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AgroPolicy, India, Opinions

By Ram Kaundinya, Director General, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII)

The Union Budget 2023-24, presented by the Finance Minister has many positive announcements for agriculture in general and a budget allotment of Rs 1.25 lakh crore. The budget is an important instrument used by governments to shape public policy, economic growth and desired public responses to a country’s needs.

The most important announcement is the development of open source, open standards and interoperable Digital Public Goods (DPG) for delivering several services to the farmers. As we know digital technology is transforming our lives. A DPG like Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has completely changed the landscape of payment systems in the country. Even many of the developed countries do not have such a system. The recently introduced Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) will also have a major impact on the scale-up of digital ecommerce businesses and consumers. Similar DPGs are to be developed for delivering multiple services to the farmers like a supply of inputs, crop advisory /health monitoring, credit, insurance, etc. Some private organisations like Agri Collaboratory, the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) are working on this subject, apart from several government organisations and the Agristack, launched by the government earlier. It is very heartening that the government has now focused attention on this subject through the budget announcement, which will help in making this a reality.

Setting up an Agri Accelerator Fund for startups in rural areas is another major announcement. This will go a long way in supporting the new wave of startups coming up in the food, agri and fintech sectors. Startups are working in the pre-sowing phase, cultivation-phase and post-harvest phase of crops, livestock, fisheries, poultry and other segments of agriculture. This fund will help in scaling up real innovations, including grass- root level innovations which can play a crucial role in making farming easier and reducing the drudgery of the farmer, apart from making it attractive for the youth and women to get into agriculture.

A micro-irrigation project has been announced in Karnataka as well, with an allotment of Rs 5,500 crore budget, aside from targeting Rs 20 lakh crore of agri credit. All these  are very positive measures to help agriculture and the farmers.

The Cooperative sector received a big boost in the budget, emphasising the need for a cooperative-based economic development model. This is in line with the recent announcements made about giving a major role to cooperatives in the supply of seeds to farmers. The budget talked about the computerisation of 65000 Primary Agricultural Credit Coop Societies at an investment of Rs 2516 crore. This will also help in setting up a national database of cooperative societies. Massive decentralised storage facilities will be set up for crop output in rural areas. There will be a scale-up of multi-purpose cooperative societies, dairy societies, fisheries societies, etc. These measures will help the rural areas in a big way and the farmers will benefit particularly well.

The thrust towards natural farming has continued in the budget. A few important announcements were made. An Organic Bioresources Scheme has been announced, which envisages setting up 200 compressed biogas plants at an investment of Rs 10,000 crore Large-scale biomass collection and distribution structures will be set up.

A Bharatiya Prakrutik Natural farming system will be established under the name GOBARDHAN Scheme. 10,000 bio-input resource centres will be set up to promote natural farming among one crore farmers. This is a massive program which hopes to convert almost 5 per cent of the farmers to natural farming. This could be a turning point in the history of natural farming in India. However the challenge of marketing products of such natural farming as value-added products through an identity-preserved supply chain system will remain a challenge, unless the government announces a separate programme for it. The profitability of the one crore farmers will depend on marketing their output at remunerative prices.

The budget should have addressed more deeply incentivising sustainable agricultural practices and smart agriculture, which will help in mitigating climate risk. Specific and well- targeted incentives for crop diversification, reducing water consumption and similar urgent needs could have been included in the budget. Promotion of natural farming is not a guarantee for sustainable agriculture.

To read more click on: https://agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine

By Ram Kaundinya, Director General, Federation of

Company News, Environment

The addition of the new facility in central Georgia fortifies Local Bounti’s distribution with the ability to directly service 19 retail distribution centres within an approximate 400-mile radius of the facility

Local Bounti Corporation, a breakthrough US indoor agriculture company combining the best aspects of vertical and greenhouse growing technologies, has recently announced the commencement of farming operations at its new innovative controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facility in Byron, Georgia.

