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HomePosts Tagged "horticulture"
Agrotech, Company News, Investments

The company aims to expand and diversify its B2B brand, Fasal Fresh, procuring sustainably grown, fully traceable, and high-quality produce from its extensive network of growers covering 75,000+ acres of Farmland enabled by Fasal’s IoT-crop intelligence technology

TDK Corporation announced that TDK Ventures, Inc. has invested in India’s full-stack agriculture pioneer Fasal, in an INR 100cr round co-led by British International Investments to foster its innovative full-stack horticulture optimisation solution and bring it to market. Fasal’s solution has already been proven to improve crop yield and reduce operational costs at an affordable price to the individual farmer. This financing round provides further ammunition to Fasal in its mission to transform the Indian agriculture industry with its full-stack platform anchored on top of its patented IoT-crop intelligence technology and expand further to Southeast Asia markets.

Since the commercialisation of its technology, Fasal has worked with horticulture farmers spanning more than 75,000+ acres growing crops like grapes, pomegranates, bananas, apples, chilli, cardamom, etc. by enabling them to grow more and grow better with its patented IoT-crop intelligence technology. Fasal’s farmers have reduced irrigation water consumption by 82.8 billion litres, pesticide reduction by 127,426 kgs, curbed GHG emissions by 54,965 MT, and increased their yields and quality by up to 30 per cent with the help of technology. Fasal has gone deeper into the value chain by building technology to predict the exact harvesting time, yield, and tentative quality and is utilising this intelligence to bring this sustainably grown, traceable, and high-quality produce to the consumers via its B2B brand ‘Fasal Fresh’.

The company highlights that its technology platform has a traceable supply of over half a billion USD worth of produce, connecting seamlessly with demand across various consumption markets in the supply chain, ensuring 10x more efficient procurement thereby reducing wastages significantly. This technology platform empowers the company to synchronise supply with the most appropriate demand directly at the farm gate before the harvest itself.

The company aims to expand and diversify

AgroPolicy, Finance, Horticulture, India

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Horticulture Board and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $98 million loan to improve horticulture crop farmers’ access to certified disease-free planting materials, which will boost their crops’ yield, quality, and resilience to climate impacts. 

This project supports India’s agricultural transformation. ADB’s financing will support the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program (CPP), which was announced in February 2023 to establish clean plant centres and a certification scheme that will ensure farmers can purchase disease-free planting materials from private nurseries. 

“Horticulture is considered a primary engine for enhancing Indian farmers’ income due to its high value and nutritional importance. Ensuring the health of plants is vital to improving the productivity of farmers, especially since India has become among the top global producers of horticulture crops,” said Sunae Kim ADB Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist. “Plant health management will also help farmers adapt to climate change, as rising temperatures not only cause extreme weather events but also affect pest and disease behaviour.” 

The project will establish at least six clean plant centres dedicated to maintaining disease-free foundation materials. These centres will feature laboratories equipped with cutting-edge diagnostic testing methods and will be staffed with experts who are trained in clean plant operating procedures and diagnostic testing protocols. The project will also develop regulatory frameworks for the CPP, in partnership with private nurseries and researchers. It will roll out a clean plant certification scheme, accrediting private nurseries, and testing and certifying their planting materials. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Horticulture Board and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.    

The project will be implemented by the

Company News, Sustainability, World

The project aims to empower young people aged 16 to 35 by improving skills, expanding market access and offering inclusive financing in key sectors including poultry, horticulture, oilseed, dairy and beef value chains

Heifer International and the Mastercard Foundation will extend their collaboration in a new partnership to expand access to agribusiness opportunities for over 250,000 young people in Uganda.

The Stimulating Agriculture for Youth Employment (SAYE) project, led by Heifer International and local partners, will run from 2023 to 2029 in the Busoga sub-region of Eastern Uganda. The project aims to empower young people aged 16 to 35 by improving skills, expanding market access and offering inclusive financing in key sectors including poultry, horticulture, oilseed, dairy and beef value chains. Young women will make up 70 per cent of participants, while three per cent will be young persons with disabilities.   

