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E-commerce, Packaging & Labelling, Supply Chain

The AvoLast program uses a quarter-sized biodegradable and food-safe Hazel® packaging insert that extends Avocado shelf Life 

Mission Produce Inc., the world’s most advanced avocado network, in partnership with Hazel Technologies Inc., announced the launch of AvoLast by Hazel®, a ground-breaking shelf-life extension program that keeps avocados at an optimal level of ripeness for three extra days on average. Integrating Hazel® technology across Mission’s global supply chain, AvoLast makes it easier than ever for consumers to shop for and enjoy the perfect avocado. 

The AvoLast program uses a quarter-sized biodegradable and food-safe Hazel® packaging insert that temporarily blocks an avocado’s ethylene receptors and slows the ripening process. With more shelf-life, the consumer reaps the benefits of a longer timeframe to enjoy an avocado with ideal freshness, quality and taste. What’s more, by increasing the shelf-life of both hard and ripe Hass avocados, retailers can reduce throwaways, in turn increasing profit while creating more positive consumer experiences that drive category growth. 

AvoLast is being introduced at an especially critical time for consumers: in today’s environment of social distancing, food insecurities are heightened and many shoppers are making fewer visits to the grocery store, so the ability to purchase ripe avocados with confidence that they will last longer is significant. 

“As consumer trips to the grocery store decrease, AvoLast is the perfect solution to support avocados on the shelf. With AvoLast, retailers can continue or enhance their avocado ripening programs without compromising customer experience due to overripe fruit,” said Mission Produce’s Sr. Director of Business Development Patrick Cortes. “After testing the solution in various environments throughout our supply chain, the AvoLast program extended the shelf-life of ripe fruit by an average of three days. Partnering with Hazel Technologies on this application demonstrates one of many ways Mission continues to invest in innovation and provide value to our customers.” 

AvoLast uses technology exclusively developed by Hazel Technologies, Inc., a USDA-funded agricultural technology company aimed at reducing food waste and increasing the efficiency of produce supply chains. The two companies first announced a partnership in 2019 after a successful pilot phase. Expanding that partnership across Mission’s global supply chain was made easy due to Hazel’s drop-in solution which minimizes any operational impact.

 

The AvoLast program uses a quarter-sized biodegradable

Agro chems – Chemicals, E-commerce, Finance

The net profit in Q1FY21 came in at Rs 51.79cr that increased by 252.89 per cent, as compared to Q1FY20, when it reported Rs14.67cr 

 

 

Dhanuka Agritech announced that its consolidated net sales in Q1FY21 stood at Rs373.85cr, which is increased by 70.72 per cent yoy from Rs218.98cr in Q1FY20.

The net profit in Q1FY21 came in at Rs 51.79cr that increased by 252.89 per cent, as compared to Q1FY20, when it reported Rs14.67cr. The net profit margin in Q1FY21 came in at 13.85 per cent growth of 7.15 per cent yoy. The net profit margin for Q1FY20 was at 6.7 per cent.

Dhanuka Agritech said the group resumed operations in a phased manner from the beginning of April as per government directives on COVID-19 pandemic. However, subsidiary firm Dhanuka Agri-Solutions has not yet started operations.

With a view to ensure minimal disruption with respect to operations including production and distribution activities, the Group has taken several business continuity measures, including working from home, providing laptops or desktops, following social distancing norms and sanitization of office/work places, it said.

“While the group has not experienced any significant difficulties with respect to market demand, liquidity, collections so far, the management believes that being into an essential commodity there is no significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the current and future business operations, no impact on financial statements liquidity position and cash flows,” it said.

The company said it continues to closely monitor the rapidly changing situation. Dhanuka Agritech manufactures insecticides, pesticides and other chemicals. The company has technical tie-ups with 4 American and 6 Japanese companies.

The net profit in Q1FY21 came in

Agro chems – Fertilizers, E-commerce, Finance

Company has registered a 13.5 per cent revenue growth during Q1 for domestic crop care business on account of robust demand 

Rallis India Ltd., a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals announced its quarterly results. The company posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 91.87 crore for Q1FY21, which increased by 52.58 per cent, as compared to Q1FY20 when it reported Rs 60.21 crore.

The consolidated net sales reported in Q1FY21 came in at Rs 662.7 crore, which increased by 6.33 per cent YoY from Rs 623.24 crore in Q1FY20.            

 With timely arrival of the monsoons and positive farmer sentiment, agricultural activity has picked up well. With the ongoing pandemic situation, we are taking all the safety measures at the organisation level as per the government guidelines.

