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Agro chems – Chemicals, Agrotech, Company News, India, Sustainable Energy

With this implementation, Best Agrolife anticipates annual savings of 33 per cent per unit on electricity costs while achieving a reduction of over 4 thousand tonnes in carbon emissions.

Best Agrolife Ltd (BAL), India’s leading agrochemical pesticide manufacturer, has entered into a PPA and SHA for supply of 3 MW solar energy from a plant in Uttar Pradesh. The electricity generated from this plant will be used to power its manufacturing unit in Gajraula. The company has collaborated with Fourth Partner Energy, a renowned renewable energy solutions provider, to procure this solar energy from its 15 MW solar park in Shahjahanpur.

“We at ‘BEST’ are focused on sustainability as it presents opportunities to innovate & develop new products and processes that are both sustainable and profitable. A company with a strong, sustainable ethos has been committed to develop cleaner, greener and more efficient production processes. We have implemented strict safety protocols to ensure safety of workers and local communities besides establishing a rainwater harvesting system in all our units.

This agreement with Clean Energy for the usage of green solar power brings us closer to achieving our energy transition goals. We are actively considering implementing solar energy solutions in other manufacturing facilities across India. We are delighted to partner with Fourth Partner Energy to expedite our sustainability objectives, given their expertise in renewable energy solutions and commendable track record in project execution and asset management,” said Pramod Narayan Karlekar, MD, Best Crop Science Pvt Ltd.

Commending Best Agrolife for its focus on clean energy transition, Kushal Mamgain, Lead for Open Access Projects – Uttar Pradesh at Fourth Partner Energy, remarked, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Best Agrolife in Uttar Pradesh. Companies like Best Agrolife are setting a remarkable example for other businesses in India by leading the country’s decarbonization efforts. We look forward to solarising their manufacturing units throughout the country.”

Best Agrolife’s Gajraula pesticide manufacturing plant spans 14 acres and features a 25,000 sq ft warehouse. Currently operating at a capacity of 7,000 MT annually, the facility has additional land measuring up to 100,000 sq ft for future expansion. With the implementation of the 3 MW solar plant, Best Agrolife anticipates annual savings of 33 per cent per unit on electricity costs while achieving a reduction of over 4 thousand tonnes in carbon emissions.

By integrating renewable energy into its portfolio, Best Agrolife Ltd sets a remarkable example for other organizations, demonstrating economic growth and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand. This strategic move highlights their proactive stance in embracing clean energy solutions. It reinforces its position as an industry leader in sustainable practices helping the nation reduce its carbon footprints while helping it to achieve its Net Zero goals.

As a state, Uttar Pradesh boasts a well-developed renewables market driven by progressive Open Access regulations and a substantial demand from commercial and industrial enterprises seeking to minimize their carbon footprint.

With this implementation, Best Agrolife anticipates annual

AgroPolicy, Supply Chain, Vegetables

Tomato to be distributed at discounted prices to consumers in places of concern including the Delhi-NCR region

The Department of Consumer Affairs has directed National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to immediately procure Tomatoes from Mandis in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra for simultaneous distribution in major consumption centres where retail prices have recorded maximum increase in the last one month. The stocks of Tomatoes will be distributed through retail outlets at discounted prices to the consumers in Delhi-NCR region by Friday, this week.

The targeted centres for release have been identified on the basis of the absolute increase in retail prices over the past month in centres where prevailing prices are above the All-India average. Key consumption centres in states having a higher concentration of the identified centres are further selected for the intervention.

Tomato is produced almost in all the states in India, though in varying quantities. Maximum production is in southern and western regions of India, contributing 56 per cent-58 per cent of all India production. Southern and Western regions being surplus states feed to other markets depending on production seasons. The production seasons are also different across regions. The peak harvesting season occurs from December to February. The periods during July-August and October-November are generally the lean production months for tomatoes. July coinciding with the monsoon season adds to further challenges related to distribution and increased transit losses adding to price rise. The cycle of planting and harvesting seasons and variation across regions are primarily responsible for price seasonality in Tomato. Apart from the normal price seasonality, temporary supply chain disruptions and crop damage due to adverse weather conditions often lead to sudden price spikes.