“We are cementing our presence in the East Coast market with our new Georgia facility, providing Local Bounti with a bi-coastal presence that is able to service the growing demand for our products,” said Craig Hurlbert, Co-CEO of Local Bounti.

The addition of the new facility in central Georgia fortifies Local Bounti’s distribution with the ability to directly service 19 retail distribution centres within an approximate 400-mile radius of the facility. The East Coast presence enhances service to the Company’s customers and the approximately 10,000 retail locations that they operate across 35 US states and Canadian provinces. Further, the facility will provide additional capacity to meet existing demand from the Company’s direct relationships with blue-chip retail customers, including Albertsons, Kroger, Target, and Walmart, as well as Whole Foods and AmazonFresh.

Local Bounti plans to install its innovative Stack & Flow Technology at all of its facilities, and is in the process of initial planning to install Stack & Flow at its Georgia facility, which was acquired in the previously announced transaction with Pete’s, to further expand revenue generating capacity.

The Company has started the expansion of the 3-acre facility, which will double the facility capacity to 6-acres and has the opportunity to expand to 24 acres to execute growth initiatives and broaden its product offering.

The addition of the new facility in

Bee keeping, R&D

The researchers note that changes in temperature had more of a negative impact than other factors, such as precipitation or floral resources

According to new research by Simon Fraser University, Canada temperature changes have negatively impacted most species of bumble bees over the past 120 years. The researchers note that changes in temperature had more of a negative impact than other factors, such as precipitation or floral resources.

“Bumble bees are important pollinators for wild plants and for the crops humans rely on for food. That’s why we need to develop conservation strategies that account for the future impacts of climate change on bee populations,” says study lead Hanna Jackson, a Masters student in the M’Gonigle Lab in biological sciences at Simon Fraser University.

Jackson and her colleagues analysed an existing dataset containing records on 46 bumble bee species across North America between 1900 – 2020. They created two occupancy models – one focused on time and the other on environmental factors. They found that six bumble bee species decreased through time, 22 increased and the remaining 18 were stable.

They noted that temperature and precipitation both increased, on average, between 1900 and 2020 in the post-industrial revolution period. Temperature changes had primarily negative impacts on bumble bees, with 37 of the 46 species exhibiting greater declines or less positive increases in occupancy under observed temperature changes compared to if the temperature had remained constant.

Therefore, researchers concluded that changing temperatures are a major environmental factor driving changes in bumble bee community composition.

Study collaborators include US-based Pollinator Partnership, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California.

The researchers note that changes in temperature

AgroPolicy

The Centre also advised that the price to distributors by the manufacturers and refiners also needs to be reduced immediately so that the price drop is not diluted in any way

The Department of Food and Public Distribution in a meeting on July 6, 2022, has directed leading Edible Oil Associations to ensure reduction in the MRP of edible oils by Rs 15 with immediate effect.

The Centre also advised that the price to distributors by the manufacturers and refiners also needs to be reduced immediately so that the price drop is not diluted in any way. It was also impressed upon that whenever a reduction in price to distributors is made by the manufactures/refiners, the benefit should be passed on to the consumers by the industry and the Department may be kept informed on regular basis. Some companies which have not reduced their prices and their MRP is higher than other brands have also been advised to reduce their prices.

During the meeting it was discussed that the international prices of imported edible oils are on a downward trend which is a very positive picture in the edible oil scenario and, therefore, the domestic edible oil industry needs to ensure that the prices in the domestic market also drop commensurately.

It may be recalled that in May 2022, the Department had convened a meeting with the leading edible oil associations and according to sources, the MRP of Fortune Refined Sunflower Oil 1 litre pack had been decreased to Rs 210 from Rs 220 and MRP of Soyabean (Fortune) and Kachi Ghani oil 1 litre pack from Rs 205 to Rs 195. The reduction in oil prices came in the wake of Central Government reducing the import duty on edible oils making them cheaper. 

The Department is continuously monitoring the prices and availability situation of edible oil in the country and it is imperative that the benefit of reduced duty structure on edible oils and the continuous significant drop in prices at the international market be immediately passed on to the end consumers without fail.