“We have registered a 13.5 per cent revenue growth during Q1 for domestic crop care business on account of robust demand and a 3 per cent revenue growth in seeds sales over the previous year despite the challenges faced,” Rallis India Managing Director and CEO Sanjiv Lal said.

Going forward, the company expects domestic demand to remain buoyant for crop care products, and exports to gradually pick up as well, he added.

 

 

Company has registered a 13.5 per cent

Middle East countries, Trade

Gilan province accounts for major bulk of exports

 Export of agricultural products increased by 30 percent in the first 4 months of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2020-July 20, 2020) compared to last year’s corresponding period, according to Mehrdad Jamal Arvanghi, deputy head of Iran’s customs office.

He said 2.706 million tons of goods worth $1.69 billion were exported this year, showing a marked increase from the 2.074 million tons of goods worth $1.58 billion exported in the same period last year. Exports have been primarily to Iraq, China, Afghanistan, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. According to Abolqassem Yousefinejad, the supervisor of Gilan Customs Administration Office, more than 296,000 tons of products worth $162 million were exported from Gilan province during the first four months of the current Iranian year.

Vegetables and fruits from the province were exported to Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Yousefinejad. Mineral products, glass, food staff, textile and plastics were the other commodities exported from the province. He added that exports to Russia amounted to $367 million during the four-month period while Kyrgyzstan was the next top trade partner with $338 million followed by Armenia with $164 million, Kazakhstan with $105 million, and Belarus with $10 million.

 

Gilan province accounts for major bulk of

Dairy, India, North America

Initial focus on a preferential trade pact with 50 to 100 products and services

After 2 years of negotiations, India and the United States are close to inking a trade deal, according to reports from Reuters.

Both sides are looking for reduced tariffs on farm goods in order to close the deal. India is also hoping to secure concessions for generic pharmaceutical exports to the US and increased access to American dairy markets.

Both countries have been negotiating to draw up a limited trade pact aimed at restoring zero tariffs on a range of Indian exports to the United States under its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

Speaking at the US-India Business Council’s India Ideas Summit, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said a quick trade deal to get pending matters from the last couple of years out of the way is being readied.

He further added that New Delhi and Washington should look at a preferential trade pact with 50 to 100 products and services before moving to a free trade pact which can take several years to conclude.

Initial focus on a preferential trade pact

China, Live Stock, Start ups

Digital solutions to pig farming is a key area of focus in China

 BASF Venture Capital has announced that along with specialty chemicals producer Evonik and China’s Shenzhen Sinoagri E-Commerce it will be investing in SmartAHC, a leading supplier of digitalization solutions for pig farming focused on the Chinese market. 

SmartAHC uses sensors, camera systems and artificial intelligence to collect and analyze various data such as count of pigs to predict emerging issues at any point in time during their rearing and fattening process. This helps to optimize labor productivity in the production process and increase efficiency throughout the pork value chain. 

Pig farmers can therefore continuously monitor the condition of their animals and take prompt action in case of any issues. Lan Song, SmartAHC’s CEO said that their artificial intelligence uses the data collected in the pigsty to optimize processes, from breeding to finishing and slaughtering. He said with this investment, they will increase their R&D capabilities and expand their market presence even further. 

Markus Solibieda, Managing Director of BASF Venture Capital said SmartAHC has a keen understanding of the Chinese market and their technology can contribute substantially to animal health as well as to economic optimization along the pork value chain.

Digital solutions to pig farming is a

E-commerce, R&D

Bayer will start rewarding farmers in Brazil and the U.S. for generating carbon credits by adopting climate-smart practices 

 Bayer to reward growers to generate carbon credits by adopting climate-smart practices and creating a new revenue stream on-farm / the initiative makes Bayer the first company to develop a transparent, science-based and collaborative approach to a carbon market in agriculture. 

Agriculture may now have another solution to positively impact climate change thanks to a new initiative launched by Bayer. Beginning this month, Bayer will start rewarding farmers in Brazil and the U.S. for generating carbon credits by adopting climate-smart practices – such as no-till farming and the use of cover crops – designed to help agriculture reduce its carbon footprint and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Bayer’s industry-leading Carbon Initiative is the result of years of work validating a science-based approach and methodology to make this happen. It recognizes the pivotal role growers and their land can play in helping to create lasting, positive environmental impacts and is the latest in the company’s sustainability commitments specifically aimed at reducing field GHG emission by 30% in 2030. 

