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North America

Miraflora’s practices had to meet the strict standards included in the organic certification process

Driven to help people be their best naturally through the unique properties of the hemp plant, Miraflora has received USDA Organic Certification for its 160-acre farm in Boulder County, Colo.

To earn USDA certification, Miraflora’s practices had to meet the strict standards included in the organic certification process, including using cultural and biological processes that support the cycling of on-farm resources; promoting ecological balance; and conserving biodiversity. Although this is the first time the farm has earned USDA Organic Certification, it has been farmed organically for over 100 years.

Miraflora’s products are traceable from plant to product, beginning with organic Colorado-grown hemp cultivated in nutrient-rich soil with the purest water fresh from the Rocky Mountains. The Miraflora farm also partners with Red Granite Ranch, Colorado’s largest alpaca ranch, to manage and raise the alpaca that provide the organic fertilizer that’s worked into the soil. Alpaca manure has long been prized as a sustainable fertilizer by gardeners and farmers due to its multitude of benefits.

Miraflora’s top-selling hemp infusion beverage can be found in over 200 locations in Los Angeles and New York City.

Miraflora’s practices had to meet the strict

Transportation

The objective of the Industrial Corridor Programme is the creation of greenfield industrial cities

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved proposals of the Department of Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) for construction of various trunk infrastructure components for: 

  1. Krishnapatnam Industrial Area in Andhra Pradesh with an estimated cost of the project of Rs 2,139.44 crore;
  2. Tumakuru Industrial Area in Karnataka with an estimated cost of Rs 1,701.81 crore;
  3. Multi Modal Logistics Hub (MMLH) and Multi Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh with an estimated cost of Rs. 3,883.80 crore.

The objective of the Industrial Corridor Programme is the creation of greenfield industrial cities with sustainable, ‘plug n play’, ICT enabled utilities to facilitate the manufacturing investments into the country by providing quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure to industries.

These projects have been planned on the backbone of multi-modal connectivity infrastructure. Krishnapatnam Industrial Area in Andhra Pradesh and Tumakuru Industrial Area in Karnataka under Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC) has been approved to kick start the development of the Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor Project. These greenfield industrial cities will be self-sustained with world-class infrastructure, road and rail connectivity for freight movement to and from ports and logistic hubs along with reliable power and quality social infrastructure.

These projects will generate ample employment opportunities through industrialization. For Krishnapatnam node, the estimated employment projection on completion of the first phase of development is likely to be around 98,000 persons of which about 58,000 persons are likely to be employed at the site.

The facility will not only provide standard container handling activities but also provide various value-added services to reduce logistics cost with improved efficiency of operations.

Multi Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) project located near the already existing Indian Railways station of Boraki will act as a transport hub with provisioning of Rail, Road, and MRTS accessibility for the passengers in a seamless manner. MMTH will have space for Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT), Local Bus Terminal (LBT), Metro, commercial, retail & hotel space, and green open spaces. The project will provide world-class passenger movement facilities for the growing population of the catchment zone catering to upcoming developments in UP sub-region of the NCR and thus, decongest Delhi.

The objective of the Industrial Corridor Programme

Trade

Two tonnes of organic certified Moringa powder were sent to the US through air consignment

In a bid to promote Moringa (botanical name Moringa oleifera) products exports from India, APEDA has been supporting private entities in creating necessary infrastructure. Two tonnes of organic certified Moringa powder were sent to the United States through air consignment on December 29, 2020. The event was flagged off by Dr M Angamuthu Chairman, APEDA, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India.

One of the APEDA registered exporter from Telangana, M/s Medikonda Nutrients has been supported to start the export activities in a planned manner. The company has 240 hectares of Moringa plantation which includes land owned by the company and contract farming entered under the certified organic status of the produce. The company plans to export around 40 metric tonnes of Moringa leaves powder to USA. The company has set up Moringa products processing unit in Gongloor Village, Pulkal Mondal Sangareddy district of Telangana. APEDA has been constantly facilitating the budding exporter for enhancing the Moringa exports from India.

With more Moringa processing units being created through support of APEDA, the exports would be increasing in the next few years which would bring benefits to the farmers. Moringa has been used for centuries due to its medicinal properties and health benefits in various forms. Globally, the demand for Moringa products, such as Moringa Leaf Powder and Moringa Oil, has been witnessing healthy growth. Moreover, international organizations and institutions are exploring the best ways on how to use Moringa as a nutritional supplement and in food fortification.

 

Two tonnes of organic certified Moringa powder

Agro chems – Pesticides, Australia, R&D

It aims at providing new technologies to manage herbicide resistance and support the sustainability of modern crop production systems 

 A major international collaboration aimed at developing innovative weed management solutions for Australian grain growers will enter a new phase of discovery. The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Crop Science division of Bayer announced that the Herbicide Innovation Partnership (HIP) would be extended for another four years to 2025.