Currently, the supplies coming to markets in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and some other states are mostly from Maharashtra especially Satara, Narayangaon, and Nashik which is expected to last till this month end. Madanapalle (Chittoor) in Andhra Pradesh also has continued arrivals in reasonable quantities. Delhi-NCR arrivals are mainly from Himachal Pradesh, and some quantity comes from Kolar in Karnataka.

New crop arrivals are expected soon from the Nashik district. Furthermore, in August, additional supply is expected to come from Narayangaon and Aurangabad belt. Madhya Pradesh arrivals are also expected to start. Prices are anticipated to cool down in the near future, accordingly.

Tomato to be distributed at discounted prices

Animal Health, Company News, Live Stock, World

The combination of Olmix and Yes Sinergy marks a new milestone in the development of Olmix’s Animal Care Business Unit

Olmix Group, a global specialist in natural solutions for agriculture, acquired Yes Sinergy, a Brazilian biotech company specialising in natural additives for animal nutrition and welfare.

With the acquisition of Yes Sinergy, Olmix Group is pursuing its international development, positioning itself as a major supplier of bio-sourced solutions for agriculture. The Group now generates revenues of more than €200 million, including nearly €150 million in animal nutrition, health and welfare.

The consolidation of the two companies is based on their complementary strengths, both geographical and technological, as well as their shared ambition of combining economic performance with the transition to more sustainable farming models. The operation builds on the companies’ shared values focused on a scientific approach to knowledge and the essential role of innovation based on bio-sourced materials: seaweed for Olmix and sugar-cane yeast for Yes Sinergy.

The combination of Olmix and Yes Sinergy marks a new milestone in the development of Olmix’s Animal Care Business Unit. Through this acquisition, Olmix Group reaffirms its international ambitions and positions itself as a leader in bio-sourced solutions for animal nutrition, health and welfare.

The acquisition will boost Yes Sinergy’s sales, technical and R&D resources while enabling the company to pursue its growth in the European and Asian markets. At the same time, Olmix’s integration of Yes Sinergy will accelerate its development in Latin America, one of the world’s most dynamic agricultural markets, penetrate the pet care market and complement its range of natural solutions for livestock.

Robert Clapham, Olmix Group CEO, commented, “The acquisition of biotech company Yes Sinergy is fully in line with the Animal Care Business Unit’s growth plans. I’m convinced that under the leadership of Mickael Rouault, who recently arrived as the head of this business, the two teams’ combined expertise and skills will stimulate innovation and the growth of our bio-sourced solutions. The Group now has a global presence spanning Europe, Asia and Latin America, and the Animal Care Business Unit’s revenues are spread evenly across these three areas.” 

The combination of Olmix and Yes Sinergy

Agrotech, Company News, Foodgrains, World

Through its Market+ Source sustainable crop program, Indigo Ag will use its proprietary measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) capabilities to help CGB quantify the emissions factor

Indigo Ag, announced a program with Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., a subsidiary of CGB Enterprises, Inc. and a leader in the grain and transportation industries, designed to quantify the environmental benefits of sustainably grown crops sourced by CGB.

Through its Market+ Source sustainable crop program, Indigo Ag will use its proprietary measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) capabilities to help CGB quantify the emissions factor for the grain they purchase from farmers using more sustainable farming practices. These grains would be purchased at a premium and ultimately sold to CGB customers looking to decarbonise value chains, including food and beverage companies, ingredient companies and regenerative and sustainable fuel producers.

Indigo’s proprietary MRV capabilities use the highest scientific standards to quantify environmental benefits for companies participating in the Market+ Source program.

“As corporations look to achieve their Scope 3 emissions targets, the ability to quantify the environmental impact of sustainable practices with a high degree of certainty is critically important,” said Ron Hovsepian, president and CEO of Indigo Ag. “We are excited to work with companies like CGB who are demonstrating leadership in the industry by committing to help farmers make more money through the adoption of sustainable practices while reducing emissions in the ag value chain.”