“Our goal is to transform the market ecosystem in Busoga in a way that drives inclusion and economic resilience for the many young people who currently have trouble securing dignified and fulfilling work,” said Surita Sandosham, Heifer International President and CEO.  

The $48 million SAYE project will build on the work of Heifer International’s East Africa Youth Inclusion Program (EAYIP), which was also in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, and created 33,000 new jobs for more than 25,000 young people between 2016 and 2022. EAYIP leveraged an agri-hub model to boost young people’s access to technical, business and financial products and services. 

Under SAYE, Heifer will lead the formation and strengthening of youth- and farmer-led agri-hubs, while local partners will focus on business incubation, skills training, promoting micro, small and medium enterprises, and improving access to financial services. 

The SAYE project will roll out in 11 districts of the Busoga sub-region: Jinja, Mayuge, Iganga, Kamuli, Kaliro, Namutumba, Bugweri, Luka, Buyende, Bugiri, Namayengo. The high rates of poverty in these districts partly stem from an overreliance on low-value crops like sugar cane and limited opportunities for income generation. SAYE is targeting sectors with low entry barriers for young people and high market potential, aiming to boost local income opportunities.  

The project aims to empower young people

Horticulture, India, R&D

The Association of People with Disability, Bosch and the Department of Women and Child Development, Govt of Karnataka have jointly collaborated on the project

An Inclusive Sustainable Horticulture Centre was inaugurated for the residents of the Correctional Institutions Complex, Bengaluru. A facility that houses individuals with diverse abandonment, forced labour, and similar unfortunate circumstances, the Correctional Institutions Complex has seven homes in total and over 400 residents.

The horticulture project is the result of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between The Association of People with Disability (APD), the Department of Women and Child Development, the Government of Karnataka and Bosch Global Software Technologies in March this year. Situated inside the Government Institutions Complex, Dept. of Women and Child Development, near KIDWAI Hospital, the centre aims to provide a holistic multidimensional program through the project that includes setting up of an inclusive and sustainable horticulture centre which would assist in providing skill training, therapy, environmental education and wet waste management services to all residents.

As a strategic partner and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) donor for the co-creation of the Inclusive Sustainable Horticulture Centre, Bosch provided inputs for the expansion of the project scope to include eco-therapy services for People with Intellectual Disabilities, an environmental education program for children and an in-campus wet-waste management

The Association of People with Disability will execute the initiative, providing essential professional skills, personnel, technical resources and expertise on the ground.

The Association of People with Disability, Bosch

AgroPolicy, India, Supply Chain

The resounding success of their recent endeavour, the India Cold Chain Conclave organised in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment

In a remarkable display of collaborative effort, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare spearheaded by the National Centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD), continues its dedicated mission to sensitise cold chain stakeholders across the nation. The resounding success of their recent endeavour, the India Cold Chain Conclave organised in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment.

Attended by a distinguished assembly of around 400 delegates, including luminaries such as Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta and Advisor to Governor Shri Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, the conclave served as a platform for constructive dialogue and knowledge exchange. This grand assembly organized on 20th September, was further graced by the esteemed presence of J.S (Horticulture), Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Priya Ranjan Verma; COO, NCCD, Asheesh Fotedar; Director Horticulture Kashmir, Ghulam Rasool; Chairman PHDCCI-Kashmir, Vice Chancellor SKUAST-K, Ganai and several other concerned officials.

The Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta lauded the approach of bringing this important conclave to Srinagar and pressed for increasing the capacity of CA stores in the valley to benefit the growers. Advisor to Governor Sh. Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar pointed out the importance of the event and extended full support to farmers, growers and CA enterprises.

The Joint Secretary (Horticulture), Priya Ranjan spoke about the importance of sustainable cold chain and how NCCD is propelling the development of the Cold chain sector with a focus on energy, technology, and climate which in turn will bring more investment opportunities to the UT of J&K.

The resounding success of their recent endeavour,

Agrotech, Company News, Horticulture, India, R&D, Start ups

Kan Biosys-DE SANGOSSE will expand its reach in the horticulture, field, and row crop segments across India through a systematic approach of collaborating.

