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Company News, Dairy, E-commerce, India, Live Stock, Poultry, Start ups, Supply Chain

Hybrid Ecomm platform designed for B2B, B2C and C2C in the 360-degree offerings

Animpet Ecomm launched India’s first Hybrid E-Marketplace Animstok.com after successful trial runs mounting over 25k vendors offering 150k products and services.

Vendors number will be scaled up to one million offering 10 million products, Karishma Dagar, AnimStok.com Cofounder and Chief Marketing Officer said in a statement adding that the platform is an attempt to give an organised marketplace, which hitherto is largely physical and unorganised, offering B2B, B2C and C2C services on a single platform.

For this purpose, the company has set a target of creating a 12,000-strong workforce, the bulk of which would be for marketing and technology during the very first-year operations, while the platform would have 15 verticals ranging from livestock trading, dairy and products, poultry, meat and products, animal feed, nutrients, medicines and veterinary services, she said adding that “Animpet has been accorded a startup certificate under the Animal husbandry and industry head by the Union Commerce Ministry.

“India is the global leader in milk production, number two in fisheries, number three in egg production, number four in buffalo meat exports etc. Yet the irony is the entire animal economy is heavily segmented and largely unorganized. This caught our imagination and over four years of subject research along with technology deployment for the purpose has resulted in AnimStok.com,” she said.

Bhasker Pathak, company promoter and CEO and Ashish Gupta, co-founder had earlier created a website for betting in races and other sports, mounting about 130 global entities and the same is now operational from the UK as part of a stable of a media, and this success led the cofounders to create the company for online trading through deployment of technology in the most transparent manner.

Logistics and payment gateway for ease of trade and transactions have been arranged for the purpose, Dagar said adding that for the purpose of expansion, the company has already started tapping potential investors both in India and Overseas who have generally welcomed the concept and soon presentations will be made for them.

“Our goal is to bring a moderate one per cent of the $400 billion estimated at the last count on our platform in the very first year and for this purpose, we will have representatives in every region and districts in the country. In the initial phase, AnimStok.com will also be operational Gulf region and a few leads, essentially for animal feed, were generated from buyers in UAE who could tap suppliers through the platform,” she said.

Animal trade and meat are sensitive subjects in a number of places including India, and the Ecomm platform will be customised in line with rules and regulations in each of the countries, she said adding that for the purpose of ease of trading, products and services would be put in 2000 categories, each detailing number of vendors, products, and prices.

AnimStok.com is an “open for all” platform where anybody, from an established brand to a local vendor, can register and sell their services and products with the advantage of a zero joining fee and the company will follow the established good trade practices in the Ecomm sector, Dagar said adding that one of the prominent features of Animstok.com will be relating to the listing of available manpower and opportunities in the sector akin to employment exchanges.

Hybrid Ecomm platform designed for B2B, B2C

Agrotech, Biostimulants, Company News, India

This platform covers more topics, including best best-practice approaches for biostimulants, bio fertilisers and organic agriculture

The Bionema Group Ltd has launched a new digital biocontrol Training platform, to help end-users maximise the potential of their highly effective biological-based products, which protect and naturally enhance crops.

Biological agriculture is a fast-growing sector, offering safe and sustainable alternatives to conventional agrochemicals. Unfortunately, when many biocontrol products were first launched, end-users did not appreciate that these technologies might include living organisms and little consideration was given to environmental or other factors that can impact performance.  Educating end-users is a vital part of the biocontrol sector’s success. However, the recent global pandemic, time and cost pressures, and the sheer number of farmers, growers, horticulturalists and other end-users mean that individual training can be difficult to deliver. Digital e-Training offers one solution, allowing end-users to learn at their own pace and in their own time, giving them the flexibility to use the courses around their commitments.

Biocontrols are essentially living organisms, such as nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and beneficial insects. It is important to understand how best to use them. The way they are stored, handled and applied is very important. Without proper care, they may not perform as well as they should.

