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HomePosts Tagged "Arunachal Pradesh"
Acquaculture, AgroPolicy, Live Stock

10 foreign missions from different countries along with various International organisations attend the conference

On the occasion of World Fisheries Day, the Dept. of Fisheries, GoI is organising a Global Fisheries Conference India 2023 which began at Gujarat Science City, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying inaugurated the Special Pavilion and main Exhibition of Global Fisheries Conference India 2023. Minister of States for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Dr Sanjeev K. Balyan, and Dr L Murugan, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel, Ministers of various states, Ambassador of various countries, other dignitaries and heads of various organisations and fisheries research institutes were present in the event.

Parshottam Rupala released the “State Fishes of India Booklet” to encourage each state in India to adopt a fish and conserve its biodiversity. The booklet contains details of 21 fish species adopted as State Fish and declared as State Aquatic Animals. The other key publication released was “Handbook on Fisheries Statistics year 2022” which aims at providing key data points and performance indicators for the Fisheries sector making accurate and reliable fisheries data available to all.

Further, Rupala distributed Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS) claim cheques (Rs 5 lakhs each) to beneficiaries /legal heirs from the states of Odisha and Puducherry, Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to eligible beneficiaries with the loan amount of Rs 35 thousand to Rs 3 lakhs for beneficiaries from Gujarat, Green Fuel conversion kit for sustainable development of fisheries sector that included beneficiaries from Kerala and transponders for beneficiaries from Gujarat.

Sagar Mehra Joint Secretary for DoF, highlighted that the Department of Fisheries organised an event of this scale and magnitude for the first time. He said it is a moment of pride for DoF (MoFAH&D, GoI) to host 10 foreign missions from the countries of France, New Zealand, Norway, Australia, Russia, Spain, Zimbabwe, Angola, Brazil and Greece along with International organisations namely Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN-FAO), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Bay of Bengal Program (BoBP), Marine Stewardship Council India (MSC), Ministers from the States/UTs of Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Goa and Andhra Pradesh.

The delegation interacted with the exhibitors in the special pavilion that included a demonstration of aquariums, Artificial reefs, Seaweed Cultivation, capture fisheries, marine cage culture, bio floc, RAS, fish feed, LPG converter kits, pearl extraction and nucleus implantation, model of Setcom satellite terminals communication system, eco-friendly movable kiosks, multi-species hatchery etc.

10 foreign missions from different countries along

AgroPolicy, Dairy, Live Stock, R&D

Yak Churpi, a naturally fermented milk product made from yak milk

Churpi is prepared from the milk of Arunachali yak, which is a unique yak breed found in the West Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Yak Churpi, a naturally fermented milk product made from yak milk, has been given recognition as a Geographical Indication (GI) of Arunachal Pradesh.

Dr Mihir Sarkar, Director, ICAR- National Research Centre on Yak said it is a major boost to the pastoral production systems and yak rearing in the country.

Churpi is an excellent source of proteins and is frequently used as a substitute for vegetables by tribal yak herders in the vegetation-starved cold and hilly mountainous regions of the state. It is also mixed in vegetable or meat curry and is eaten with rice as a staple food in tribal households. It is considered an integral part of the tangible cultural and tribal heritage of Arunachal Pradesh- says Sarkar.  

Arunachali yak breed is reared by tribal yak pastoralists known as Brokpas who migrate along with their yaks to higher reaches (at an altitude of 10,000 ft and higher) during summers and descent to mid-altitude mountainous regions during winters. Since the product is prepared at such a high altitude, it is also expected to provide benefits to the tribal herders against cold and hypoxia besides providing enriched nutrition, Dr Vijay Paul, Principal Scientist of NRC-Yak who was associated with the GI application process informed.

ICAR-National Research Centre on Yak, Dirang applied for registration of this unique yak product.  The institute is closely working with the Brokpas rearing Arunachali yaks and is helping them through research and extension support. The services rendered by the institute assume greater significance in light of the fact that the yak population throughout the country has been declining at a fast pace due to enormous hardships and dwindling gains associated with pastoral yak rearing. The registration of yak Churpi of Arunachal Pradesh as a GI is going to serve the cause of yak conservation and yak pastoralists’ socio-economic upliftment.

