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Crop-specific SOPs issue for use of pesticides with farming drones

The book titled ‘Machinery for Millets Production, Processing & Value Addition’ released

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare released Crop Specific ‘Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Application of Pesticides with Drones’ in the public domain for the guidance of farmers and other stakeholders. Tomar also released a booklet titled ‘Machinery for Millets Production, Processing and Value Addition’. On this occasion, Tomar said that agriculture is our priority, so whether it is research or initiating schemes, the first priority of the government is to promote agriculture and improve the financial condition of the farmers. There are many challenges in the Agriculture sector. To retain the farmers, attract the new generation and increase the remuneration of the farmers by reducing the cost of production. For this, technical support in the agriculture sector is very important, the government is making continuous efforts in this direction.

Under the Agricultural Mechanization Sub-Mission, ICAR institutes, KVKs, SAUs, other State/Central Government Agricultural Institutes and Government of India PSUs engaged in agricultural activities are provided financial assistance at the rate of 100 per cent of the drone cost (up to Rs. 10 lacks per drone) besides Contingent Expenses for the purpose of demonstration of drones in the farmers’ fields. FPOs are given grant-in-aid at the rate of 75 per cent for the purchase of drones for a demonstration on farmers’ fields. For the purpose of providing agricultural services through the use of drones, financial assistance is given at the rate of 40 per cent of the original cost of the drone by CHCs to Farmers Cooperative Society, FPOs and Rural Entrepreneurs for the purchase of drones, subject to a maximum of Rs.4 lakh. Agricultural Graduates setting up CHCs are provided financial assistance up to Rs. 5 lacks at the rate of 50 per cent of the cost of drones. Individual small and marginal farmers, SC-ST farmers, women farmers and farmers of North-Eastern states will also get 50 per cent of the cost of the drone subject to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh while other farmers are eligible for assistance at 40 per cent of the cost of the drone, subject to a maximum of Rs. 4 lakhs.

Crop-specific SOPs issue for use of pesticides

Innoterra received the cluster development program grant at the National Conference India Cold Chain Conclave in New Delhi, India

The Swiss-Indian agri-tech platform company, Innoterra, announced that it has won the prestigious grant award of $6.3 million from the National Horticulture Board (NHB), Government of India.

The grant award letter was presented to Dr Anup Karwa, Director of Input Marketplace. The selection process was steered by national agencies. It involved several rigorous review rounds with senior authorities from NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) and took 7 months to complete. The grant is given to Innoterra for a 4-year tenure project to strengthen the banana cultivation supply chains in the Anantapur cluster in Andhra Pradesh, India (AP). During the occasion, Innoterra received high praise for its track record in perishables in India.

Speaking about the award, Dr Anup Karwa said, “We are honoured to receive this prestigious grant from the Government of India. This win is a testimony to Innoterra’s strong and growing market position in the agri-space in India. The grant mandates us to strengthen various facets of our supply chain from pre-production and post-harvest to logistics & marketing that will benefit many smallholder farmers in the coming years.”

The Company’s nutrition business comprising perishables, non-perishables, dairy and cattle feed is a foundation and springboard for the platform business. Launched in April 2022, Innoterra’s platform connects the agricultural value chain with two powerful digital orchestration marketplaces. The input marketplace provides farmers with access to farm inputs and the output marketplace connects smallholder farmer households with retailers for offtake. Recently, Innoterra crossed the milestone of onboarding 327,300+ farmer households and 12,500+ retailers on its platform.

Innoterra received the cluster development program grant

The declaration highlights the need to strengthen digital Infrastructure including digital e-learning content and deployment of emerging immersive technologies across Agricultural Higher Education Institutions

There is a need to strengthen digital Infrastructure including digital e-learning content and deployment of emerging immersive technologies across Agricultural Higher Education Institutions in India. Institutionalising a system-wide Digital Capacity Building Program across stakeholders to improve systemic digital competence, knowledge and skills is also a necessity.

The Delhi Declaration on Modernisation of Agricultural Education System in alignment with the National Education Policy issued jointly by The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the World Bank highlights the need to incorporate digital resources and tools for effective and accessible teaching and learning in Agriculture. It lays emphasis towards creating a renewed and resilient system for gender-inclusive and sustainable education that will pave the way for India’s agriculture education sector. Multidisciplinary technology-facilitated education should be promoted and the policies on Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Mathematics (STEAM) in agricultural higher education need to be transformed.