Dr Minshad Ansari, Founder and CEO of Bionema Group Ltd, explained “Biological technologies can be even more effective than conventional chemicals, I am constantly meeting end-users who don’t see those benefits. That is until they get a bit of help in understanding how to best use these products. We developed and launched our first classroom training in 2017 to help our customers, and I am now very pleased to offer a digital training platform which does not require to attend in person”   

Dr Ansari also said, “We are very excited about launching this digital Training platform. The first three courses have already been road-tested at Bionema, with some overwhelmingly positive feedback, so we know that they can be of great help to end-users. As we can grow this platform to cover more topics, including best best-practice approaches for biostimulants, bio fertilisers and organic agriculture, for example, we hope to provide a great one-stop resource for end-users, which will directly advance the acceptability and growth of the biocontrol sector.”

This platform covers more topics, including best

AgroPolicy, India, Oilseeds, Supply Chain, Trade

The leading Edible Oil Associations were advised to take up the issue with their members immediately and ensure that the MRP of each oil is reduced in line with the decline in the international prices of edible oils with immediate effect

The decline in the price of Edible Oil should be passed on to consumers expeditiously, said, Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary DFPD during a meeting with the leading industry representatives.

The international prices of imported edible oils are on a downward trend which gives a positive scenario in the edible oil sector in India. Representatives from the Solvent Extraction Association of India (SEAI) and the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers’ Association (IVPA) were present to discuss a further reduction in the retail prices of cooking oils amidst a fall in global prices.

The industry informed that the global prices of different edible oils have fallen by $ 200-250 per tonne in the last two months, but it takes time to reflect in the retail markets and the retail prices are expected to come down shortly.

The leading Edible Oil Associations were advised to take up the issue with their members immediately and ensure that the MRP of each oil is reduced in line with the decline in the international prices of edible oils with immediate effect. Price to distributors (PTD) by the manufacturers and refiners also needs to be reduced with immediate effect so that the price decline is not diluted in any way.

It was also impressed upon that whenever a reduction in price to distributors is made by the manufacturers/refiners, the benefit should be passed on to the consumers by the industry and this Department may be kept informed on a regular basis. Some companies which have not reduced their prices and whose MRP is higher than other brands have also been advised to reduce their prices.

Other issues like price data collection and packaging of edible oils were also discussed in this meeting.

Earlier also, in pursuance of the Department’s meetings with leading edible oil associations, the MRP of edible oils such as Sunflower Oil, Soyabean Oil and Mustard Oil were reduced by the industry. The reduction in oil prices came in the wake of the reduction of international prices and reduced import duty on edible oils making them cheaper.  The industry was advised to ensure that the complete benefit of the reduced duty is passed on to the consumers.

With the edible oil prices beginning to show a downward trend and set to witness further reductions to be made by the edible oil industry, Indian consumers can expect to pay less for their edible oils. The falling edible oil prices will help in cooling inflation as well.

The leading Edible Oil Associations were advised

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Company News, India, Supply Chain, Trade

SABIC Agri-Nutrients is the first company to introduce Low Carbon Ammonia to the Indian fertiliser sector

Saudi Arabia’s SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company (SABIC AN), has sent 5,000 metric tons of the first commercial shipment of low carbon Ammonia to Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO).

The shipment dispatched from Jubail, Saudi Arabia, makes SABIC Agri-Nutrients the first company to introduce Low Carbon Ammonia to the Indian fertiliser sector. IFFCO, which will receive the shipment, becomes the first Indian company to use low-carbon Ammonia for fertiliser production in line with India’s vision to be net zero by 2070.

“SABIC Agri-Nutrients made a public commitment not only to become carbon neutral by 2050 but also to collaborate with customers in helping them achieve their net-zero emission targets. With low-carbon ammonia, customers in India can move toward realising their carbon-neutrality commitments. SABIC’s shipment to India is a significant milestone and an example of our commitment to developing low-carbon solutions for the world,” said Abdulrahman Shamsaddin, CEO, of SABIC AN.

In 2020, SABIC joined Aramco and the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) to ship low-carbon Ammonia to Japan.

In 2022, SABIC AN and Aramco obtained the world’s first independent certification of Low-Carbon ammonia and clean hydrogen production from TÜV Rheinland, a leading independent testing, inspection and certification agency based in Germany.

In addition, SABIC AN and Aramco sent the world’s first commercial shipment of 25 thousand metric tons of independently certified Low Carbon Ammonia to South Korea last December.