“Farmers are passionate environmentalists and stewards of the lands they farm,” said Brett Begemann, Chief Operating Officer of Bayer’s Crop Science division. Their lives and livelihoods depend on the weather, and they are some of the first to be affected by drought, flooding and extreme conditions. If anyone has a vested interest in battling climate change, it’s farmers and we are committed to developing new business models like this unique Carbon Initiative to help them in that fight.” 

Soil is one of the most effective ways of sequestering carbon. Incentivizing farmers to embrace no-till, precision nitrogen use or cover crops helps further sequester carbon into the soil, reduce fossil fuel usage and reduce greenhouse gases. While today farmers get rewarded solely for their food, feed and fiber production, those participating in the Bayer Carbon Initiative will have the opportunity to be rewarded for their best farm management practices and other sustainability efforts as well.

 The program’s 2020/2021 season will include approximately 1,200 farmers in Brazil and the U.S. In both countries, farmers will receive assistance in implementing climate-smart agricultural practices and Bayer will acquire the carbon removals created by those practices at transparent prices. The company is also collaborating with partners such as Embrapa in Brazil to build a viable carbon market for farmers. 

Bayer plans to expand the program in the U.S. and Brazil to other farmers and then later into other world regions with tailored approaches that will allow growers to choose what climate-smart practices and implementation works best for them. In Europe, we are exploring how this innovative approach could be adapted as part of the European Green Deal. In Asia-Pacific, our goal is to help increase productivity for smallholder farmers as well as reduce methane emissions from rice farming. 

“We are excited to partner with farmers through this new Bayer Carbon Initiative,” Begemann added. “We’re honoured to take this major step with farmers to create a carbon-zero future for agriculture, an important legacy that we can create with farmers to leave to the next generation.”

 

 

Bayer will start rewarding farmers in Brazil

Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce

The new insecticide is an import substitute to a similar Japanese insecticide. 

 

 Best Agrolife Ltd., a leading global player in agrochemicals sector and one of India’s largest manufacturers of agro-inputs is first in India to have granted license/registration for manufacturing *DIRON* (DINOTEFURAN 20 per cent SG), a super systematic insecticide with quick uptake and knock-down, that controls a broad spectrum of previous and invasive pests. With two formulations, it is super flexible when it comes to application. With quick action through contact and ingestion, resulting in robust pest control management. This product is an import substitute to a similar Japanese insecticide.

The features of this product include unique and new molecular formulation with systematic action, Broad spectrum insecticide, Indeed for Rice – Brown Plant Hopper and Cotton – Aphids, Jassids, etc., highly effective against resistant insect pests, long residual action providing longer protection thereby reducing number of sprays, and environment friendly.

 Owing to the launch of this new product, the outlook for the company remains positive, thereby increasing chances of higher revenue and profitability. The analysts also predict a growth in the company.

 Vimal Kumar, Director, upholds the mission to remain focused to deliver Research based customized agrochemical and biological tools for sustained productivity and  the company strives to provide one-stop Industrial solutions through quality and qualified professionals. He further adds, “Our company revenue for the current financial gear would increase by 100 crores only with the help of this product.” 

In a short span company has emerged among the top 20 companies in India and as with an emerging presence in international markets. 

Best Agrolife’s product portfolio comprises of more than 60 active ingredients and various formulations of pesticides and plant micro-nutrients for protecting and nourishing a wide range of crops. Its product range includes insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, plant growth regulators etc. It sells under the brand name “Best”.

The company has four strategically located manufacturing plants, two in Uttar Pradesh & two in J&K. These plants are well equipped with state-of-art indigenous infrastructure for the production of high quality agrochemicals.

 The company caters to several Bluechip Corporates for P2P which include UPL Ltd., Jubilant, Indo Gulf Fertilisers, Mahindra Summit Agriscience, Bharat Rasayan, etc.

The boost to the agro sector by the current government will increase demand of agro chemicals and insecticides. This will lead to increase in revenues and profitability of companies such as Best Agrolife Ltd. According to a recent survey, the estimated size of Indian agro chemical market is USD 3 Billion, which is a positive for such companies. Best AgroLife Ltd. aims to become a Rs. 2000 crore company by 2022.

 

 

The new insecticide is an import substitute

India, Sustainable Energy

Key focus on renewable energy, power distribution

The National Thermal Power Corporation, NTPC has signed an MoU with National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, NIIF, acting through National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited, NIIFL, to explore opportunities for investments in areas like renewable energy, power distribution among other areas of mutual interest in India.