“At CGB we are driven to connect value-added solutions to our upstream farmer producers, while simultaneously meeting the evolving needs and quality characteristics of our downstream consumer,” said Eric Slater, President and CEO of CGB Enterprises, Inc. “Through our work with Indigo, we are excited to expand upon and connect value-added production practices at the farm level that would promote sustainability within the grain, feed, and food supply chains.”

Through its Market+ Source sustainable crop program, Indigo

Agro chems – Pesticides, Company News, India

The insecticide falls in the Green category and is being produced by IIL under the Make in India initiative that would benefit marginal and small farmers in India

Insecticides (India) Limited (IIL), an agrochemical company has announced the insecticide ‘Mission’ which would attack different types of lepidopteran pests affecting sugarcane crops and other crops like paddy, soybean and vegetables.

According to the company statement, the insecticide Mission will be available in granules as well as liquid form. The insecticide falls in the Green category and is being produced by IIL under the Make in India initiative that would benefit marginal and small farmers in India. It was imported earlier. The mission is well designed to control the spread of stem borer and leaf folders in paddy and other crops.

Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides (India), said, “We are pleased to launch Mission today under our Make in India Initiative after Torry, Green Label, Dominant and Stunner. The mission is the latest technology insecticide which can be used on a variety of crops and provide good control to farmers against lepidopteran pests, ensuring good crop health and high yield. We are confident that Mission will help our Indian farmers to improve their income through effective protection for a superior harvest.”

The insecticide falls in the Green category

Company News, Dairy, Packaging & Labelling, Supply Chain, World

This could be a first in the dairy industry and would reduce Arla’s plastic consumption by more than 500 tonnes annually if implemented

The dairy cooperative is teaming up with Blue Ocean Closures in a formal partnership to create a fibre-based cap for its milk cartons. This could be a first in the dairy industry and would reduce Arla’s plastic consumption by more than 500 tonnes annually if implemented.

The cardboard milk carton is a well-known classic in several countries and while the packaging has undergone several transformations over the years and is now a near-optimal choice in terms of food safety and sustainability, the time has come to completely rethink a small yet significant part; the cap.

Making up for around 23 per cent of the plastic used in Arla’s cartons, the farmer-owned dairy cooperative has now set its sights on the caps as part of its sustainable packaging strategy to eliminate the use of fossil-based virgin plastic in its packaging by 2030. Arla Foods is partnering with Swedish start-up Blue Ocean Closures in an effort to create a solution that could see the dairy cooperative introduce the first fibre-based cap on milk cartons in the industry.

“Improving our packaging, including reducing our use of plastic, is imperative to us and we know that consumers are also very invested in this area. This project to explore what could very well be the first fibre-based cap on milk cartons is very exciting and shows that we at Arla are constantly looking to improve and lead the transformation of sustainable packaging”, says Peter Giørtz-Carlsen, Chief Commercial Officer at Arla Foods.

This could be a first in the

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy, Company News, India, White paper

 The whitepaper sheds light on the significance of the fertilizer subsidy, its inherent volatility, and the imperative need for effective policies to address the challenges it poses.

New Delhi based Primus Partners Pvt. Ltd. (Primus) – a distinguished pioneer in the realm of management consulting services unveiled an insightful whitepaper on the chemicals industry, with a specific emphasis on the fertilizer subsidy and potential areas of growth. The whitepaper sheds light on the significance of the fertilizer subsidy, its inherent volatility, and the imperative need for effective policies to address the challenges it poses.

As per the whitepaper, the fertilizer subsidy constitutes a substantial portion with an annual allocation of approximately Rs 1.75 lakh crore, accounting for approximately 20% of all schemes in the 2023-24 budget. This allocation is divided into two major components: Rs 1.31 lakh crore for urea subsidy and Rs 44,000 crore for nutrient-based subsidy. However, the fertilizer subsidy is often seen to be unpredictable, with the revised estimate for 2022-23 surpassing the budgeted amount by more than twofold. This volatility primarily stems from fluctuations in international gas and urea prices.

The Fertilizer subsidy has an important role in overall food production of India and management of farm input for the farmers. Many issues with the subsidy have been identified since long time. There has been a deadlock between conflicting and noble goals, which needs to be resolved.