Yak Churpi, a naturally fermented milk product

AgroPolicy, Bamboo industry, India, Sustainability

The National Workshop of Bamboo Sector Development and Bamboo Exhibition aims to bring together key stakeholders from the bamboo industry, including policymakers, researchers, industry experts

Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, inaugurated the Bamboo Exhibition at the National Workshop on Bamboo Sector Development in New Delhi. The Additional Secretary, along with Joint Secretary (Horticulture), Priya Ranjan and Horticulture Commissioner, Dr Prabhat Kumar, visited all 58 stalls at the event, interacting with State Bamboo Mission officials, State Department officials, artisans, bamboo experts and entrepreneurs.

The exhibition saw participation from State Bamboo Missions including Tripura, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Institutes like Bamboo and Cane Development Institute, Phoenix Foundation, Northeast Cane and Bamboo Development Council, Foundation of MSME Clusters along with startups and new age companies like Epitome (Mutha Industries), BioCraftBiomize, Bamboo India, ESES Biowealth Pvt Limited, Corner Art Store and organisations like Maharashtra Bamboo Board, Handicraft Sectorial Council and Bamboo FPOs under NAFED also participated in the event.

The National Workshop of Bamboo Sector Development and Bamboo Exhibition aims to bring together key stakeholders from the bamboo industry, including policymakers, researchers, industry experts, institutes and organisations to discuss the current state of the bamboo sector in India and identify ways to promote its growth and development.

The event is being organised by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Invest India and the Kerala State Bamboo Mission in New Delhi.

The National Workshop of Bamboo Sector Development

Agro Universities, AgroPolicy, India

It will give an impetus to the development of agricultural education and research in Arunachal Pradesh, along with other North-eastern states.

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated Academic-cum-Administrative Building and Transit Hostel of the College of Agriculture under Central Agricultural University, (Imphal) at Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, in the presence of Pema Khandu, Chief Minister, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Tapir Gao, Member of Parliament, Er Tage Taki, Minister for Agriculture, Horticulture, Dairy & Fisheries, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Anupam Mishra, Vice Chancellor, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur and A K Tripathi, Dean, College of Agriculture, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh.

Speaking on the occasion, Tomar expressed hope that the new facilities would encourage and motivate the students to work harder. “Agriculture is the fastest growing sector in the country, and the Government of India is making continuous efforts to make farming much profitable. There will be no constraint of central funding for development of the agriculture sector,” he said, adding that “the setting up of this institute will give an impetus to the development of agricultural education and research in Arunachal Pradesh, along with other North-eastern states. There is unlimited potential for organic farming in the North-eastern states, for which the central government and the state government are working together. Giving importance to agriculture in bringing about development and security of livelihood in the Northeast, farming activities are being strengthened by agricultural education and research,” he said.

Pema Khandu, Chief Minister, Government of Arunachal Pradesh credited the central government “for uplifting the image of farmers from ‘poor’ to ‘proud entrepreneurs’ in a span of eight years with its farmer-centric flagship programmes.”Speaking at the function in College of Agriculture in East Siang district on Thursday, Khandu said that “many young entrepreneurs coming up to avail benefits of both central and state flagship programmes are keen to invest in agriculture and allied sectors.” 

On this occasion, a two-day Kisan Mela was also organised wherein around 850 farmers attended the programme.

In the Mela, 20 stalls of public and private sectors showcased their technologies/products. A farmers-scientist interface was also held to get the feedback of farmers on the adoption of improved agricultural technologies of potato and tuber crop cultivation.

Rajesh Kumar, Director, ATARI, Guwahati, officials from 8 KVKs, ICAR Research Complex, Basar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam Agricultural University, around 65 students, 30 line department officials participated in the Kisan Mela.

