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Investment to help improve access to sustainable, tailor-made agri-solutions benefiting millions of Indian farmers

IFC and IFC Emerging Asia Fund (EAF) have made an investment of Rs 300 Cr (approx.US$37Mn) in Crystal Crop Protection Ltd., a leading agrochemical player in India. This will allow the company to boost farm productivity, reduce supply chain disruptions triggered by COVID-19, and set up a robust infrastructure for sustainable production of crop protection products. The IFC Emerging Asia Fund, launched in 2016, makes equity and equity-like investments across all sectors in emerging markets in Asia alongside IFC.


The new investment promises to benefit millions of Indian farmers by establishing a robust production framework for green crop solutions. The project will increase farmers’ access to customised, affordable, and environment-friendly crop protection products, and in doing so, enhance their productivity. While supporting farmers, the project will increase market competitiveness, playing a catalytic role in strengthening the agriculture sector in India.


While agriculture provides employment for nearly half of India’s labour force, it contributed only about 17 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 1Q-FY23. Farmer incomes are low and volatile due to poor access to quality inputs, credit, technical expertise, and markets. Addressing these challenges will help the sector increase profits and raise farmers’ incomes.

The financing package will support Crystal Growth plans, enabling it to focus on innovation and strengthening its research and development (R&D) capacity. Improved R&D ability will support the Indian agrochemical industry to align itself with environmentally friendly global market trends.

Commenting on the transaction, Ankur Aggarwal, Managing Director, of Crystal Crop Protection Limited, said, “This investment will further consolidate the company’s position in the Indian market and strengthen its commitment toward sustainable crop solutions to increase farm profitability of Indian farmers by leveraging R&D and technology. We remain committed to the highest standards of environmental, health and safety guidelines, and governance in all our operations.″

Commenting on IFC’s investment, Wendy Werner, India Country Head at IFC, said: ″IFC’s investment will help improve access to sustainable, tailor-made agri-solutions benefiting millions of farmers.″ ″Strengthening climate-smart agribusiness is at the heart of our development mission in the country. We are confident this investment will bolster supply chains, encourage future investors and promote resilience in the sector,″ she added.

The investment will also help the company improve its IT infrastructure and automation in its plants. Going forward, Crystal aims to grow double digits in crop protection chemicals and seeds by funding working capital requirements. The company recently launched a new business in agrochemical retail, Safire Crop Science, which will leverage technology to promote crop solutions and services, allowing farmers to access them more efficiently.


Investment to help improve access to sustainable,

North America, World

Van Duijn brings more than 30 years of experience in agriculture and international development

The International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) Board of Directors and staff announced the appointment of Henk van Duijn as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Van Duijn will assume his position and new responsibilities on January 1, 2023. IFDC is an independent Washington DC-based non-profit organisation that combines innovative research, market systems development, and strategic partnerships to spread sustainable agricultural solutions for improved soil health, food security, and livelihoods around the world.
Van Duijn brings more than 30 years of experience in agriculture and international development, with a focus on Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has led an impressive portfolio of programs that empower agribusinesses to access and benefit from profitable markets. Prior to his selection as IFDC President and CEO, van Duijn served as Vice President, Corporate Services, and Chief Operations and Finance Officer at IFDC. Before that, he headed the 2SCALE program (2019–2021) and served as CEO of Bopinc (2014–2019). As a diplomat and civil service director in the Netherlands, van Duijn led the design, start up, and implementation of large-scale interdisciplinary programs as well as national and international public-private partnerships in Europe, Africa, and Asia. He holds a master’s degree in Land and Water Management from Wageningen University & Research.
Outgoing IFDC President and CEO Albin Hubscher will retire after four years of deftly leading the organisation to a renewed commitment to soil health. He was instrumental in formulating IFDC’s plan to develop a global innovation centre that will design and scale next-generation soil health and plant nutrition innovations.
Dr Rudy Rabbinge, IFDC Board Chair and Professor Emeritus at Wageningen University & Research, announced van Duijn’s appointment during a staff reception hosted by the IFDC Board on October 26, 2022. Rabbinge encouraged staff to “use this as an opportunity to maintain our organisation’s momentum.” Upon accepting the appointment, van Duijn told IFDC leadership and staff, “IFDC is well-positioned to lead global innovations in soil health and food security. Now, it is time for us to move confidently in the direction set for us. I am honoured and privileged to walk with you all.”