The Centre also advised that the price

Agrotech

The company recently announced the expansion of its SmartFresh Inbox in California with CDPR approval for a range of new crops

AgroFresh Solutions, Inc, a global agtech innovator that provides produce freshness solutions, and digital technologies that enhance the quality and extend the shelf life of fresh produce, recently announced the expansion of its SmartFresh Inbox in California with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (CDPR) approval for a range of new crops. SmartFresh InBox offers powerful protection in a small, portable sachet, expanding the availability of SmartFresh technology for growers, packers and retailers who either don’t have an airtight room or require a more convenient option.

SmartFresh InBox, now registered in California on pome fruits (apples and pears), stone fruits (peaches and plums), kiwi and avocados, utilises AgroFresh’s industry leading SmartFresh (1-MCP) ethylene management technology to delay the ripening process and helps maintain post-harvest produce quality and freshness. SmartFresh InBox sachets are easy to apply and handle, offering effective protection against internal and external threats to freshness, resulting in increased shelf life and reduced levels of food loss and waste.

“California is the largest and most diverse fruit growing region in the US and our customers there need more flexible application methods and products to help preserve and protect the crops they oversee,” said Sarah Enescu, Commercial Business Director for AgroFresh.

The company recently announced the expansion of

Horticulture

Tomar said that the Central Government and the State Governments are working together for the development of the North East Region including Nagaland

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, has recently visited the Central Institute of Horticulture in Nagaland and inaugurated a farmer’s workshop and exhibition. Speaking on the occasion, Tomar said that the Central Government and the State Governments are working together for the development of the North East Region including Nagaland.

“The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, wants that there should be holistic and balanced development and the benefits of the government’s schemes should reach the eligible people including farmers right down to the grassroots level, which will improve their standard of living. The Central Government is dedicated towards this and will continue to do so. For the development of Northeast, the Central Government will continue to walk step by step and shoulder to shoulder with the States. It is necessary to transform agriculture into advanced farming for the benefit of the farmers in the country including the Northeast,” he said.

In the programme organised by the Central Institute of Horticulture (Medziphema, Dimapur), the chief guest Tomar said that if the Central and State Governments work together, then its results are bound to be good, and this is what is happening now.

“The North-East Region has been a victim of neglect for a long time and due to its remoteness, it became difficult to get the benefits of schemes here, but after becoming the Prime Minister, Modi has constantly paid attention to get enough funds for the development of the North-East, ensured the Union Ministers visit this region regularly, the Prime Minister himself also came here several times so that the problems of the region continue to be resolved by the Government of India,” he said.

Tomar said that the Central Government and

People

Jon Parr, President, Global Crop Protection, to retire in September 2022 after 35 years of service

Syngenta Group has announced succession plans for its leadership team. Jeff Rowe, currently President, Global Seeds, will take over the leadership of Syngenta Crop Protection, effective July 1, 2022. His former role will be assumed by Justin Wolfe, currently Regional Director North America Seeds.

Jon Parr, President, Global Crop Protection, will retire on September 30, after a 35-year tenure at the company, including the last seven years as head of the global crop protection business.

“During Jon’s tenure, Syngenta Crop Protection has grown back into the global market leader and has become a leader in biologicals and innovation,” said Syngenta Group CEO Erik Fyrwald.

Jeff Rowe was instrumental for the successful turnaround of the Seeds business, with outstanding growth and return to profitability. Most recently, he has spearheaded Syngenta Group’s efforts into regenerative agriculture and soil health.

Justin Wolfe’s leadership and focus on strong commercial execution were key to significant business growth and market share gains in North America.

With increasing ambitions for Syngenta Group’s Vegetable Seeds and Flowers business, Matthew Johnston will continue in his current global role as Head of Vegetable Seeds and Flowers.

Under Jon Parr’s leadership in the past seven years, the Syngenta Crop Protection business grew 50 percent.

