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AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Floriculture, R&D

Discussions were held on the creation of facilities with an aim to make the village clusters a model for the rest of the state in terms of orchid introductions, propagation, cultivation

A Consultative Meet on the Creation of the Orchid Centre in Mizoram was held. The meet was followed by visits and discussions with prospective orchid farmers at Aizawl, Aibawk and Maubuang.

The meet was jointly organised by MzSRLM and NRCO.

During the inaugural session, H. Lalchhandami, Chief Executive Officer, MzSRLM, Rural Development Department, Aizawl briefed about the outline of the vision and mission of MzSRLM and their specific goals pertaining to orchid centre development cum functionalities for sustainable livelihood of grass-root commune through orchid cultivation and viable commerce out of it.

Dr S. P. Das, Director, ICAR-NRCO, through a message, conveyed the holistic principles of sustainable orchid promotion in enhancing rural livelihood in Mizoram.

A team of NRCO scientists comprised of Dr L. C. De and Dr D. Saha along with officials of MzSRLM, Aizawl, interacted with all administrative officials of Aibawk block in the presence of Esther Leihang, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Aibawk and C. Vanlalhruaii, Block Mission Manager, Aibawk and discussed block and village level perspective regarding the commercial level of orchid production system in deriving economic resilience for the community.

Discussions were also held on the creation of facilities with an aim to make the village clusters a model for the rest of the state in terms of orchid introductions, propagation, cultivation and viable commerce out of this venture.

The team came up with a road map coupled with an initial recommendation in the presence of all concerned officials and stakeholders.

Lalchhandami expressed her eagerness to see the state of Mizoram being a sensible hub of viable orchid cultivation-cum-commerce in due course of time including some efforts in conserving natural orchid species of the state.

Discussions were held on the creation of

Agrotech, Company News, Finance, India, Nature, Water

The challenge invites disruptive technology-driven agricultural startups and social entrepreneurs to innovate and provide tangible solutions to this intricate problem specifically focused on scalability for smallholder farmers.

DCM Shriram Foundation and Nudge Institute’s Centre for Social Innovation, with the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (GoI), have launched an Rs 2.6 crore prize challenge, aimed at fostering innovation at the intersection of agriculture and efficient use of water. The challenge seeks to encourage leading AgTech & Social Impact Entrepreneurs to develop population scale solutions & innovations within India’s agri-water ecosystem, with massive impact on stagnant livelihood opportunities, especially for smallholder farmers.

80 per cent of India’s groundwater is used for agriculture, but 60 per cent of this is inefficient utilisation. Misaligned practices on application of nutrients and fertilisers have led to imbalance and soil degradation resulting in inefficiency in water utilisation, declining groundwater and affecting crop yields. Hence, water scarcity, non-judicious use of freshwater resources, unsustainable agricultural practices, overdependence on erratic rainfall and climate change threaten the state of the agriculture sector in India, home to over 600 million farmers.

For the upcoming DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge, The/Nudge Prize encompasses a substantial prize purse of Rs 2.6 Crore. This includes a grand prize of Rs 2 Crore for the winner, representing one of the most generous grant prizes for sustainable agricultural interventions. Additionally, a total of 60 Lakh rupees will be distributed among three other finalists who successfully cross the milestone thresholds (Rs 30/20/10 Lakh respectively).

To create unprecedented urgency & impact on this topic – The challenge is also enabling an AgWater and SHF expert ecosystem, consisting of leading market players, government departments, research Institutions & senior mentors/visionaries across India & beyond. This ecosystem will be essential to promote high potential innovators and accelerate adoption of their solutions, along with the leadership of the PSA, tasked with providing pragmatic and objective advice to the Prime Minister and the cabinet in matters of Science and Technology.

While announcing the launch, Aman Pannu, President, DCM Shriram Foundation said, “Any effort aimed at conserving water on a large scale must closely align with the needs of agriculture. Such a program would have to navigate through a complex web of factors, including weather conditions, selection of crops and varieties, yield potential, water requirements of crops, available irrigation resources, water-saving technologies, agronomic practices, agricultural extension services, accessibility of agricultural inputs, electricity availability, and numerous other variables. Additionally, policy changes that affect input pricing and agricultural produce must also be considered. Undoubtedly, creating a conducive environment for water conservation and improving water-use efficiency in agriculture is an exceedingly challenging task. In view of the same the DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge has been launched in collaboration with Nudge Institute with significant emphasis on addressing the water-related challenges in agriculture. The challenge invites disruptive technology-driven agricultural startups and social entrepreneurs to innovate and provide tangible solutions to this intricate problem specifically focused on scalability for smallholder farmers.”

