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India, Opinions, Seeds

Ajai Rana, Chairman of the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and CEO & MD of Savannah Seeds, highlights the significance of the seed industry in addressing food and nutritional challenges.

As global food insecurity and malnutrition continue to pose significant challenges, the seed industry stands as a critical player in addressing these issues. According to the United Nations, over 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, leading to various forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity. At the same time, nearly one-third of the world’s food production is wasted, enough to feed an additional 2 billion people.

India, with its prominent role in global agriculture, ranks sixth in the world’s food market, accounting for 70 per cent of sales, and fifth in production, consumption, and export. With total food grains production standing at 332.98 million tonnes, the country is uniquely positioned to contribute to global food security. However, meeting this challenge requires more than just increasing food production, it calls for improving the quality of what we grow, and this is where the seed industry plays a vital role.

Ajai Rana, Chairman of the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and CEO & MD of Savannah Seeds, highlights the significance of the seed industry in addressing food and nutritional challenges. “Seeds are the foundation of agriculture. By using advanced seed technology, we can provide farmers with high-quality seeds that are not only resilient to climate challenges but also rich in nutrients,” says Rana. “This ensures that farmers can grow more food with better nutritional value, helping to meet the dietary needs of billions.”

The seed industry directly responsible for contributions to food security by enabling the cultivation of higher-yielding and more resilient crops. This results in greater food production to meet growing demand. Additionally, innovations in seed technology have allowed for the development of crops that are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, helping to combat malnutrition.

The seed industry’s impact extends beyond just boosting yields. It is also crucial for enhancing the nutritional value of food crops. “We are focusing on developing seeds for crops that are naturally rich in essential nutrients,” says Rana. “This includes biofortified varieties that offer higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and proteins, which are critical for tackling malnutrition. By improving the nutritional content of crops, we are directly contributing to better health outcomes.”

Farmers like Ganesh Nanote from Maharashtra have seen firsthand the benefits of improved seeds. “With better-quality seeds, we can grow crops that are not only higher in yield but also more nutritious,” says Nanote. “This has helped us not only in earning a better livelihood but also in ensuring that the food we produce is healthier for our families and communities.”

Ajai Rana also highlights the industry’s role in sustainability. “Sustainability is key to long-term food security. Our goal is to develop seeds that enable farmers to produce more food using fewer resources, such as water and fertilizers,” he says. “This ensures that agricultural practices remain environmentally sustainable while also providing nutritious food.”

As India continues to play a key role in the global food system, the seed industry’s contribution to ensuring both food and nutritional security is crucial. Through innovations in seed technology, the industry is supporting sustainable agricultural practices that will help feed the growing global population while also enhancing the quality of food. This makes the seed industry a central player in the mission to ensure access to nutritious food for all.

Ajai Rana, Chairman of the Federation of

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Start ups

The initiative targets to support sectors like seeds, fertilisers, warehousing, soil nutrients, harvest/post-harvest crop management, and food processing units

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a plan to enhance the state’s agricultural value by investing approximately Rs 3,800 crore in agricultural start-ups.

The initiative targets to support sectors like seeds, fertilisers, warehousing, soil nutrients, harvest/post-harvest crop management, and food processing units. The scheme covers agricultural and horticultural crops along with allied farm activities such as pisciculture, sericulture, and food processing.

The state intends to approve a minimum of five agricultural ventures and start-ups each month in all 75 districts. By streamlining the loan process, the government hopes to extend the benefits of the scheme to over 3,000 agricultural entrepreneurs and young farmers.

The funding for this endeavour will be sourced from the Centre’s Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme, which focuses on investing in medium- and long-term community agricultural assets at the local level. To be eligible for a credit line from designated commercial banks, the project must have a value exceeding Rs 1 crore.

The initiative targets to support sectors like

Agrotech, Company News, Europe, R&D, Seeds

A new greenhouse and office space are under construction for the soft fruit breeding program to use as an extension of Rijk Zwaan’s Dinteloord facility.

Rijk Zwaan announced the launch of a new breeding program for soft fruits according to a release. This program will include strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. The official start was noted by breaking ground on a new greenhouse at Rijk Zwaan’s facility in Dinteloord, the Netherlands.

“Soft fruit is traditionally propagated vegetatively rather than from seeds,” said breeding manager Pieter Egelmeers. “We are focusing on both in our breeding program. Building on our knowledge of research, breeding and seed production, we hope to bring new and innovative strawberry, blackberry and raspberry varieties to the market that will of course add value for growers and other chain partners.”