It will give an impetus to

AgroPolicy, Dairy, India, Live Stock, Poultry

A major move to encourage commercial yak farming in the northeast of India  

The Himalayan Yak has received approval as a food animal from the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). Yak farming has not been accepted as profitable farming in India. Now yak milk and meat will be included in the traditional dairy and meat sectors. The approval will help to encourage commercial yak farming in the northeast of India.  

National Research Centre (NRC) on Yak in Arunachal Pradesh had submitted a proposal to FSSAI, to consider Yak as a food animal in 2021. Food Animals are those that are raised and used for food production. Himalayan Yak plays a multi-dimensional and socio-economic role in the northeastern region of India. In Arunachal Pradesh, more than 10,000 farmers are into commercial yak farming, and these farmers sell yak milk products, woollen clothing and meat, it is also used for transportation in remote locations. Churpi, ghee, paneer and churkum are traditional yak milk products that are an essential part of the cuisine in the districts of Arunachal Pradesh    

Yak milk is having nourishing values, it includes, 80 per cent of water, 8 per cent of fat, 5 per cent protein, 5 per cent lactose, and 12 per cent SNF.

The census conducted in 2019, according to it, India has around 58,000 yaks, compared to the data from 2012 declined by 25 per cent.

A major move to encourage commercial yak

AgroPolicy, Horticulture, Middle East countries, Supply Chain

Organic oranges from Arunachal have been produced by the Dambuk Organic Orange Producer Company Limited, formed under the MOVCD-NER.

Organic oranges from Dambuk in Arunachal Pradesh were launched at the Lulu Group’s hypermarkets in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).The oranges were launched in the presence of Bidol Tayeng, Secretary, Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Department, Okit Palling CEO, of Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Marketing Board (APAMB), Tadu Game, Director, Agriculture Marketing, Karbom Riram, Agriculture Joint Director and a team of officials from Lulu hypermarket during a programme organised in Dubai by the APAMB, in collaboration with the Lulu Group International.

Applauding the efforts of APAMB, Lulu Group regional director KP Thamban said various other organic products from the state might make its way to the stores in the UAE in the near future.

Speaking at the event, Tayeng appreciated the collaborative efforts of the APAMB and Lulu in successfully organising the programme.

Palling said that agriculture and horticulture produces of Arunachal Pradesh like pumpkin, pineapple, ginger, turmeric and large cardamom are of “excellent quality” but exporting the products have so far not been possible due to logistical constraints.

Palling also added that the oranges from Arunachal have been produced by the Dambuk Organic Orange Producer Company Limited, formed under the MOVCD-NER.

Organic oranges from Arunachal have been produced

Company News, India, Oilseeds

Phase 1 of the factory is expected to be commissioned by September 2023

3F Oil Palm Pvt. Ltd, a leading oil palm company in India, kicked off its investment in the northeast with the ‘Bhumi Puja’ for an integrated Oil Palm factory in Arunachal Pradesh. The factory ground-breaking ceremony took place at the factory site at Roing in lower Dibang Valley. The event was attended by senior officials from Arunachal Pradesh government and the chief guest for the event was Tage Taki, Minister of Agriculture. The company had already acquired 120 acres of land for the project in the month of February. All necessary approvals and statutory clearances pertaining to the land were also obtained. The integrated Oil palm project will consist of a State-of-the-art Oil palm factory (Palm Oil Processing and Refining plant), a Zero discharge effluent plant, a power plant based on palm waste, and other buildings and godowns for support functions. This addition of this factory will supplement the existing company operations that include Nursery Operations, Area Expansion/ Crop Maintenance, FFB Harvesting and Collection and other ancillary farmer services. The factory is set to be developed in 2 phases and phase 1 is expected to be commissioned by September 2023. Phase 1 of the project is expected to generate local employment of over 300 people.