The Delhi Declaration was unveiled on the concluding day of the successful three-day International Conference on Blended Learning Ecosystem for Higher Education in Agriculture 2023 hosted jointly by the ICAR and the World Bank. The Conference was held as part of the National Agricultural Higher Education Project’s (NAHEP) Resilient Agricultural Education System (RAES) development initiative.

Undertaken to strengthen the National Agricultural Education System in the country, NAHEP is a five-year project initiated in 2018 with an equal contribution of $82.5 million (about Rs. 600 crores) each from the World Bank and the central government. The World Bank loan is to be repaid over 19 years after a grace period of five years, the purpose of NAHEP is to transform agricultural higher education. The Blended Learning Platform is part of the project.

Speaking at the valedictory session, Dr R B Singh, Former President of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and Chairman, of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) said, “By promoting sustainable development goals through the dissemination of knowledge and skills, we empower the next generation of agricultural leaders to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Let us continue to collaborate across borders and disciplines, to ensure that agriculture remains a force for positive change in the world.”

According to Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Former Secretary Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, “Education is the backbone of a thriving agricultural sector. Blended learning offers a powerful tool to bridge the gap between traditional classroom teaching and the demands of a rapidly changing world. I urge all stakeholders to embrace it and integrate it into our education systems. It is important for us to embrace new methods and technologies to strengthen the agriculture education system and develop a skilled workforce that can contribute to the growth of the agriculture sector.” 

“India’s agricultural sector pays a massive significance on the country’s economy. Every year, more than 5000 Indian students receive PhDs, which is more than the rest of the globe. I believe NAHEP is the perfect example of how opportunities can be provided for vocational education as it has given the platform to another initiative called the Resilient Agricultural Education System (RAES). We will continue working with the ICAR and the Government of India to disseminate new technologies so that all states of the country can benefit equally from them,” said Dr Auguste Tano Kouame, Country Director, of the World Bank.

The declaration highlights the need to strengthen

The conference will be held from 30th October to 01st November 2023 at NASC Complex, New Delhi.  

The Society for Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology is going to organise the ‘International Conference on Biochemical and Biotechnological Approaches for Crop Improvement’. The conference will be held from 30th October to 01st November 2023 at NASC Complex, New Delhi.  

The Society for Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology organising the conference in collaboration with ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi and ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (NIPB), New Delhi. The conference envisages bringing together international experts and emerging scientists with an interest in the exciting field of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology for crop improvement. 15 July is the last date for registration for the conference.

The conference will be held from 30th

The aim of this conference is to facilitate the development of a global ecosystem of partners from academia, industry, government, and multilateral and bilateral organisations

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and the World Bank have come together to announce the first International Conference on ‘Blended Learning Ecosystem for Higher Education in Agriculture’ in India under the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP). The three-day event to be held from March 21-23 in New Delhi will be hosted by ICAR – IASRI (Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute), which is a multi-partner global forum to support collaboration for the development of a state-of-the-art blended education system for higher agricultural education.
 

The aim of this conference is to facilitate the development of a global ecosystem of partners from academia, industry, government, and multilateral and bilateral organisations who would provide critical insights towards the design and full-scale implementation of all aspects of the Resilient Agricultural Education System (RAES) under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP), that is, learning management system, content repository, and system-wide capacity building. Apart from the engaging discussions the three-day event will also showcase an exhibition on the diverse range of services and offerings in the field of agriculture and blended learning.
 

The conference and exhibition will be inaugurated by Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Various other ministries will also be participating along with other global leading institutions like AICTE, IIT and IRRI among others. Eminent speakers addressing the conference include Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE) and Director General (DG), ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Dr R.C. Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India and Dr Auguste Tano Kouame, Country Director, The World Bank among others.
 

Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE) and Director General (DG), ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, said, “According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the agriculture sector in India contributes 17-18 per cent of the Gross Value (GVA) added of the economy and employs more than 40 per cent of the workforce. Farmers are adopting new technologies to improve and monitor crop health and production. The true adoption of blended learning has immense potential and can unlock the agriculture economy to new heights.’’

The aim of this conference is to

The Department has deputed a two-member central team to assist the State in the control and containment operations.

Avian Influenza (H5N1) was detected by the ICAR-National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease, Bhopal from the samples received from the Government Poultry Farm at Bokaro, Jharkhand. The Department issued a notification.  The last occurrence of Avian Influenza was reported in the Godda district of Jharkhand in January 2019. 