Pune based Kan Biosys, an established player in microbial technologies in India, announced a strategic alliance with DE SANGOSSE to build a robust microbial and bio-solutions ecosystem in India. France-based DE SANGOSSE is an international player in crop protection, plant nutrition and pest control.

Kan Biosys-DE SANGOSSE, the new entity, aims to expand its product and technology offerings to Indian farmers; the primary focus of the new company will be on delivering high-quality biological products and positioning them effectively to ensure profitability for farmers by improving the quality and quantity of crop yield. This objective will be accomplished by enhancing soil carbon, improving fertilizer use efficiency, promoting residue-free crop production through integrated pest management, and optimizing crop yields using anti-stress measures to mitigate the negative impact of biotic and abiotic stresses on crops. Kan Biosys-DE SANGOSSE will expand its reach in the horticulture, field, and row crop segments across India through a systematic approach of collaborating with farmers, agronomists, and channel partners.

Speaking on the strategic alliance, Sandeepa Kanitkar, Chairperson and Managing Director, Kan Biosys, said, “We are thrilled to be part of a time when microbial products are gaining momentum, and we are proud to be associated with DE SANGOSSE, which shares our vision and strengths. We believe every seed requires microbial dressing, every pest requires biocontrol, and all soils need carbon and microbes to maintain fertility. Hence, the opportunities in this field are immense, and our partnership can significantly support the bio-market. Microbials have a vital role in seed dressing, soil fertility, nutrient management, as well as pest and disease control. We are optimistic that in years to come, we will undoubtedly demonstrate that microbial is a powerful force to be reckoned with.”

 Nicolas Fillon, CEO DE SANGOSSE, said, “With over 160 million arable hectares, India represents a significant market for our group. Both companies will work together to leverage their research capabilities to develop new products that support global agricultural trends and Indian farmers. Our aim is to provide innovative and sustainable solutions in agriculture that will benefit our customers in the Indian market by developing synergies between DE SANGOSSE and Kan Biosys. We are excited to collaborate with an experienced and dedicated team to expand Kan Biosys’ business. We believe the high-quality portfolio of Kan Biosys’ microbial products and its strong presence in India will enhance our global projects.”

Kan Biosys-DE SANGOSSE will expand its reach

AgroPolicy, Horticulture, India

By Mallika Verma, Director, Government Affairs, Federation of Seed Industry of India

The Horticulture Cluster Development Programme is going to have a big positive impact on Indian agriculture as it would address the long-pending issues of small-land holdings. The government of India’s latest move would help the large fruit-vegetable farming community and other people dependent on agricultural activities for their livelihood. This programme would increase on-farm productivity and production, and, more importantly, enhance the sale of the marketable volumes of agricultural commodities in the specific geographical regions. All this assumes a great significance in the wake of over 86 percent of farmers being small-land holders.

The government of India has been taking a slew of measures to remove the obstacles that marred the growth of the farm sector for years. The cluster development programme will give impetus to the efforts to improve the farm sector, especially, one that seeks to enhance agricultural income. And it sets to become successful as the government has given serious thought to it. It has taken care of proper monitoring of activities under this programme. And the key point of this programme is developing last-mile connectivity, which will ensure horticulture produce is picked up and transported in time. The use of multi-modal transport will optimise the entire process and boost the chances of exports.

This programme will not be restricted to novel experiments. Rather it would touch upon farmers in hilly, remote areas, where access to resources is limited and market forces are not strong enough. Horticulture crops are often regarded as cash crops and have the potential to enhance farm income substantially in a short period of time. What all needed is awareness, dissemination of correct information to farmers, access to good seeds and other crop inputs, and development of required infrastructure. The government of India appears to have taken care of most of the things. However, small-land holdings turned out to be a big hurdle. 

Now the horticulture cluster development programme will bring small farmers together and allow cultivation on a large scale. This will allow higher production of fruit and vegetable crops that are better and uniform in quality. This will certainly attract new buyers, who are ready to pay the higher price. The eNAM can help sell horticulture produce from such horticulture clusters to over 1,200 markets spread across the country. The use of technical solutions including geo-tagging of farm-related infrastructure will help track farm operations and other related activities, allowing the researchers and government officials to carry out effective monitoring under the cluster development programme on a real-time basis.