3F Oil Palm Pvt Ltd is a front runner and pioneer in the Oil Palm Development program in Arunachal Pradesh with total Oil Palm Area under planting of around 2,000 hectares that is spread across a farmer base of 500 Farmers. All the area under Oil Palm is linked to satellite technology with 100 per cent traceability. The company is the first in the state to import high-quality hybrid variety imported seedlings from various countries, for the benefit of the farmer. The company is also the first to be allotted a fertiliser distribution license for timely and cost-effective supply of fertilizers to the farmers. Both of these initiatives are expected to significantly increase farmer yields and promote ease of planting. With all of these firsts and the additional traction created by the Oil Palm Factory, the company is expected to add 5000 Ha per year over the next 5 years.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Goenka, CEO and MD, 3F Oil Palm Limited, said, “Since the plantations are at a nascent stage, our factory will be running at extremely low-capacity utilization. The primary reason for expediting this investment is to build farmer confidence so that they are encouraged to take up up Oil Palm cultivation at a large scale.”

3F Oil Palm has a strong presence with factories and contract plantations in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat and has a very strong growth plan for the Northeastern region – Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Phase 1 of the factory is expected

Company News, India, Oilseeds

Hyderabad-based 3F Oil Palm Pvt. Ltd, a leading oil palm company in India, announced that it will kick off its investment in the northeast by setting up an integrated oil palm factory in Arunachal Pradesh. The ceremony will take place on September 30, 2022 at Roing in lower Dibang Valley. The company had already acquired 120 acre of land for the project in February this year with all the necessary approvals and statutory clearances. The integrated oil palm project will consist of a state-of-the-art oil palm factory (palm oil processing and refinery), a zero-discharge effluent plant, a power plant based on palm waste, and other buildings and godowns for support functions. The addition of this factory will supplement the existing company operations including nursery, area expansion/crop maintenance, FFB harvesting and collection and other ancillary farmer services. The factory is set to be developed in two phases and phase 1 is expected to be commissioned by September 2023. The first phase of the project is expected to generate local employment to over 300 people. 

3F Oil Palm Pvt Ltd has a total oil palm area under planting of around 2,000 hectare spread across a farmer base of 500 farmers, with 100 per cent satellite traceability. The company is the first in the state to import high quality hybrid variety imported seed sprouts from selected identified countries, for the benefit of the farmers. It is also the first to be allotted a fertiliser distribution license for timely and cost-effective supply of fertilisers. Both of these initiatives are expected to significantly increase farmer yields and promote ease of planting. The company is expected to add 5000 Ha per year over the next five years.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Goenka, CEO and MD, 3F Oil Palm Limited, said, “We are very delighted and excited about our upcoming integrated oil palm factory in Arunachal Pradesh. Since the plantations are at a nascent stage, our factory will be running at extremely low-capacity utilisation. The primary reason for expediting this investment is to build farmer confidence so that they are encouraged to take up oil palm cultivation at a large scale. Due to the proactive leadership of the government of Arunachal Pradesh and the newly formulated NMEO (OP) policy, we believe that the state can be at the forefront of the Prime Minister’s vision of aatmanirbharta in edible oils.”

3F Oil Palm has a strong presence with contract plantations and factories in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat and has a strong growth plan for the Northeastern region – Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Hyderabad-based 3F Oil Palm Pvt. Ltd, a

Company News, Finance, Horticulture, India

 The project would generate employment for 500 people and boost the production, sale, and export of kiwi and other fruits from the region.

Chandigarh-based IG Fresh Produce, a subsidiary of IG International, one of the leading fresh fruit importers, has planned to invest Rs 100 crores in the next five years in Arunachal Pradesh for the cultivation of exotic fruits like Kiwi and stone fruits. The company has engaged in an agreement with the Arunachal Pradesh Agricultural Marketing Board (APAMB) and the farmers of Namshu village in West Kameng district for the aforementioned endeavour.

The undertaking within its purview would ensure cultivation, research and development, and post-harvest activities in a phased manner. The project will also generate gainful employment (technical and non-technical) for 500 youths over a period of 5 years in the Agri-Horti Sector in West Kameng District and from the rest of the state. This will not only boost the production of kiwi in the state but also increase the sale and export of kiwi and other fruits from the region.