Kanishka Chatterjee, Director, The/Nudge Prize added, “While lucrative solutions addressing agri-water problems have gained momentum in recent years, there has been far less vitality in affordable and accessible models for the small and marginal farmers. Their high dependence on groundwater and increased vulnerability to water stress/climatic changes, land productivity, price and market risks call for audacious problem solving. An inducement challenge like the DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge, pushes AgTech to develop, demonstrate & deploy rapid innovation for this critical problem. Innovating for efficient water utilisation in agriculture holds the potential to improve economic outcomes for over 600 million smallholder farmers across the country.”

The challenge invites disruptive technology-driven agricultural startups

Company News, Supply Chain, Trade, World

The greatest benefit of this tariff relief will be to customers who will enjoy almonds at a lower price

Blue Diamond Growers almond marketer and processor of California almonds, appreciates the hard work of Speaker McCarthy, Senator Padilla, Congressman Costa, and USTR Ambassador Tai in negotiating this needed tariff relief for the industry’s number one market.

Blue Diamond takes pride in opening the Indian market to almonds many decades ago bringing the industry and Blue Diamond members strong returns over the years.  We value our direct and strong relationships with our customers in India and look forward to increasing the volume of almond trade, especially during this difficult time of depressed pricing for California almond growers.  Australia, a competitive growing region for almonds, continues to enjoy a 50 per cent less duty on almonds through their FTA with India.  We will continue to encourage all avenues for opening trade through reduced or zero duty on almonds.

“The greatest benefit of this tariff relief will be to our customers who will enjoy almonds at a lower price.  We are grateful for Speaker McCarthy, Senator Padilla and Congressman Costa’s ongoing support and leadership for agricultural trade.” Alicia Rockwell, Chief Government Affairs Officer.

Blue Diamond Growers, on behalf of its grower-owners and as the country’s leading almond exporter, encourages Congress and the Administration to prioritise trade and the benefits it brings to worldwide economic vibrancy.

The greatest benefit of this tariff relief

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Australia, Company News, Finance, R&D, Seeds

Research aims to produce plant seeds by selection from wild populations with characteristics suitable for commercial native grain production and food markets.

Native grasses hold excellent nutritional value such as fatty acids, but their potential as a food source and economically viable industry has not been investigated, until now. Bayer is proud to provide a $240,000 grant to the University of Sydney to investigate the untapped potential of native grains. 

As a life science company, Bayer is continually looking at innovative ways to support and strengthen underserved communities.  The three-year research program aims to grow the Indigenous native grain industry by revitalising traditional methods of using grains, investigating the use of plant selection to identify wild populations with suitable attributes for commercial grain production, and amplifying education and knowledge sharing among the local Kamilaroi and other First Nations communities. Importantly, the research program includes supporting an Indigenous trainee to increase skills base and support the emerging industry.

Research objectives

Specifically, the research objective is to produce plant seeds by selection from wild populations with characteristics suitable for commercial native grain production and food markets.

Desirable traits include high seed yield per hectare, low shattering, easy to harvest, easy to thresh, high thousand kernel weight, high protein (or other desirable nutrients), and compactness and uprightness in inflorescence.

This project is supported exclusively by a Bayer grant, and research conducted by The University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute. If superior plant forms are identified, the Indigenous communities will have the rights to use, grow and commercialise these forms, as the IP for the future variety has already been signed over to the University of Sydney.

Research aims to produce plant seeds by

People, World

His new term will begin from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2027

QU Dongyu re-elected to a second term as Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

In the ballot by FAO member countries, Qu received 168 out of 182 votes deposited.

Nominated by China, Qu was the only candidate for FAO’s top position in the election. His new term will begin from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2027.

The election took place on the second day of the FAO Conference (1-7 July).

