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Stock limit for wholesalers and big chain retailers at depot reduced to 50 MT.

The government has extended the time period for existing stock limits under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 in respect of tur and urad from 30th October 2023 to 31st December 2023 and also revised the stock holding limits for certain stockholding entities. As per the notification issued today, the limit for stock with wholesalers and also big chain retailers at depot has been reduced from 200 MT to 50 MT, and the limit for miller has been reduced from last 3 months production or 25 per cent of annual capacity, whichever is higher to last 1 month production or 10 per cent of annual capacity, whichever is higher.

The revision in stock limits and extension of the time period is to prevent hoarding and elicit the continuous release of Tur and Urad in sufficient quantities to the market and make tur dal and urad dal available at affordable prices for the consumers.

As per the latest order, stock limits have been prescribed for tur and urad until 31st December, 2023 for all States and Union Territories. Stock limits applicable to each of the pulse individually will be 50 MT for wholesalers; 5 MT for retailers; 5 MT at each retail outlet and 50 MT at depot for big chain retailers; last 1 month of production or 10 per cent of annual installed capacity, whichever is higher, for the millers. In respect of importers, the importers are not to hold imported stock beyond 30 days from the date of Customs clearance. The respective legal entities are to declare the stock position on the portal (https://fcainfoweb.nic.in/psp) of Department of Consumer Affairs and in case the stocks held by them are higher than the prescribed limits then, they shall bring the same to the prescribed stock limits within 30 days of issue of the notification.

Earlier the government had on 2nd January 2023, issued stock limit notification for tur and urad in order to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation and also to improve affordability to the consumers. The Department of Consumer Affairs is closely monitoring the stock position of tur and urad through stock disclosure portal which has been reviewed on weekly basis with the State Government.

Stock limit for wholesalers and big chain

The research aims to convert a large-scale agricultural waste into a sustainable value-added product to mitigate marine oil pollution.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) have developed a Silica Nanoparticles coated cotton fabric that can separate oil from oil-water mixture. This research aims to convert a large-scale agricultural waste into a sustainable value-added product to mitigate marine oil pollution. The said nanoparticles have been developed by utilising rice husk, an agricultural waste, as the primary source material. The findings of this study can aid in development of economical, sustainable platforms for separating oil/water mixtures or harmful components from aqueous/non-aqueous mixture.

Oil spills due to industrial discharge, or accidental mishap causes irreversible damage to the aquatic ecosystems. Conventional cleaning techniques such as skimming, or in-situ burning is ineffective, costly and causes additional pollution. Researchers around the world have been trying to develop energy efficient materials to separate the oil and water mixtures. However, the sustainable and economically viable conversion of biomass to modified silica for oil spill mitigation had not been explored earlier.

Explaining the eco-friendly method Prof. Vaibhav V. Goud, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said, “Our technology has multiple beneficial effects on the environment. Rice husk is an agricultural byproduct, rich in silica that is generated in millions of tons every year. It generally ends up being burnt unscientifically causing air pollution. With our technique this waste rice husk is converted to 3D sorbents that mitigates oil contamination by following a selective active-filtration process.”

In this process, inexpensive agricultural-waste, rice husk is gradually heated and efficiently converted to charcoal also known as bio-char. Subsequently, this bio-char is subjected to further heating to transform it to silica nanoparticles. The size of these nanoparticles can be customized by adjusting the pH of the bio-char. To render the nanoparticles water-repellent, they are treated with special chemicals known as silanes. Finally, these treated nanoparticles are coated over a cotton material creating a natural, three-dimensional sorbent for separating oil-water mixture.

Explaining the significance of their work, Prof. Goud, said,” Our experiments at IIT Guwahati have demonstrated that the coated cotton fabric particularly adsorbed oil, while the uncoated sample adsorbed both oil and water. The developed superhydrophobic material has shown a remarkable 98 per cent efficiency and retained its functionality even after repeated use and exposure to harsh environments.”

The details of the natural 3D oil absorbing material have been published in the prestigious international journal Biomass and Bioenergy. The paper has been co-authored by Prof Vaibhav V. Goud and his research scholar Sutapa Das.

The research aims to convert a large-scale

India’s highest form of awards like the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Vibhushan have all been awarded to Swaminathan.

M S Swaminathan, a prominent Indian scientist also known as Father of Green Revolution, passed away today at the age of 98. Dr Swaminathan was passed away due to old age ailments in Chennai. He is survived by three daughters – Soumya Swaminathan, Madhura Swaminathan and Nitya Rao. His wife Mina Swaminathan predeceased him.

Green revolution is one of the most successful achievements in India’s history right after independence in 1947 mastered by Dr MS Swaminathan. He obtained PhD in Genetics from Cambridge University in 1952. Soon after 2 years Swaminathan returns to India and continued his research in Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) where he persuaded his post-graduation degree in plant breeding and genetics.

He is credited with starting India’s Green Revolution for his work on creating high-yielding wheat cultivars that helped India in achieving the goal of high production level of wheat and rice. He was the driving force behind the creation of the “evergreen revolution” with the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.

