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AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Start ups

  The RISE Accelerator will focus on start-ups and MSMEs with technologies and solutions that enhance agricultural productivity.

The Atal Innovation Mission – in partnership with CSIRO, Australia – is inviting applications from start-ups and MSMEs from India and Australia for the Climate Smart Agritech cohort of the India Australia Rapid Innovation and Start-up Expansion (RISE) Accelerator – a program designed to support businesses aiming for international expansion between the two countries. This marks a significant milestone in fostering innovations that address India and Australia’s most pressing shared challenges in the agriculture sector.

Commencing in October 2024, the Climate Smart Agritech cohort of the RISE Accelerator will focus on start-ups and MSMEs with technologies and solutions that enhance agricultural productivity and resilience in the face of growing climate variability, resource scarcity and food insecurity.

The program is particularly interested in start-ups and MSMEs with solutions that prioritise farmer needs, priorities, and on-farm practices.  The RISE Accelerator program – launched in 2023 – has been instrumental in supporting start-ups and MSMEs in validating, adapting, and piloting their technologies for new markets. With the introduction of the Climate Smart Agritech cohort, the focus is now on agritech start-ups and MSMEs with solutions that enhance agricultural productivity and resilience in the face of growing environmental challenges.

Tamara Ogilvie, Program Director, CSIRO said, “India and Australia share common agricultural challenges, but the scale and diversity of our farming operations are unique. This cohort will enable participants to achieve product-market fit in diverse markets, and rapidly scale their solutions to meet global demands”.

Over the course of the nine months of the accelerator program, the selected start-ups and MSMEs will benefit from a blend of self-paced online learning and in-person sessions, including immersion weeks in both India and Australia. These sessions will offer deep market insights, one-on-one coaching, and mentorship from subject matter experts and industry professionals. The program is designed to facilitate connections with potential partners and customers, boosting the chances of success in new markets. The program will also involve field trials and technology pilot in the latter half.

Highlighting the importance of the program, Pramit Dash, Program Lead, AIM stated, “by fostering innovation and providing a platform for start-ups to scale their solutions, the RISE Accelerator program not only addresses the immediate challenges in the agriculture sector but also ensures that farmers can access and adopt resilient practices tailored to their specific needs”

The program’s latest round seeks novel solutions to tackle critical agricultural challenges, including boosting productivity, reducing emissions and optimising natural resource use.

Applications for the RISE Accelerator close on 15 September 2024. 

There is no charge for start-ups / SMEs to participate in the program, with a number of opportunities to travel between Australia and India. Selected start-ups / SMEs may also be eligible for up to Rs 45 lakhs in non-equity grant. For more information and to apply, please visit https://riseaccelerator.org/

  The RISE Accelerator will focus on start-ups

Company News, Seeds, World

Apollo Green to distribute Humboldt Seed Company clonal cannabis genetics to Germany, Portugal and Australia

Humboldt Seed Company (HSC), California’s leading cannabis seed producer, has announced a partnership with Canadian-based Apollo Green to make eight breeder cuts available to researchers, licensed commercial cultivators and home growers in legal markets worldwide. This first-to-market clonal genetics release is a significant milestone and will expand access to distinctive, high-quality cannabis genetics in both established and emerging global markets including Germany, Portugal and Australia.

The curated, breeder-verified selection includes pioneering triploid genetics, such as OG Triploid and Donutz Triploid alongside the legendary cult classic Blueberry Muffin. Also available are All Gas OG with a THC content of 21 per cent and four high-THC strains in the 30-35 per cent range: Golden Sands, Guzzlerz, Jelly Donutz and Orange Cream pop. These selections represent the top .01 per cent of HSC’s extensive California pheno-hunting program.

Exports will begin in May under Apollo Green’s Canadian federal cannabis license. All shipments have Canadian phytosanitary certification, ensuring plants have been inspected, and are clean and free of pests.

Apollo Green to distribute Humboldt Seed Company clonal

Dairy, Live Stock, R&D, World

The first-of-its-kind project, supply chain best practice to improve the health and welfare of free-range buffalo harvest

A new research project by AgriFutures Australia and the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) is set to examine the wild-harvest buffalo supply chain in the Northern Territory (NT).