Van Duijn brings more than 30 years

Agrotech, Logistics, Thailand

NIA encourages investment opportunities for the Thai food sector and counter global food security crisis through ‘Space – F Project‘

The National Innovation Agency (Public Organisation), Thailand or NIA is targeting the use of deep tech as the main engine to drive Bangkok towards becoming the FoodTech Silicon Valley – an innovative food hub of Southeast Asia and the world.

Dr Pun-Arj Chairatana, Executive Director of NIA said that the deep-tech business in food and agriculture continues to enjoy its equal growth as the e-commerce and fintech worldwide, the food companies in Thailand also relish robust supply chains. FoodTech startup incubation and acceleration is the key to secure global food security goals, as well as help drive Bangkok in becoming “FoodTech Silicon Valley” or “Food Innovation Hub of Southeast Asia and the World”. Dr Pun-Arj is confident that Thailand’s capital will contribute as an important meeting ground for startups and investors in advanced food technology from around the world. Bangkok will also serve significantly as a locally-sourced raw material development centre. 

Thailand has sufficient raw material to serve growing demands, the country also has a top-notch logistics service. These attributes make the Thai food industry exceptional and position Thailand as the kitchen of the world.

The utilisation of innovation and technology in the food industry is not diverse and still lacks research and development. The NIA, therefore, stepped in to encourage the use of innovation in this particular industry. Intending to feed the world through innovation, the ‘SPACE-F’ project was initiated in 2019 to incubate and accelerate the growth of FoodTech startups in Thailand. The project brings together FoodTech startups and corporates through innovative mentorship, business connections, and a co-working program. 

NIA encourages investment opportunities for the Thai

Agro Universities

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (CSKHPKV), Palampur, Himachal Pradesh in the presence of Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice Chancellor, PAU and Dr Harinder Kumar Chaudhary, Vice Chancellor, CSKHPKV.  

The main objective of this MoU is to promote and enhance scientific and academic interaction between both the universities and to strengthen ties among researchers, farmers and students of these universities.

Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, PAU, said that this association leads for joint evaluation and screening of crop varieties under different climatic conditions available in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. 

Synthesis of research proposals based upon emergent needs will also be a part of this MoU, he adds. In addition, joint experimentation to address common agricultural issues of the border districts of both the states, collaboration in research programmes of postgraduate students in different disciplines of agriculture and allied fields, and cooperation for sharing of scientific knowledge, library, laboratories and field facilities will be the focus areas, he informs.

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana recently

Agrotech

The consultation was attended by more than 140 participants from diverse stakeholders including different state governments, state agriculture universities, ICAR, agritech start-ups, agri industry

The Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Government of India in association with the World Economic Forum (WEF), India organised a one-day stakeholder consultation on Public Private Partnership in Digital Agriculture on July 11, 2022.

It was chaired by Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare. Ahuja referred to the Union Budget speech for 2022-23 which reads out a policy vision on “Delivery of digital and hi-tech services to farmers with involvement of public sector research and extension institutions along with private agri-tech player and stakeholders of agri value chain”.

Subsequently, Rajeev Chawla, Chief Knowledge Officer (A&FW) shared insights on the conceptual framework on Public Private Partnership for Digital Agriculture. He also shared pertinent points on data sharing, technology validation and need of a sandbox.

From state perspective, Ajit Kesari, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Madhya Pradesh also shared his views on digital agriculture and its potential stressing the need for a framework for bringing technology into agriculture.

The consultation was attended by more than 140 participants from diverse stakeholders including different state governments, state agriculture universities, ICAR, agritech start-ups, agri industry, banks, think tank, civil society, and farmer organisations.