Articulating about the historic agreement, Gautam Jha, President of IG Fresh Produce Private Limited, said, “We at IG Fresh Produce are very confident of creating a natural lab for the cultivation, careful curation, research and development, and post-harvest treatment of the first-grade produce done in the orchid paradise of India.”

Speaking about the potential of this investment and trust for Arunachal Pradesh to be the home for superior exotic produce, Tage Taki, Agriculture minister, said, “This is a very big investment, not only in terms of the financial value but also in the context of the trust shown towards Arunachal and its farmers, for which I thank IG Fresh Produce, APAMB and the Invest India team. This project has the potential to make India into an independent nation when it comes to feeding top-notch Kiwis to its fruit-loving population. The state government will provide everything the farmers and IG Fresh Produce need to grow the best and most delicious fruits in our country.”

The APAMB is the premier agency of the state government that is exclusively responsible for the marketing of agriculture and allied sector products. The IG Fresh Produce Private Limited is one of the top fresh fruit importers in the country and a major supply chain player in the country. It has developed an efficient supply chain for providing high-quality fresh fruits like apples, kiwis, citrus, pears, blueberries, avocados, stone fruit, grapes, etc. to 27 cities across India.

 The project would generate employment for 500

Acquaculture, AgroPolicy, Horticulture, Schemes - NABARD, Sustainability

The families will be largely benefitted from fish farming, horticulture and vegetable cultivation

Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein recently launched the ‘Integrated Tribal Development Project’ for Lohit district under Tribal Development Fund supported by NABARD, Itanagar Regional Office, at Medo under Wakro circle in the district.

The intervention will directly benefit 200 tribal families by enhancing their livelihood through fish farming, horticulture and vegetable cultivation as an alternative means of livelihood and will be implemented in Tezu, Wakro and Sunpura blocks of Lohit district.

NABARD General Manager Partho Saha informed that the project envisages orchard-based livelihood to the farmers through horticulture plantation and maintenance, soil and moisture conservation, water resource development, training and capacity building of farmers, women development, health and sanitation, etc.

The NABARD-back project, to be implemented by ‘Kalong-Kapili’, will benefit 200 families from Wakro, Sunpura and Tezu blocks of the district and each beneficiary will be provided with 1000 fish seeds, 100 areca nut, 50 banana and 20 Assam lemon saplings.

District Agriculture Officer Nyokliam Sumnyan and NABARD District Development Manager (DDM) Nitya Mili and Kalong-Kapili director Jyotish Talukdar were present on the occasion.

The Dy CM also distributed fish seeds, areca nut and Assam lemon saplings to the beneficiaries on the occasion.

The families will be largely benefitted from

AgroPolicy, Environment

More than 60 spice growers took part in the training prog

The North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), Shillong, in collaboration with the Spice Board Divisional Office Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh, under the North Eastern Council (NEC), Ministry of DoNER, GoI, organised a training programme for spice growers at the Patkai Hills Welfare Society Office, Deomali, Tirap, Arunachal Pradesh. Deomali hamlet is located in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, where most people are engaged in agriculture. Since the growing of spices has great potential in NER due to suitable agro-climatic conditions.

More than 60 participants were trained. They were trained in spice growing as well as to sell their produce for income generation.
Spice Board authorities further highlighted that more such projects will be implemented in the Namsang Block and Soha Block in the near future to encourage farmers to improve their farm activities and economic status.

More than 60 spice growers took part

AgroPolicy, Supply Chain

Farmers are being guided to fetch the right price

North Eastern Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS) as a society formed by NEC, MDoNER is involved in the value addition of spice crops by Community Based Organizations (CBOs) of Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh to boost the marketability of the products and to further improve the income of the farmers.

Fetching the right price for agricultural produce is one of the biggest challenges faced by farmers in remote areas. Despite the high quality of their product and its demand in the market, farmers often do not get prices that are commensurate with the quality. The CBOs formed by North Eastern Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), Shillong & the Changlang Community Resource Management Society (CCRMS), Changlang are playing a vital role in addressing these challenges. The spice crops sourced from the individual farmers are processed by the CBOs at the Centralized Processing and Packaging Unit, New Yanman village, Kharsang circle, Miao– Khagamblock, Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh.