This MoU, signed on July 16, 2020, is aimed at furthering India’s vision of building sustainable and robust energy infrastructure in the country. The partnership will bring together NTPC’s technical expertise and NIIF’s ability to raise capital and bring in global best practices by leveraging its existing relationships with leading players.

With a total installed capacity of 62110 MW, NTPC Group has 70 Power stations comprising 24 Coal, 7 combined cycle Gas/Liquid Fuel, 1 Hydro, 13 Renewables along with 25 Subsidiary & JV Power Stations. NTPC’s goal is to generate 30 GW of its overall power generation capacity from renewable energy sources by 2032.

The MoU was signed via video conferencing between Sangeeta Kaushik, GM (BD-Domestic), NTPC and Rajiv Dhar, Executive Director& Chief Operating Officer, NIIFL.

Key focus on renewable energy, power distribution The

Agrotech, R&D

Prof Prabhu Pingali has made seminal contributions to agricultural economics research in the areas of technology change and the impact of pesticides on the environment and health 

 Prof Prabhu Pingali, Founding Director of the Tata-Cornell Institute and a Professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, has been inducted as the Pravasi (Expatriate) Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), India on July 21, 2020. Earlier during 2019, Prabhu Pingali was elected as a Fellow of the Academy after a multi-level process following his nomination by an existing distinguished Fellow plus review process conducted by Sectional Committees. 

An internationally renowned Agricultural Economist with highly acclaimed research accomplishments, Prof Prabhu Pingali has made seminal contributions to agricultural economics research in the areas of technology change and adoption, the impact of pesticides on the environment and health, diet change and nutrition, and foresight studies. Previously, he has also been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences as a Foreign Associate in recognition of his research contributions. He was also elected as the President of the International Association of Agricultural Economists and Fellow of the American Association of Agricultural Economists.

Pravasi Fellowship of the Academy is accorded to Persons of Indian origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) who are eminent for their knowledge and contributions to agricultural science, and have contributed or can contribute to the progress of science in India.

Crediting his students and collaborators across the world for making the science happen, Prof Pingali said, “Thanks to all my terrific students, research fellows, postdocs and collaborators who have jointly contributed immensely in achieving the desired results in our research studies. My gratitude to existing NAAS members for reposing their faith in me. It is an honour to be a part of the Academy and I hope the platform helps me even more in contributing to India’s agricultural growth to the best of my knowledge and capabilities.” 

Prof Pingali has published 13 books and over 120 journal articles and book chapters. His work has been cited approximately 24,000 times in the academic literature, and has influenced the national food and agricultural policy and donor funding of several developing nations. He has also held senior management positions in the CGIAR System, FAO, and Gates Foundation.

As the Founding Director of the Tata-Cornell Institute at Cornell University, Prabhu Pingali leads TCI’s long-term research initiative that is focused on addressing the chronic problems of rural poverty and malnutrition in India and identifying food and agriculture-based solutions that can create transformative change.

Prabhu Pingali has had a very long and impactful association with Indian Agricultural Research Institutes, right from the late 1980s when he was an Economist and Program Leader at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), till today. 

Prof Prabhu Pingali has made seminal contributions

Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce, R&D

It can be used over-the-top weed control across crops like soybeans, cotton, corn, canola and sugarbeets 

 

 

UPL, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to amend the label language of INTERLINE herbicide from use in the “LibertyLink system” to all systems that contain “glufosinate-resistant traits.”

“The expansion enables INTERLINE to be used on all glufosinate-resistant production systems, in addition to the LibertyLink systems,” says Tom Mudd, UPL marketing manager for corn and soybean herbicides. “Farmers today need flexibility to achieve their production goals, with products they can trust. INTERLINE offers best-in-class performance for business-minded growers.” 

INTERLINE is now approved for use on Enlist E3 soybeans as well as LibertyLink-GT27 soybeans. The new label will give growers additional options to meet EPA herbicide requirements in these crops and help retailers manage inventories for their grower-customers.

 “As the industry continues to evolve, UPL continues to provide unique product solutions for all U.S. growers. Through this expansion of the label registration, INTERLINE Herbicide can be used on a broader percentage of U.S. row crop acres for the convenience of growers,” he adds.

The updated label directs application of INTERLINE for over-the-top weed control across several crops, including soybeans, cotton, corn, canola and sugarbeets. This label revision is approved for many key states in the High Plains region.

 

It can be used over-the-top weed control

R&D, Trade, World

The tool has been created for data-driven evidence-based decision-making in the food and agriculture sectors.