The State is advised to carry out the control and containment operations as per the Action Plan for Prevention, Control and Containment of Avian Influenza (2021). The Department has deputed a two-member central team to assist the State in the control and containment operations. Also, the Ministry of Health has deputed its central team for an overview of the surveillance in the human sector. Animal Husbandry Commissioner took a virtual meeting with the concerned officials of the State Animal Husbandry Department of Jharkhand to sensitise all before initiation of control and containment measures as per the Action Plan.

Compensation is paid to the farmers whose poultry birds, eggs and poultry feed are culled or disposed of by the State as per the action plan.

The state is advised to maintain sufficient stock of PPE kits and other accessories required for culling operations. The State is requested to coordinate with the departments of Health and Forest and sensitise them about Avian Influenza. The state is also requested to submit a daily report to this Department on the control measures taken by them.

The Department has deputed a two-member central

B N Tripathi, Deputy Director General (Animal Sciences), ICAR, and the National Coordinator, Vice-chaired the Session and also act as Rapporteur.

In the recently concluded 12th Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group (ITWG) on Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR) at Rome, India was elected as Vice-chair and represented Asia & Pacific region. B N Tripathi, Deputy Director General (Animal Sciences), ICAR, and the National Coordinator, Vice-chaired the Session and also act as Rapporteur.

The Working Group was established by the FAO’s Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA), functions to review technical issues; advise and make recommendations to the Commission and further implement the Commission’s programme related to AnGR at the global level. 

In the 12th Session of ITWG, implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, monitoring of AnGR diversity and preparing the 3rd Country Report were reviewed.  Further agenda points on the role of microorganisms relevant to ruminant digestion, the role of genetic resources in mitigating and adapting to climate change; access and benefit-sharing for AnGR; digital sequence information and potential implications for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources were discussed.

Earlier to the ITWG Session, the Global National Coordinators’ Workshop was held at FAO Head Quarter. In the Workshop, B N Tripathi shared the country’s experience in updating data in Domestic Animal Diversity – Information System (DAD-IS) and presented a framework for cataloguing native populations including breed registration, notification system etc. National priorities for germplasm cryopreservation and documenting non-descript AnGR to fulfil SDG indicators were appreciated by the members.

B N Tripathi, Deputy Director General (Animal

Using this technology, superior males and females can be produced which shall be useful in improving the genetic progress of the breed.

Continuing with their success in the field of cloning, scientists of the ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, have achieved another milestone today by producing a male buffalo calf (Veer Gaurav) through Ovum Pick Up and In-Vitro Embryo Production (OPU-IVEP) Technology from the semen of cloned bull (Hisar Gaurav) and elite female buffalo. Using this technology, superior males and females can be produced which shall be useful in improving the genetic progress of the breed.

“OPU-IVEP has opened avenues for production and dissemination of superior male and female buffalo germplasm”, said TK Datta, Director, ICAR-CIRB.

Sajjan Singh, Head Animal Physiology and Reproduction Division, ICAR-CIRB said sexed semen technology can be combined to this technology to produce superior female offspring.

The team members comprising Jerome, RK Sharma, PS Yadav, D Kumar, Meeti, Rajesh and Rupali were instrumental for this achievement. The proficiency of NDDB experts Gorani and Layek in this attempt is appreciable. Earlier, ICAR-CIRB had produced the clone (Hisar Gaurav) of progeny tested bull (PT4354).

Using this technology, superior males and females

Camel milk will now be available across the country

An MoU was signed between ICAR-National Research Centre on Camel, Bikaner and Pearl Lacto to transfer the innovative Camel Milk Powder Technology (CMP) technology. With the transfer of innovative technology of CMP, camel milk will now be available across the country.

Artabandhu Sahoo, Director, ICAR-NRCC and Mr Aman Dhill, Founder, Pearl Lacto Company signed the MoU on behalf of the respective organisations.

Sahoo exhorted that by using innovative techniques the functional properties present camel milk remains intact to a greater extent. He said ‘Camel Milk’, can be called ‘MEDICINAL-STOREHOUSE’ or SUPER-FOOD due to its therapeutic and nutraceutical properties. Sahoo stressed that the transfer of this non-thermal powder-making technology to Pearl Lacto Company, will expand access to needy consumers across the country. He also urged that camel rearers should fully adopt camel milk entrepreneurship and move forward in this direction so that the camel milk market can be converted into an organised food supply chain.