SABIC Agri-Nutrients is the first company to

Agrotech, Company News, Supply Chain, Vegetables, Warehousing, World

Cellar Insights is a Canadian AgTech startup built around a sophisticated suite of sensors and cloud-based algorithms that remotely monitor potato health in long-term storage

Carrot Ventures has announced the launch of Cellar Insights. It is the second company emerging from Carrot’s AgTech company formation model.  

“We’re extremely pleased to be launching Cellar Insights,” says Martin Vetter, a venture partner with Carrot. “Reducing food loss and optimising the quality of crops post-harvest is an issue of worldwide importance. Potatoes are the world’s third most important food crop, produced in over 100 countries. It is an essential and nutritious food staple, which has led to soaring cultivation rates in India and China. In North America, production value exceeds $4 billion annually, with retail sales approaching $14 billion. Unfortunately, potatoes and other root crops – such as carrots and onions – experience significant losses during storage. Effective storage management practices are vital, and we believe Cellar Insights offers a compelling solution.”

Cellar Insights is a Canadian AgTech startup built around a sophisticated suite of sensors and cloud-based algorithms that remotely monitor potato health in long-term storage. The solution includes predictive models and offers management insights to optimise returns.   

Millions of potatoes get stored for up to 11 months in massive climate-controlled facilities. During such long storage periods, farmers face an escalating risk of loss due to shrinkage, reductions in quality, disease, sprouting or spoilage.

Potato storage practices vary widely in levels of sophistication globally, and losses can be as high as 10 to 25 per cent. Cellar Insights aims to offer farmers a reliable tool for remotely monitoring and managing the health and value of their stored root crops.

Recruiting the right person to lead the venture is core to the Carrot Ventures model. For Cellar Insights, that person is Terry Sydoryk, who has assumed the role of Founder and CEO.

Terry shared that, “Leading Cellar Insights is an exciting opportunity for me.  Starting out with a vetted technology, a global market opportunity and a committed lead investor is very compelling. The Carrot investment model and their involvement will accelerate our path to market considerably.”

Cellar Insights is a Canadian AgTech startup

Company News, Foodgrains, India, Sustainability

UPL will supply technical expertise and selected agriculture inputs, while the Republic of Guyana will provide a suitable land parcel of 200 acres

UPL, a leading provider of Sustainable Agriculture Solutions, announced a collaboration with the Republic of Guyana to establish a 200-acre ‘Millets Model Farm’.  Jai Shroff, Group CEO of UPL group and Zulfikar Mustafa, Agriculture Minister of the Republic of Guyana, signed an MOU in Georgetown, Guyana with an aim to assess the adaptation of various millet varieties for growing and consuming in Guyana.  The signing of the MoU coincided with the visit of an Indian delegation to Guyana led by S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India.

In this partnership, UPL will supply technical expertise and selected agriculture inputs, while the Republic of Guyana will provide a suitable land parcel of 200 acres in Guyana and local farm operations will be done by the Republic of Guyana. 

Millets, also known as super food, are climate-smart, sustainable, rich in heritage, and highly nutritious food resources. In comparison with rice, millet production requires half of the water per acre as compared with rice, making it a water conservation crop that can also withstand other climatic conditions like droughts, floods, heat stress, erratic rainfalls, etc., than other crops, saving food loss, enhancing small farmers resilience.  

Sagar Kaushik, President, Global Corporate & Industry Affairs from UPL, said, “We are delighted to partner with the Republic of Guyana as the first country in Latin America to explore millet cultivation potential in Guyana, which will also benefit Small Holding Farmers.”

Explaining the initiatives further, Kaushik Said, said, “UPL is paving the path for millet cultivation and making important strides toward its vision of a food-secure world through this collaboration. This is a win-win situation for both Guyana and UPL. UPL’s expertise and technical know-how will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of this initiative, which can provide a sustainable livelihood to smallholding farmers globally.”

