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HomePosts Tagged "agriculture" (Page 4)
India

The three improved varieties are resistant to scorch and blight disease

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Kailash Chaudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare visited the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, and inspected the paddy field of IARI, Pusa and the paddy being cultivated there. 

They inspected an advanced line of coarse rice, an improved high yielding variety of Pusa 44, and commended the work being done by the Pusa Institute. They observed three varieties which are resistant to scorch and blight disease of Basmati rice, – the Pusa Basmati 1847 which is an improvement of Pusa Basmati 1509, Pusa Basmati 1885 which is an improvement of Pusa Basmati 1121 and Pusa Basmati 1886 which is an improved form of Pusa 1401. There will be no need to spray pesticides in these varieties, which will reduce the cost as well as produce Basmati rice free from chemical residues, which will fetch good price in the international market and directly benefit farmers’ income.

The three improved varieties are resistant to

Agrotech, Company News, India

Smallholder farmers growing paddy, soyabean, corn and cotton, FPOs and Agripreneurs to benefit

Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, has initiated the commercial application of drones in agriculture from Kharif 2022. Drone services will be made available for crop protection purposes across paddy, cotton, soyabean, corn and horticulture crops in a phased manner. Bayer became the first company to initiate internal trials and association with universities and research stations for technology development and regulatory data generation.

The services will benefit smallholder farmers across the states of Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and many other states in field crops and other horticultural crops where farmers are facing challenges. Additionally, the move will also benefit Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Progressive farmers by providing opportunities to village entrepreneurs who are running Better Life Farming centres and others interested in leveraging drone services for their enterprises to offer solutions to smallholder farmers. Bayer will support such entrepreneurs by facilitating machinery, Crop and product know-how, business support and training.

Speaking on the development, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, said, “We welcome the Government’s encouraging efforts to develop drone technology ecosystem for Indian farmers and allow commercial usage of drones for Crop protection purposes. This is a positive step toward sustainable agriculture and for enhancing smallholder farmers’ prosperity. We are committed to bringing about a positive change by advancing digitisation and mechanisation in agriculture to spur food security in the region.

Bayer supports the vision of Make in India and has partnered with innovative Indian drone startups, to make drone-based services available to farmers and create livelihood opportunities for upcoming rural entrepreneurs.

Smallholder farmers growing paddy, soyabean, corn and

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech, India

Benefit and usage of drone technology explained and showcased to the farmers 

To promote drone technology and popularise it for spraying purposes and precision agriculture, a demonstration was organised at ICAR-National Research Centre on Seed Spices, Ajmer. 

Dr S N Saxena, Director, ICAR-NRCSS briefed the benefits of emerging drone technology for spraying pesticides, insecticides, and liquid fertilisers. He emphasised that the technology could also be extended for crop monitoring and assessing soil health.

He also said that this could be a boon for seed spice and seed spices-based fruits and vegetable growers.

The event was attended by around 100 farmers, college students and the entire ICAR-NRCSS staff. 

Dr D S Bhati, Head, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Ajmer stated that the technology is excellent for young farmers and agriculture graduates and their employability. Additionally, because it uses contactless spraying technology, which will assist in eliminating the adverse effects of spraying pesticides and insecticides to farmers during spraying. 

Benefit and usage of drone technology explained

Agrotech, India, Seeds

Centre is setting up 10,000 new FPOs, for which a provision of INR 6,865 crore has been made

In a virtual address to the National Conference on Enhancing Agricultural Productivity on the topic ‘Integration of Improved Seeds and Agri Inputs’, organised by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)  in New Delhi, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, said, “Agriculture sector is the backbone of our country and our rural economy and agriculture has such strength that the country can easily overcome adverse situations.” . 

There is a need to work in this direction to transform agriculture into advanced farming, technology should be used in agriculture and its continuity should be maintained, the stronger and more profitable the Agriculture sector is, the stronger the country will be.

Tomar said that the government is working to reduce the gap between farmers and the market, providing infrastructure in rural areas and eliminate the role of middlemen. He said that the number of small farmers in the country is more, who have small acreage and do not have money for investment; for such farmers, the Central Government is setting up 10,000 new FPOs, for which a provision of INR 6,865 crore has been made and small farmers are being mobilised.  

Farmers should do group farming, so that the input costs can be reduced, production quality improves and small farmers can shift to remunerative crops and get the price for their produce on their own terms.