During his tenure in office, Swaminathan served in various capacities across departments. He was appointed Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (1961-72), Director General of ICAR and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (1972-79), Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture (1979-80), Acting Deputy Chairman and later Member (Science and Agriculture), Planning Commission (1980-82) and Director General, International Rice Research Institute, the Philippines (1982-88).

In 2004, Swaminathan was appointed as chair of the National Commission on Farmers, a commission setup to look into farmer distress amid alarming suicide cases. The commission submitted its report in 2006 and suggested, among its recommendations, that the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) should be at least 50 percent more than the weighted average cost of production.

India’s highest form of awards like the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Vibhushan have all been awarded to Swaminathan. Along with various international honors including the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1971) and the Albert Einstein World Science Award (1986), he is also the recipient of the H K Firodia Award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, and the Indira Gandhi Prize. He was also awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987.

India’s highest form of awards like the

The program is focused on the Indo Gangetic region of India, which grows rice for over a half a billion people.

BioLumic™, an agricultural biotech startup, announced grant funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to use the company’s proprietary ultraviolet (UV) light seed treatment technology to enhance the crop performance of rice – specifically Direct Dry Seeded Rice (DDSR), rice grown using sustainable practices.

Rice stands as a vital staple crop for more than half of the world’s population, primarily grown by smallholder farms. In India, a nation accounting for nearly one-fourth of global rice production, water-intensive flooded rice cultivation presents an increasing environmental and economic burden, contributing to groundwater depletion, methane emission, air pollution from straw and residue burning, yield limits and labor unsustainability. The program is focused on the Indo Gangetic region of India, which grows rice for over a half a billion people. The project will begin this year and continue through mid-2026.

Increased transition to DDSR, where rice seeds are planted directly into the soil rather than grown as seedlings and transplanted into flooded fields, would substantially improve the environmental impact and profitability of global rice production.

However, the risk of poor crop establishment, increased weed management and reduced crop performance has jeopardized farmer adoption of DDSR. To solve these challenges, BioLumic’s UV light activation approach will be deployed to rapidly unlock essential plant traits, including uniform and early rice seedling growth, weed competitiveness and drought tolerance. The treatment process takes only minutes to complete and is easily scalable.

″BioLumic’s light treatment technology supercharges rice seeds for DDSR production by activating the plant growth traits that smallholder farmers need to transition away from water-intensive rice cultivation without risking crop failure, ″ said Steve Sibulkin, CEO of BioLumic. ″Thanks to the forward thinking and generous grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BioLumic can help tip the scales in favor of sustainable rice cultivation with a global impact on food security, climate risk mitigation and subsistence gains for smallholder farmers. ″

Direct Dry Seeded Rice seedlings in BioLumic lab testing productivity gains after treating seeds with UV light exposure. Backed by two decades of scientific research and field validation, BioLumic’s UV Light Signal Recipe™ platform utilizes precisely targeted light spectrum exposure to regulate genetic expression in seeds and young plants without resorting to genetic modification, chemical inputs or time-intensive breeding. BioLumic’s light treatments have demonstrated heightened plant resilience, enriched root growth, enhanced crop quality and the potential for large double-digit yield gains, including reaching yield increases of 15% in corn and 12% in soybeans in U.S. trials.

″Biolumic’s light treatment science is the first of its kind in the world, ″ said Jason Wargent, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer and Founder of BioLumic. ″By giving seeds precise ‘programs’ of light, we can biologically activate processes in plants that can dramatically upregulate crop performance. Through this breakthrough biology, we can instruct plants to be productive in ways that has never been possible before, with the potential for transformative impact on global food production. ″

The program is focused on the Indo

A joint intellectual property licensing agreement inked for foundational CRISPR-Cas9 and related gene editing tools to further research and develop Harpe Bioherbicide tolerant crop systems.

Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on providing natural and sustainable herbicide solutions, announced that it has executed a joint intellectual property licensing agreement with Corteva Agriscience and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for foundational CRISPR-Cas9 and related gene editing tools to further research and develop Harpe Bioherbicide tolerant crop systems.

The company continues to advance its portfolio of natural, non-selective herbicide formulations to a commercial ready phase using a series of active ingredient compounds found in plant extracts. Proving the possibilities of crops tolerant to Harpe Bioherbicide applications with CRISPR-Cas9 technology will help meet farmers’ need for expanded and differentiated weed control solutions while also further expanding the commercial opportunity of the technology.

Featuring new sites and modes of action, Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions will not only take a lead role in the bioherbicide market for new products, but developed products also will also be impacted, improving the greater industry of conventional herbicides.

Working both as pre-emergent weed prevention and post-emergent weed control, Harpe Bioherbicide products can be used alone or in combination with synthetic chemical herbicides to effectively eliminate resistant and tough-to-kill weeds. This allows for less harm to the soil and surrounding environment while increasing crop yields safely.

“We’re excited to add CRISPR-Cas9 technology to our platform of tools aimed at providing more sustainable herbicide use for the industry,” said Chad Brommer, PhD, Chief Technology Officer Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions. “These pioneering tools will in the future help enable in-season use of Harpe’s new bioherbicide formulations to help mitigate increasing weed resistance challenges while advancing sustainable practices in global food production.”

Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions is collaborating with Saint Louis based Solis Agrosciences (https://solisagrosciences.com) to accelerate the development of Harpe’s herbicide tolerant crop systems. Solis provides cutting edge R&D services and an end-to-end pipeline that designs, generates and tests transgenic and gene edited plants speedily and cost-effectively.

A joint intellectual property licensing agreement inked

Witnessing rapid changes in day-to-day environmental conditions, lead speakers, researchers and people from businesses of coffee industry stressed on the need to adapt ways and means for growing coffee with all effective and necessary initiatives needed to be taken for sustaining and further improving the future of coffee sector in the world.

Chairing the fourth session of plenary discussions at World Coffee Conference (WCC) on the third day at Bengaluru Palace in Bengaluru city on September 26, 2023, Prof. P. Balachandra, Chief Scientist Indian Institute of Sciences (India) moderated the deliberations from lead speakers United Kingdom, Brazil, USA, South Asia and Colombia, who gave insightful information on varied topics ranging from Climate change and its impact on Coffee value chain, breeding for climate change resilient varieties, use of alternative and innovative coffee species and on how startups with technology and digital innovative methods can be roped in to resolve the complex problems and challenges faced by the coffee sector.

Highlighting the issue of how the sudden climate and rising pest infestation has adversely impacted the coffee plantation, coffee cultivation and its production overall across the globe, Raina Lang, Senior Director, Sustainable Coffee Conservation International from United States of America stressed on the need for providing value for biodiversity. “Coffee is a very sensitive crop to climate change, in addition to this, it also vulnerable to more than 900 diseases causing pests and insects that can adversely impact on the overall production. Therefore, it is very important to give value to biodiversity as the entire life chain of organisms will work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life, and help improve our environment and overcome the challenges of climate change,” observed Raina Lang.

Another speaker from Latin American Salvador Urrutia Loucel, Director of Latin American World Coffee Research focused on breeding for climate resilient varieties of coffee species to not just overcome the challenges of climate change but at the same time improving the production of coffee in the world.

Dr Madhuri Nanda, Director of Rain Forest Alliance, South Asia stressed that impact of eco labelling is very much significant on sustainability of coffee farms. “As agrochemical management relative to biodiversity is vital, ecolabels can maximize consumer interest by enforcing and promoting agrochemical standards, i.e. production without pesticides, in addition to the characteristics of preserving biodiversity,” observed Dr Madhuri Nanda.

Expressing concern that the existing coffee species like Arabica, Robusta are becoming more and more vulnerable to climate change, growing pests infestations, Dr Aaron Davis of Kew Gardens from United Kingdom highlighted on the use of alternative coffee species in order to replace the existing species of coffee in the coming days. “Am afraid that if no corrective course is taken in advance to protect the coffee industry, the future for coffee sector will be very much challenging. As the existing species like Robusta and Arabica are facing the fury of climate change, diseases and pests, it is no surprise that these species will become extinct in the next 10 years’ period, similar to the species of Liberica which is hardly seen today,” observed Dr Davis, stressing on the need to develop and use of alternative coffee species to beat the climate change.

Giving further insights, Dr Davis said that there are more than 130 species of coffee existing globally, however only Arabica and Robusta are occupying 99.9 per cent, while the other varieties are not even occupying 0.1 per cent share globally. Keeping this view, he stressed on the need for promoting and improving more alternative varieties that suits the current environment and at the same time that helps in improving quantum of coffee production in the world.

S. Sudheendra, Managing Director of NKG India Coffee Pvt. Ltd, said that Indian coffee cultivation has been far ahead compared to the global coffee growers in doing research and bringing in more resilient varieties of coffee and sustainable initiatives since very long, however he expressed his desire to grow the domestic consumption and improve exports by enhancing production of coffee in a big way. “India’s coffee sector is just 1.6 per cent compared to other countries like Brazil and Colombia. There is a need for increasing production and enhancing exports,” observed Sudheendra.

Expressing his concern Professor Sunil Nautiyal, Director of GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, India, said that Indian Coffee plantations are becoming more and more prone to natural disasters and wild animal attacks causing heavy loss to the coffee growers. He urged the government to look into the issue and provide better incentives and support for such farmers who are impacted by the natural disasters. “In Pallipattu Taluk of Tamil Nadu alone has witnessed 1760 incidents of wild animal attacks on coffee plantations that caused severe damage. As coffee take a long duration and lot of investment damage by wild animals is a big dent on their prospects, which impacts on the overall production,” observed Professor Sunil Nautiyal.

Overall, the discussions of the lead speakers touched upon the varied points ranging from preserving biodiversity, breeding climate resilient varieties, alternative species of coffee and on issues how to cope with natural disaster and means and measures to support coffee farmers during the plenary session. All the speakers agreed on the point that it is high time to take initiatives to be future ready to not just overcoming climate change but also how to cope with natural disasters in the event of forest fires and wild animal attacks.

Witnessing rapid changes in day-to-day environmental conditions,

DoF has sanctioned 732 artificial reef units for 10 coastal states with a total investment of Rs 126 crore.