The first-of-its-kind project, Supply Chain Best Practice to Improve the Health and Welfare of Free-Range Buffalo Harvest in Arnhem Land – Northern Territory, aims to identify the barriers and potential opportunities to ensure the industry’s sustainable growth.

Since the introduction of buffalo to Australia in the 1880s, the industry has developed a free-range sector in the NT and a dairy buffalo sector which operates in most states.

Most free-range buffalo in the NT are found in unrestricted herds across Arnhem Land and other areas of Indigenous land, where they have important and often competing economic, environmental and social-cultural impacts on the land and local communities.

Despite the steady growth of the meat and dairy buffalo sectors in Australia, there are risks and challenges which threaten industry viability.

As identified in the AgriFutures Buffalo Program Strategic RD&E Plan (2021-2025), the industry’s highest priority is addressing animal welfare.

Ellen Buckle, AgriFutures Australia Senior Manager – Levied and Emerging Industries, said this project will ultimately provide information on best practices in the buffalo supply chain.

“There’s a real willingness in the industry to work together on this and it is often difficult to get that sort of consensus and movement,” Buckle said.

“The project, funded by the AgriFutures Buffalo Program and the CRCNA and led by The University of Queensland (UQ), will run until June 2026 and involves a consortium of seven research entities, including the Northern Territory Government, Northern Territory Buffalo Industry Council, Central Queensland University, and industry experts Neil MacDonald and Dr Rodd Dyer.”

The CRCNA will additionally support research on the impact and involvement of Arnhem Land Indigenous communities in the buffalo industry.

The first-of-its-kind project, supply chain best practice

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

Dairy, Live Stock, World

The facility will produce fresh and powdered camel milk products

Australia-based Good Earth Dairy secures a $4.4 million grant for a $20 million dairy processing facility.

The first camel milk dairy in Australia will open ahead of Good Earth Dairy’s listing on the ASX next year. The facility will produce fresh and powdered camel milk products.

Good Earth Dairy is set to expand its distribution channels beyond Western Australia (WA) and into global markets with the help of a new facility. The $20 million facility, expected to be completed by 2026, will have the capacity to process around 22 million litres of camel milk annually.

Good Earth Dairy launched a bridging round via an equity crowdfunding campaign on the OnMarket platform last week ahead of its planned IPO next year to support international expansion.

The company will use crowdfunding to increase production capacity and fund the construction of a new dairy.

Camel milk retails at a premium in Australia, selling for between $13 and $20 per litre, compared to cow’s milk.

The milk is low in allergens and saturated fat, and highly nutritious. It is also easy to digest for infants and adults.

The facility will produce fresh and powdered

Company News, People, World

With Zacka’s appointment, the Board has expanded from 11 to 12 members, five of whom are independent

Nouryon, a global speciality chemicals leader, announced the appointment of Michael Zacka to the Company’s Board of Directors, effective October 23, 2023. With  Zacka’s appointment, the Board has expanded from 11 to 12 members, five of whom are independent.

“We are pleased to welcome a highly experienced global executive of Michael’s calibre to our Board,” said Charlie Shaver, Nouryon Chairman and CEO. “His appointment reflects our commitment to bringing the right mix of skills and expertise to our Board to guide Nouryon’s long-term strategy and drive growth.”

Michael Zacka is President, of Flexibles Europe, Middle East & Africa for Amcor plc, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions. Zacka joined Amcor in July 2017 as Chief Commercial Officer, and from November 2017 to July 2019, he assumed additional responsibility as President of Amcor’s Flexible Packaging business in Asia Pacific. Prior to Amcor, he was a member of the Tetra Pak Global Leadership Team and was the President of Asia based in Singapore. He was also the President of their North American business, and had senior assignments including Global Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Management, and led the Tetra Pak businesses across Greater China, Vietnam, and Australia.

Zacka’s appointment to the Nouryon Board as an independent Director follows that of Melanie Steiner, Julie Aslaksen and Curtis Espeland in 2021, and Noelle Walsh in 2020. 

With Zacka’s appointment, the Board has expanded

Agri Genomics, AgroPolicy, SAARC, Textile industry

This is the second GM plant introduced in the country, following Bt brinjal in 2014

Bangladesh has introduced two types of genetically modified (GM) cotton to increase crop yields and reduce the need for imports.