The partnership was formed in 2015 and since then the private-public collaboration has delivered promising results in the identification of a number of chemistry candidates for new sustainable modes of action.

The Herbicide Innovation Partnership’s major objective is to provide Australian growers with new technologies to manage herbicide resistance and support the sustainability of modern crop production systems for decades to come.

Bayer Australia Managing Director, Joerg Ellmanns, said that the partnership with the GRDC puts Australian growers at the next frontier of the development of new molecules while cultivating capability and capacity for the nation’s grains industry.

“The GRDC investment on behalf of Australian growers has contributed to our scientists synthesising several tens of thousands of new molecules for laboratory and greenhouse testing, and several of these have progressed to the stage of readiness for Australian and international field testing – an important first step in the process of the field evaluation of candidates with potential for commercial development.”

GRDC Acting General Manager Crop Protection, Biosecurity and Regulation, Ken Young, said. “The focus of research under HIP is to discover selective herbicides that target weeds of Australian importance for use in wheat and other broad acre cereal crops.”

It aims at providing new technologies to

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains

All crops and expenditure of procurement at MSP increased by 85 per cent in 2014-19 from 2009-14. 

Union Minister Hardeep S Puri has said that the Government has not only implemented the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee to increase MSP to 1.5 times of the cost of production but it increased MSP in the range of 40-70 per cent in case of all crops and expenditure of procurement at MSP increased by 85 per cent in 2014-19 from 2009-14. He added that the budget of the Department of Agriculture has gone up six times in as many years. 

Puri informed that MSP is an administrative mechanism and added that the laws specifically provide layers of protection for our farmers, giving them legal safeguards to counter any unwarranted claims of corporates. He further said that the Government has clearly stated in the laws that such acquisition or leasing of land of our farmers will not be allowed in any case. He said that our farmers are the stewards of land, soil and forests and land is truly like their mother. They have dedicated their lives, blood and sweat to its care. He emphasizes that Government would not allow anyone to come and take their land from them.

Puri also added that Punjab and Haryana account for around 30 per cent of the national food production and around 70 per cent of our MSP procurement happens from these states.

All crops and expenditure of procurement at

Acquaculture, AgroPolicy

The meeting covered the entire gamut of issues related to fishermen and fishing boats 

The Fourth Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries was held   through virtual mode. The Indian delegation was led by Dr Rajeev Ranjan, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The other members of the Indian delegation included senior representatives from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Tamil Nadu, Government of Puducherry, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.

The Sri Lankan delegation was led by R.M.I. Rathnayake, Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries of the Government of Sri Lanka. The other members of the Sri Lankan delegation were senior officials from their Foreign Ministry, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Navy, Coast Guard and the Department of the Attorney General.

The meeting covered the entire gamut of issues related to fishermen and fishing boats which have been on the agenda of bilateral discussions between India and Sri Lanka for many years. It may be recalled that during the Virtual Bilateral Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa held on 26 September 2020, both leaders agreed to “continue engagement to address the issues related to fishermen through regular consultation and bilateral channels.”

Secretary, Fisheries, Government of India, highlighted that the Indian side remains committed to working constructively with the Sri Lankan side to address all issues related to fishermen and their livelihoods in a humanitarian manner and in line with past understandings.

Both sides agreed that the convening of the JWG on virtual medium to tide over the restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic reflected the common desire to utilize the existing bilateral mechanisms and work constructively to address all issues pertaining to fishermen.

 

 

The meeting covered the entire gamut of

China

The Company makes full use of the premium Lishui Shangeng farming regional brand

Farmmi, Inc. an agriculture products supplier in China, today announced it received the prestigious Ecological High-Quality Agricultural Product designation for its Lishui Shangeng branded black fungus and dried mushrooms.  The designation from the Lishui Municipal Government recognizes product excellence.  Lishui Shangeng is a regional public brand signifying high-quality agricultural products in Lishui and other cities in Zhejiang.

Yefang Zhang, Farmmi’s Chairwoman and CEO, commented, “We are encouraged to end 2020 on another positive note.  We expect the prestigious Ecological High-Quality Agricultural Product designation will help to further differentiate our products and convey the premium we place on quality across our entire operations.  Our focus on brand and quality excellence continues to resonate with customers, including leading import/export companies, and drive growth, as seen by our recent sales announcements.  We believe we are firmly on track for an even better 2021 as we benefit from multiple catalysts, with broader demand growth, a dietary shift to the inclusion of healthier foods and an improving global economic environment.  Our targeted investments in processing automation, supply chain and logistics give us a significant competitive advantage with the quality and scale necessary to serve the increased customer demand we are seeing.” 

