelihood. This underlines our commitment to empowering women through access to adequate capital.”

‘Business Correspondents (BCs)” are representatives appointed by banks/financial Institutions who act as their agents and provide financial services in remote locations where banks are not present. The average ticket size of such loans is Rs. 40,000 per borrower. Till now, Kissandhan has managed to disburse an amount of 80 Crore. to help the women beneficiaries. Till date, Kissandhan has disbursed loan of more than Rs 2700 Crores and impacted about 6 lakhs plus farmers, Agri traders, Agri Processors, etc.

Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM), India’s leading comprehensive service provider in the global post-harvest space for agricultural commodities. Kissandhan serves farmers, joint liability groups, small and medium-sized enterprises, commodity traders, processors, exporters, importers, and other Agri intermediary in India.

Till date, Kissandhan has disbursed loan of

AgroPolicy, India, Water

The two ministers exchanged perspectives on their respective regions, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific

S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister held wide-ranging discussions with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen during which new agreements were signed in the field of agriculture and water as well as on mobility.

According to a tweet by S. Jaishankar, the two sides also noted the progress in the I2U2 – India, Israel, US, UAE bloc – as well cooperation in multilateral forums.

The main pillars of the Strategic Partnership are Agriculture, Water, Defence & Security which are taking our ties forward. New agreements in water & agriculture underline the potential to do more.

Both ministers discussed cooperation in high-tech, digital & innovation, as also connectivity, mobility tourism, finance, and health. Also noted was the progress in I2U2 and cooperation in multilateral forums. The two ministers exchanged perspectives on their respective regions, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific.

The Israeli Minister in a tweet said he had held an excellent meeting with EAM Jaishankar, and the two sides are expanding cooperation in the fields of cyber, agriculture and water.

The two ministers exchanged perspectives on their

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy, India, Supply Chain

11 persons were jailed under the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies (PBM) Act

Multipronged measures are being taken by the Department of Fertilisers, Government of India for deterrence against any malpractices and to ensure quality fertilisers for the farmers, under the directions of Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers. These measures have resulted in averting the diversion and black marketing of fertilisers in the country.

Special teams of dedicated officers called Fertiliser Flying Squads (FFS) have been formed to keep a strict vigil and to check diversion, black marketing, hoarding and supply of sub-standard quality fertilisers across the country.

The Fertiliser Flying Squads have conducted over 370 surprise inspections across 15 states/UTs which included mixture units, Single Superphosphate (SSP) units and NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) units. Consequentially, 30 FIRs have been registered for diversion of urea, and 70,000 bags have been seized of suspected urea (from Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana, Rajasthan and Karnataka (excl. GSTN seizure). Of which 26199 bags have been disposed of as per FCO guidelines). The FFS has also inspected three border districts of Bihar (Araria, Purnia, W.Champaran) and 3 FIRs have been filed against urea diverting units; 10 including 3 mixture manufacturing units in border districts have been de-authorised.

112 mixture manufacturers have been deauthorised due to several discrepancies and lapses found in documentation and procedures. Sample testing has also been ramped up with 268 samples tested as of now, of which 89 (33 per cent) have been declared sub-standard and 120 (45 per cent) found with neem oil content. For the first time, 11 persons have been jailed under the Prevention of Blackmarketing and Maintenance of Supplies (PBM) Act for the diversion and black marketing of urea in the last year. Several other legal and administrative proceedings have also been exercised by states through the Essential Commodities (EC) Act and Fertiliser Control Order (FCO).

11 persons were jailed under the Prevention

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech, Company News, India

The sustainable crop protection model will be implemented in UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka and further expanding pan-India from season to season.

Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of agriculture and healthcare has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Superplum, an agri-tech start-up building a digitised farm-to-customer traceable supply chain. This collaboration aims to build and implement a sustainable crop protection model for fruit growers based in UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka and expand further to other states from season to season. Over three years, the program aims to benefit 15 thousand smallholder farmers in India by delivering definable economic benefits to all stakeholders. 

As part of the collaboration, Bayer will provide support for domestic and export compliance, implementation of a product schedule to ensure improvement in quality and productivity of the produce, helping in achieving incremental growth in the farmer’s income. Bayer will also focus on developing crop protection packages for fruit crops and training farmers in implementation of these practices. To make it easier to track the farmer’s progress, they will be provided with a passport, to record the crop management practices being realized. Superplum provides consumers full traceability through its scannable QR code and will work on incorporating the information from farmers in its own supply chain.