“Our whitepaper highlights the reasons for deadlock that is preventing improvement on fertilizer subsidy policy and mechanism. We believe that viable alternatives need to be created for farmers to move away from harmful overuse of urea. By improving subsidy policies and mechanisms and embracing technological advancements and tailored farming techniques, we can unlock new avenues of growth and sustainability in the fertilizer industry.” said Anurag Singh, Managing Director, Primus Partners.

The whitepaper proposes two primary approaches to tackle the subsidy deadlock. Firstly, there is a need to improve subsidy policies and mechanisms, which will be explored in subsequent discussions. Secondly, reducing urea usage by fostering viable alternatives is of paramount importance. Technological advancements in agriculture, such as nano urea, precision agriculture, drone usage, GIS applications, and improved farming techniques, exhibit promising potential in achieving this objective. Developing a tailored bundle of technologies and practices specific to crop clusters, such as the potato cluster in the Firozabad area, will help prioritize areas with the highest potential for reducing urea usage.

To facilitate the transition to alternative practices, economic studies must be conducted in each crop cluster to assess the impact on farm inputs, investments, cash flow, farmer efforts, and output quality. Identifying the necessary support and cost-effective initiatives for farmers to make the switch is essential. Additionally, the development of value chains for the proposed solutions, accompanied by special schemes, will enhance the economic viability of key participants.

As the chemical industry plays a vital role in India’s economic growth and agricultural development, Primus Partners remains committed to providing comprehensive insights and strategic recommendations to industry stakeholders.  By advocating for effective policies, innovative approaches, and the adoption of technological advancements and tailored farming techniques, we can create a more sustainable and prosperous future for the fertilizer industry.

 The whitepaper sheds light on the significance

Agrotech, Company News, Machinery - Pre-harvesting, Sustainability, Sustainable Energy, World

 To explore the possibilities of biogas production from livestock waste and at the same time to promote the use of renewable energies in the country.

World leader in clean energy, New Holland Agriculture announces a partnership with leading companies in the biomethane sector in Brazil for the creation of an innovative ecosystem for the production of gas, generated from the decomposition of organic waste. The new ecosystem is the first of its kind in the country and promises to revolutionize its biogas market.

The launch of this unprecedented solution in the Brazilian biomethane market is the result of a successful collaboration between New Holland, Iveco Group, Sebigás Cótica – a company specialised in the development of biodigestion solutions, from project design, construction, maintenance and operation of biogas facilities – and Air Liquide – a world leader in industrial gases, technology and services for industry and healthcare.

Similarly, to what New Holland Agriculture is doing in Europe with the British company Bennamann, the initiative aims to explore the possibilities of biomethane production from livestock waste and at the same time to promote the use of renewable energies for Agriculture in the country.

The arrival of this technology follows the sale of the first tractor unit powered by biomethane gas in Brazil: a T6.180 Methane Power, which can use the gas generated from the decomposition of organic waste as fuel, was sold to SF Agropecuária, a company based in Brasilândia, Mato Grosso do Sul.

The property selected to be part of the experimental biomethane project is that same farm, pioneering in the use of waste to create energy.The whole system could potentially allow the Brazilian biogas market to grow. With the increasing demand for renewable energy, the biomethane produced by the new solution has the potential to become a viable alternative to diesel and other fossil fuels. Besides, the production of biomethane from animal waste, cow and pig to start with, contributes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, making the solution environmentally friendly.

The project was launched with “Methane Power Experience”, a special two-day media event involving Brazilian journalists and stakeholders, also involving a test drive on the T6.180 Methane Power Tractor.

Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland Agriculture said: “We continue to reinforce our sustainability strategy on the global level, confirming with concrete actions our brand’s leadership position in alternative propulsions but also in researching and developing new winning practices to apply a circular economy model in Agriculture.”

 To explore the possibilities of biogas production

Agrotech, Biofuel industry, Company News, India, Start ups

Partnership aims to develop projects that provide industries with access to non-agricultural sources of biofuels as alternatives.

Pune based BiofuelCircle, India’s first digital marketplace for biomass and biofuels has signed an MoU with Pune Knowledge Cluster (PKC) for innovating alternatives to Agri- residue based bio-energy.  The objective is to develop projects that provide industries with access to non-agricultural sources of biofuels as alternatives. This initiative will augment the current sources of biofuels and also help boost the rural economy, rejuvenate degraded land and be an important step towards energy independence of the country.