Since being elected FAO Director-General for the first time in 2019, Qu has championed many reforms and initiatives to overhaul the Organisation’s business model, improving efficiency and implementing best practices that support programme and administrative effectiveness.

FAO’s transparency, visibility and reputation have continued to increase over the last four years amid significant global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other protracted conflicts, economic downturns, and the intensifying climate crisis.

Qu has strongly advocated for the transformation of agrifood systems to make them more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable, with the ultimate goal of helping Members achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promote the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO has focused on boosting science and innovation and launched some important strategic initiatives. The Hand-in-Hand Initiative, for example, supports the implementation of nationally led, ambitious programmes to accelerate agrifood systems transformations. It uses advanced geospatial modelling and analytics and a robust partnership building to raise incomes, improve the nutritional status and well-being of poor and vulnerable populations, and strengthen resilience to climate change.

His new term will begin from 1

Agri Genomics, Agrotech, Company News, North America

The new panel has 1,309 markers that span across all 12 tomato chromosomes and can be utilised for both commercial processing and fresh tomato studies and breeding.

AgriPlex Genomics has released a new Commercial Tomato Panel, an extension of their Fresh Market Tomato Panel, designed by a consortium of tomato breeders and geneticists. The new panel has 1,309 markers that span across all 12 tomato chromosomes and can be utilized for both commercial processing and fresh tomato studies and breeding.

Marker selection for the new panel was conducted by Dr Tong Geon of the University of Florida with contributions from Professor David Francis of The Ohio State University. The additional markers added to the Commercial Panel were derived from genotypic datasets of diverse cultivated tomato inbreds, wide accessions, and their segregating populations. The average distance between adjacent markers is 745 kb, and the average number of markers per chromosome is 87.

The panel contains 319 trait-associated markers, including those for major cellular structure proteins, photosynthesis, disease resistance to fusarium, late blight resistance, and Verticillium wilt resistance protein.

“AgriPlex’s ongoing work with consortia has proven beneficial to our customers,” said Scott Weigel, CCO of AgriPlex Genomics. “This new panel is one of many in development.”

The new panel has 1,309 markers that

Agrotech, Company News, Finance, India, Start ups

Investment will help Yara Growth ventures to identify potential disruptors in industry for collaboration and joint experimentation.

Yara Growth Ventures has invested in the Omnivore Agritech & Climate Sustainability Fund, which announced its first close at USD 150 million. Omnivore funds agri-food tech startups across India and Southeast Asia. Co-investors alongside Yara Growth Ventures include sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions, foundations, family offices, and other corporate strategic investors.

“Our close relationship with Omnivore will help us identify potential disruptors in our industry for collaboration and joint experimentation,” adds Sanjiv Kanwar, Country Manager for Yara India. “Yara is eager to collaborate for innovative agricultural inputs and digital solutions to bring novel solutions to our customers.”

According to Jinesh Shah, Managing Partner at Omnivore, “Our new fund will have a sharper focus on catalysing climate action in agriculture by funding startups addressing climate mitigation and climate adaptation. We are grateful to our investors who share Omnivore’s vision of making India an agri-tech superpower and improving the lives of smallholder farmers globally.”

“The startup ecosystem in India is highly dynamic. We see great entrepreneurial talent addressing the resilience and environmental impact of the agri-food sector and various challenges in the supply chains,” says Dr Björn Heinz, Investment Director at Yara Growth Ventures. “Omnivore has been a trailblazer in the Indian agri-tech venture capital investment scene. Partnering with their team will help us gather important insights and learnings as we develop our activities in Asia.”

Omnivore was founded in 2011 by Mark Kahn and Jinesh Shah to fund Indian startups building the future of agriculture and food systems. Omnivore pioneered agri-tech investing in India, and over the past decade has backed over 40 startups which are making farming more profitable, resilient, sustainable, and climate-proof. Omnivore raised USD 82 million for its second fund, which had a final close in April 2019. Some of Omnivore’s portfolio companies include DeHaat, Arya, Stellapps, Reshamandi, Ecozen, Aquaconnect, and Pixxel.

Investment will help Yara Growth ventures to

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy, Company News, India

ICA Global Board, General Assembly and an International Conference will be held in New Delhi for the first time in 128-year history of ICA.