Superplum’s partnership with Bayer CropScience Limited will focus on guiding partner farmers toward better fruit quality and providing advisory to increase productivity of the produce. They will also ensure proper implementation of crop protection management practices as developed by Bayer. Superplum deploys science and technology to increase the shelf life of the range of fruits through a proprietary multi-faceted approach. Their unique IoT-driven Fresherator, a cold-chain transport system that carries fruit in an environment that can be remotely monitored and controlled, helps reduce wastage and increases the shelf life of the produce without the need for expensive temperature-controlled transport.

Speaking on the partnership, D Narain, President, South Asia, and Global Head of Smallholder Farming for Bayer, said, “Nutritional security along with food security is a critical national and global imperative for the growing population. To this effect, Bayer has launched a global ‘Nutrient Gap Initiative’ that aims to expand access to essential nutrients to 50 million people in underserved communities by 2030. However, we do recognize that to achieve this at scale a collaborative ecosystem is required and to further this critical agenda we are happy to partner with Superplum to create a holistic ecosystem that will help improve fruit growers’ incomes by sustainably enhancing market linkages and ensuring healthy produce for the end consumers.”

During partnership event, Shobhit Gupta, Director and CEO, Superplum said, “Our focus has been on improving consumer choices for fresh produce by providing a fully traceable and MRL tested alternative. With our modern supply chain, we provide full traceability to consumers. With our joint efforts in the field and a technology first approach we will be able to provide full transparency to consumers as well as farmers. Improved practices of post-harvest technology and digital managed supply chain will help to reduce wastages and increase income to farmers.”

The sustainable crop protection model will be

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech, Company News, India, Textile industry

PYNA brand to have a range of weed management options from seed sowing to active flowering stage.

Godrej Agrovet Limited’s (GAVL) Crop Protection Business announced the launch of PYNA, an umbrella brand for sustainable cotton production. A pioneer in establishing the concept of selective cotton herbicides in different markets, GAVL will be selling three of its cotton weed management products Hitweed, Hitweed Maxx, and Maxxcott under PYNA brand.

The cotton crops grow at a slow pace during the early stages. Additionally, due to wider spacing between the crops, weeds impact the cotton yield up to 45-50 per cent. With PYNA brands providing a broad window of weed management options from seed sowing to active flowering stage of crop stage, farmers can now get longer duration of weed-free crop. PYNA brands minimizes the crop – weed competition and helps to establish the cotton crop in the early stages, which directly has a positive impact on the yield.

GAVL also announced that it will be extending PYNA brand logo to co-marketers like Bayer CropScience, Rallis India, Dhanuka Agritech, PI Industries and Indofil Industries etc. are promoting and helping the farmers grow cotton sustainably through on PYNA brands which is a symbol of Trust and Quality.  Easy and safe to use, PYNA brand products aid farmers reduce dependency on manual and mechanical methods of weed control too.

Rajavelu N.K, CEO, Crop Protection Business, GAVL said, “Globally, India has largest area under cotton cultivation. However, with only 10 per cent of total cotton acreage area treated properly, it has not only impacted the productivity but also farmers profitability. Hence in order to enable sustainable cotton production, we are happy to bring our 3-marquee offerings under PYNA brand.”

“In order to ensure quality supply to farmers every time, we are excited to partner with co-marketers to leverage PYNA brand. The same will allow them to leverage the trust that Godrej brand has earned amongst the farmers in the last 36 years and collectively tap 90 per cent untapped cotton acreage,” he further added.

GAVL was the first company to introduce post-emergent selective cotton herbicide, Hitweed, in 2007. Enabling cotton plants to get more space, light, and air for robust growth without impacting the soil, it was developed for usage 20-25 Days After Sowing (DAS).  Witnessing the need to protect cotton crop during early post-emergent phase viz. 7-15 DAS, it launched Hitweed Maxx in 2019 which enabled farmers get superior crop safety and better efficacy. In 2023, the company launched Maxxcott – a pre-emergent herbicide to be used 0-3 DAS – which eliminates growth of major weeds in cotton, ensures good growth of cotton seedlings, and reduces further spread of major weeds.

PYNA brand to have a range of

Agro chems – Pesticides, Company News, Foodgrains, World

ContraPest as an addition to the existing integrated pest management (IPM) program

SenesTech, the rodent fertility control experts and inventors of the only EPA-registered contraceptive for male and female rats announced the deployment of ContraPest into one of the largest agricultural grain export companies in the world.