The consultation was attended by more than

Agro Universities

The study was conducted by Prof Sathyanarayana N Gummadi, faculty of the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras and Rekha Rajesh, Research Scholar, IIT Madras

Indian Institute of Technology Madras researchers have identified a bacterium that can turn agricultural waste into industrial enzymes through a cost-effective and environment-friendly process.

Industrial enzymes such as alpha-amylase and cellulase are in high demand in various industries that deal with textiles, paper, detergents, and pharmaceuticals. The IIT Madras researchers studied how a bacteria called ‘Bacillus sp PM06’ can aid in producing industrial enzymes and value-added products from agricultural waste.

The study was conducted by Prof Sathyanarayana N Gummadi, faculty of the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras and Rekha Rajesh, Research Scholar, IIT Madras. The findings of the research have been published in the reputed peer-reviewed journal Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery.

Highlighting the key applications of the research, Prof Sathyanarayana N Gummadi, said, “The organism which we have isolated has a fermentation capacity to hydrolyse very low-cost lignocellulosic wastes without pre-treatment, thus reducing the cost of bioprocess for production of enzymes and industrial metabolites.”

Further, speaking on how this research compares with existing technology, Prof. Sathyanarayana N Gummadi, said, “The most challenging aspect of bioconversion is the development of a one-step process which includes pre-treatment, enzyme hydrolysis and microbial fermentation thus minimising environmental impact. Many researchers are focused on isolating single microorganism producing multiple enzymes to solve the issues. But, IIT Madras researchers are successful in isolating a novel strain from sugarcane pressmud.”

Thus, the researchers studied the bacteria, Bacillus sp PM06, which was isolated from sugarcane waste press mud. This bacterium helped in the production of industrial enzymes and value-added products from agricultural waste. The wheat barn was found to be the most effective substrate followed by sago waste and rice barn. 

The study was conducted by Prof Sathyanarayana

R&D

The demand and importance for precision agriculture is growing significantly in EU countries

ABACO Group, Europe’s leading player in software solutions for land resource management and control with a primary focus on precision agriculture and environmental sustainability, partnered with MarketsandMarkets, a revenue impact and advisory firm, to better understand and expand its geographic reach across Europe and Latin America. The demand and importance for precision agriculture is growing significantly in EU countries. MarketsandMarkets leveraged its Market Intelligence Cloud, KnowledgeStore, to help ABACO assess the adoption rate and market potential for their agricultural technologies in the target countries.

Key findings –

  • Europe holds 27 per cent of the global precision agriculture market i.e., $2.1 billion currently and is predicted to be valued at $4.2 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14 per cent.
  • The crop monitoring market in Europe is expected to hold 29 per cent of the total market share by 2026, reaching a value of $1.5 billion and estimated to grow at 16.4 per cent CAGR over the next five years.
  • The GIS market in Europe is currently valued at $2.6 billion and is projected to reach $4.7 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 12.6 per cent by 2026. MarketsandMarkets expert analysts helped ABACO with the competitive benchmarking

Antonio Samaritani, CEO, ABACO Group said, “It is very important for us to have a constantly updated view of what is happening globally in the industry. The technological landscape is evolving very quickly, and it is vital that we understand these changes before they take place so that we can accompany our customers on this evolutionary path and bring our expertise outside of Europe. The growth in the market for precision agriculture has opened new vistas for ABACO, because of which we could partner with MarketsandMarkets to fund a worldwide market study on adoption rate and market potential.”

The demand and importance for precision agriculture

Agrotech

The technology uses organic materials such as wastewater as input and offers a dual benefit of bioelectricity generation and waste management

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati  has recently developed a bio-electrochemical device, Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) that can generate green energy by treating wastewater.

The use of organic material such as wastewater in MFC makes it an eco-friendly device that offers a dual benefit of bioelectricity generation and waste management. This research was supported by a grant from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

The research was led by Prof Mihir Kumar Purkait along with his PhD student Mukesh Sharma, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati. They developed a bio-electrochemical device that converts chemical energy contained in organic substrates into electrical energy through microbes.