“We are still at the very beginning of our soft fruit breeding program, so it is too early to say when Rijk Zwaan’s first soft fruit varieties will be ready to market,” said Egelmeers, adding that it takes an average of six to 16 years to breed new varieties.

A new greenhouse and office space are under construction for the soft fruit breeding program to use as an extension of Rijk Zwaan’s Dinteloord facility. Construction work began onsite in April and is expected to be completed in 2024.

A new greenhouse and office space are

Company News, Seeds, Sustainability, World

NativeSeed Group is a provider of native seeds and erosion control products used in land reclamation and conservation

Heartwood Partners LLC announced the acquisition of NativeSeed Group from Victor Schaff, a pioneer of the native seed industry.

Headquartered in Carpinteria, CA, NativeSeed Group is a provider of native seeds and erosion control products used in land reclamation and conservation, as well as various construction, commercial, and consumer applications. The Company goes to market under various brands, including Granite Seed, S&S Seeds and Pacific Coast Seed, among others, each of which provides native seeds to a diverse group of landowners, energy companies, state & federal agencies, environmental engineers, and contractors, with a particularly strong presence throughout the Western U.S. Additional brands such as Kamprath Seed and Bruce Seed serve the agriculture market with cover crop seed blends to assist in pollination and soil health. The Company’s Nature’s Seed brand sells flower, turf, hunting, and grazing seed blends to homeowners, hobby farmers, and smaller rural landowners throughout the United States. Please visit the NativeSeed Group website for more information on the Company’s brands and their solutions.

NativeSeed Group utilises a vertically integrated sourcing and production platform comprised of farming, wildland collection, and procurement of native grass, wildflower, and shrub seeds. Farming of seed occurs on four strategically located farms across the Western U.S., including the Bruce Seed Farm in Montana, L&H Seed Farm in Washington, Hedgerow Farms in northern California, and S&S Seed Farm in southern California.

Rob Wendell, NativeSeed Group’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are extremely excited to partner with the Heartwood team given their experience investing in agriculture-related businesses and strong track record in growing niche businesses. We believe that Heartwood’s operational expertise and industry experience will be key in refining and executing our strategic growth plan.” “We are excited to partner with NativeSeed Group and its management team. The Company has developed a highly differentiated, vertically integrated platform to provide solutions for its customers to help establish native plant communities that are appropriate for their local geographies and climates. Native plant communities are hearty, more drought tolerant, promote diverse habitats, and help restore lands damaged by development or natural disasters,” said James Sidwa, Partner at Heartwood Partners.

NativeSeed Group is a provider of native

AgroPolicy, Floriculture, India, Oilseeds, People, Sustainability

If the state can grow poppies, people will get them at Rs 100 (per kg), instead of Rs 1,000.

Mamata Banerjee Chief Minister of West Bengal has urged the Centre government to allow poppy cultivation in the state. She insists that delicacies prepared with its seeds are integral to Bengali cuisine. Mamata was speaking on budget discussions relating to the food and supplies department.

According to Banerjee, poppy seeds are costly as it is cultivated only in a few states. Why should it be cultivated in only four states? Why not in West Bengal, despite it being on the Bengali menu every day? People are purchasing posto or poppy from other states at high prices. West Bengal should get permission for its cultivation. The state has been trying to get permission for the cultivation of the highly-regulated crop.

Banerjee said the state will cultivate it in agricultural farms. If the state can grow poppies, people will get them at Rs 100 (per kg), instead of Rs 1,000. The decisions have to take unanimously.

If the state can grow poppies, people

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India

NFSM-Nutri Cereals is being implemented in 212 districts of 14 states.

The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha shared that the Government has planned to increase millets production and annually fixes target for the millet production. The crop-wise, state-wise and season-wise target of Nutri-Cereals for the year 2022-23 is annexed. For increasing the production of Nutri-Cereals under National Food Security Mission (NFSM) programme, the NFSM-Nutri Cereals is being implemented in 212 districts of 14 states. Under NFSM, assistance is given through state governments to farmers for interventions like cluster demonstrations on improved package of practices, demonstrations on cropping system, distribution of seeds of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs)/hybrids, improved farm machineries/resource conservation machineries/tools, efficient water application tools, plant protection measures, nutrient management/soil ameliorants, processing & post-harvest equipments, cropping system based trainings to the farmers etc.

The mission also provides support to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) & State Agricultural Universities (SAUs)/Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) for technology back stopping and transfer of technology to the farmer under supervision of Subject Matter Specialists/Scientists. The research organisations are supported for undertaking research projects that can help enhancing production and productivity of food crops.

The State Governments can also promote cultivation of millets under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture & Allied Sector Rejuvenation (RKVY- RAFTAAR) with the approval of the State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) of the respective states.