“20 per cent of the world’s stored food supply is lost to rats’ consumption and contamination, with estimates over 30 per cent when specifically referring to grain storage and transport. It is a particularly difficult pest control challenge, as there is a constant influx of new rats when the grain is loaded or delivered, and the potential use of lethal tools is limited. This is one of the pest control challenges that led the Company to develop ContraPest,” said Joel Fruendt, SenesTech’s President and CEO.

Fruendt continued, “With this customer and this initial deployment, our experts worked with the pest management professionals to develop and deploy ContraPest as an addition to the existing integrated pest management (IPM) program. If this follows the success we have seen in other customer segments, this initial deployment represents a significant account growth potential.”

ContraPest as an addition to the existing

AgroPolicy, Animal Health, Live Stock

The awareness drive sensitised over 40000 people during this one month and culminated with a panel discussion

National Science Centre and World Animal Protection collaborated to sensitise people on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) known as Superbugs causing health concerns and how higher welfare practices can help in mitigating this issue. The awareness drive sensitised over 40000 people during this one month and culminated with a panel discussion followed by a poster-making workshop in partnership with Superheroes Against Superbugs.

The panel discussion had Dr Sangeeta Sharma Prof. Dept. of Neuropsychopharmacology, Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) and Honorary President, Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs (DSPRUD), Dr Vijay Pal Singh, Veterinarian, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology; Dr Rajeshwari Sinha, Program Manager, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Ramdas Iyer, Director, National Science Centre, Delhi and Gajender K Sharma, Country Director, World Animal Protection, India.

The discussion saw active participation from over 300 students present and asking questions on the topic and pledging to be Superheroes against Superbugs.

“We need to understand our food system to understand the problem of Superbug. The intensive animal farming model is not sustainable which needs strategic interventions at all levels and the welfare of animals can’t be ignored for the betterment of animals, people and planet,” said Gajender K Sharma, Country Director, World Animal Protection, India.

The awareness drive sensitised over 40000 people

Company News, Sustainability, World

PaleoPower is a consortium of beneficial microorganisms that degrade glyphosate

Ancient Organics Bioscience announced the commercial launch of PaleoPower. PaleoPower is the only product known to organically break down glyphosate contamination in the soil.

PaleoPower is a consortium of beneficial microorganisms that degrade glyphosate. Glyphosate is the active ingredient of Roundup and other widely used glyphosate-based herbicides. In controlled studies, PaleoPower reduced glyphosate levels in the soil by over 80 per cent within 90 days of application and by over 90 per cent within 180 days of application.

Scientific studies suggest that glyphosate reduces soil productivity by adversely impacting the soil microbiome. Glyphosate has been linked to a number of human health issues, including cancer. Glyphosate has also been detected in many foods, causing increasing consumer concerns over the quality and safety of the food supply.

PaleoPower cleans the soil by breaking down glyphosate residues. It also restores a healthy microbiome, which improves soil productivity. PaleoPower is an important new tool for farmers to improve the quality and productivity of their soil and to grow healthier food.

PaleoPower is a consortium of beneficial microorganisms

Dairy, Foodgrains, Oilseeds, Pulses, Vegetables, World

FAO Food Price Index increases, amid higher international quotations for sugar, meat and rice, while prices for wheat, maize, dairy products and vegetable oils decline

The benchmark index of international food commodity prices rose in April for the first time in a year, amid increases in world quotations for sugar, meat and rice, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) reported.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities, averaged 127.2 points in April 2023, up 0.6 per cent from March.

At that level, the Index was 19.7 per cent below its level in April 2022, but still 5.2 per cent higher than in April 2021.

The FAO Sugar Price Index rose 17.6 per cent from March, reaching its highest level since October 2011, due to reduced productions expectations and outcomes in India, China, Thailand and the European Union caused by dry weather conditions as well as to a slow start of the sugarcane crop harvest in Brazil, along with higher international crude oil prices, which can increase demand for sugarcane-based ethanol.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose 1.3 per cent during the month, driven primarily by higher pig meat quotations, followed by poultry prices, which increased amid Asian import demand and production curbs spurred by animal health issues. International bovine meat prices also increased due to a decline in cattle supplies for slaughter, especially in the United States of America.

In the meantime, price indices for other major food commodity categories, with the exception of rice, continued their declining trend.

The FAO Cereal Price Index dipped 1.7 per cent from March and averaged 19.8 per cent below its April 2022 value. International wheat prices declined by 2.3 per cent, due mostly to large exportable availabilities in Australia and the Russian Federation. World maize prices fell 3.2 per cent as supplies in South America seasonally increased with ongoing harvests. On the other hand, against a backdrop of reduced harvests caused by higher input costs and adverse weather, especially outside of Asia, sales to Asian buyers sustained an increase in international rice prices.