Commending the work of the research team. Prof T G Sitharam, Director IIT Guwahati, said, “This development has provided an excellent sustainable energy source along with treating several wastewaters. After scaling the process, it can be used as a source of clean energy using municipal wastewater and other such areas economically.”

Explaining the long-term impact of the research Prof Mihir Kumar Purkait, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said, “Further implementation of this process may provide an excellent alternative to several costlier renewable energy extraction processes. The conducted study reveals that the prepared CEMs are cheaper and perform better as compared to the several reported membranes, assisting in the separation of charges and potential development.”

The present research of IIT Guwahati is dedicated to synthesising several novel high-performance Cation Exchange Membranes (CEMs) comprising a polymeric blend of several high-end polymers doped with Cellulose Acetate (CA) and other modifiers like Graphene Oxide (GO) to obtain membranes with high Ion Exchange Capacity (IEC) and proton conductivity.

The technology uses organic materials such as

Agro Universities, AgroPolicy, People, R&D

The award was given at the 10th National Seminar on “Agriculture and More: Beyond 4.O

Dr Opinder Singh Sandhu, Assistant Professor (Soil Science), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jalandhar, Punjab Agricultural University, has bagged the ‘Young Scientist Award’ during the 10th National Seminar on “Agriculture and More: Beyond 4.O.” The event was organised by the Society for Community Mobilization for Sustainable Development (MOBILIZATION), New Delhi and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar in collaboration with Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Jammu.

Dr Sandhu published his research work in reputed high impact factor journals along with many extension publications that earned him the said recognition of the society.

The award was given at the 10th

Finance

The demand for pre-processing equipment holds the largest market share, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 7.0 per cent in the coming years

According to the market research report published by P&S Intelligence, the global fruit and vegetable processing equipment market accounted for $5.6 billion revenue in 2021, which is set to reach $10.2 billion by 2030, advancing at a 6.9 per cent CAGR between 2021 and 2030. The growing population and changing food choices, as people’s purchasing behaviour shifts toward higher-value commodities, are the major factors driving the market.

The demand for pre-processing equipment holds the largest market share, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 7.0 per cent in the coming years. This is because fruits and vegetables gathered from farms contain dirt, germs, external nutrients, and biocides, making them unfit for direct eating.

Key findings:

  • In the fruit and vegetable processing equipment market, the packaging and handling equipment category is expected to grow at a significant rate. This will be due to the rising need for packaging and handling equipment to extend the products’ shelf life and mandates by government for proper product labelling.
  • Due to the high nutritional content, manufacturers of plant-based meals are focused on legumes, fruits and vegetables, and pulses to improve the flavour and texture of meals, which offers lucrative opportunities to industry players.
  • The APAC fruit and vegetable processing equipment market is advancing at a significant rate due to the surging population, growing FDI, changing food preferences, and increasing disposable income.
  • The US has a massive market for the equipment in North America, since it ranks third in the globe for ready-to-eat and packaged food consumption. Furthermore, the safety precautions implemented by authorities such as the FDA have resulted in a stronger public trust in processed food.

The demand for pre-processing equipment holds the

Agrotech

The permanent injunction restrains Udragon from manufacturing, using and selling any product which contains a specific patented intermediate chemical used to make chlorantraniliprole

FMC Corporation, a leading global agricultural sciences company, announced the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang Province, China, granted FMC a permanent injunction against Hangzhou Udragon Chemical and Zhejiang Udragon Bioscience. The Court found Udragon infringed on FMC’s patent for a key intermediate chemical used in the manufacturing of chlorantraniliprole by conducting field trials, attending trade fairs and distributing samples of products manufactured using FMC’s patented intermediate.

The permanent injunction restrains Udragon from manufacturing, using and selling any product which contains a specific patented intermediate chemical used to make chlorantraniliprole, FMC’s leading insect control active ingredient.

Michael Reilly, FMC executive vice president, general counsel and secretary said, “The principles decided by the Court are also significant for future infringement actions where defendants attempt to rely on the so-called ‘Bolar exemption,’ a legal exemption in the pharmaceutical industry, to avoid infringement of valid intellectual property in the agrochemical segment.” 