RK Sawal, Principal Scientist said that the processing methods of cow and buffalo milk cannot be directly used for processing camel milk as camel milk has different characteristics, therefore scientists of the centre are being made efforts to process camel milk by innovative methods and to make various quality products.

During this occasion, Aman Dhill said that the company is at present mainly engaged in the business of cow’s milk, the intention of the company is to bring ‘Camel Milk’ in the market so that the needy and common people can get its benefit. The company will make available the powder and its manufactured products through its parlours located in different cities across the country and through online channels, he added.

Camel milk will now be available across

Technology to contribute significantly towards increasing farmers’ income by reducing the economic/ yield loss caused due to weeds and will also broaden the compatible herbicide spectrum in rice

‘HT trait donor rice genotype technology’, developed by the scientists of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi was transferred to Nuziveedu Seed Ltd., facilitated by Agrinnovate India Ltd. (AgIn).

AK Singh, Director, ICAR-IARI briefed about the development of non-GM herbicide tolerant rice genotype possessing tolerance to Imazethapyr 10 percent SL (100g a.i.), using an Ethyl Methane Sulphonate induced herbicide tolerant ra ice mutant.

The technology will contribute significantly towards increasing farmers’ income by reducing the economic/ yield loss caused due to weeds and will also broaden the compatible herbicide spectrum in rice.

Praveen Malik, CEO, Agrinnovate India Ltd., Viswanathan Chinnusamy, JD(R), ICAR-IARI, and representatives of commercial firms, other officials from ICAR and AgIn were present during the occasion.

Technology to contribute significantly towards increasing farmers’

ICAR has initiated a network project on All India Coordinated Research Project on Biotech crops which has both research and third-party evaluation components for the targeted traits

Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR issued a detailed statement on various issues of GM mustard, saying that the recent approval for environmental release of Genetically Modified (GM) mustard DMH 11 and its parental lines by GEAC, has attracted the attention of press and public at large.

There are many myths that are being propagated in relation to DMH 11 approval by the opponents of GM. All the National agencies and public research systems with expertise in the areas of agriculture, health including modern and ayurvedic science, environment & ecology are officially and formally involved in the risk assessment of the product for its being safe to humans, animals and environment.

This Statement is therefore being issued in public interest to clarify that any opinion or article published on the subject by anyone not authorized or former employees of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) different from the stated documentations and decisions made by the regulatory authorities functioning under the EPA (1986) are not endorsed by the Council and are subjectable to any administrative procedures required in public interest.

GM technology is a disruptive technology capable of bringing any targeted change with in the crop variety to overcome a problem that is difficult or impossible to achieve that are also safe to humans, animals and environment. Thus, the GM technology has imminent potential for the much-needed revolution in Indian agriculture. It is important to look at the current scenario particularly in relation to domestic production, requirement and import of edible oils in the country.

Atamnirbharata in edible oil- The need of the hour:

India’s import of edible oils is on continuous rise to meet the domestic demand. During 2021-22, we spent Rs.1,56,800 crore on import of 14.1 million tonnes of edible oils consisting of mainly palm, soybean, sunflower and canola oils, which is equivalent to two-thirds of India’s total edible oil consumption of 21 mt. Therefore, self-sufficiency in edible oil is essentially required to reduce the forex drain on agri-import.

Shortfall in domestic production and challenges:

Productivity of oilseed crops viz., soybean, rapeseed mustard, groundnut, sesame, sunflower, safflower, niger and linseed in India is much lower than the global productivity of these crops. During 2020-21, India had total area of 28.8 million hectares (ha) under oilseed crops with total production of 35.9 million tonnes and productivity of 1254kg/ha, which is way lower than the global average. Edible oil recovery of8 mt from 35.9 mt of total oilseeds hardly meets even 35-40 per cent of the total edible oil requirement pegged at 21 mt per annum (mtpa). The situation will worsen in the future as the demand for cooking oil has been increasing year-on-year, with projected demand at 29.05 mt by 2029-30.

Rapeseed-mustard is an important oilseed crop in India grown on 9.17 million ha with total production of 11.75 million tons (2021-22). However, this crop suffers from low productivity (1281 Kg/ha) compared to global average (2000 kg/ha) Disruptive technological breakthrough is needed for enhancing productivity of oilseed crops in general and Indian mustard in particular in the country.