 In a historic move for Indian Cooperatives, with efforts from IFFCO, The Board of International Cooperative Alliance has unanimously decided to hold ICA Global Board, General Assembly and an International Conference for the first time in 128-year history of ICA at New Delhi, India in June 2024. ICA represents more than 310 cooperative organisations from 107 countries across the world as its members.

Dr. U S Awasthi, MD, IFFCO proposed for hosting the prestigious meeting in India during an ongoing ICA Board meet in Brussels and the ICA Board unanimously approved the same. IFFCO’s mark on the Global Cooperative Movement is inspired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” and under the able dynamic leadership of Amit Shah, the first Hon’ble Minister of Cooperation, Govt. of India. IFFCO making a mark on the international arena is another huge step for the Socio -Economic development of the Country. IFFCO is ranked Number 1 Cooperative among top 300 cooperatives in the world by ICA’s World Cooperative Monitor.

The Grand International Cooperative event is aimed at leaders from ICA member cooperative organization from all over the world to gather & exchange experiences, discuss new associations and to take important institutional decisions. The ICA General Assembly is a very important event for Cooperative Organizations, as it is a display of democracy & solidarity of the Organizations.

Dr. U S Awasthi, Managing Director, IFFCO said, “It is a proud moment for IFFCO and Cooperative businesses in India to be hosting the ICA General Assembly & International Conference in India. A great achievement for all of us in the Indian Cooperative Sector. It will open up new opportunities in the cooperative sector where Indian Cooperatives can associate and participate in Global businesses.”  

IFFCO is always committed towards the growth and development of farmers across the country and strengthening the Indian Cooperative Movement to the remotest level of the country. IFFCO has done India proud for last so many years at the International Cooperative Arena.

ICA Global Board, General Assembly and an

AgroPolicy, India, Machinery – Post-harvesting

Techno-commercial pilot projects for Paddy Straw Supply Chain will be established under the bilateral agreement between the Beneficiary/Aggregator and Industries utilising the paddy straw.

The Government has revised the Crop Residue Management guidelines enabling efficient ex-situ management of paddy straw generated in the States of Punjab, Haryana, UP and Delhi. As per the revised guidelines, techno-commercial pilot projects for Paddy Straw Supply Chain will be established under the bilateral agreement between the Beneficiary/Aggregator (Farmers, rural entrepreneurs, Cooperative Societies of Farmers, Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Panchayats) and Industries utilizing the paddy straw.

Govt shall provide financial assistance on the capital cost of machinery and equipment. The required working capital may be financed either by the Industry and Beneficiary jointly or utilising the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), NABARD Financial or Financing from the Financial Institutions by the beneficiary. The land for storage of the collected paddy straw will be arranged and prepared by the beneficiary as may be guided by the end use industry.

Project proposal based financial assistance will be extended for machines and equipment such as Higher HP Tractor, Cutters, Tedder, Medium to Large Balers, Rakers, Loaders, Grabbers and Telehandlers which are essentially required for establishment of paddy straw supply chain.

State Governments shall approve these projects through project sanctioning committee. Government (jointly by Central and State Governments) will provide financial support of @ 65 per cent of the project cost, Industry as primary promoter of the project will contribute 25 per cent and will act as the Primary consumer of the feedstock collected and Farmer or group of Farmers or Rural Entrepreneurs or Cooperative Societies of Farmers or Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs), or Panchayats will be the direct Beneficiary of the project and will contribute the balance 10 per cent.

The Outcomes of the above interventions are:

  • The initiative will supplement the efforts of paddy straw management through in-situ options
  • During the three-year tenure of the interventions, 1.5 million metric tonnes of surplus paddy straw are expected to be collected which would otherwise have been burnt in fields.
  • About 333 biomass collection depots of capacity 4500 MT will be built in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
  • Air pollution caused by stubble burning will be considerably reduced.
  • It would generate employment opportunities of about 9,00,000-man days.
  • The interventions will encourage a robust supply chain management of paddy straw which shall further help in making paddy straw available for various end uses i.e., power generation, heat generation, bio- CNG, etc. by Power/bio-CNG/bio-ethanol producers
  • Establishment of supply chain would result in new investments in Biomass to biofuel and energy sectors.

Techno-commercial pilot projects for Paddy Straw Supply