Jon Parr, President, Global Crop Protection, to

Sustainability

The Minister also mentioned the recent initiatives taken by the Ministry of Agriculture for increasing the use of digital technologies in agriculture

The 12th BRICS Agriculture Ministers Meeting was recently held virtually on June 9, 2022. The meeting was attended by the Ministers for Agriculture of China, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and India.

The Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje, participated in the meeting.  The Minister highlighted various steps and initiatives undertaken by the Government of India in the field of agriculture and for welfare of the farmers viz. PM KISAN, PM FASAL BIMA YOJANA, Soil Health Cards, Natural Farming, formation and promotion of FPOs etc. 

Shobha Karandlaje emphasised on India’s resolve to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals of ending hunger and step up production and productivity of agriculture through sustainable use of natural resources.

The Minister mentioned the recent initiatives taken by the Ministry of Agriculture for increasing the use of digital technologies in agriculture like Agri-stack and India Digital Ecosystem for Agriculture (IDEA).

The Minister highlighted the National Mission on Food & Nutrition with focus on development of nutri-cereals and bio-fortified varieties of crops and also highlighted importance of millets in food and nutrition security and climate resilience.

The Minister also mentioned the recent initiatives

Agro chems – Pesticides

The concern of disposal of empty pesticide containers needs to be addressed collectively by all stakeholders

CropLife India, an association of 16 R&D driven crop science companies, and the leading voice of the plant science industry in India, organised a Virtual International Symposium on Empty Pesticide Containers (EPC) Management in India – Roadmap for Sustainable Management of Empty Pesticide Containers; which was attended by delegates from across the world including Asia, Europe and Africa. 

A Discussion Paper – Roadmap for Sustainable Management of Empty Pesticide Containers was released on during the symposium by Dr S K Malhotra, Chairman Registration Committee, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India; Dr K K Sharma, Former Network Coordinator, All India Network Project on Pesticide Residues, Indian Agricultural Research Institute and other dignitaries.

Dr S K Malhotra, Chairman Registration Committee, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India said, “There is an upsurge of demand for safe food crops. The industry has been forthcoming in registering newer and greener chemistry. In order to be sustainable, the concern of disposal of empty pesticide containers needs to be addressed collectively by all stakeholders hence lowering the burden on the environment.”

Dr K K Sharma, Former Network Coordinator, All India Network Project on Pesticide Residues, Indian Agricultural Research Institute said, “As per the study conducted by the All India Network Project on Pesticide Residues, Indian Agricultural Research Institute; used pesticide containers should be rinsed three times thus making them safe to dispose and recycle in the country. The study results can be considered to support re-classification of triple rinsed empty pesticide containers in India as non-hazardous.”

The concern of disposal of empty pesticide

Company News

Corteva, Inc has announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Chuck Magro, will speak at the BMO Global Farm to Market Conference at 11:00 am Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. BMO Capital Markets hosts a variety of conferences each year that bring together institutional investors with corporate or government entities that need capital. 

Remarks will be webcast live. Registration for the webcast can be accessed through the Corteva Investor Relations website. A replay of the presentation will be available after the presentation ends and will be accessible for 90 days.

Corteva is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that combines industry-leading innovation, high-touch customer engagement and operational execution to profitably deliver solutions for the world’s most pressing agriculture challenges.

Corteva, Inc has announced that its Chief

Company News

The company will be participating in the BMO Global Farm to Market Conference to be held on May 18-19, 2022

Local Bounti Corporation, a breakthrough US indoor agriculture company combining the best aspects of vertical and greenhouse growing technologies, has announced that it will be participating in the BMO Global Farm to Market Conference to be held on May 18-19, 2022.

Craig Hurlbert, co-CEO, Travis Joyner, co-CEO, and Kathleen Valiasek, CFO, will host a presentation on Wednesday, May 18, at 1:15 pm ET. Additionally, members of the management team will host meetings with investors. A live audio webcast of the panel will be available to all interested parties through the Company’s Investor Relations website.

Local Bounti is redefining indoor farming with an innovative method – its proprietary Stack & Flow Technology – that significantly improves crop turns, increases output and improves unit economics.