UPL will supply technical expertise and selected

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Company News, Environment, Foodgrains, R&D, World

Tidal Grow Integra Technology is positioned to scale and significantly impact the $100 billion crop protection and fertiliser markets

Tidal Grow AgriScience announced its official launch with an exciting portfolio of solutions, and a powerful pipeline to build more. By leveraging novel technologies, their offerings deliver new levels of effectiveness in plant nutrition and crop protection, providing impressive ROI for growers.

“Our core goal is to help farmers and growers maximize profits, increase yields, and protect their valuable production resources, all while reducing their environmental footprint,” said Kevin Hammill, CEO of Tidal Grow AgriScience. “What sets us apart is our respect for and understanding of growers in every part of the crop production ecosystem. We meet them exactly where they are, integrating seamlessly into their existing production practices, resulting in improved performance and less traditional crop inputs. We are excited to bring our products to the market and be a catalyst for a healthier population and planet.”

Tidal Grow Integra Technology is positioned to scale and significantly impact the $100 billion crop protection and fertiliser markets. With this technology, they engineer how fertiliser, such as nitrogen, and crop protection products are delivered to the crop or target pathogen. This technology works by maximising the potential of one of the earth’s most powerful biomolecules and deploying it to target growers’ greatest challenges. This integration of biology and chemistry fundamentally changes the future of agriculture by making cropping inputs more effective. The first fertiliser built on this technology, alignN, delivers nitrogen to the crop more effectively. The result is a higher yield per unit of fertiliser and a lower carbon footprint for the industry. Construction on a commercial production facility for alignN will begin this year while significant field trials are being conducted across the USA.  

Tidal Grow Integra Technology is positioned to

Foodgrains, Industry Reports / Analysis, Sustainability, World

Economic shocks grew as driver of food crises; war in Ukraine contributed to acute food and nutrition insecurity

The number of people experiencing acute food insecurity and requiring urgent food, nutrition and livelihood assistance increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2022, with over a quarter of a billion facing acute hunger and people in seven countries on the brink of starvation, according to the latest Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC).

The annual report, produced by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), was launched by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) – an international alliance of the United Nations, the European Union and governmental and non-governmental agencies working to tackle food crises together.

The report finds that around 258 million people in 58 countries and territories faced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels (IPC/CH Phase 3-5) in 2022, up from 193 million people in 53 countries and territories in 2021. This is the highest number in the seven-year history of the report. However, much of this growth reflects an increase in the population analysed. In 2022, the severity of acute food insecurity increased to 22.7 per cent, from 21.3 per cent in 2021, but remains unacceptably high and underscores a deteriorating trend in global acute food insecurity.

“More than a quarter of a billion people are now facing acute levels of hunger, and some are on the brink of starvation. That’s unconscionable,” António Guterres, UN Secretary-General wrote in the report’s foreword. “This seventh edition of the Global Report on Food Crises is a stinging indictment of humanity’s failure to make progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 to end hunger and achieve food security and improved nutrition for all.”

According to the report, more than 40 per cent of the population in IPC/CH Phase 3 or above resided in just five countries – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, parts of Nigeria (21 states and the Federal Capital Territory – FCT), and Yemen.

People in seven countries faced starvation and destitution, or catastrophe levels of acute hunger (IPC/CH Phase 5) at some point during 2022. More than half of those were in Somalia (57 per cent), while such extreme circumstances also occurred in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti (for the first time in the history of the country), Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen.

Around 35 million people experienced emergency levels of acute hunger (IPC/CH Phase 4) in 39 countries, with more than half of those located in just four countries – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Yemen.

Additionally, in 30 of the 42 main food crises contexts analysed in the report, over 35 million children under five years of age suffered from wasting or acute malnutrition, with 9.2 million of them with severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of undernutrition and a major contributor to increased child mortality.

While conflicts and extreme weather events continue to drive acute food insecurity and malnutrition, the economic fallout of the СOVID-19 pandemic and the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine have also become major drivers of hunger, particularly in the world’s poorest countries, mainly due to their high dependency on imports of food and agricultural inputs and vulnerability to global food price shocks.