NFSM-Nutri Cereals is being implemented in 212

Europe

The Seed Vault currently holds 1,165,041 seed varieties, with capacity for millions more

The Ambassador of Mexico to Norway, Ulises Canchola Gutiérrez, delivers a deposit from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. CIMMYT is the ninth depositor in the Seed Vault in 2022, with a contribution of 263 accessions of maize and 3,548 accession of wheat.

“Professionally, I am pleased to carry out this activity that contributes to the conservation of genetic resources and guarantees food security of two of the major crops that feed the world,” said Rocio Quiroz, assistant research associate at CIMMYT. “When we prepare a shipment as a team, it is extraordinary because we contribute to the perpetuity of each accession deposited in the vault. Very few people have the privilege of doing so.” In 2020, CIMMYT was the largest contributor, providing 173,779 maize and wheat accessions from 131 countries.

Owned by Norway and managed in partnership between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, NordGen and the Crop Trust, the Seed Vault currently holds 1,165,041 seed varieties, with capacity for millions more.

The Seed Vault currently holds 1,165,041 seed

India, Machinery - Pre-harvesting, Seeds

According to a new market research report titled, Seed Treatment Machine market, the seed treatment machinery market (coating and drying) is expected to reach $1.53 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 7.2 per cent from 2022 to 2029. In terms of volume, the seed treatment machinery market (coating and drying) is expected to reach 331,357 units by 2029, at a CAGR of 3.6 per cent from 2022 to 2029.

The seed treatment machinery (coating and drying) market is segmented based on type (drum coaters, rotary drum dryers, fluidized bed dryers, rotostat coaters, other seed treatment machinery), crop type (cereals & grains, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, pulses, and other crops), and geography. The study also evaluates industry competitors and analyses the market at the regional and country levels.

Based on type, in 2022, the drum coaters segment is expected to account for the largest share of the seed treatment machinery (coating and drying) market. Furthermore, in terms of volume, in 2022, the drum coaters segment is expected to account for the largest share of the seed treatment machinery market (coating and drying). The growth of this segment is attributed to the benefits provided by fluidized bed dryers, such as automated processing, low process time, and stipulated control on temperature based on the seed type, size, chemical formulation, and capacity.

According to a new market research report

North America, People

Boeck has been a key part of the Syngenta Seeds business that has completed a significant turnaround and return to profitability

Syngenta has recently announced the appointment of Eric Boeck as Regional Director, North America Seeds, responsible for leading the field crops strategy for the region.

Boeck most recently served as the Head of Marketing for Syngenta Seeds in North America. Joining the company in 2018, he brought more than 20 years of agribusiness experience to Syngenta from past roles in sales, marketing and digital agriculture at DuPont Pioneer/Corteva Agriscience. Boeck has been a key part of the Syngenta Seeds business that has completed a significant turnaround and return to profitability. Seed advisors and agriculture retailers played a key supporting role in driving the turnaround in the US, and Boeck’s team was instrumental in working closely with these groups over the past four years.

The move is part of a series of recently announced leadership transition plans, which include Jeff Rowe, President of Syngenta Seeds, assuming leadership of Syngenta Crop Protection, and Justin Wolfe, the current Regional Director for North America Seeds, becoming the global leader for the Seeds business. These transitions will be effective July 1, 2022.

“It’s not possible to execute the type of turnaround we saw in our Seeds business without focused, committed leadership across the board, and the continuity shown by these leadership moves is further evidence of that,” said Wolfe.

Boeck has been a key part of

AgroPolicy, Seeds, Sustainability

Discussions were held on the need for cooperation of the state governments and the Centre so that awareness is raised among farmers across the country

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar presided over a national webinar on ‘Seed Chain Development.’ Tomar said the state governments, in consultation with the Central Government, should prepare a roadmap for 10-15 years for the benefit of farmers. He said it should be ensured that the farmers get timely supply of good quality seeds. State governments should strictly curb black marketing and those selling fake seeds.

Tomar said, “Availability of good seeds for farming increases production and productivity, resulting in higher income for farmers and raising the share of agriculture in GDP besides benefitting our agriculture and the nation’s economy. Planning should be done for adequate supply of seeds of crops like pulses-oilseeds, cotton etc.”

Tomar said that the cooperation of the state governments is also necessary for seed traceability, so that awareness is raised among farmers across the country and they can take rightful decision regarding the seeds for their plantation as per the requirement.

Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje said it should be ensured that the varieties of seeds developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research reach the farmers at the grassroots level. Along with this, the states should work in a planned manner at the district level on all aspects related to the agriculture sector, so that the farmers do not face any problem.