The two organizations will together work towards setting up projects with a number of large industrial houses of India. These companies who currently procure their biofuels on the BiofuelCircle Platform will benefit from such projects as this will add new sources to the regular supply of agri residue-based biofuels (like briquettes and pellets) while also creating a bridge with the rural economy to cultivate the degraded land around agricultural land to cultivate non-food crops which will be suitable as the source of biofuels.

PKC is one of the six Science & Technology clusters established by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under The City Knowledge and Innovation Cluster Initiative. Incepted in 2020, PKC works as an enabler and facilitator to create and nurture a collaborative S&T ecosystem involving various stakeholders including Industry, Academia, Government, and Citizens. PKC works across five focus areas including Sustainability and Environment, with a focus on knowledge and technology-based methods for sustainable increase of urban and peri-urban vegetation cover and augmenting water security.

Tushar Lowalekar, Founding Member and CBO, BiofuelCircle said, “A lot of work is currently underway in creating opportunities for utilization of agricultural residue. However, to augment the capacity, there also needs to be an effort to look at alternatives to agri residue as a source.  With the projects planned with some of our key customers, we will create a sustained source of biofuels for them over the coming months. Apart from the increased supply of biofuels, the other objectives are utilization of degraded land and increasing the incomes of the people dependent on that land. All in all, it’s a win-win for both the industries and the people dependent on the lands and an important step towards the energy security of the country.” 

Partnership aims to develop projects that provide

Agro chems – Fertilizers, Agrotech, Company News, World

The patented technology will be harnessed through AGT Soileos in Western Canada, a joint venture between Lucent Bio and AGT Foods

Lucent Bio announces the patent approval of an innovative biodegradable nutrient delivery technology. This transformative technology signals a new era in the agricultural industry, advancing global practices with the promise of future investment.

The patented technology fundamentally reimagines the delivery of nutrients, using water-insoluble biopolymers to provide a next-generation alternative for crop nutrition. This technological breakthrough is backed by rigorous scientific research and validation, marking a pioneering stride in the agri-tech industry. 

Peter Gross, Chief Technical Officer at Lucent Bio, says, “This patented technology redefines the concept of sustainable farming, by providing a fertiliser solution that is more efficient, environmentally responsible, and providing a better ROI for the farmer. We are proud to have reached this milestone that places Lucent Bio at the forefront of agri-tech fertiliser innovation.” 

The patented technology will be harnessed through AGT Soileos in Western Canada, a joint venture between Lucent Bio and AGT Foods, leveraging the collective expertise to support farmers in enhancing crop performance while prioritising the long-term stewardship of natural resources.

Murad Al-Katib, AGT Foods President and CEO shares, “The continued collaboration between AGT and Lucent is flourishing. We are nearing completion of the manufacturing facility in Saskatchewan, which will be the first of several global facilities bringing these smart fertilization solutions to local farmers. This patent is a milestone in the progression of commercialising Soileos,” said Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO of AGT Foods. 

The patented technology will be harnessed through AGT

Company News, Finance, World

Significant cost mitigation actions were initiated, reducing previously expected operating expenses in the second half by $60 to $70 million.

FMC Corporation provided an update for its expectations on the second quarter and full-year 2023 outlook1. Revenue in the second quarter is now expected to be between $1.00 billion and $1.03 billion. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of $185 million to $190 million. The revised guidance is driven by substantially lower-than-expected volumes due to an abrupt and significant reduction in inventory by channel partners, which only became evident towards the end of May and continued through the remainder of the quarter in North America, Latin America and EMEA.

Based on current channel dynamics, the Company is revising its full-year financial outlook, with revenue now expected to be $5.20 billion to $5.40 billion. Adjusted EBITDA for the full year is now expected to be $1.30 billion to $1.40 billion.

“Towards the end of May, we experienced unforeseen and unprecedented volume declines in three out of our four operating regions, as our channel partners rapidly reduced inventory levels,” said Mark Douglas, FMC president and chief executive officer. “Our full-year revenue outlook and adjusted EBITDA have been revised to reflect these channel dynamics and their impact on volumes, as well as the benefit from improved input costs and the significant operating cost mitigation actions we have already implemented.