Economic shocks grew as driver of food

Acquaculture, India, Supply Chain, Trade

India’s shrimp exports to China are likely to cross $ 1.2 billion this fiscal compared to $ 0.8 billion in the previous financial year

The shrimp sector will see revenue growth of 5 per cent year-on-year in fiscal 2024, driven by increasing demand from China, which will shore up exports to a near-lifetime high of $ 5.3 billion seen in fiscal 2022. This growth will largely be volume-driven, allowing the operating margin to bounce back to 7.5 per cent as costs soften, according to CRISIL Ratings.

Debt is likely to contract and part-funding such as capex and incremental working capital requirements will be comfortably absorbed by the strong balance sheets of the players, it added.

India, Ecuador and Vietnam are the top three suppliers of shrimp, while the US, EU and China are the top three consumers. India supplies 70 per cent of its produce to these three regions.

In the year 2023, Indian shrimp players were impacted due to extreme heat waves affecting production, shortage of containers and higher logistics costs to the US and EU and exports to China were muted amid continued lockdowns there. This has led to Ecuador, one of India’s major competitors, seizing the lead in shrimp exports.

In 2023-24, however, good produce backed by normal weather patterns and steady demand from China is expected to drive revenue for the Indian players.

India’s shrimp exports to China are likely to cross $ 1.2 billion this fiscal compared to $ 0.8 billion in the previous financial year. With logistics costs normalising, demand from the US and Europe should revive from the lull last season.

“Buyers from the US and Europe prefer shrimps processed in India because of better quality- and disease-control measures. With supply chains getting restored, Indian exporters can replace Ecuadorian suppliers and regain their lost market share.

“Revival in the Chinese economy will also aid growth in shrimp exports from India. Revenue will grow 5 per cent in fiscal 2024 on the back of volume growth of 8-10 per cent despite the reduction in realisations,” Himank Sharma, Crisil Ratings Director said.

However, the report said, with the drop in input costs being steeper than that in realisations, the margin may inch up to the erstwhile level of 7.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of higher demand, shrimp players are expanding capacities and will add close to 20 per cent of their existing gross block this fiscal.

“The shrimp sector has displayed financial prudence for quite some time now. Hence, despite moderate debt addition over the medium term, credit profiles will remain strong.

“Total outside liabilities to tangible net worth and interest coverage ratios will remain comfortably 0.5 times as on March 31, 2024, and 8 times in fiscal 2024, respectively,” Nagarjuna Alaparthi, Crisil Ratings Associate Director said.

India's shrimp exports to China are likely

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Oilseeds, Pulses, Sustainability

National targets set for food grains at 3320, pulses at 292.5and oilseeds at 440 lakh tonnes for the year 2023-24

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture Minister, inaugurated National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2023-24 in New Delhi. Addressing Conference, he emphasised that agriculture remains the prime pulse of the Indian economy and is at the core of the country’s socio-economic development. It accounts for around 19 per cent of the GDP and about two-thirds of the population is dependent on the sector.

Tomar expressed happiness that India’s agriculture sector has been witnessing robust growth with an average annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent over the last six years. This has enabled the agriculture and allied activities sector to contribute significantly towards the country’s overall growth, development and food security. As per 2nd Advance Estimates (2022-23), the production of foodgrains in the country is estimated at 3235 lakh tonnes which is higher by 79 lakh tonnes than the production of foodgrains during 2021-22. Record production of rice, maize, gram, pulses, rapeseed and mustard, oilseeds and sugarcane is estimated. The total production of sugarcane in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at record 4688 lakh tonnes which is higher by 1553 lakh tonnes than the average sugarcane production. As per the 3rd Advance Estimates of Horticulture, a record 3423.3 lakh tonnes of horticultural production are estimated in 2021-22 which is 77.30 lakh tonnes higher than production of 2020-21.

The objective of this conference was to review and assess the crop performance during the preceding crop seasons and fix crop-wise targets for the Kharif season in consultation with State Governments, ensure the supply of critical inputs and facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies with a view to enhancing production and productivity of the crops.  The priority of the government is agro-ecological based crop planning for the diversion of land from excess commodities like rice and wheat to deficit commodities like oilseeds and pulses and high-value export-earning crops. The special Mustard programme was initiated during Rabi 2020-21 which has brought the most spectacular results. Mustard production has jumped by 40 per cent from 91.24 to 128.18 lakh tonnes in the last 3 years.  The productivity saw an 11 per cent increase from 1331 to 1447 kg/ha. The area under rapeseed & mustard enhanced by 29 per cent from 68.56 lakh ha in 2019-20 to 88.58 lakh ha in 2022-23.  Timely action by central and state governments made this remarkable achievement possible.