Hand-in-Hand geospatial platform, a tool to create more resilient food systems post COVID-19 with a large and rich set of data on food, agriculture, socioeconomics and natural resources has been launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The tool has been created for data-driven evidence-based decision-making in the food and agriculture sectors. It supposedly contains over one million geospatial layers and thousands of statistics series with over 4,000 metadata records, bringing together geographic information and statistical data on over ten domains linked to food and agriculture – from food security, crops, soil, land, water, climate, fisheries, livestock to forestry.

It also includes information on COVID-19’s impact on food and agriculture. The data has been obtained from FAO and other leading public data providers across the UN and NGOs, academia, private sector and space agencies. It also incorporates FAOSTAT data on food and agriculture for over 245 countries and territories from 1961 to the most recent year available.

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said the platform will help to create interactive data maps, analyze trends and identify real-time gaps and opportunities along with helping to find new ways of reducing hunger and poverty through more accessible and integrated data-driven solutions.

 

The tool has been created for data-driven

AgroPolicy, Warehousing

Need to address bottlenecks vis-a-vis land and capital, technology and infrastructure

At a recently concluded webinar by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI  entitled, ‘Opportunity to reinvent Agriculture @Policy Reforms’, saw leaders discuss the pros and cons of the three ordinances that were recently introduced by the GoI to usher in major agricultural market reforms.

Nandita Gupta, Joint Secretary (Storage and PG), Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India said that a synergy between various stakeholders and ministries is required for proper implementation of the agricultural ordinances.

She also highlighted the importance of warehousing, said that creation of small warehouses at the farmgate itself could save a farmer from distress sale of his produce and also assist in providing financial assistance to the farmers, by making it mandatory for the primary agricultural cooperative societies to register their warehouses with the WDRA (Warehouse Development Regulatory Authority).

However, Pravesh Sharma, Advisor, FICCI & Co-founder & CEO, Kamatan Farm Tech Pvt. Ltd, said “The present set of agriculture reforms are of course welcome, but they should be seen as the starting point and not the destination of the journey. Much needs to be done to address bottlenecks in factor markets such as land and capital, technology and infrastructure upgradation before Indian agriculture can become globally competitive, ecologically sustainable and socially inclusive.”

Need to address bottlenecks vis-a-vis land and

Animal Health, North America

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) last week announced that the company has received unanimous approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its acquisition of Bayer Animal Health, a division of Bayer AG (ETR: BAYN). The FTC decision represents the final antitrust clearance needed to complete the transaction, which continues on track for closing at the beginning of August.

This approval marks the near-final step in fulfilling our vision of bringing together two dedicated animal health companies focused on delivering innovation and an expanded portfolio of solutions to farmers, veterinarians and pet owners around the globe,” said Jeff Simmons, president and CEO of Elanco. “As we approach closing and look toward putting our integration plans into action, I want to thank everyone who has worked so tirelessly on this transaction, especially during these challenging times. Their hard work has positioned the combined company for success, and we look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to Elanco in the very near future.”

The complementary transaction strengthens Elanco’s Innovation, Portfolio and Productivity strategy by combining Elanco’s long-standing focus on the veterinarian with Bayer’s direct-to-consumer expertise, proven even more important as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the transaction will advance Elanco’s intentional portfolio transformation, creating a balance between the farm animal and pet health businesses. It also expands Elanco’s omnichannel approach, substantially diversifying its pet health business into the retail and e-commerce channels allowing Elanco to reach pet owners and serve veterinarians with a multi-faceted approach.

Elanco continues to expect necessary worldwide divestitures to be in the previously announced range of $120 million to $140 million of annual revenue to help advance regulatory reviews. The FTC’s approval is conditional on the following proposed divestitures:

  • Worldwide rights for Elanco’s Osurnia®, a treatment for otitis externa in dogs, being sold to Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC (LON: DPH).
  • U.S. rights for Elanco’s Capstar®, an oral tablet that kills fleas in dogs and cats, being sold to PetIQ, Inc. (Nasdaq: PETQ).
  • U.S. rights for Elanco’s StandGuard®, a pour-on treatment for horn fly and lice control in beef cattle, being sold to Neogen Corporation (NASDAQ: NEOG).

In addition to FTC approval, Elanco has received antitrust clearance for the transaction from the European Commission (EC), as well as in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam. Further, Elanco fully secured financing in the first quarter of 2020 through its equity issuance and pricing of its Term Loan B, which will fund at deal close. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions.

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) last