To promote sustainable practices, Department of Fisheries has sanctioned 732 artificial reef units for 10 coastal states with a total investment of Rs 126 crore as a sub-activity under “Integrated Modern Coastal Fishing Villages” of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The projects are being implemented with the technical support of Fishery Survey of India (FSI) and ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). All the states have completed their site selection process while states of Kerala and Maharashtra have completed the tendering process for execution of work. Thus, all projects are expected to be completed by January 2024.

As one of the impactful strategies, installation of artificial reefs in coastal waters and undertaking sea ranching programs across in all coastal states is expected to rejuvenate of coastal fisheries and re-build fish stocks.

Artificial reefs are engineering technology interventions used to rehabilitate and/or improve natural habitats, increase productivity and manage aquatic resources including habitat enhancement (FAO, 2015). Installation of artificial reefs is advantageous in many forms as below:

Similar to natural reefs, ARs used for aggregating fish and provide a home for fish to live and grow, reduce wave damage on coasts, helps regeneration of marine ecosystem and act as a carbon sink. As per CMFRI, two to three-fold increase in catch rates and efficiency can be realized Thus saving fuel and energy costs leading to increased income.

Providea firm substrate for marine life such as corals, algae and plankton to attach to and grow They provide favorable conditions for sea ranching and serve as spawning and nursery grounds for fish.

Enhance recreational fisheries, snorkeling, eco-tourism, creating suitable areas for diving and reducing conflicts.

Artificial reef structures restrict bottom trawling in the near shore areas thus helping the marine environment to regenerate and small-scale fishers get higher catch. One artificial reef of 300m3 is expected to support 25-30 non-mechanized boats (CMFRI).

PMMSY was launched in May 2020 with the highest ever investment of Rs. 20,050 crore to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector. Over the years, increased fishing activities has reduced per capita yield from coastal fisheries, to led to heavy fishing pressure, loss of fishing grounds due to bottom trawling, coastal development etc. This has also resulted in reduced income and forcing the fishers to go to deeper waters.

DoF has sanctioned 732 artificial reef units

Partnership will help mission-driven entrepreneurs grow their businesses and co-develop sustainable agrifood systems.

KWS has joined forces with StartLife, Europe’s longest-running accelerator for agrifoodtech startups, to advance its innovation approach and collaborate with startups. Together, KWS and StartLife will help mission-driven entrepreneurs grow their businesses and co-develop sustainable agrifood systems.

The agriculture business is facing many challenges, ranging from climate change, an increase in food demand, to political requirements. KWS and StartLife believe that plant breeding innovation plays a pivotal role in solving these agricultural challenges felt across the world. Both organizations also believe that partnerships are key to development and the adoption of innovative approaches to improve plant breeding, agriculture methods, and sustainable farming practices.

Open innovation gateway

To accelerate progress, KWS adopts an open innovation approach and proactively seeks collaboration with startups that offer (potential) breakthrough technologies. KWS already actively works with early and later-stage startups in various ways, including joint proof of concept projects, strategic collaborations, licensing agreements, joint ventures, and minority participations. The partnership provides KWS a gateway to StartLife’s global agrifoodtech startup community.

“Through this partnership, we want to gain better access to highly relevant startups, connect with the groundbreaking innovation within the StartLife ecosystem and raise more awareness on our open innovation approach. The headquarters of KWS vegetable business is based on Wageningen Campus and operates from the same building as StartLife. Therefore, it is a logical next step to also engage in the venture scouting activities of StartLife to open our doors for startups,” explains Alexander Wiegelmann, Head of New Business Ventures at KWS.

Call for technology and business development

StartLife believes KWS through its systematic review processes is well positioned to realize startup opportunities and can provide startups with constructive feedback and guidance to find the right product market fit.

“We are delighted to see KWS already showing dedication to supporting and working with startups. They have much to offer to our startups, including field trial facilities, laboratories, technology challenges and the opportunity to offer services directly to a broad customer base of KWS via its digital platform, myKWS.” comments Annelies Schenk, Manager Innovation & Partnerships at StartLife. “Together, we can truly accelerate the growth of startups and create positive impact.”

StartLife will support KWS by matching them with startups that work on technologies addressing product and business development. Product development spans from genetics research, breeding technologies, emerging crops, production technologies, seed technologies and treatments to automation, and digital services. Business development regarding startups ranges from strategic collaborations to new business opportunities and novel market places.

“We warmly invite startups that are interested in working with KWS to contact StartLife for an introduction”, concludes Schenk.

Partnership will help mission-driven entrepreneurs grow their

The CEOs and Global leader’s forum at the 5th World Coffee Conference has stressed on adapting and embracing new policies at the core of their businesses to achieve a sustainable circular economy through regenerative agriculture and recycling models for the coffee production sector globally.

Taking part in the second day of the plenary session on the topic of “Circular Economy and Regenerative Agriculture Perspective for Global Coffee sector at Bengaluru Palace in Bengaluru City, lead speakers like Professor Gunter Pauli, Father of Blue Economy concepts, who is also an entrepreneur and author, stressed on abiding ‘ethics’ for the global industry to build policies at the core of their businesses that enables them to achieve ‘Zero’ waste, Zero emission and Zero accidents globally. He further stressed on the need for building Green Factories, that will help build a circular and a sustainable regenerative economy, that not just enables entrepreneurs to gain profits, but at the same time, help sustain the entire supply chain ecosystem, benefiting all stakeholders right from the farmers, industries and end consumers.