FMC has invested heavily in the research, development and commercialisation of chlorantraniliprole, a proprietary, breakthrough technology designed to control a wide variety of destructive insects that can destroy a farmer’s crops and dramatically lower food production.

The company maintains an extensive patent estate for its proprietary chlorantraniliprole technology, including patents that cover active ingredient composition of matter, manufacturing processes, intermediate chemicals, formulations and other areas protected by intellectual property laws in the US, China, India, and other important agricultural markets throughout the world.

The permanent injunction restrains Udragon from manufacturing,

Bee keeping, R&D

The results showed blueberries pollinated by Beeflow were substantially bigger – more than a 50 per cent increase in average berry size by gram

Washington State University (WSU) Department of Horticulture, Beeflow has announced the first-round results of research involving Beeflow pollination services for blueberry crops. The study, led by Dr Lisa Wasko DeVetter, PhD, Associate Professor, Small Fruits, was conducted across two farms in northern Washington in 2021, using the Duke variety of blueberries, and showed larger berries on the plants pollinated by Beeflow bees.

The results showed blueberries pollinated by Beeflow were substantially bigger – more than a 50 per cent increase in average berry size by gram – than berries pollinated through conventional pollination approaches. Additionally, the research team observed greater foraging by Beeflow bees on sub-optimal weather days, when the air temperatures were colder, than non-Beeflow bees, which increased the flight hours of the Beeflow pollination.

“Our goal is to innovate in order to optimise pollination in a way that has not been done before,” said Matias Viel, Beeflow Founder & CEO. “We know how important our work is to increasing biodiversity and helping to build an agriculture system that is more harmonious with nature, so these positive results are monumental to achieving this goal.”

Studies of this nature require researchers to conduct their work over three cycles in order to validate and confirm the results. The next round of field trials, which have been funded by the WA Blueberry Commission, will be conducted by Dr DeVetter and her team during 2022 focusing on the Liberty variety of blueberry, a notoriously more difficult variety to pollinate.

The results showed blueberries pollinated by Beeflow

AgroPolicy, Live Stock

This herbal based formulation kills all stages of ticks in cattle and goat and safe to be used all stages of livestock

ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, and Natural Agro Products Private Limited, Port Blair has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for licensing of Dweep tickure- a herbal based formulation for control of ticks in livestock, on March 11, 2022.

Dr E B Chakurkar, Director, ICAR-CIARI and Vijay Vishwasrao Patil, C/o Natural Agro Products Private Limited, Port Blair, South Andaman inked the MoU for their respective Institutes.

A team comprising Dr Jai Sunder, Dr T Sujatha, Dr D Bhattacharya, Dr E B Chakurkar and Dr A K De have developed oil based herbal topical formulation as acaricides for control of tick infestation in livestock. This herbal based formulation kills all stages of ticks in cattle and goat and safe to be used all stages of livestock including pregnant and lactating animals.

This herbal based formulation kills all stages

Agro Universities, Interaction

The need for developing the climate-smart and high-quality fodder varieties was highlighted by the Chief Guest, Dr DK Yadava, ICAR

The ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh has recently virtually organised the “Forage Scientists & Seed Producers’ Interface Meeting of Kharif Fodder Crops”.

The Chief Guest, Dr DK Yadava, ADG (Seeds), ICAR emphasised that the sensitisation and showcasing of the varieties will help in increasing the breeder seed indent of the new varieties. The need for developing the climate-smart and high-quality fodder varieties was highlighted by Dr Yadava.

Dr Amaresh Chandra, Director, ICAR-IGFRI, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh stressed on apprising the stakeholders about the new varieties and their potential/specialities to suit the various niches.

About 75 participants from ICAR-IGFRI, Jhansi; State Agricultural Universities, NGOs, Private Companies, Regional Fodder Stations, DADF and NDDB, etc., attended the meeting.

The need for developing the climate-smart and high-quality