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Allied Industry, Company News

The new herbicide provides a new level of broad-spectrum weed control in the critical growth stage of sugarcane, ensuring strong establishment of the crop for a better yield

FMC India, an agricultural sciences company, announced the launch of Austral herbicide, a new pre-emergent herbicide for sugarcane crop. Austral herbicide provides a new level of broad-spectrum weed control in the critical growth stage of sugarcane, ensuring strong establishment of the crop for a better yield.

Austral herbicide’s unique dual mode of action offers a weed free condition during the critical crop-weed competition period in sugarcane. This innovative proprietary product solution forms a layer of protection on top of the soil, inhibiting weeds to germinate during the critical crop growth phase, resulting in higher numbers of healthy tillers and thereby higher yields in sugarcane.

FMC India President Ravi Annavarapu said, “At FMC, we are driven by a strong R&D pipeline, committed to bring the latest global technologies and introduce novel and sustainable solutions to address Indian farmers’ challenges. The introduction of Austral herbicide for sugarcane farmers is a testimony to our commitment of enabling better yield through technology-driven, scientific solutions. We are confident that Austral herbicide will help sugarcane farmers improve their income through effective weed protection for a superior harvest.”

Austral herbicide will be available in 500g and 1kg packs at leading retail stores across the country for the coming season. 

The new herbicide provides a new level

Allied Industry, Biofuel industry

This is believed to be the first transition loan to be provided by a foreign bank to India’s biofuel manufacturing industry

To support India’s push to double the country’s ethanol distillation capacity and blend 20 per cent of ethanol in petrol by 2025, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd (SRSL), a subsidiary of Wilmar International Ltd, Singapore and one of the largest sugar and green energy (ethanol and renewable power) producers in India, has obtained a five-year Rs 1.75 billion (SGD31 million) transition finance facility from DBS. The proceeds will be used to finance the expansion of SRSL’s sustainable bioethanol business in India. This is believed to be the first transition loan to be provided by a foreign bank to India’s biofuel manufacturing industry.

SRSL’s focus on the capacity expansion of its bioethanol plants in India supports its commitment towards promoting sustainable growth and combating climate change.

Sunil Ranka, CFO, SRSL, said, “Bioethanol production is not new to India. But it holds the key for the transition of the energy sector’s reliance on fossil fuels, to more sustainable biofuels which have a lower carbon footprint and will lead to energy independence of the country. To provide some perspective, India has an ethanol production capacity of about 849 crore litres today. For India’s targeted 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol by 2025, the market will need 1,700-crore litre capacity (80 per cent plant efficiency), and this is where we hope to contribute to the growth of the global biofuel industry by ramping up our bioethanol production capacity to contribute to achieving this ambitious but meaningful target.”

This is believed to be the first

Bee keeping

As part of the project, rural women will be selected from Sitarganj, Kotabagh, and the towns of Almora and Ranikhet and trained in beekeeping

FMC India, a leading agricultural sciences company, has announced a collaboration with Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GB Pant University) to develop entrepreneurship among rural women through beekeeping, as a means to generate sustainable income for their families and raise their living standard.

Named Project MadhuShakti, is a first-of-its-kind innovative sustainable development initiative in India. The project, spanning three years, is planned for the rural area of Uttarakhand, located in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountain range, where there is an abundant source of natural herbs and flora useful for honey production. Approximately 53 per cent of the population in Uttarakhand lives in hills and mountains, out of which 60 per cent falls below the poverty line.

Ravi Annavarapu, President, FMC India, said, “Our objective with Project MadhuShakti is to transform the lives of rural families by empowering women in agriculture with sustainable business opportunities. We place sustainable agriculture at the center of our commitment to support farmers who maintain a safe and secure food supply, while protecting the environment for future generations.  The success of this project will not only encourage women farmers in India to see beekeeping as a fruitful endeavor, but also address the global concern around safeguarding pollinator populations under intensive agriculture.” 

As part of the project, rural women will be selected from Sitarganj, Kotabagh, and the towns of Almora and Ranikhet and trained in beekeeping. The produce from the farmers’ beehives will be procured by the university’s Honey Bee Research and Training Centre (HBRTC) through a revolving fund set up to facilitate payment to farmers and market products from the hives. The project will also closely monitor pollinator behaviour, generating a wealth of scientific knowledge that will benefit beekeepers across the country.

Other goals of the project include promoting good agronomic practices that lead to the safe and judicious use of pesticides while keeping honeybees safe.

In a biodiverse state like Uttarakhand, the potential of beekeeping remains untapped. The state currently produces only 12,500 metric tons of honey. This figure is expected to grow significantly under the aegis of a program like MadhuShakti.

As part of the project, rural women