This is the second GM crop introduced in the country, following Bt brinjal in 2014.

During a seminar held at the Cotton Development Board office in Dhaka, Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Agriculture Minister stated that the introduction of Bt and hybrid varieties could help meet around 20 per cent of the domestic cotton demand, which amounts to approximately 1.5 million bales.

Spinning and weaving industries need an additional 85 lakh bales of cotton to produce yarn and fabrics for export-oriented garment factories.

According to local media, domestic growers can only supply two lakh bales of cotton. As a result, Bangladesh imports a significant amount of cotton from countries such as India, Pakistan, Brazil, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, and Central Asian countries, spending around Tk 33,000 crore annually.

The production cost of Bt cotton is 12-15 per cent lower than local varieties, with an average yield of 4,500 kg per hectare, 15-20 per cent higher.

This is the second GM plant introduced

Acquaculture, Australia, Company News, Live Stock

MPA Fish Farms operates the only ocean-based barramundi farm in Australia, located at Cone Bay

Tassal has recently acquired MPA Fish Farms and MPA Marketing, which operates the only ocean-based barramundi farm in Australia, located at Cone Bay. Tassal is Australia’s largest seafood grower, processor, marketer, and seller, employing almost 2,000 people across the country.

The company is now part of Cooke Inc, a global aquaculture and seafood family of companies that produce salmon, sea bass, shrimp/prawns, and harvest various wild fisheries species.

Mark Ryan, Tassal’s managing director and CEO, expressed excitement about including Australian ocean-farmed barramundi in their business, adding that they have successfully turned around the salmon and prawn industries in Australia and have the skills to do the same for MPA companies and the wider barramundi industry in Australia.

MPA currently produces around 1,600 tonnes of barramundi annually in Australia. Once operations are consolidated, Tassal plans to explore growth opportunities, creating more job opportunities in Northern WA.

Western Australia’s fisheries minister, Don Punch, has welcomed the acquisition, recognising aquaculture as one of the world’s fastest-growing food production sectors and an important contributor to WA’s food industries, job creation, and economic diversification.

MPA Fish Farms operates the only ocean-based

Horticulture, New Zealand, Supply Chain, Trade

This year’s mango exports to New Zealand surpassed 100000 kilogrammes, with the possibility of further imports by the end of the month

According to New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries, mango imports from India to New Zealand have tripled this year compared to last year. In 2022, New Zealand imported less than 30000 kilogrammes of mangoes from India, but this year’s figure has already surpassed 100000 kilogrammes, with the possibility of further imports until the end of the month.

Mango season in India typically starts in April and ends in July after the onset of monsoon rains. The increase in the volume of mango imports from India can be attributed to the resumption of services at the Maharashtra Agricultural Marketing Board vapour heat treatment facility in Mumbai, which is one of two facilities licensed to treat mangoes for export to New Zealand.

The suspension of mango exports from Mumbai to New Zealand in July 2020 was lifted in May this year following a virtual audit in February and an in-country audit in April. Mangoes imported into New Zealand must comply with the Import Health Standard and the bilateral agreement between the two countries. The facility in Mumbai has treated approximately 87407 kilogrammes of mangoes in the past three months, which accounts for about 80 per cent of total mango imports from India to New Zealand. However, despite the improvement in trade figures, mango exports from India to New Zealand still lag behind those from Latin America, with Peru leading the pack at 65.7 per cent of overall mango imports to New Zealand, followed by Mexico at 15.3 per cent, Australia at just under 10 per cent, and India at 6.9 per cent. Australia has been overtaken by South and Central American nations as the country’s largest source of mango.

This year's mango exports to New Zealand

Agrotech, Company News, India, R&D

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) plans to procure 2,500 drones for spraying its products, nano urea and nano DAP (Diammonium Phosphate).

IoTechWorld Avigation Pvt Ltd announced that it has emerged as a leader in the IFFCO drone project and secured a large contract from major cooperative IFFCO to supply 500 drones, which will be primarily used to spray nano liquid urea and DAP.

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) plans to procure 2,500 drones for spraying its products, nano urea and nano DAP (Diammonium Phosphate). IFFCO also plans to create 5,000 rural entrepreneurs, who would be trained for spraying via drones.