Addressing the webinar, the Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja said that arrangements should be made to provide quality seeds to the farmers right down to the Panchayat level, while awareness should be raised among the farmers about testing of seed quality. 

Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Abhilaksh Likhi and other senior officers were present in the programme. Senior officials of the Agriculture Department of the states and the representatives of the seed corporations of the centre and the states joined the webinar virtually. The webinar was conducted by Ashwini Kumar, Joint Secretary (Seeds). He informed that the government is working for setting up seed testing laboratories at the panchayat level.

Discussions were held on the need for

Agrotech, Environment, Sustainability

BASF continues to innovate across its pipeline of seeds and traits, seed treatment, biological etc

BASF has announced its ten-year outlook on agricultural innovations that support food security for future generations while minimising the impact of farming on the climate and the environment. The company focuses on improving agricultural outcomes in major crops, like wheat, canola, soybean, corn, cotton, rice, as well as fruits and vegetables.

Within these major crops, BASF continues to innovate across its pipeline of seeds and traits, seed treatment, biological and chemical crop protection, as well as digital farming solutions and will launch major pipeline projects across all business areas over the next decade. The value of the innovation pipeline is strong, with an estimated peak sales potential of more than €7.5 billion. The importance of BASF’s products and solutions to society is growing, as the company systematically incorporates sustainability criteria into its agricultural research.

In 2021, it spent about €900 million on R&D in the Agricultural Solutions segment, representing around 11 per cent of the segment’s sales. In 2022, BASF will continue to invest in the research and development of agricultural innovations at a high level.

“Innovation in agriculture is essential to enable sustainable food production. We need to find the right balance for better yield – yield produced in ways that meet the demands of future generations, has minimal impact on the environment and helps farmers make a living,” said Dr Livio Tedeschi, President, BASF Agricultural Solutions.

BASF continues to innovate across its pipeline

Uncategorized

Istem was launched in the UK market in 2021 and has already been awarded a 3-star Superior Taste Award by the Brussels International Taste Institute

Syngenta Vegetable Seeds has been nominated for a prestigious Fruit Logistica Innovation Award for the second consecutive edition of the industry’s premier event, spotlighting the company’s leadership and innovation in high-demand segments, from tomato to water melon, sweet pepper to sweet corn. Syngenta’s unique Istem cauliflower is shortlisted – two years after YOOM tomato won the gold award.

Istem is high-yielding and appeals to consumers with its sweet, nutty curds individually held on top of tender, succulent stems. Eaten whole there is no food waste. It is quick to prepare, and can be eaten raw or cooked, from baking to barbecuing, steaming to stir-frying. It’s also a healthy choice – high in fiber and immune-boosting vitamin C.

Istem was launched in the UK market in 2021 and has already been awarded a 3-star Superior Taste Award by the Brussels International Taste Institute.

Lotfi Bani, Istem project manager in Europe commented, “We have the capability to use agile, science-based agronomic solutions to create sustainable crops, while anticipating consumer preferences and market trends. The Istem exemplifies this. It not only cuts food waste, it also offers consumers a great-tasting, healthy, convenient choice.” 

Istem has a bright future. Extensive trials are planned in 2022 across Europe, Africa, Middle East, North America and Australasia, preparing for it to launch in new markets very soon.

When growers were coming under pressure from the devastating new Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV), Syngenta fast-tracked its research to respond to this threat. Its teams’ speed and precision brought growers disease-resistant varieties such as Lansor and Barosor. Both varieties allow farmers to maximise marketable produce, even when ToBRFV is present. Syngenta has also bred spinach varieties to resist foliar disease Stemphylium.

Istem was launched in the UK market

Agro Universities, Seeds

The crop varieties have desirable traits like high-grain yield, resistance to diseases, good grain quality and a short harvest period

Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (JNKVV) Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh has developed eight new varieties of crops. The crops are varieties of two oats, J.O. 10-506 and J.O. 05-304 and two wheat varieties, M.P. 1358 and M.P. 1323, one rice variety, J.R.-10 and three niger varieties, J.N.S 521, J.N.S-2015-09, J.N.S-2016-1115. All the variants have been accepted by the Centre.

The vice-chancellor of the university, Dr Pradeep Kumar Bisen have confirmed that the seeds will be made available to other states very soon. Dr GK Koutu, Director of Research Services, JNKVV said that all the new varieties of seeds have been well tested for about three years in various agro-climatic conditions in specific crop growing areas of various states. The crop varieties have desirable traits like high-grain yield, resistance to diseases, good grain quality and short harvest period.

The crop varieties have desirable traits like