“Even as we manage through this market contraction and significant inventory reduction by our channel partners, on-the-ground consumption of our products remains strong and at similar levels to last year,” Douglas said.

Information in this news release is preliminary and excludes the outlook on adjusted earnings per share and free cash flow, which will be updated at the second quarter 2023 earnings call. FMC will announce its second quarter 2023 earnings on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, after the stock market close with a webcast conference call on Thursday, August 3, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. ET. 

Significant cost mitigation actions were initiated, reducing

Agrotech, Company News, IT, R&D, Start ups

Bhaasa is powered by speech recognition that can converse in 10 languages across 80+ dialects

spocto, the world’s leading debt support and risk mitigation platform announced its strategic partnership with KisanServ, a prominent AgriTech company based out of Pune, for the deployment of spocto’s AI driven multilingual voice bot ‘Bhaasa’. Through Bhaasa, Kisanserv would be able to communicate across different languages in real-time with thousands of farmers across 4 states.

Developed within spocto X platform, Bhaasa is a multilingual AI voicebot that communicates in regional dialects and languages, with context recognition capabilities. Powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP), Bhaasa can be integrated with the recovery interface and reduce human intervention, thus saving 30 per cent in resource cost every year for the lenders, while improving the customer experience for delinquent customers by over 47 per cent.

“The agricultural sector holds great significance not only for the government but also for banks. Given our extensive experience in the agricultural domain with banks, we enthusiastically embraced the challenge presented by kisanserv in a different world of agritech. We have developed modules in four languages – Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and Kannada. This endeavour reflects our commitment to serving the needs of farmers and underscores the importance we place on the agricultural sector and its application to any industry,” said Sumeet Srivastava, CEO & Founder, spocto.

To make Kisanserv communication easily accessible and effective to Indian farmers, even from the remotest parts of India, Kisanserv partnered with spocto to develop a specific module that will solve their use case.

Acknowledging the same, Praveen Tiwary, Co-Founder & CTO, KisanServ, said “On our supply side, We work with thousands of farmers on a daily basis about their produce, and our operations. The challenge is always the variety of languages and the quantum of people we work with daily which leads to efficiency issues. And on our demand side, we have to talk to retail customers across metro cities as we have numerous retail outlets in Maharashtra. We wanted a great uniform communication experience on both sides of the spectrum irrespective of different communication strategies. It’s been a great experience so far with spocto developing 2 different communication strategies for both sides that have led to significant savings for us and led to a great customer satisfaction index when we looked at our feedback score.”

Bhaasa built within the spocto X platform is amongst the first of the many creations of the spocto innovation lab (SIL). SIL was launched late last year and is India’s first innovation lab dedicated to the debt collection segment of banking industries in India and the Middle East. Through an expedited method, SIL is intended to speed the development of disruptive technologies such as AI/ML, big data, data security, and so on. SIL is working with all participants in the collecting ecosystem to prepare for the future by taking a digital-first strategy. Being an NLP collection voice bot with human-like engagement, Bhaasa is powered by speech recognition that can converse in 10 languages across 80+ dialects.

Bhaasa is powered by speech recognition that

Agri Genomics, Agrotech, Company News, Europe, R&D, Start ups

The Bionexus library currently houses an impressive collection of over 15,000 microbial isolates, sourced from over 300 locations spanning the length and breadth of India.

Bioprime Agrisolutions, a pioneering startup in agricultural biotechnology, is proud to announce the launch of the Bionexus library, a first-of-its-kind and the largest collection of plant-associated microbes in India. This groundbreaking initiative aims to unlock the hidden potential of microbial communities residing within plants, revolutionizing the way we approach crop resilience, productivity, and plant protection.

Recognizing that every plant is a complex ecosystem comprising diverse microbial organisms that interact symbiotically and influence the plant’s growth and performance, Bioprime Agrisolutions has developed a cutting-edge high throughput screening process. This innovative approach scrutinizes the physiological and biochemical responses of plants to microbes, enabling the identification and validation of promising leads for further comprehensive plant studies and omics.