As one of the earliest members of the Lishui Shangeng, Farmmi’s products also boast the Lishui Shangeng brand certificate. The Company makes full use of the premium Lishui Shangeng farming regional brand.  Strict quality control is at the core brand competitiveness, with the tenet of direct supply from the base, inspection access, and whole-process traceability. 

The Company makes full use of the

Agro chems – Pesticides, Australia, E-commerce

It specifically targets banana weevil borer in Cavendish and Lady Finger bananas 

Registered in August 2020, Vayego Forte has introduced a new insecticide mode of action to the industry, containing 480 g/L of the Group 28 insecticide tetraniliprole in a suspension concentrate formulation. The product brings other significant benefits to the market, including not flaring mites, low application rates and reduced stem splitting.

Specifically targeting banana weevil borer in Cavendish and Lady Finger bananas, Market Development Agronomist with Bayer in North Queensland, Nick Matthews, said Vayego Forte is an important addition to the market.

“Banana weevil borer is a very significant pest if not controlled. Its movement is generally limited but it can move from block to block if conditions are attractive elsewhere or when it’s encouraged to move, for example when a block is knocked out,” Nick said.

 “The biggest issue is the adult lays eggs at the base, called the corm, of semi-mature banana plants, and then the larvae burrow in and can cause quite serious tunnelling damage, often causing secondary pest and disease incursions in the corm. This reduces plant growth and structural integrity, which can then cause the plant to fall over, also called roll out. Obviously that plant and the bunch is then lost, leaving gaps in the plantation, which reduces overall productivity.”

“This new product provides growers with an alternative to current registered insecticides, including the mainstay imidacloprid, which has been heavily relied on. This new mode of action will have positive implications for resistance management by utilising an insecticide group that the banana weevil borer has yet to be exposed to”, he added.

It specifically targets banana weevil borer in

Agro Universities, Agrotech

The meeting was aimed at taking stock of the emerging pests and disease problems faced by the cotton farmers and to develop a concrete Action Plan for next season in consultation with the ICAR-CICR experts.

 The ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra and ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, Maharashtra have recently, jointly organized a ’Virtual Interaction Meeting with the KVKs in Maharashtra on Emerging Problems in Cotton’. Dr Y.G. Prasad, Director, ICAR-CICR, Nagpur, Maharashtra highlighted the technologies ready for transfer for the inclusion in on-farm trials, frontline demonstrations and mass extension campaign by the KVKs.

Dr Lakhan Singh, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Pune, Maharashtra outlined the main objective of the meeting. Earlier, KVKs of Yavatmal, Jalna and Nandurbar Districts presented the report on crop conditions prevailing in the three regions of Maharashtra and highlighted the emerging issues of concern.

The meeting was aimed at taking stock of the emerging pests and disease problems faced by the cotton farmers and to develop a concrete Action Plan for next season in consultation with the ICAR-CICR experts. The Heads of Divisions / Sections of ICAR-CICR, Nagpur and KVKs along with 85 Subject Matter Specialists virtually attended the meeting.

The meeting was aimed at taking stock

Agrotech

Dandegaonkar succeeds Dilip Walse Patil, who had resigned as the president of NFCSF on becoming the Cabinet Minister of State Government of Maharashtra. 

Jaiprakash R Salunke Dandegaonkar was unanimously elected as the president of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Limited at the Apex Sugar Body’s 214th meeting of the Board of Directors. Dandegaonkar succeeds Dilip Walse Patil, who had resigned as the president of NFCSF on becoming the Cabinet Minister of State Government of Maharashtra. 

Dandegaonkar is the current chairman of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation Limited, Mumbai. As a senior leader of the Cooperative Sugar sector, Dandegaonkar has contributed significantly towards the growth and development of Indian Sugar sector, one of the few heavily controlled industries in India. As a senior Director of NFCSF, he has been advocating for dynamic reforms in this industry. 

Dandegaonkar, said, “I will work with central and state Governments and other stakeholders to facilitate the effective resolution of various issues that are confronting the cane growers and cooperative sugar millers which includes suitable MSP, reducing huge cane arrears, forming suitable modalities for timely payment of FRP, timely market/export assistance, diversification of sugar mills etc. I will also work with the Board of Directors to push for a customized financial package to enhance the general, financial and commercial efficiency of cooperative sugar mills across India.”

Dandegaonkar succeeds Dilip Walse Patil, who had

E-commerce, North America, R&D

Through simple-to-use digital tool, farmers can get 2021 profitability estimates within minutes. 

Granular, a Corteva Agriscience™ company, is Farm Management Software (FMS) has created a proprietary Corn vs Soybeans Calculator to help farmers with their decision to rotate or not. It is estimated that around 20% of traditional corn-corn acres remain undecided, and taking into account certain agronomic and geographical factors, optimal rotation for 2021 profitability may be different than recent years. By leveraging this free, simple-to-use digital tool, powered by Granular’s algorithms and data from local universities, farmers can get 2021 profitability estimates within minutes.