Gurugram-headquartered IoTechWorld, the manufacturer of India’s first DGCA-type certified drone ‘AGRIBOT’, has been Co-Founded by Deepak Bhardwaj and Anoop Upadhyay. IoTechWorld Avigation is also backed by leading agritech company Dhanuka Agritech Ltd.

“We are indeed privileged to receive the single biggest order for the purchase of Krishi-drones from IFFCO. The company will deliver 500 drones to IFFCO by December 2023,” said Upadhyay.

He further said that since IoTechWorld’s inception, the endeavour has been to promote technological innovation in the field of agriculture, and the company is the pioneer of Krishi-drones in the country.

Elaborating on the large supply order from IFFCO, Co-founder Bhardwaj said the drone market is rapidly growing, and there has been tremendous demand from various companies, including fertiliser and pesticides companies as well as from rural entrepreneurs, including farmers.

“Our AGRIBOT (Krishi drone) has been specially designed and programmed for fertilisers. The order from IFFCO is a testament to our strength in the agri-drone segment. We aim to help farmers and Agri Entrepreneurs in the Implementation of made-in-India Nano Urea and Nano DAP newly launched by IFFCO,” he said.

Besides IFFCO, IoTechWorld Avigation has partnered with agrochemical company Syngenta and has undertaken 17,000 KM of drone yatra in various parts of the country.

“We are expecting 5-6 times more demand in the current fiscal compared to last year, with a target of selling more than 3,000 drones in this fiscal year. We are also exploring opportunities for exports. The Government’s recent decision to liberalise the export policy for drones opens up a gamut of opportunity, and there is a huge demand in overseas markets,” Upadhyay added.

The company is also in discussion for exporting drones in regions like SAARC, South East Asia, Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Oman, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines, Nepal, and Africa, which are the focus countries of IoTech export sales.

The company is also extensively focusing on creating awareness about the benefits of using drones in agriculture. IoTech has also set up several small pilot training organisations where people are trained to fly drones.

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) plans

Agrotech, Finance, World

The partnership aims to benefit finance, insurance and agri-business service providers and government entities

Agrograph announced a new partnership with Planet Labs PBC (Planet) to integrate Planet’s high-resolution global satellite data with Agrograph’s expert geospatial data technology to comprehensively support clients’ need for data-driven business and farm-risk management decision tools.

The partnership aims to benefit finance, insurance and agri-business service providers, government entities, and other organisations seeking to measure financial and environmental risk, identify business opportunities, and inform cropland agriculture capital investment strategy across the globe

“We’ve been providing actionable, geospatial data to customers for nearly a decade, continually expanding and refining our offerings of variables, models and insights to empower our customers’ decisions, planning and asset management strategies,” said Michael Barrow, Vice President at Agrograph.

Barrow said this partnership intends to play to the strengths of each company and benefit clients globally. “Planet’s SkySat and PlanetScope data provide a steady stream of medium to high-resolution data for updating imagery and monitoring risk and environmental change,” said Barrow. “Now, our more sensitive models that may otherwise be affected by events such as cloud cover are enhanced so that barriers to time-sensitive observation windows for crop monitoring and land management activity are removed.”

This now formalised partnership expands upon the successes already achieved by the organisations working together. Planet and Agrograph have been delivering imagery and data solutions in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia since 2021.

 “We welcome Agrograph into the Planet Partner program due to its diverse technological capabilities, industry expertise, and ability to bring value to every step of the agricultural supply chain,” said Jennifer Doogan, Planet Director, Partnerships Americas, “Through this partnership, Agrograph can enhance their solutions with Planet high-resolution imagery to deepen and broaden their geospatial-data products and services that report on crop production, finance and insurance risk, land use change, farm management and sustainability measurement.”

The partnership aims to benefit finance, insurance

AgroPolicy, Horticulture, India, Supply Chain, Trade

The announcement was made in a Joint Statement by the Australian Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of India in March 2023

Australian Hass avocados have received provisional access to the Indian market. New access was granted after Australia demonstrated that its high-quality avocados could meet India’s biosecurity and food import requirements.

10 trial shipments will be sent to India during the provisional access period. Full access will be granted if these shipments meet India’s import requirements.

New access was announced in a Joint Statement by the Australian Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of India in March 2023.