Expressing his concern on how the policy makers and industrialists are postponing the target of achieving zero emission to year 2050, Professor Gunter Pauli observed that it is lack of seriousness and lack of ethics on the part of the implementers who are postponing it to 27 years later. “Unmindful of harsh climate change, the policy makers and implementers of it seem to be least concerned about earth’s changing environment. It clearly depicts their lack of ethics. I stress that the new entrepreneurs, to achieve a sustainable circular economy, not just in the Coffee sector, but even elsewhere in other industrial sectors must first focus on remodelling their businesses by imbibing ethics in their policies. This will automatically pave the way for a resourceful, liveable planet for all, with equitable livelihoods,” said Professor Pauli, during his address at the 5th WCC in Bengaluru.

Apart from Professor Gunter, other lead speaker Michelle Burns, Executive Vice President- Global Coffee, Social Impact & Sustainability, Starbucks, spoke on the need for a holistic approach and stressed on the need for working with farmers to help them train on the soil, fertilizers and water management by adapting innovative techniques and new technology that will enable them to achieve good coffee seed harvest even in tough climatic conditions.

“For initiating and scaling up the regenerative agriculture in coffee sector we give more stress on holistic approach right from farmers awareness, enhancing production, protecting the environment, research and development, improving quality and looking forward for increasing partnerships will all like-minded people that will enable to sustainable growth,” observed the Starbucks Global VP.

Another speaker Harald Friedl, CEO, Green Leadership (Netherlands) highlighted that amongst all the industries only 7 per cent are adopting the circular economy model, while more than 90 per cent are wasting their valuable resources. Suggesting how the Coffee sector can adopt a circular global economy said that entrepreneurs and policy makers must learn lessons from other industries like food and cement. While many of these sectors have conceptualized to adapt to a circular sustainable regenerative economy, they have failed to implement the actions. “In my view 80 per cent policy makers are only talking, while only 20 per cent are implementing their concepts. It is high time we reverse this trend and talk less and implement more to achieve a robust sustainable circular economy across the globe,” noted Dr. Friedl.

Adding further he said the majority of businesses are functioning in a linear economy model of ‘Taking-Making-Using and Throwing the waste byproducts. He stressed that this needs to be changed and entrepreneurs must at least move from linear to a recycling economic model of their businesses. “It is high time we must move from linear to recyclable, to a sustainable regenerative circular economic model, wherein we not just take the resources, make products use them, but at the same time recycle the waste bi-products and bring them to useful functionality by adding value to it,” he added. 

Stressing further to attain a circular regenerative sustainable economic model Dr Friedl felt there is a need for increasing investment in new technologies and promoting innovative ideas. Apart from countries from the African Continent, India is also stepping in to implement the circular economy. For the Coffee sector it is high time that entrepreneurs must come up with Paradigm shift initiatives. The coffee sector players need to embrace new operating systems by bringing fundamental changes and unlocking new values in their companies and truly design products that the word ‘waste’ should not be found in the future.

Mario Cerutti, Chief Institutional Relations & Sustainability Officer at Lavazza Group Turin, Piedmont (Italy) stressed on the need for creating more knowledge and new insights in the Coffee sector. He stressed that it is time not just move from linear business model to circular but it should be accelerated by fostering partnerships, signing MoUs, sharing data, knowledge and ideas on how to achieve a circular economy with a regenerative sustainable growth. The speaker highlighted the need for the growers, R&D scientists, investors and policy makers to come together to convene, share information and build robust long sustainable economic models with a win-win situation for all stakeholders.

Another key speaker Hernan Mason, Head- Inclusive Agribusiness Systems, International Trade Centre (ITC) (Switzerland) spoke on the issue of food insecurity, value addition, enhancing income. He observed that only 34 per cent of the entrepreneurs are aware of the idea of a circular economy, while a much smaller portion of the same are implementing their ideas. He stressed that adaptive climate change initiatives must be embraced with lowering of production costs.

Andrea De Marco, Project Manager, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (Austria) highlighted the strong need for public private partnerships for achieving a global circular sustainable economy for businesses. Apart from taking up climate change resilient initiatives Andrea stressed on the need for pushing more technical projects and supporting technology programs by mobilizing funds and resources at a global level.

The CEOs and Global leader’s forum at

The Farmer Voice is a survey among 800 farmers equally split between Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Ukraine, and the United States.

71 per cent of farmers say that climate change already has a large impact on their farm, and even more are worried about the impact this will have in the future. 73 per cent have experienced increasing pest and disease pressure. On average farmers estimate that their incomes had reduced by 15.7 per cent due to climate change in the past two years. One in six farmers even identifies income losses of over 25 per cent during this period.

These are some of the key findings from the “Farmer Voice” survey, published today, which reveals the challenges facing farmers around the world as they try to mitigate the impacts of climate change and adapt for the future. To conduct the “Farmer Voice”, life science company Bayer commissioned an agency to independently interview 800 farmers globally, representing farms large and small from Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Ukraine, and the United States in equal numbers.