The Conference set the national targets for the production of foodgrains and other commodities. National targets for total food grain production are set at 3320 lakh tonnes for 2023-24.  The target for production of pulses has been fixed at 292.5 lakh tonnes compared to 278.1 lakh tonnes this year and oilseeds production will be increased from 400 to 440 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.  Total Shree Anna production has to be increased from 159.1 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 to 170.0 lakh tonnes in 2023-24. The strategy would be to increase area through inter-cropping and crop diversification and productivity enhancement through the introduction of HYVs and the adoption of suitable agronomic practices in low-yielding regions.

National targets set for food grains at

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech, Company News, Europe, Finance, Seeds

All business units delivered growth except ADAMA which was particularly impacted by lower sales of its non-agricultural businesses in the US and China.

 Switzerland based Syngenta Group announced financial results for the first quarter of 2023. Sales for the first quarter 2023 were $9.2 billion, up $0.3 billion or 3 percent (+8 per cent at CER), compared to a strong first quarter 2022. First quarter 2023 EBITDA increased 1 per cent (+9% at CER) from prior year to $1.9 billion.

All business units continued benefitting from demand for innovative products and services that promote yield increases and support regenerative farming methods that combat climate change, enhance soil health, and preserve biodiversity and water quality.

The Group continued to sustain higher prices to help offset higher costs. Seeds market growth remained robust while the market for crop protection non-selective herbicides has slowed as inventories are reduced through the supply chain.

All business units delivered growth except ADAMA which was particularly impacted by lower sales of its non-agricultural businesses in the US and China. EBITDA margin for the Group was 20.2 per cent. The growth of Syngenta Group’s crop protection businesses was slower compared to the exceptionally strong quarters in the prior two years. Prices were higher versus the prior year, helping offset cost increases. Syngenta Seeds continued its strong momentum and delivered double digit sales growth driven by price increases across all regions that offset higher costs.

Syngenta Group continued its strong growth in China. Syngenta Group China’s MAP sales grew 62 percent to $1.1 billion as the number of MAP centres increased by 124 from a year earlier to a total of 638 centres. Average sales per centre were up 29 per cent year-on-year. With the MAP offering, farmers can modernize farming practices sustainably, while boosting crop quality and farm profitability. The Group’s digital solutions have been adopted on 226 million acres globally with high demand from farmers in key markets.

Syngenta Crop Protection

Syngenta Crop Protection sales grew 2 percent to $4.3 billion in the first quarter 2023. Sales in North America sales grew 22 percent; Europe, Africa and the Middle East grew 1 percent. In Asia Pacific (excluding China), sales were 4 percent lower, reduced by 12 percent adverse currency movements. Sales in Latin America decreased by 17 percent as pre-season channel stocking subsided; and China sales grew by 27 per cent, despite an adverse impact of 11 percent from a stronger US dollar.   Syngenta Crop Protection received regulatory approval for its PLINAZOLIN® technology in five countries including Brazil and India, providing farmers with cutting-edge insect control and addressing urgent resistance challenges.

ADAMA

ADAMA sales were 12 percent lower at $1.6 billion in the first quarter 2023.  Sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and Latin America remained flat. North America decreased by 26 percent primarily affected by the consumer and the professional product segments; Asia Pacific (excluding China) decreased 14 percent. Sales in China were 23 percent lower largely due to non-agricultural chemical sales. ADAMA launched Cosayr® and Lapidos®, two Chlorantraniliprole-based insecticides in India, protecting rice and sugar cane crops from pests.

Syngenta Seeds

Syngenta Seeds sales grew 12 percent to $1.5 billion in the first quarter 2023, as price increases covered higher costs. Field crop sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East grew 21 percent; North America grew 3 percent; Asia Pacific (excluding China) increased 21 percent; and China 41 percent. Latin America was 15 percent lower, constrained by product availability. Sales of Vegetable Seeds decreased by 1 per cent.