The Australian Government is working with the avocado industry to facilitate the ten-shipment trial.

India has a small but growing avocado import market. In 2021-22, India imported
A$4.8 million of avocados, up from A$2.4 million in 2020-21 and A$1.6 million in 2019-20.

Imported avocados are a high-end product in India. They are most likely to enter the hospitality and food service sectors.

India imports avocados from New Zealand at 41 per cent, the EU at 39 per cent and Peru at 17 per cent. All of these exporters are subject to India’s 30 per cent Most Favoured Nation (MFN) import tariff. Under AI-ECTA, tariffs on Australian avocados have been reduced and will gradually decline to 0.

The average import unit price of New Zealand avocados in India in 2021-22 was A$4.81/kg. This is lower than the average unit import price of Australian avocados in Hong Kong (A$5.57kg) and Malaysia (A$5.54/kg) but similar to Singapore (A$4.84/kg).

The announcement was made in a Joint Statement by

AgroPolicy, Australia, Middle East countries, Textile industry, Trade

Goyal was speaking on the sidelines of the news trade agreements in the textile sector between India, Australia and the UAE

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal said that new Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreements with Australia and the UAE would open infinite opportunities for the textile industry. He said that Indian textile exports to Australia and the UAE will now face zero duty and expressed confidence that soon Europe, Canada, the UK and GCC countries would also welcome Indian textile exports at zero duty.

Goyal was delivering the Keynote address at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the ‘Confederation of Indian Textile Industry- Cotton Development and Research Association’ (CITI- CDRA) in New Delhi today. The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu was the chief guest at the celebration.

The minister mentioned that trade agreements would help in increasing exports from labour-intensive industries. He added that India must also be open to receiving new technology, rare minerals, raw materials which are in short supply in India etc. from the world at reasonable costs. This will only increase our production, productivity and quality, which in turn will increase demand for our products all over the world, he said.

Goyal also said that the Indian textile industry has the potential to achieve $100 billion in exports by 2030.

He applauded CITI-CDRA for working towards developing a robust cotton ecosystem by directly engaging about 90,000 cotton farmers. The minister observed that more than just fibre, cotton has been an integral part of Indian culture, lifestyle and tradition.

Goyal called upon Indian cultivators to adopt new technologies and global best farm practices. He spoke of the AI technology that is enabling farmers in Australia to control spraying operations, as the cotton crop is sensitive to spraying through data-driven decision making.

Goyal was speaking on the sidelines of

Agrotech, Australia, Sustainability

The partnership brings together InterGrain’s well-adapted Australian wheat genetics with Inari’s predictive design and multiplex gene editing capabilities

Inari, the SEEDesign company, and InterGrain, a leading cereal breeding company in Australia, announced a strategic collaboration to dramatically improve the yield potential of wheat, enhancing the crop’s long-term viability in the face of an increasingly variable climate.

The partnership brings together InterGrain’s well-adapted Australian wheat genetics with Inari’s predictive design and multiplex gene editing capabilities, promising a future of unique and competitive products that represent a step-change in yield potential.

InterGrain prioritises the sustainability and competitive advantage of Australia’s agriculture sector. Says CEO, Tress Walmsley, “Inari’s team brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, and InterGrain values the collaboration capability to bring our shared vision for a more sustainable future for agriculture to life.”

Inari applies data science and software engineering to create nature-positive outcomes, addressing the complex systems within plants that impact factors such as productivity and resource use efficiency.

“This collaboration with InterGrain is a critical next step in Inari’s mission to transform the crops most responsible for global food security,” says Ponsi Trivisvavet, chief executive officer at Inari. “Our SEEDesign platform can transform any crop in any geography. Expanding not only into wheat but also into a new continent presents an exciting opportunity to broaden the reach and impact of our cutting-edge technology.”

Together, InterGrain and Inari are targeting a 10-15 per cent increase in wheat yield potential, in addition to more efficient use of inputs.

“This is an exciting opportunity for both Australian growers and InterGrain with the technology having the capacity to dramatically improve grower on-farm profitability through the delivery of significantly higher-yielding varieties across a range of grain growing environments,” adds Walmsley. 

The integration of this new breeding technology will meet Australian regulatory requirements.

The partnership brings together InterGrain's well-adapted Australian