Centre is setting up 10,000 new FPOs,

Agrotech, Company News, Europe, Sustainability

The collaboration will be used in asparagus and winegrowing

Huawei and Dronetech, Austria’s largest drone service provider announce new applications resulting from their collaboration in 5G smart farming.

The two companies provided an update on their pioneer project that started last year, and introduced how their 5G and IoT technologies can advance sustainability in agriculture. They also hosted a panel made up of digitalisation and agriculture experts discussing how technology innovation, and 5G particularly, can promote sustainable farming amid rising global concerns for food security.

The two companies announce that their collaboration is entering the second phase called “Digital Sky”, where Huawei will provide cloud computing services on top of 5G and Dronetech’s drones will survey the land and objects to capture images. 

“The project of Huawei and Dronetech with drone use in asparagus and winegrowing is the first in Austria and here we want to analyse plant growth with real-time image recognition. By doing so, we want to improve the harvest, the output and the quality of the products,” said Andreas Reichhardt, Director-General of Directorate-General VI – Telecommunications, Postal Services and Mining at the Austrian Ministry of Finance. 

The collaboration will be used in asparagus

Agro Universities, India

Scientists play a key role in making Madhya Pradesh a leading state in agriculture

The 59th Foundation Day function of Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur was held online and the Chief Guest, Narendra Singh Tomar said on the occasion that if Madhya Pradesh has emerged amongst the leading states in the field of agriculture today, the role of Agricultural University, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and Indian Council of Agricultural Research lies at its strong foundation.

Tomar said that the Jabalpur Agricultural University is known across the country as an Institute of Excellence and this is a matter of pride for the people of the state working in the agriculture sector. Ever since this university was established in the year 1964, it has made a great contribution in advancing and upgrading the agricultural sector in the state. Madhya Pradesh has repeatedly received the prestigious Krishi Karman Award in the field of agriculture. 

Tomar said that farmers have to depend on nature in spite of the availability of sufficient resources. In this regard, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided a shield to the farmers in the form of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Claims worth INR 1.22 lakh crore has been settled against crop loss to farmers during the last 6 years.

Scientists play a key role in making

Agrotech, India, Opinions, R&D

 By Suraj Nair, Lead (TechSprouts), Ankur Capital

How do we feed 10 billion people worldwide by 2050? Sounds simple enough? Produce more food, right? Sadly, it isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Agriculture is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), uses the largest amount of water sources and is one of the highest polluting activities. Simply growing more food is unsustainable. So, let’s start answering the question by putting things in perspective:

There is ample evidence to suggest that we are already growing enough food to feed more than 10 billion people. Despite this, hunger exists. The problem is not so much about food production as it is about a lack of efficiency in agri-food systems across the board.

Further, climate change is sending global climatic systems into a state of flux and rapid change. Agriculture is extremely sensitive to shifting weather patterns, droughts, excessive rain and other climatic aberrations, which makes it acutely sensitive to the effects of climate change.

Systemic inefficiencies in agri-food systems are associated with various parts of the value chain, ranging from agri-inputs to crop development and final food production. Traditionally, addressing these inefficiencies has involved the use of digital technologies to collect and distribute data and improve the value chain with data-driven decision making.

However, the last decade has seen the advent of synthetic biology as a new innovative approach towards improving agri-food systems. Furthermore, synthetic biology can not only address inefficiencies, but also make agriculture more climate-resilient.

What is the synthetic biology approach?

Vitamin A deficiency is a major health issue across the world, more so in countries limited to rice as their staple food. Two scientists in the 1990s decided to find a disruptive solution to this. They fortified the rice with beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, by genetically engineering the conventional rice crop. Known as the Golden Rice Project, this is a great example of the synthetic biology approach, wherein natural biological systems are engineered to result in certain desired outcomes.

Using advanced techniques in genetic engineering, systems biology and bioengineering, synthetic biology provides disruptive innovative solutions for the most complex problems in the agri-food value chain–developing biological stimulants and pesticides, advanced crop development with climate resistant traits and efficient food production.

While this seemed impossible just a decade ago, synthetic biology has seen a major transformation. DNA sequencing and gene synthesis costs have reduced by more than 100x and faster gene sequencing techniques such as NGS have been developed. All this has led to a significant increase in the data on genomics. This data is being used to develop specific interventions in the agri-food value chain.