“It is important that we continue to track very closely the evolution of prices and the reasons for increases in prices. As economies recover from significant slowdowns, demand will increase, exerting upward pressure on food prices,” said Maximo Torero, FAO Chief Economist. “At the same time, the increase in rice prices is extremely worrisome and it is essential that the Black Sea initiative is renewed to avoid any other spikes in wheat and maize,” he added.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index declined by 1.3 per cent in the month, registering its fifth consecutive monthly decline. World palm oil prices were stable, while quotations for soy, rapeseed and sunflower oils declined in step with seasonal harvest pressure from a potentially record soybean crop in Brazil.

The FAO Dairy Price Index dropped by 1.7 per cent, impacted by the persistent slack global import demand for milk powders and higher cheese export availabilities in Western Europe.

FAO Food Price Index increases, amid higher

Acquaculture, AgroPolicy, India, Sustainability

The hub will include activities like fish seed production, feed production, cage culture and fish processing among others. It would have dedicated hatcheries, feed production units

Telangana to establish the world’s largest integrated freshwater aqua hub at Mid Manair Dam in Rajanna Sircilla.

KT Rama Rao, IT and Industries Minister announced this, he said the integrated freshwater aqua hub would generate annual exports of more than Rs 1,000 crore and create employment opportunities for 4,800 people directly and 7,000 people indirectly.

The hub will include activities like fish seed production, feed production, cage culture and fish processing among others. It would have dedicated hatcheries, feed production units, fish processing plants, export-oriented logistics and testing and R&D facilities as well.

According to the Minister’s LinkedIn post, the aqua project would be developed on 300 acres, on the Mid-Manair reservoir with 150 acres of water spread area already allocated from the 1,500 acres of the total water spread area of the reservoir. It is a first-of-its-kind aqua project. With a capacity to produce approximately 1.2L Metric Tonnes of fish per annum, securing annual exports of over Rs. 1000 Crores

The Aqua Hub has already generated a capital investment of Rs. 1300 crores from four players; the US-based Fishin’ Company, Rajanna Aqua, Mulpuri Aqua and Ananda Group. Additionally, TriumphantTelangana aims at setting up similar hubs across the state.

According to the local media, in the hatchery, 5,750 lakh metric tons of seedlings would be generated per annum. Two lakh metric tons of fish feed would be produced by utilising rice, maize, groundnut, soybean and poultry waste by supporting local farmers.

The hub will include activities like fish

AgroPolicy, India, Sustainability, Vegetables

Farmers in the Srinagar district are adopting Vegetable Cultivation commercially

Implementing projects under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, especially in the vegetable sector, is expected to revolutionise Jammu and Kashmir’s vegetable sector, said Atal Dullo, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department. Atal Dulloo visited vegetable growing areas of the Srinagar district including Maloora, Takanwari and adjacent parts to take stock of the agriculture scenario.

Dullo said that the poly houses being provided to farmers by the department have created several success stories. The scenario has changed and the results of different initiatives by the department are indeed encouraging and satisfactory. Farmers in the Srinagar district are adopting Vegetable Cultivation commercially, yielding tangible outcomes with the transformation of their living standards.

Dullo also visited the farms of a few progressive farmers in the area and held interaction with them. He sought feedback from them regarding various interventions by the Agriculture department.

Farmers in the Srinagar district are adopting

Company News, People, World

Coen brings over 30 years of public accounting and corporate finance leadership experience

Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings announced the appointment of Steven P. Coen, CPA, a seasoned finance executive with more than 30 years of public accounting and corporate finance leadership experience, as Chief Accounting Officer (CAO), effective May 15, 2023. Most recently, Coen was the Corporate Vice President and Corporate Controller for Charles River Laboratories, a publicly held global contract research organization for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, governmental agencies and leading academic institutions, with approximately 20,000 employees across 150 locations in over 20 countries and annual revenues of approximately $4.0 billion. Prior to that, Coen served in accounting and finance leadership roles in the technology and medical device industries after spending more than 17 years in the audit practice at Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Marie E. Fallon, Ginkgo’s current CAO, will step down from her role effective May 15, 2023. Fallon was instrumental in preparing Ginkgo to go public and led Ginkgo through its first two annual reporting cycles. Fallon’s resignation was a personal decision to pursue other opportunities and is not the result of any disagreement with the Company. Fallon will remain with the Company through June 2, 2023, to support a smooth transition of responsibilities and will then serve as a consultant to Ginkgo for an interim period.

Coen brings over 30 years of public