The Bionexus library currently houses an impressive collection of over 15,000 microbial isolates, sourced from over 300 locations spanning the length and breadth of India. These invaluable resources include samples from regions as diverse as Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Pangong Tso in Leh, Sonmarg, Kashmir, to caves in Kerala. The collection houses microbes from sea level to 16,500 Ft, from pH 5 to 11, from rainfall of 210 mm to 11430 mm, from -8C to 70C. This covers vast habitats like grass lands, rain forests, lakes, caves, deserts, glaciers, river basins, hot water and sulfur springs, mines etc to name a few. This extensive microbial diversity database will provide researchers and scientists with unprecedented insights into India’s unique microbial ecology, particularly crucial in the face of climate change and the urgent need for sustainable agriculture. These efforts have already yielded results with more than 2000 novel microbes with significantly higher activities. 

Dr. Renuka Diwan, Co-Founder & CEO of Bioprime Agrisolutions, expressed her excitement about this groundbreaking endeavor: “The launch of the Bionexus library marks a significant milestone in our journey toward sustainable agriculture. By focusing on the intricate relationship between plants and their associated microbial communities, we are unraveling nature’s secrets to unlock the full potential of our crops. This library will fuel innovation, enabling us to develop novel products and solutions that enhance crop resilience, productivity, and protection.”

Bioprime Agrisolutions has already identified eight promising products from the microbial isolates in the pipeline. Leveraging the wealth of knowledge accumulated in the Bionexus library, these upcoming innovations hold immense potential to transform agriculture and address the pressing challenges faced by farmers.

The launch of the Bionexus library reaffirms Bioprime Agrisolutions’ commitment to spearheading cutting-edge research and development in the field of agricultural biotechnology. With a focus on sustainable practices and climate-resilient crops, the company aims to redefine the future of farming in India and beyond.

The Bionexus library currently houses an impressive

Agrotech, Biofuel industry, Company News, India

Earlier in October 2021, both the Companies had entered into an agreement to form a 50:50 Joint Venture to this end.

In a significant development, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (Indian Oil) and Praj Industries Limited (Praj) signed a term sheet to advance plans to strengthen biofuels production capacities in India. Various biofuels covered under this MoU include Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), Ethanol, Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG), Biodiesel and Bio-bitumen among others. Earlier in October 2021, both the Companies had entered into an agreement to form a 50:50 Joint Venture to this end.

Talking about the development, Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Chairman, Indian Oil, said, “The collaboration with an Indian biofuel major – Praj, is a remarkable milestone in Indian Oil’s green energy transition journey. It will strengthen our resolve to achieve our goal of net-zero operational emissions by 2046 and maintain our leadership in the green energy domain.”

Vaidya also added that India being an agrarian economy, offers the advantage of sufficient availability of feedstock. The indigenous biofuels will be a game changer in helping India chart its decarbonization journey. Biofuels offer a win-win situation by reducing dependence on crude imports, boosting the rural economy, and offering sustainable, cleaner mobility options.

Dr Pramod Chaudhari, Founder Chairman, Praj Industries said, ” Indian Oil & Praj have been collaborating to facilitate India’s energy transition towards a greener future in the past as well. The nation’s first-of-its-kind advanced biofuels refinery at IndianOil’s Panipat complex is based on Praj’s proprietary 2G technology. This year in May, IndianOil and Praj partnered with AirAsia India and flew India’s first-ever commercial passenger flight powered by a blend of ‘indigenous’ Sustainable Aviation Fuel. We are proud of our partnership with IndianOil, which is further reinforced with this important milestone.”

He also added that Biofuels positively impact the socio-economic and environmental aspects thereby facilitating sustainable development. Readying India to build sustainable aviation fuels production capacity in pursuit of clean skies is our priority, to strengthen Atmanirbhar Bharat.

In pursuit of energy self-reliance by leveraging captive resources, the country has aggressive plans to reconfigure the transportation fuel mix with biofuels. Biofuels are an integral part of India’s flourishing Bioeconomy that plays a significant role as a sustainable climate action tool.

Earlier in October 2021, both the Companies