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

 By Suraj Nair, Lead (TechSprouts), Ankur CapitalHow

Organic, World

Intensity and scale of development in India has earned a place of pride for Indians located in Indonesia

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar interacted with the Indian Diaspora at Bali, Indonesia, under the banner of Balinese & Indian Friendship Association (BIFA). 

Ms Neeta Malhotra of BIFA greeted the Minister and expressed gratitude for meeting with them. Tomar narrated the success in the agriculture sector and the programmes like PM Kisan, crop insurance, organic farming, natural farming, value chain integration, farmers producer organisations, Ayushman Bharat, etc that has transformed the life and the living of the people in rural India. 

Agriculture has proven its role as a saviour to Indian economy and helped providing over 800 million people free food during Covid-19 and post Covid under PM Garib Kalyan Yojna.

The representatives of BIFA thanked the Tomar for his visit and meeting, they also appreciated the intensity and scale of development that is being done in India which has earned place of pride for the Indians located in Indonesia. 

They also sought technical support for agriculture especially for fresh food on the concept of farm to table. 

Intensity and scale of development in India

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agrotech, India, Inputs, Sustainability

India has been advocating the values of living in harmony with nature since ancient times

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, presenting India’s point of view, addresses various sessions at the G-20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia. Tomar said that Government of India, under leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is addressing the sustainability challenges facing agriculture and food systems and several important initiatives have been taken to address these issues. He said that the Government of India is committed to the benefit of small and marginal farmers and many important schemes are being run for their welfare.

Tomar said that India will enable farmers to respond to current and future crises by improving their access to inputs, technology and markets.

India is committed to further the economic well-being of its farmers by organising small and marginal farmers into groups, promoting agri-startups and investments in agricultural infrastructure, launching the world’s largest crop insurance programme and conducting various activities like facilitating digitisation of agriculture. 

Tomar said that India is promoting millet cultivation considering millet’s tolerance towards harsh climatic conditions as well as their nutritional value. In the concluding session Tomar said that India has been advocating the values of living in harmony with nature since ancient times.

India has been advocating the values of

Agrotech, Logistics, Thailand

NIA encourages investment opportunities for the Thai food sector and counter global food security crisis through ‘Space – F Project‘

The National Innovation Agency (Public Organisation), Thailand or NIA is targeting the use of deep tech as the main engine to drive Bangkok towards becoming the FoodTech Silicon Valley – an innovative food hub of Southeast Asia and the world.

Dr Pun-Arj Chairatana, Executive Director of NIA said that the deep-tech business in food and agriculture continues to enjoy its equal growth as the e-commerce and fintech worldwide, the food companies in Thailand also relish robust supply chains. FoodTech startup incubation and acceleration is the key to secure global food security goals, as well as help drive Bangkok in becoming “FoodTech Silicon Valley” or “Food Innovation Hub of Southeast Asia and the World”. Dr Pun-Arj is confident that Thailand’s capital will contribute as an important meeting ground for startups and investors in advanced food technology from around the world. Bangkok will also serve significantly as a locally-sourced raw material development centre. 

Thailand has sufficient raw material to serve growing demands, the country also has a top-notch logistics service. These attributes make the Thai food industry exceptional and position Thailand as the kitchen of the world.

The utilisation of innovation and technology in the food industry is not diverse and still lacks research and development. The NIA, therefore, stepped in to encourage the use of innovation in this particular industry. Intending to feed the world through innovation, the ‘SPACE-F’ project was initiated in 2019 to incubate and accelerate the growth of FoodTech startups in Thailand. The project brings together FoodTech startups and corporates through innovative mentorship, business connections, and a co-working program. 

NIA encourages investment opportunities for the Thai

Agrotech, Machinery - Pre-harvesting, R&D, World

Agricultural drones are helping farmers to address labour shortage and reduce costs

Across Vietnam’s Mekong River delta, drones flying above the field to perform farm works have been gradually adopted in the rice paddies. Vietnam becomes one of the fast-growing markets for XAG Agricultural Drone, helping farmers address labour shortage and reduce costs. In the meantime, drone pilot is seen as the new favoured career for rural youth, who can harness technology to make a good fortune in the agriculture sector.