The setting up of post-harvest and cold-chain infrastructure, use of high-tech tools for monitoring and evaluation, and multimodal transport to ensure last-mile connectivity, will ensure timely harvest and crop collection and its transportation to the destination markets while it is still fresh, allowing farmers to get the best remuneration. At the same time, it will boost the possibility of exports and demand, as well as maintain the potential value of horticulture produce for food processing.

India is the second largest producer of horticulture in the world, with 12 percent share in global production. However, India’s share in the global horticulture export is less than 2 percent. There is a scope for India to increase exports as the diverse climatic conditions facilitate production of a variety of horticulture crops. There are successful examples of horticulture clusters in India. In Uttar Pradesh, such clusters are formed for mango while Tamil Nadu has clusters for bananas, mango and chilli.

The cluster development programme can also use the wisdom generated by the Agriculture Export Zone scheme of central Government implemented through APEDA and help farmers in saving money as well as resolve conflicts. They can have a good irrigation system built by pooling funds. The conflicts over water resource sharing or land boundary or grazing can be resolved as they come together and consider all land parcels in the cluster as one farm. Economies of scale for production and quality improvement can be easily implemented. The government machinery too can work effectively and ensure the best possible help with its entire focus on one entity rather than several small farms. There is a scope for innovations in the field. Overall, the cluster development project has tremendous potential to transform Indian horticulture and the lives of farmers.

By Mallika Verma, Director, Government Affairs, Federation

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Horticulture, India

Great potential to transform the entire horticulture ecosystem by creating last-mile connectivity with the use of multimodal transport

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has prepared the Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP), for which a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Narendra Singh Tomar, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister for its proper implementation. Tomar told the concerned officials that the main objective of the government is to promote the Agriculture sector in the country and to increase the income of the farmers by giving them a reasonable price for their produce, so the interest of the farmers should be paramount in the centre of any programme/scheme.

Tomar said that the overall development of horticulture in the country would be focused with the help of the implementation of the Cluster Development Programme and it would be emphasised that the farmers should be benefited from this programme. He said that the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Manipur, Mizoram, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand etc. should also be included in the list of 55 clusters, identified with their focus/main crops. Tomar said that the land available with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) affiliated institutions within the identified clusters should be utilised for the implementation of this programme. He also emphasised on crop diversification and linking this ambitious programme with the market for produce sale and capacity building.

The meeting was informed that the Cluster Development Programme has a great potential to transform the entire horticulture ecosystem by creating last-mile connectivity with the use of multimodal transport for efficient and timely evacuation and transportation of horticulture produce. The CDP will also create cluster-specific brands, while helping the economy, to integrate them into national and global value chains, thereby providing higher remuneration to farmers. The CDP will benefit around 10 lakh farmers and related stakeholders along the value chain. The CDP aims to improve exports of targeted crops by about 20 per cent and create cluster-specific brands to enhance the competitiveness of cluster crops. A lot of investment will also come in the horticulture sector through CDP.

During the meeting, Tomar released Cluster-wise 12 brochures containing details of opportunities to avail financial assistance through relevant government schemes/programmes. The brochures also provide brief information about focus crop, potential value addition and export destinations.

Great potential to transform the entire horticulture

Horticulture, India, Supply Chain

Indian spices exports crossed $4 billion in last 2 years, covering more than 180 countries

World Spice Organisation (WSO), a non-profit technical partner for the All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF), concludes the 2-day National Spices Conference 2022 in Mumbai. The conference witnessed the presence of over 300 delegates, including 100 farmers, along with other key government and industry stakeholders.

This was a one-of-its-first kind conference organised by the World Spice Organisation in collaboration with GIZ and IDH-the Sustainable Trade Initiative.

D Sathiyan, Secretary of the Spices Board, spoke, “Indian spices exports crossed $4 billion in the last 2 years, covering more than 180 countries. The spice exports contribute around 10 percent of the agri exports and about 40 percent of the horticulture sector exports. India’s exports form only 15 percent of total spice production and balance is consumed in the domestic market. “

“According to international trade projections, demand for spices is poised to grow at a CAGR of 6.5 percent in the next decade, indicating the huge opportunity for exports” he further adds. 