Bright future Ahead:

ICAR institutions and universities are deeply engaged in development of GM crops for different traits such as biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, yield and quality improvement in 13 crops viz., Cotton, Papaya, Brinjal, Banana, Chickpea, Pigeonpea, Potato, Sorghum, Brassica, Rice, Flax, Wheat and Sugarcane involving 11 Institutions through its “Network Project on Functional Genomics and Genome Modification” since 2006.

Further, to take the leads obtained from earlier project forward, ICAR has initiated a network project on All India Coordinated Research Project on Biotech crops which has both research and third-party evaluation components for the targeted traits as well as biosafety studies of six crops during 2021-26 plan period with a total budget outlay of Rs. 24.75 crores. Therefore, it is high time and purely in public interest for the welfare if farmers and consumers of India that the positivity created in minds of both experienced and young budding scientists about the research in the area of transgenic development by this landmark decision of the Govt, to approve GM mustard is taken to logical conclusion.

ICAR has initiated a network project on

The quarterly periodical consists of education-centric articles, agri- university profiles, Experiential Learning Programmes (ELP) of Agricultural Universities and student success stories

To give further impetus to the popularisation of agricultural education, the Division of Agricultural Education, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has undertaken a new initiative by publishing a magazine ‘AGRI RISE—Agricultural Education Digest’. The quarterly periodical consists of education-centric articles, Agricultural University profiles, Experiential Learning Programmes (ELP) of Agricultural Universities, student success stories, and information on events organised and forthcoming events related to agricultural education.

The first issue was released by Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR) in the presence of Sanjay Garg, Additional Secretary (DARE) & Secretary (ICAR); Alka Nangia Arora, Additional Secretary (DARE) & Financial Advisor (ICAR); R C Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education) and other senior officials of ICAR at ICAR-IARI grounds today.

Each issue of the magazine would have a broad theme. The inaugural issue focused on ‘New Education Policy 2020’ with regard to Agricultural Education. It contains articles starting from the history of agricultural education to making the agriculture education system in India future ready. Profile of the first Agricultural University in the country, viz. Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology (GBPUA&T), Pantnagar, and the first Deemed University, viz., Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is presented. Besides the education-centric articles, the details of the ELPs along with some success stories of student entrepreneurs are also included. It is believed that the magazine will be very useful, informative, and beneficial for students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders.

The journal is published by ICAR-Directorate of Agricultural Management (DKMA), ICAR and articles can be sent to the editor by email. 

The quarterly periodical consists of education-centric articles,

This is the 2nd commercialisation of OmeB, a phyto – supplement for redesigning cattle milk fat

The ICAR-National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Bengaluru licensed the ‘OmeB’ technology to M/s Unique Organic Inputs, Bardoli, Gujarat, on a non-exclusive basis through AgrInnovate India.

Raghavendra Bhatta, Director, ICAR-NIANP, Bengaluru, and Devendra Malik and Sujeet Nirwal, Directors, M/s Unique Organic Inputs, signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on behalf of their respective organisations.

Jagmohan Sharma, IFS & Director General, Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute, Govt. of Karnataka, and Suresh S. Honnappagol, Former Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Govt. of India, were also present during the signing of MoU.

Devendra Malik stated that the adoption of OmeB through Unique Organic Inputs in the field would be helpful to the dairy farmers by fetching more income via milk fat modulation.

The technology OmeB was developed by the NIANP through comprehensive research and validated for milk fat modulation through field studies in dairy animals. OmeB leads to a significant increase in the mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The product also improves the conjugated linoleic acids and omega fatty acids content of the milk.

The institute filed a patent (No. 202211040737) for the technology and previously commercialised it to M/s Gou Agritech (P) Limited, Bengaluru.

This is the 2nd commercialisation of OmeB,

Stresses on creating a visible impact and forging close collaboration with state counterparts for disseminating farm-worthy technologies to farming community

Jatindra Nath Swain, IAS, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, MoFAHD, Government of India visited ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar and inaugurated the CIFA-GI Scampi hatchery cum nursery complex. He also visited the farm facilities and other infrastructure at the Campus. In his address to scientists and officers of the institute, he stressed creating a visible impact and forging close collaboration with state counterparts for disseminating farm-worthy technologies to the farming community. 

Swain exhorted that the Centre, state, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders need to work cohesively towards sustainable development of aquaculture.

P K Sahoo, Director, ICAR-CIFA & National Professor briefed the progress of various dimensions of Freshwater Aquaculture research being conducted at the Institute.

Stresses on creating a visible impact and