The products are then branded under the label of Namdapha Goodness. The CBO members pay special attention to ensuring standard quality and food safety measures are maintained throughout the production stage. The curcumin content of the turmeric is also specified in the label which further enhances the marketability of the product. The final product is sold through different retailers and wholesalers across the state.

Farmers are being guided to fetch the

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Supply Chain

Discussions were held on horticulture, medicinal crops and natural farming

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), G Kishan Reddy recently hosted a virtual meeting to take stock of various schemes of the Government of India in the sector of the North Eastern Region (NER). Agriculture ministers of the North-Eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura discussed the issues and challenges they were facing in detail.

Union Minister of State for DoNER, BL Verma,. Ministers for Agriculture of all the eight North Eastern States accompanied by the Secretary, DoNER, Agriculture Secretaries from the NER states with senior officials also marked their presence.

Tomar in his speech quoted, “Our door is always open. I request all the state governments to come up with a proposal if you find any difficulty in any schemes related to the agriculture sector.” He said that about 9 lakh hectare land in the North East is well suited for oil palm production as it has the potential to benefit farmers at large. 

He also talked about horticulture and medicinal crops which are grown only in North-Eastern State. He said that Agriculture and Commerce Ministry are working together to tap such opportunities and to solve the logistic problems faced by the North Eastern States.

The minister urged the state governments to pay attention to natural farming.

Officials from Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Regions (MOVCDNER); National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP); Bamboo in North East Region and the mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) made presentations regarding various schemes.

Discussions were held on horticulture, medicinal crops

Supply Chain, Trade

NAFED connected with the FPOs in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh

AgNext Technologies has partnered with NAFED in a first-of-its-kind initiative to digitise quality assessment for Arunachal Pradesh’s organic kiwis. These organic kiwis were launched in New Delhi last week by Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Marketing Board (APAMB) along with NAFED as the marketing partner, under the national ‘One district One Product’ scheme.

This is the first time in India, an AI-based technology is being used for rapid quality assessment of organic kiwi. Through its quality monitoring platform ‘Qualix’, AgNext also enabled deep-tech based comprehensive traceability. Using QR code mapping, the end-consumers can trace all the steps in the supply chain down to the origin.

Taranjeet Singh Bhamra, CEO & Founder, AgNextsaid, “Till date, over 6000 kgs of kiwi has been assessed and moved through our ‘Qualix’ platform, with proven benefits for the farmers, NAFED and the end-consumers. The impact of facilitating quality-based and traceability-enabled trade for kiwis will not only improve domestic demand but also help in boosting export potential of the fruit.”

Subrat Panda, Chief Technology Officer, AgNext explained the various intersections where technological deployment helped to bring about the traceability solution to the end-consumer. Panda said, “NAFED connected us with the FPOs in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh and we deployed our quality assessment solution right at the procurement centre to measure the total soluble sugar (TSS), which is the key parameter to ascertain the ripeness of Kiwi. During the packaging process for retail distribution, each box of kiwis was labelled with a QR code through which one can access the complete inspection report along with key traceability and quality parameters. The entire process is automated and led by an integrated AI-based system which significantly reduces the TAT for quality testing, logistics and marketing of the fruit.”

Pankaj Prasad, Additional MD, NAFED, said, “NAFED has successfully partnered with FPOs in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh to help them create better market linkages for their certified organic kiwis. Digitised quality assessment helps to streamline the inspection process of the fruit, giving end-consumers a complete traceability report. This empowers both farmers and consumers, resulting in better price realisations, and also builds greater trust and transparency among all the stakeholders in the value chain. It is essential to increase adoption of technology to truly capitalise on the potential of Indian agriculture, boost farmer income and enable quality-based trade.”

NAFED connected with the FPOs in Ziro,