Farmers expect the repercussions of climate change to continue. Three-quarters of them globally (76 per cent) are worried about the impact that climate change will have on their farm, with farmers in Kenya and India most concerned. Rodrigo Santos, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and President of the Crop Science Division, commented: “Farmers are already experiencing the adverse effects of climate change on their fields and at the same time they play a key role in tackling this huge challenge. This is why it is so important to put their voice front and center. The losses reported in this survey make the direct threat climate change poses to global food security crystal clear. In the face of a growing world population, the results must be a catalyst for efforts to make agriculture regenerative.”

The Farmer Voice is a survey among 800 farmers equally split between Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Ukraine, and the United States. The survey was conducted independently by Kekst CNC. Farmers were selected randomly from each market. The respondents did not know that the survey was being conducted on behalf of Bayer until it was complete, and Bayer had no input on the sample selection. Interviews took place between April and July 2023. Additionally, 2,056 smallholder farmers in India were surveyed with a shortened questionnaire. These farmers were associated with the Better Life Farming ecosystem, farmers of Bayer-supported Farmer Producer Organizations, and farmers enrolled in Bayer’s Sustainable Rice Program. These interviews were conducted between May and June 2023.

Spotlight: Indian smallholder farmers are focused on mitigating risk

In addition to the global survey where farmers were interviewed independently, Bayer interviewed 2,056 Indian smallholder farmers from its customer base. It is a unique glimpse into the perspectives of smallholders who are key to securing the world’s food supply. Currently, their biggest challenges are high labor and fertilizer costs. Yet they are also impacted by climate change: Many of them expect reduced crop yields (42 per cent) and higher pest pressures because of changing weather (31per cent). Unlike commercial and large-scale growers, the smallholders interviewed in India are focused on mitigating risks, prioritizing financial security through insurance (26 per cent) and infrastructure (21 per cent).

When asked about the future, 60 per cent said they would benefit most from access to digital technologies and modern crop protection. Despite all the challenges, Indian smallholders remain optimistic: 8 in every 10 farmers feel positive about the future of farming.

The survey results are a valuable indicator of smallholder priorities and needs in India, contributing to Bayer’s smallholder farming strategy with the goal to support 100 million smallholders by 2030. In 2022, the company reached 52 million with its products and services.

The Farmer Voice is a survey among

Company’s integrated technology solution, comprising of SERIGAS (Organic Natural Gas) and Aquatron (Water Recovery System) have already been successfully implemented at Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited in Coorg, Karnataka.

 The popularity and consumption of coffee is growing rapidly as a beverage and it is one of most important commodities today. However, the production of coffee globally generates an immense environmental footprint, affecting our water, air, food and soil. The resource intensive processes involved in various stages, such as pulping, fermenting, drying, sorting, grading, curing generates organic waste and creates wastewater adversely affecting the environment. As the world pushes towards net zero, current technologies are unable to adequately process the organic waste and treat wastewater in a sustainable manner. This shall eventually impact the environment adversely impacting the production and economics of coffee.

To foster sustainability in coffee, Scalene Livprotec brings next generation Lignocellulosic management of coffee residue and wasted water technology to coffee production. Our uniquely automated, paradigm-altering inventions create lower operational costs that allow for profitability and stop environmental damage. Our integrated technology solution, comprising of SERIGAS (Organic Natural Gas) and Aquatron (Water Recovery System) have already been successfully implemented at Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited in Coorg, India for the last 14 years. These technologies can advance coffee industry to the next level of absolute sustainability.

Transform Coffee Waste into Energy

The biomass generated from the production process (pulping, fruit skin generation, mucilage, husk etc) can be transformed into a source of rich grid-grade natural gas with our SERIGAS technology. The SERIGAS can be utilised can be utilised for producing electricity and used a fuel for the coffee drying process. Our technology is an organic process that produces high grade methane as per IS 16087 standards for transformation lignocellulosic coffee agricultural residue into high grade renewable natural gas. Our process of generating the gas also produces most essential bio-nutrient with 13 trace elements required for enhancing coffee production. The high alkaloid pest repellent produced by our process is an excellent pest control for berry borer and stem borer in the coffee plantation.

Recover pure water from coffee mucilage

The effluent generated from pulping, fermenting and washing related processes can be reused through Aquatron. It is a one-stop patented water recovery technology that utilizes precise frequencies of dissociation to remove impurities from water in their elemental form to provide drinking standard water. Apart from coffee effluent Aquatron is a one-stop solution across WTP, STP, ETP and Desalination needs. Aquatron allows for compliance with environmental norms, mitigating the risk of penalties and closures for the industry. It significantly lowers water footprints, uses lower land and energy resources and enable a circular economy of water, allowing the reuse of water in the coffee production process.

Speaking on the occasion of Livprotec’s participation at the WCC 2023, the inventor Dr. Rajah Vijay Kumar explained “Our SERIGAS technology employs a distinctive proprietary technology known as the Microbe Incubated Bio-Reaction (MIBR) Reactor, designed based on principles of biomimicry that emulate the natural gas production process beneath the Earth’s surface. While our planet takes approximately 200 million years to convert lignin into methane, our innovative process accomplishes the same outcome in just 28 days. We provide a range of pioneering features, including a CO2 rebreather, specialized bacterial cultures, bio-rings, Bio-SCADA, and NPK fixation reactors, all designed to ensure consistent quality and maximize yield while minimizing operational costs and complexity.”