The company will be participating in the

People

Sunil Arora is a retired civil servant (IAS) with a rich leadership experience spanning over 36 years

Gram Unnati, India’s 1st full stack agricultural value chain services, has announced the appointment of Sunil Arora, former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, as its board’s new Chairman (Non-Executive).

Sunil Arora is a retired civil servant (IAS) with a rich leadership experience spanning over 36 years. He has headed strategic departments while driving governance and policy reform initiatives both at the central and state government levels. He has served as Secretary to two key ministries – The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) and the then newly set up Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

Aneesh Jain, CEO and Founder, Gram Unnati said “We are delighted to have Sunil Arora joined us. It is an honour to work under his esteemed guidance and supervision. His rich experience, insights and direction will enable Gram Unnati to further improve its market-linked solution for farmers and sustainably enhance their incomes.”

Arora has served as Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to the Government of Rajasthan and aside from being a key proponent for the Rajasthan State Industrial Policy, he has been on the board of various corporate entities, such as Barmer Mining and Lignite Company, Mahindra SEZ, and Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Limited.

Arora has led administrative and policy reforms to revitalise the then Indian Airlines as its Chairman & Managing Director from 2000-2005. Under his leadership, the airline turned profitable after years of incurring losses. He also served as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation during 2000-2002 wherein he played a key role in operationalising the deployment of CISF for security purposes at airports.

Sunil Arora is a retired civil servant

Agrotech, Start ups

CropTrails will help SatSure expand and strengthen its international market reach into its target geographies in Africa, LATAM and SEA

Bangalore based SatSure, a deep tech startup working at the intersection of spacetech, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Software as a Service (SaaS) to drive decision intelligence, is pleased to announce the acquisition of SaaS application CropTrails, which was conceptualised and incorporated in the year 2018 by Indore-based startup OEPP Innovations Private Limited.

CropTrails is a web and android application designed to bridge gaps in the processes of farm management. The mobile application is used as an information collecting tool by the field officers or supervisors to record and digitise information about farmers, farms and crops. The application allows the users to monitor and control the crop cycle, track input usage like fertilisers, access weather forecasts, and track farm visits by the supervisors, among others. CropTrails also doubles as a field force productivity monitoring tool with in-built role-based user management.

This development comes in after SatSure raised $5 million in Pre-Series A funding in a round earlier this year. SatSure shall be transforming CropTrails into a no-code platform for IT teams of agribusinesses to rapidly prototype and build their in-house tool that can be easily integrated with SatSure Sparta’s datasets.

“Farm digitisation tools like CropTrails are necessary for countries such as Nigeria and the Philippines. It forms the first digital layers on top of which other services can be rendered. Thus, this acquisition will help SatSure expand further and strengthen its international market reach into its target geographies in Africa, LATAM and SEA. SatSure will also use the collected data and feed it into its proprietary algorithms to increase its learning rate as part of this deal,” said Prateep Basu, founder and CEO of SatSure.

CropTrails will help SatSure expand and strengthen

Inputs

The global agriculture equipment market is expected to grow from $163.4 billion in 2021 to $295.3 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.8 per cent during the forecast period 2022-2030

As per the report published by The Brainy Insights, the global agriculture equipment market is expected to grow from $163.4 billion in 2021 to $295.3 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.8 per cent during the forecast period 2022-2030.

Agriculture equipment is a must for farming these days as there is a shortage of labour and the labour-intensive works from land development to harvesting and threshing need to be done by machinery.

One of the major restraints of the agriculture equipment market is the lack of skilled labour for operating the technologically advanced equipment. Several farmers are reluctant on purchasing these equipment as they don’t have the proper skill for using this equipment. This is restraining the growth of the market.

There are several organisations and government bodies which are providing loan to farmers at low-interest rates or at no interest rates which is an opportunity for the growth of the market. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic affected the market growth as several manufacturing units shut down which resulted in a shortage of raw materials and components and delayed production of the agriculture equipment.

The global agriculture equipment market is expected