All business units delivered growth except ADAMA

Agro Universities, India, R&D, Sustainability, Sustainable Energy

The catalytic system produces hydrogen and formic acid from wood alcohol. This is a step towards achieving the Global goal of decarbonization of the planet set for 2050.

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, led by Dr Akshai Kumar A.S., Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, have developed a catalyst that can release hydrogen gas from wood alcohol, with no side production of carbon dioxide.  Beyond being an easy and environmentally safe process, the method produces formic acid which is a useful industrial chemical. This development makes methanol a promising ‘Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier’ (LOHC) and contributes to the concept of hydrogen-methanol economy.

The IIT Guwahati team developed a special form of catalyst called the ‘pincer’ catalyst, which contains a central metal and a few specific organic ligands. It is called a pincer because the organic ligands are like the claws of a crab that hold the metal in place.  Because of this special arrangement, the catalyst becomes very specific and selective.  Thus, as wood alcohol is broken into hydrogen, formic acid is generated instead of carbon dioxide.  The reaction takes place at 100 oC, much lower than the temperatures required for conventional methanol-reforming.

To make the catalyst reusable, the researchers loaded the catalyst on an inert support.  By this, they could reuse the catalyst over many cycles.

ChemDist Group of Companies is the industry collaborator on this project. Speaking on the industrial potential of the research Dr. Sunil Dhole, Director, ChemDist Group of Companies, said, “Commercially speaking, the exciting fact about this work is that an abundantly available and cheaper organic chemical like Methanol can be converted to Hydrogen using a cheaper catalyst, at lower temperatures and without the emission of Carbon Di-oxide. This technology has the potential to make significant strides towards achieving carbon neutrality.”

As the world is moving towards finding alternatives to fossil fuels, hydrogen gas continues to be the best source of clean energy generation.  Currently, hydrogen is produced either by the electrochemical splitting of water or from bio-derived chemicals such as alcohol.  In the latter method, hydrogen is typically produced from methyl alcohol (commonly called wood alcohol) using a catalyst, in a process called methanol reforming.

There are two problems with the catalytic production of hydrogen from wood alcohol. The first is that the process involves high temperatures in the range of 300 oC and at high pressures (20 atmosphere). Secondly, the reaction co-produces carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas.  This is where the IIT Guwahati team has found a solution. 

Explaining the significance of their work, Dr Akshai Kumar A.S., Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati, said, “In methanol-reforming, in stark contrast to well-reported catalytic systems that act like Brahmastra and result in complete destruction to carbon dioxide, the current work involves a smart strategy to design pincer (crab-like) catalysts that selectively produce high-value formic acid and clean-burning hydrogen.”

The catalytic system produces hydrogen and formic

Agro chems – Pesticides, AgroPolicy, India

This move will ensure that Indian farmers continue to have access to the technology for crop protection at an affordable price, as these pesticides are manufactured in India.

The Government of India after an extensive review of 27 pesticides through an appointed Expert Committee, based on substantial data on safety and efficacy submitted by the Pesticides industry, decided to continue the use of 24 pesticides. This decision has been welcomed and lauded by the agri community, including small holding farmers as they have been already safely using these products for the last decades on multiple crops.

This move will ensure that Indian farmers continue to have access to the technology for crop protection at an affordable price, as these pesticides are manufactured in India.

The government’s decision to continue the use of these critical 24 pesticides demonstrates the realities of agriculture and the importance of farmers having access to technology that is affordable as they need to produce quality food at an affordable price compared to exorbitantly expensive imported substitute pesticides.

Farmers across the country have welcomed the government’s decision, saying that access to safe and effective pesticides is critical for protecting crops and ensuring a good harvest. The continued use of these 24 critical pesticides is a necessary step towards safeguarding India’s food production system while ensuring that farmers can continue to produce food efficiently and sustainably.

Gavneet Singh, Director, Ambala Farmer Producer Organizations, Haryana, said, “As farmers, we know how important it is to have access to safe and effective pesticides to protect our crops and ensure a good harvest. This decision by the government is a positive step as these pesticides continue to be recommended by the State Agriculture Universities and farmers have the experience of using them safely on their crops.”