Dr. Rajesh Bhat – President, Energy and Water, further affirmed “Aquatron represents a patented water recovery technology capable of achieving Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) and Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC). This remarkable achievement is realized without the reliance on chemical or biological processes, Reverse Osmosis (RO), or Evaporator technology. It successfully recovers water to drinking water standards, all while avoiding the generation of toxic sludge and maintaining a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). By leveraging the principles of physics, Aquatron addresses the long-standing challenge of fully reusing water, marking a significant breakthrough in this field.”

Alok Sharma, CEO of Scalene Livprotec further added “The future of sustainability in the coffee, agriculture, and food processing industry depends on our capacity to recover resources and recycle water efficiently. Through our technology, we aspire to rekindle the enthusiasm for agriculture among today’s youth and strive for absolute sustainability within the agriculture and food processing sectors. We eagerly anticipate collaborating with solution partners who share our vision of expanding the reach of our technology on a global scale, thereby assisting the coffee, farming, and food processing industries.”

As businesses continue to fuel the world’s passion for coffee, SERIGAS and Aquatron offer the potential to render coffee enterprises sustainable, environmentally friendly, and instrumental in fostering a circular economy. This approach not only benefits the environment but also ensures it is never compromised or harmed in any way.

Company's integrated technology solution, comprising of SERIGAS

Bangladesh imported meat from 14 countries, with India being the largest source

The India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) has requested the government to allow buffalo meat import from India to meet the growing demand of the country, according to the local media.

Abdul Matlub Ahmad, IBCCI President has recently requested authorisation from the commerce ministry for the importation of frozen halal meat. In a letter, he stated that some members of the organisation are interested in importing the meat from India and have already applied for permission from the Directorate of Livestock under Section 23(33) of the Import Policy Order 2021-2024. Ahmad explained that the demand for meat products in Bangladesh has been rising steadily due to population growth and changing dietary preferences. He also noted that India has a reputable meat industry that adheres to international standards of halal food, hygiene, safety, and quality control. The chamber estimates that importing frozen halal boneless buffalo meat from India could result in a lower selling price of Tk 500-550 per kg compared to the current cost of local fresh meat at Tk 800-850 per kg. 

According to the Import Policy-2021-24 notification that was issued in April 2022 by the commerce ministry, prior approval has to be taken from the Department of Livestock for the import of meat including frozen buffalo (bovine) meat, said an earlier letter sent by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. 

The country produced over 8.71 million tonnes of meat in the FY 2022-23 against an annual demand of nearly 7.6 million tonnes, according to the Department of Livestock Services (DLS).

According to a Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) concept paper, meat import increased four times in five years – from US$ 0.72 million in FY 2013-14 to nearly US$ 2.5 million in FY 2017-18.

Bangladesh imported meat from 14 countries, with India being the largest source.

Other countries included Ethiopia, France, Korea, Thailand, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the USA, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Bangladesh imported meat from 14 countries, with

MyCarbonFootprint calculates the CO2 emissions, the product carbon footprint and the share of renewable raw materials according to the respective customer’s purchasing portfolio at BASF.

BASF has released a new digital application designed to help customers gain a better overview of the sustainability status of the product portfolio they purchase from BASF. It also helps customers identify the best BASF solutions to reach their sustainability targets with regard to CO2 reduction and/or use of renewable raw materials. The app called “MyCarbonFootprint” contains data on over 700 selected large volume BASF products, including pharma ingredients, amino resins, butanediol and derivatives, acids, polyalcohols, acetylenics, carbonyl derivatives and amines. It is initially available to certain BASF customers who purchase products included in MyCarbonFootprint. Currently, more than 50 customers are already using the app.

Customized overview for each customer                                                   

MyCarbonFootprint informs customers about the individual cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint (PCF) of the BASF products they purchase.2 The app furthermore indicates the share of renewable raw materials used in the manufacture of these products. The data is presented in a customized way for each customer: Depending on the purchased quantities of a selected product, MyCarbonFootprint calculates the CO2 emissions, the product carbon footprint and the share of renewable raw materials according to the respective customer’s purchasing portfolio at BASF.

Optimizing the carbon footprint and renewable raw material share

With the help of MyCarbonFootprint, customers can determine how adjustments in their purchasing portfolio affect their sustainability status in terms of CO2 emissions and the use of renewable raw materials.

For example, MyCarbonFootprint calculates the potential reduction in CO2 emissions when a product variant with a lower carbon footprint is selected instead of the previously purchased product. MyCarbonFootprint also shows BASF customers various alternatives to increase the proportion of renewable raw materials in the value chain by choosing a suitable product variant.

“We developed MyCarbonFootprint to create the transparency that our customers need to pursue their CO2 emission reduction goals and to select the best sustainable product variants from the BASF portfolio to achieve their desired sustainability positioning,” explains Niels Möller, Global Strategic Marketing, Operating Division Intermediates, BASF. A team lead by Möller invented the innovative IT tool and developed it to market maturity.