Ramkumar Menon, Chairman of the World Spice Organisation, spoke, “It was overwhelming to witness such an amazing turnout at our first National Spice Conference. The topics discussed were relevant and will help regulate the spice trade for both Indian and international markets. As the theme for the conference was “Food Safety,” we at the World Spice Organisation would like to emphasise how Indian Farmers and other stakeholders in the supply chain should work towards ensuring food safety. 

The conference was attended by FSSAI, Spice Board and National Research Organisation like IISR and senior executives from leading spice-related firms. 

Indian spices exports crossed $4 billion in

AgroPolicy, Horticulture, Sustainability

The Rs 227-crore programme will benefit over nine lakh farming families

MK Stalin, Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu launched the Kalaignarin All Village Integrated Agriculture Development Programme. The programme is to be implemented for Rs 227 crore and will benefit over nine lakh farming families in 1,997 village panchayats across the state.

The programme will be implemented in all 12,525 village panchayats across Tamil Nadu in five years. It will be implemented by the Agriculture Department in close coordination with the Rural Development Department.

According to an official release, under this scheme, coconut saplings, home farming saplings, horticultural saplings, sprays needed for farming and kit for the vegetable garden will be distributed and a 100 per cent subsidy would be provided to Adi Dravida farmers for sinking wells in drylands, employ drip irrigation, to dig farm ponds, among others.

The Rs 227-crore programme will benefit over

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Horticulture

Future plans for collaborative work with development departments were presented and discussed

The ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH), Srinagar and Jammu & Kashmir Advisory Board for Development of Kisans, Jammu & Kashmir jointly organised the ‘Farmers, Kisan Board Members, Development Department Officials and Scientists / Experts Interface Meeting’.

The Chief Guest, Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary) Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare Department, Government of Jammu & Kashmir asserted on the government’s commitment with a single focus objective to enhance the farmers’ income manifold through the better technological interventions in farming. He urged the participating farmers, scientists and officers of agriculture and allied Sectors, in particular, horticulture to work beyond the production and productivity to focus mainly on the value-addition, branding, marketing and packaging, etc.

During the meeting vision and progress of ICAR-CITH, Srinagar and future plans for collaborative work with development departments and SKUAST-K, Srinagar were presented and discussed.

Prof (Dr) Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice-Chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences & Technology, Kashmir underlined the SKUAST-K’s role in rejuvenating the orchards and the research fields to increase the production with high density plantations.

Dr Om Chand Sharma, Director, ICAR-CITH, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir highlighted the institute’s role for carrying out the basic, strategic and applied research on the major temperate horticultural crops.

Ghulam Rasool Mir, Director (Horticulture), Government of Kashmir and Abdul Hamid Wani, Secretary, Jammu & Kashmir Advisory Board for Development of Kisans complemented the Institute for organising the programme.

The senior officials of ICAR-CITH, Srinagar and State Government Departments deliberated during the occasion.

More than 300 Officers, Kisan Board Members and Farmers participated in the programme.

 

Future plans for collaborative work with development

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

Agrotech, Horticulture, Interaction, IT, Opinions

Praman.AI, the world’s largest Horticulture Exchange launched in August 2021, has introduced the first-of-its-kind revolutionary exchange platform that is dedicated to horticulture and agri commodity trading, with over Rs 5000 crore in annualised trade value. Saurabh S, President, Praman.AI reveals more about the exchange and how it can empower farmers

Tell us about the exchange platform that is dedicated to horticulture and agri commodity trading?

The agriculture market for spices, nuts, fruits and vegetables is a massive $1.4 trillion in value and Praman with its AI-enabled Quality underwriting and trade settlement has disrupted the way fresh produce is traded within a short span of six months.

Praman, the world’s largest horticulture exchange, was launched in August 2021, facilitates spot-trading, e-auctioning, and reverse-auctioning in horticulture commodities of fruits, vegetables and spices including onion, cardamom, apples etc.