“With two XAG P100 agricultural drones, two small teams consisting of only 4 to 6 people can finish the fieldwork much faster and easier. While the drone sprays evenly and penetrate the rice crops more quickly, it can also spread seeds and fertilizers. Our service has helped him reduce labour cost and improve the yields.”said by 30-year-old Khuong, KPT’s co-founder.

The introduction of agricultural drone has changed the tune of young generation on rural development, it provides a decent work opportunity for rural youth who can build a new type of business like the KPT Fly Team or join as a drone pilot. They have become the new rising force to strengthen Vietnam’s role as ‘rice bowl’ of the world. The KPT Fly Team was established in 2021 by a group of young engineers with experience in rice cultivation. They provide services to farmers in the Mekong River delta, using XAG’s drones to handle pests, sow seeds, and spread fertilizers.

XAG’s agricultural drone is well credited for the level of its automation and precision, but what impresses KPT the most is the company’s agricultural ecosystem. From remote sensing drone to unmanned ground vehicle, XAG has also developed multiple types of products to focus on farmer’s various needs. More technologies will be applied on farm to yield a bright future.

Agricultural drones are helping farmers to address

Agrotech, India

At the recently held AgriTech Summit, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmer Welfare emphasised that agriculture is a very important sector for our country and we accept the primacy of agriculture. In this regard, work is being done in the direction of its progress, changes in it, inclusion of policies, cooperation, etc. There are 86 per cent small farmers in the country, who have small acreage and cannot invest much. The government is working to take these farmers forward, without whom neither agriculture nor the country will progress.

The government has started the work of creating 10,000 new FPOs. Of these, 3,000 have become FPOs. If small farmers join these FPOs, then the area under cultivation increases, the collective power of the farmer’s increases. If there is only one type of farming, then production will increase and farmers will be able to get good price. This effort is being made to increase the income of the farmers. Tomar added, “The government is also working in the field of pulses and oilseeds. Both were areas of scarcity. Farmers have ventured into pulses and have made huge leaps in production. There is still a gap in oilseeds, for which the government is working on the oilseed mission”.

He also said that there is a need to deal with the challenges of the agriculture sector, how technology should be introduced in it, how to increase the availability of private investment, how to create employment opportunities. Talking about technology in the agriculture sector, Tomar said that the government is working on Digital Agri Mission so that the farmers can reach the government and the government can reach all the farmers. If transparency will increase through technology, then all the farmers will be able to get the full benefits of all the schemes. 

At the recently held AgriTech Summit, Narendra

Dairy, Environment, India, Live Stock

A special session on Feed, Food and Waste was held under the chairmanship of Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on the third day of the International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit in Greater Noida. He drew the attention of the delegates from across India and abroad towards the challenges of Agriculture and Dairy sectors and spoke about working together on common issues. 

Mainly, there is a need to work on how to ensure adequate availability of fodder and what can be done towards this objective.

Stressing on ‘Waste to Wealth Management’ by all means, Tomar said that normally waste is not disposed properly, whether it is the crop stubble or the disposal of fruits and vegetable waste in homes, converting them into wealth is the need of the hour. 

Giving the example of the Decomposer which is Invented by the Pusa Institute, which increases the productivity of the farm and keeps fodder available for the cattle as well. Tomar says there is a need to work in this direction on a large scale.

There is also a need to pay attention on creating awareness about how cattle get food and said that cow dung is also a waste. The basic spirit behind all this is to benefit the farmers. 

A special session on Feed, Food and

Agrotech, India, Sustainability

Precision Agriculture and usage of technology has gained a lot of traction in the recent past. Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Former Director General, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR said that this technology in the agriculture sector must gain pace as it would help twin causes of achieving reasonable growth and maintaining ecological balance at the same time.

Dr Mohapatra added, “To avoid ship to mouth syndrome of 1950-60s, it is paramount to enhance our agriculture production at a faster pace than growth in demand due to continuous rise in population. Usage of technology and precision agriculture practices would help us in enhancing production on one hand and maintaining ecological balance. Amid ever-increasing environmental concern, sustainable practices are the need of the hour and technology will play a key role in it.”

He also asked the Agrochemical Federation to work for awareness of the farmers to purchase the right and genuine agri inputs with GST bills and also how to use and when to use agrochemicals.

Precision Agriculture and usage of technology has