BASF portfolio offers various sustainable product variants

MyCarbonFootprint provides an overview of the various sustainable product variants from the BASF portfolio. BASF customers can for example reduce their CO2 emissions by using BASF’s low-PCF products. These products have a significantly reduced product carbon footprint based on a specific customer request or compared to a reference value. The low-PCF portfolio includes, among others, bio-based or biomass balanced products (BMB), which can help customers achieve CO2 emission reductions compared with fossil standard products. In some cases, BASF additionally offers net-zero products, which have a PCF of zero or less than zero.3

Switching to BMB products is also an easier way for customers to increase the share of renewable raw materials in the value chain. In the BMB approach, BASF feeds renewable raw materials into its Verbund in the very first steps of chemical production. A corresponding share of these raw materials is then attributed to specific sales products by means of a certified mass balance method. Certification of BASF’s biomass balanced products is carried out according to recognized standards like REDcert2 or ISCC PLUS4. Being identical in quality and properties to fossil standard products, biomass balanced products are “drop-in” solutions. Customers can use them without having to adapt their existing manufacturing processes.

MyCarbonFootprint calculates the CO2 emissions, the product

India’s Biofuel Standards Offer Significant Support to Industry

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India commits to complement the green initiatives of the country through the development of relevant standards. Through an official release, BIS also announced that the Indian Standards will significantly complement the objectives of the Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA), the multilateral forum announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 leaders’ summit held recently in New Delhi.

The BIS release also quoted the Director General, of BIS, Pramod Kumar Tiwari who said, “The announcement of Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 summit is a historic development in global efforts towards achieving clean energy goals. We, at the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), being the National Standards Body of India, are committed to supporting this path-breaking initiative of the Government of India through the development of relevant Indian Standards and necessary quality parameters/performance specifications.”

The release also highlighted the key standards that would aid stakeholders including manufacturers, traders, and other entities dealing with biofuel or related matters. The release stated that espousing the ethanol blending program and the objectives of the GBA, BIS has developed the following nine Indian standards on biofuels:

IS 15464: 2022 Anhydrous Ethanol for Use as Blending Component in Motor Gasoline – Specification

IS 15607: 2022 Biodiesel B-100 – Fatty Acid Methyl Esters FAME – Specification

IS 16087: 2016 Biogas (Biomethane) – Specification (First Revision)

IS 16531: 2022 Biodiesel Diesel Fuel Blend B8 to B20 Specification

IS 16629: 2017 Hydrous ethanol for use in ED95 automotive fuel – Specification

IS 16634: 2017 E85 fuel (Blend Of Anhydrous Ethanol And Gasoline) – Specification

IS 17021: 2018 E 20 fuel – Admixture of anhydrous ethanol and gasoline – As fuel for spark-ignited engine-powered vehicles – Specification

IS 17081: 2019 Aviation turbine fuel (Kerosene Type, Jet A – 1) containing synthesized hydrocarbons – Specification

IS 17821: 2022 Ethanol as a Fuel for Use in Positive Ignition Engine Powered Vehicles – Specification

It is also informed by BIS that additionally, the development of a standard on paraffinic (green) diesel, which is derived from 2G feedstock, is also under progress. With the help of these set of standards, BIS believes, that increased capacity of biofuel production can be achieved and will provide multipronged benefits. It was also added that ‘it will not only help in meeting the target of net zero by 2070 and 50 per cent energy through renewable sources, but will also contribute in achieving several other objectives such as Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Waste to Wealth, and increasing farmers’ income to name a few.

Notably, during the 18th G20 Summit under the presidency of India at New Delhi, the G20 leaders launched the Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) – a forum of 30 countries and international institutions to facilitate the adoption of biofuels.  GBA is an India-led initiative towards the goal of sustainability and clean energy. It aims at achieving worldwide development and deployment of sustainable biofuels through the formulation of national policy, development of the marketplace, evolution of technological competency, and adoption and implementation of internationally recognized standards and codes of practice.

Reportedly, the USA, Brazil, and India are the major producers and consumers of biofuels. These three countries collectively contribute to 85 per cent production and 81 per cent consumption of ethanol globally. The global ethanol market was valued at $ 99 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 5 per cent by 2032, creating a huge opportunity for Indian industries and contributing to farmers’ income, job creation and overall development of the Indian ecosystem.

It was estimated that currently, about 98 per cent of the fuel requirement in India for the transportation sector is met by fossil fuels and the remaining 2 per cent by biofuels. India’s import of petroleum in 2020-2021 cost about 55 billion dollars to the exchequer. More recently, the Russia-Ukraine war has spiked global oil prices and the import of oil and gas with inflated prices has further burdened the Indian economy. Blending of ethanol up to 20 per cent with gasoline will lead to savings of around $4 billion.

Hence, Indian Oil Manufacturing Companies (OMCs) are working towards provisioning new distilleries for the production of 1G and 2G ethanol and Indian vehicle manufacturers are developing engines compliant with ethanol-blended fuel. The government has also started an interest subvention scheme for molasses and grain-based distilleries to promote ethanol production. It is also foreseen that flex-fuel vehicles, which are capable of utilising ethanol-blended gasoline up to 85 per cent and are already operational in the USA and Brazil, are soon to make an entry in India.

India’s Biofuel Standards Offer Significant Support to