Praman’s technology intervention converts farmyards into digital market yards with end-to-end traceability, quality assurance and trade discovery. Today, we are pioneering the concept of the spot-quality assessment across cash crops and have become the benchmark for hundreds of farmers, farmer producer organisations, modern trade corporations, and general trade buyers across the country and the globe. 

Sellers and buyers get access to the national price discovery grid, digital trade discovery, quality underwriting and guaranteed trade settlements. We also provide a full-stack service bouquet of logistics, warehousing, and credit financing of these trades which then becomes an end-to-end post-harvest solution. 

Praman has proved to be a trusted partner with a flourishing community of 34000+ growers, 5000+ buyers, and 700+ partnerships including major corporate houses and nodal governmental organisations like NAFED, AP Markfed, the Spices Board of India, J&K Horticulture Board among others.

How does Praman.AI want to bring in a revolution in the horticulture sector?

Praman’s Exchange platform makes horticulture trade easy, simple, and trustworthy. It has been built on three pillars:

Trade Discovery: A digital platform that enables fair price discovery and strong market linkage by driving geographic expansion and market outreach.

Quality Assurance: Our proprietary Intello Labs’ technology enables digital and spot quality assessments on trade accepted parameters that are instant and accurate at every stage of the supply chain.

Trade Settlements:  We have integrated a full-stack array of services including logistics, warehousing, payments and credit facilitation for its users to seamlessly execute trade contracts.

We at Praman recognise the imminent need to empower all our farmers, traders, and consumers with digitalisation and sustainability across the globe. 

In the wide-scale adoption of digital trade in fresh produce, Praman has the potential to disrupt how horticulture and agri-commodities are traded the world over thus revolutionising a trillion-dollar produce trade economy.

It is also our firm belief that with Praman and our technology, the world will save over $250 billion annually in wasted horticulture produce, thus, creating a sustainable planet through reduced agri-wastage. 

How many companies are listed at your exchange? Are you associated with BSE, NSE etc?

We are not associated with NSE or BSE. Praman’s exchange platform focuses on fair price discovery of agri-produce for quality produce through real-time auctions and spot trades.

Over 8000+ Traders and Trading / Procurement Companies are members of Praman and over 40,000+ farmers through various Farmer Producer Organizations are members of the exchange.

How will farmers be benefitted from your exchange platform?

The lack of sufficient and relevant advancements within technology has for long made the farmers suffer the consequences of information asymmetry. Lack of technology to determine the communicable quality assessment of the product, to provide real-time and broader market linkages have led to post-harvest loss through deterioration of quality or a colossal supply-demand mismatch; all of which affect the price realization for the farmer. 

Since the launch of Praman, we have seen high ground-level impact creation within a short span of six months. Bringing in the digitalisation of the horticulture trade, the exchange has successfully standardised quality, enhanced price discoverability, established market linkages, and eliminated information asymmetry, ensuring that the entire value chain becomes transparent and traceable. 

Praman has played a significant role in impacting 40,000 Farmers across the Cardamom, Onion and Apple commodities, capturing over 80 per cent of the market. By bringing this technology to the smallest of the farmers, Praman has delivered 12 per cent higher incomes and empowering them with the ability to ascertain the quality of their products as well as get access to broader markets at the click of a button. 

Affordable automation using computer vision for activities like sorting, grading, and packing also provided an all-encompassing user experience for growers, farmer co-operatives, wholesalers, retailers and processors alike. Rich availability of data and usable data trends arrived at through this digitisation were instrumental for growers and buyers to manage their crops, inventory, and market connectivity better.

What kind of technology is in use at your exchange for the ease of trading?

Praman is powered by Intello Labs’ patented Quality Assaying technology. It is the world’s most advanced digital quality assaying solution. Our core IP visually assays the quality of fruits, vegetables and spices using AI, computer vision and machine learning for grading and sorting based on size, colour, defects, etc at every stage of the value chain. 

We have the largest proprietary data on horticulture with 300 Million images and 97 per cent accuracy in AI models for image-based quality assaying. This is one of the highest levels of accuracy that anyone can find across the industry.

It mitigates the need to manually assess commodities and removes the scope of subjectivity, ensuring fair price possibility and extensive market discovery. It delivers objective, on-the-spot, and real-time reports for all our users bringing transparency and standardisation to the quality assessment of horticulture and agri commodities. The technology also goes a long way in reducing value risk and wastage in agriculture supply chains. 