 “Corn versus beans is a perennial debate, and we’ve put more than 1.1 billion pixels into this analysis, so we’re confident it’s thorough. Because so many farmers still have acreage undecided for 2021, and we saw the highest bean prices in November since 2016, we created the Corn vs Soybeans Calculator to help them make data-backed decisions on what’s right for their operation,” said Chris Seifert, Head of Digital Agriculture Data Science with Corteva Agriscience.  

The differentiator between this calculator, and potentially others available, is that it is directly correlated with the millions of acres of continuous cropping data that helps Granular more accurately predict the potential yield penalty than existing research based on field trials alone. The digitization of data sets at scale gives the agriculture industry the opportunity to truly understand limiting factors toward profitability and helps farmers understand how to achieve the greatest returns on their investments.

Farmers know that to ensure profitability they must meticulously track their numbers. For efficiency, having all of the farm data in one system that provides up-to-date insights and analysis allows farmers to understand field-by-field profitability. The calculator accounts for the expected yield penalty for repeat crops (based on state) as well as the anticipated cost increase for the suggested mitigation strategies. Budget costs are calculated using numbers provided by local state universities, and the crop price is the prior day’s market closing cost, updated daily via Barchart™.

 

Through simple-to-use digital tool, farmers can get

Supply Chain, Transportation

Kisan Rail aims to increase the strength of the country’s cold supply chain 

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi flagged off the 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal today via video conferencing. Union Ministers, Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal were also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister termed the Kisan Rail Service as a major step towards increasing the income of the farmers of the country. This service will bring a major change in the economy related to farming and will also increase the strength of the country’s cold supply chain. He added no minimum quantity has been fixed to transport through Kisan Rail so that, even the smallest produce will be able to reach the big market properly at a low price.

He said that farmers can now sell their crops in other states as well, in which farmers’ rail (Kisan Rail) and agriculture flights (Krishi Udaan) have a big role.  Kisan Rail is a mobile cold storage to move perishable things like fruits, vegetables, milk, fish, etc., with complete security.

The Prime Minister said a facility like Kisan Rail has given millions of small farmers of West Bengal a huge facility. This facility is available to the farmer as well as the local small businessman. He said experts in the field of agriculture and experiences from other countries and new technology are being incorporated into Indian agriculture.

Perishable rail cargo centres are being constructed in the vicinity of railway stations where farmers can store their produce. The effort is to supply as much fruits and vegetables as possible to the household. Extra produce should reach the entrepreneurs engaged in production of juice, pickle, sauce, chips etc., the Prime Minister said.

 

Kisan Rail aims to increase the strength

Acquaculture, Finance, Start ups

Company will use the funds in setting up 500 micro-farms in the states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh 

Agri-tech startup Aqgromalin has announced that it has raised Rs 2 crore from angel investors participating from the Middle East. The company aims to utilise the capital in setting up 500 micro-farms in the states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, it said through a release.

Aqgromalin supplements the income of small landholding farmers through ready to implement micro-farms mainly in the areas of animal husbandry and aquaculture.

Prasanna Manogaran and Bharani C L, co-founders of Aqgromalin said “Our Company plans to utilise these funds in improving and accelerating the implementation of micro-farms that is going to uplift the living of the farmers. Additionally, our plans to strengthen the technology backed platform will drive the business forward in the domain of agri-tech.”

Aqgromalin, founded in 2019, has presence in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. It aims to supplement the income of small landholding farmers through ready to implement micro-farms. It makes access easier for various agricultural implements and technology.

The company provides access to necessary inputs and all required materials to immediately start operations including – extensive training for the cultivation of crops, raising farmers’ awareness about the common diseases, and equipping them with expert skills to troubleshoot and increase yield, the said the company in the statement.

 

Company will use the funds in setting

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Foodgrains

In this unit, around 100 to 150 Kg of Millets can be processed in an hour.

The ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad has established the Millets Processing Custom Hiring Centre at ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bidar, Karnataka under the Women Societal Project funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Vilas A. Tonapi, Director, ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad stated that such mechanization at farm gate would increase the area under the millet production.

Dr Sunil Kumar N.M., Senior Scientist & Head, KVK, Bidar, Karnataka the farmers to utilize the Unit by cultivating Millets.The Millet Processing Unit was dedicated to the Women Self Help Group Members of the District.

The members were apprised about the Millet pre-cleaning, destoning, dehulling, grinding, separation and blending of Millets Flour process. In this unit, around 100 to 150 Kg of Millets can be processed in an hour. More than 40 Women SHG Members, KVK Scientists and other Stakeholders were also present during the occasion.

In this unit, around 100 to 150