Harpreet Singh, CEO Pehowa Farmer Producer Organizations, Haryana, said “this is an important step towards safeguarding yield and livelihood. We have worked with these pesticides and confident of its performance. Opting for any alternative may have impacted our input costs and overall production.”

Pest and disease control is critical for maintaining the quality and safety of our food supply. The continued use of these 24 critical pesticides is a necessary step as these pesticides are also used as mixture with relatively new products for resistance management against potentially resistant weeds, insects and diseases.

Insect pests can create crop damages between 20 – 30 per cent including grains stored in the warehouses.  Pesticides are also used as smart fumigants for grain storage to protect crops from storage insects in wheat, rice, pulses and oil-seeds.

Government of India has already approved use of drones for safer and efficient use of pesticides. Pest and disease control is critical for maintaining the quality and safety of our food supply. Pesticides are carefully designed to target specific pests and diseases, and their use is strictly regulated to ensure that they do not harm non-target organisms or the environment.

This move will ensure that Indian farmers

Agrotech, India, R&D, Supply Chain

 Lab plans to conduct research in areas such as decarbonisation, circular economy and sustainable procurement.

India’s leading integrated multimodal logistics and supply chain solutions provider, Transport Corporation of India Ltd. (TCI Group), in collaboration with Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), launched a new sustainability lab at the IIMB campus on April 28 with a focus on supply chain management. The TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab (TCI-IIMB SCSL) will be a one-of-its-kind centre of excellence in sustainable supply chain practices, dissemination and advocacy.

The TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab plans to conduct research in areas such as decarbonisation, circular economy and sustainable procurement, and publish white papers on sustainable supply chain management topics. It will also offer consulting services on carbon-related mapping, measurement, mitigation and management. Moreover, it targets to provide certification and assessment services, such as supplier sustainability assessment. It has already initiated research projects, white papers and case studies, and is partnering with other organisations such as WRI India, Herbal Life, etc.

This new lab is a testament of IIMB’s commitment to academic excellence, research and innovation in the areas of sustainability and supply chain. It will be a vital resource for the academic community and the wider business fraternity.

The lab was inaugurated by renowned Indian cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman and Executive Director of Narayana Health and Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIMB, along with DP Agarwal, Chairman of Transport Corporation of India.

Dr Devi Shetty pointed out that Supply Chain is an important foundation on which the development of nations depends. “Our government has made several regulatory changes addressing many hurdles in this domain. However, two issues remain – sustainability – in terms of pollution control and efficiency – in terms of digitalization, are two key areas that need to be addressed. A lab like the TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab will fill this gap and come up with brilliant solutions for these issues, while also contributing to bringing down diseases caused by pollution and reducing costs.”

DP Agarwal unveiled the logo and stated that the lab is aligned to IIMB’s ethos of sustainability in fostering excellence in management, innovation and entrepreneurship. “In a structured and professional way, the lab will help foster green practices, which will deliver positive outcomes.”

Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore spoke about the objective of setting up such a lab at the institute. “IIMB’s Supply Chain Management Centre has close interaction with the industry, which also results in various live projects for our students as well. In today’s globalized world, the impact of sustainability and digitalization on supply chains is part of business strategy. As we move into two new areas – impact of digitalization on supply chains, and bringing in sustainability into all aspects of supply chains, a lab like this has special significance.”

The inauguration also saw Vineet Agarwal, Managing Director of TCI Group, launching the beta version of a GHG Measurement Tool. This tool named TEMT has a multi-lingual interface, enabling the grassroots level adoption by India’s logistics and supply chain ecosystem. It covers all modes of transportation, that is, road, rail, air and sea.

In his address, Vineet Agarwal spoke in detail about the Transportation Emission Measurement Tool. “You cannot improve unless you measure. Investors, customers, and regulators all want us to measure, monitor and mitigate emissions. As a nation and business community in India, we encountered two challenges in mitigating emissions from transportation: the lack of proper transportation emission factors and a tool to measure such emissions. There was no ready reference. This tool will address both the issues. We believe that this lab will build a community of problem solvers, by combining research with industry expertise, helping us address the challenges in a clean and green way.”

 Lab plans to conduct research in areas