What will be your plans for the Indian agri centre?

Praman has planned an expansion of its current diverse commodity range with over 10+ more commodities in spices and fruits. Black pepper, cumin, nuts, citrus fruits etc. will be introduced on the exchange. We are also in the process of evaluating and initiating a range of customisable credit facilities for our users, re-organising warehousing and logistics with a focus on FPOs. This would go a long way in helping support the horticulture trade, improve the supply chain management and expand the market.

We are building end-to-end traceability of the agri-produce using blockchain technology and introducing smart contracts to ensure the enforceability of trade contracts. 

Where is your exchange located and do you plan to open any branches across the country?

Praman is headquartered in Gurgaon, Delhi. Since it is a digital exchange, we do not require any branch offices and have a pan India presence.

Any plans to venture into the global markets?

The Praman Exchange is a highly cost efficient and scalable product, which is already being scaled globally via extending it’s services to a vast network of importers and exporters.

Sanjiv Das

sanjiv.das@mmactiv.com

Praman.AI, the world’s largest Horticulture Exchange launched

Agro Universities, People

The Fellowship will be bestowed on Dr Singh at the Awards Ceremony of the Plenary Session of 119th Annual Conference of ASHS

Professor Zora Singh, an alumnus of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has been elected as Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) during the 59th Annual Class of Fellows. He was selected in recognition of his outstanding contributions to science, profession and industry of horticulture at state, national, and international levels. The Fellowship will be bestowed on Dr Singh at the Awards Ceremony of the Plenary Session of 119th Annual Conference of ASHS, slated to be held at Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago on July 31, 2022.

Dr Singh who did his B.Sc. Agri. (Honours), M.Sc. and Ph.D. from PAU started his career as an Assistant Professor at PAU in 1988. A Foundation Professor of Horticultural Science at the School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Dr Singh has earned global recognition for expertise in production technology and post-harvest physiology of fresh horticultural produce, undergraduate teaching, and research training to domestic and global students. He has been instrumental in developing innovative production and post-harvest technologies; minimising losses during production and supply chain; ensuring improved productivity, delivery of high-quality horticultural produce to consumers and profitability to Australian horticulture growers.

Dr Singh has served as Foundation Professor Post-harvest Horticulture (2009–2018), Foundation Associate Professor (2001–2008) and Inaugural Curtin Research Fellow (1997–2001) at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. Besides, he has been a Visiting Professor (1995–1996), University of Bologna, Italy; a Postdoctoral Research Fellow (1992–1995), Murdoch University, Western Australia; and a Commonwealth Postdoctoral Fellow (1986–1987), Institute of Horticultural Research, East Malling, UK.

In addition, Dr Singh has guided more than five dozen Ph.D., M.Sc., M.Phil. and Honours students and international scientists. He has authored/co-authored more than 300 research publications, and served on the Editorial Boards of 13 International Research Journals, and Editorial Committees of more than 15 International Conferences.

A recipient of several awards and honours, Dr Singh has been decorated with Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation, Mitsubishi Corporation Western Australian Innovator of the Year Award, Curtin Commercial Innovation Climate‐Kic Prize, Outstanding Researcher in Post-harvest Horticulture Award by International Society for Horticultural Science, UP Hedrick Award by American Pomological Society, Pran Vohra Award of Indian Science Congress Association, UNESCO/ROSTSCA Young Scientist Award, Indian National Science Academy Young Scientist and Professor LSS Kumar Memorial Awards, Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Jawaharlal Nehru Award for Outstanding Ph.D. research, and International Society for Horticultural Science Medal.

Dr Shammi Kapoor, Registrar; Dr AS Dhatt, Director of Research; Dr Ashok Kumar, Director of Extension Education; Dr Sandeep Bains, Dean, Postgraduate Studies; Dr MIS Gill, Dean, College of Horticulture and Forestry; and Dr TS Riar, Additional Director Communication, congratulated Dr Zora Singh for this prestigious accomplishment.

The Fellowship will be bestowed on Dr