CATEGORIES

Govt cuts basic import duty on edible oil by 5%

In a move to make edible oil more affordable for consumers, the central government has announced a reduction in the basic import duty on edible oils.

Centre sets stock limits on wheat for wholesalers and retailers

The government of India has taken measures to ensure food security and combat hoarding and speculative practices by imposing stock limits on wheat for traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors across all states and Union Territories.

Northeast India's 13 farm produces receive GI tag

The Queen pineapple of Tripura and 12 other fruits and vegetables from the Northeast region have been granted Geographical Indication (GI) tags.

Union Cabinet approves world's largest grain storage plan

The Union Cabinet has granted approval for the establishment and empowerment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to facilitate the implementation of the world’s largest grain storage plan in the cooperative sector.

Wheat procurement crosses 260 LMT mark in Rabi Season 2023-24

Wheat procurement for the ongoing Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2023-24 has been progressing successfully.

SLCM launches Agri Reach listing platform, revolutionising agri-ecosystem

SLCM, a leading global post-harvest agri-logistics company, has introduced a new listing platform on its Agri Reach Application.

Ayekart and UBFC partner to transform India's food and agri value chain

Ayekart, India’s pioneering integrated tech platform in the food and agri value chain and UBFC (Unnayan Bharat Finance Corporation) have announced a strategic partnership to unlock growth opportunities in India’s food and agriculture sector.

Samunnati collaborates with Maha FPO Federation for onion procurement in Maharashtra

Samunnati, one of India’s largest agri enterprises, and Maha FPO Federation have come together to facilitate farmgate procurement of onions in Maharashtra.

Mahindra launches doorstep service for Rice Transplanters & Combine Track Harvesters

Mahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES), a division of the Mahindra Group, has introduced a convenient door-to-door service for its range of Rice Transplanters and Combine Track Harvesters in Karnataka.

FMC launches herbicide and drone spray services for soybean crops in MP

FMC, a leading agricultural sciences company, has introduced its drone spray services and launched the Galaxy NXT herbicide specifically for soybean crops in Madhya Pradesh, a key agricultural region in central India, where soybean is grown widely.

Coromandel Intl sets up advanced nano DAP facility in Andhra Pradesh

Coromandel International Limited, a leading Indian agri solutions company, has announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art facility for producing 'Nano DAP', an advanced nanotechnology-based fertiliser.

Bayer Crop Science and Cargill to provide digital solutions to Indian farmers

Bayer CropScience, a global leader in agriculture, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cargill, a global food corporation, to collaborate on delivering digital solutions to farmers in India.

Crystal Crop Protection, Batalle and MASI launch revolutionary Sikosa paddy herbicide

Crystal Crop Protection Limited, in collaboration with global leaders Batelle and MASI, has introduced Sikosa, an advanced herbicide developed through cutting-edge R&D powered by Banyan Technology.

Neogen unveils DNA test for enhanced Beef-on-Dairy cattle management

Neogen Corporation has introduced Igenity BeefXDairy, an innovative genomic test designed for beef-on-dairy calves.

Syngenta and FMC to commercialise grass weed control tech in Asian rice farming

Switzerland-based Syngenta Crop Protection and FMC Corporation have announced a partnership to bring a revolutionary technology for controlling grass weeds in rice to the Asian market.

Amul unveils Advanced Organic Testing Lab in Gandhinagar

The Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF), the largest food products organisation in India, which markets products under the brand name Amul, has established a cutting-edge Advanced Organic Testing Laboratory at Amul Fed Dairy in Gandhinagar.

Nano-Yield, Shriram Farm Solutions inks liquid nano tech distribution deal

Nano-Yield has entered into an unprecedented agreement with Shriram Farm Solutions (A Unit of DCM Shriram Ltd) to license the distribution of its liquid nano technology internationally.

ICAR-DCFR gets patent for year-round Golden Mahseer breeding system

The ICAR- Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (DCFR) in Bhimtal has been granted a patent for their invention titled, 'System for Year-Round Repeated Breeding and Higher Robust Fry Production of Golden Mahseer.'

ICAR-NRCP's "A-Z of Pig Farming" Wins MANAGE's 'Best Book Award'

The book titled \"A-Z of Pig Farming\" authored by scientists from ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig, has been honoured with the \"First Prize' in the 'Best Book in Agricultural Extension' category by the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad.

FMC India, GB Pant University jointly conduct bee keeping workshop in Uttarakhand

FMC India, a global agricultural sciences company, joined hands with GB Pant University of Agriculture & Technology (GBPUAT) to organise a one-day workshop on World Bee Day.

ICRISAT, GSDA partner to revolutionise agri water conservation in Maharashtra

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA), in collaboration with the Water Supply and Sanitation Department of the Government of Maharashtra, have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to spearhead an initiative for groundwater augmentation across seven districts of Maharashtra.

ISC, ICAR-CCRI launch the website of Asian Citrus Congress-2023

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, inaugurated the website of the Asian Citrus Congress-2023 (ACC-2023) in Nagpur.

ICAR and Amazon Kisan join forces to empower farmers

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), based in New Delhi has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Amazon Kisan to collaborate and leverage their respective expertise to guide farmers in scientific crop cultivation for optimal yield and income.

How competitive gas sourcing through Exchanges can boost India's fertiliser industry

Gas Exchanges provide an alternate avenue for buyers from the fertiliser sector and sellers to meet their natural gas demand and facilitate transparent price discovery. This inherent quality of Gas Exchanges has led to consistently lower price discovery as gas accounts for 70-80 per cent of the cost of fertiliser production.

Backward integration: Empowering Indian agrochemical companies to control their supply chain

The Indian agrochemical industry is witnessing remarkable growth, driven by a number of factors including increasing population, rising food demand, export opportunities, and technological advancements. With a substantial labour force and lower production costs compared to many other countries, Indian manufacturers have the advantage of producing agrochemicals at competitive prices relative to their foreign counterparts. India has emerged as a major player in the global agrochemical market, driven by a growing demand for crop protection products.

Genomics-Assisted Breeding: A new era in crop development

Food shortages arise more frequently owing to unpredictable crop yield losses caused by biotic and abiotic stresses. With advances in molecular biology and marker technology, a new era of molecular breeding has emerged that has greatly accelerated the pace of plant breeding. High-throughput genotyping technology and phenotyping platforms have enabled large-scale marker-trait association analysis, such as genome-wide association studies, to precisely dissect the genetic architecture of plant traits. Large-scale mapping of agronomically important quantitative trait loci, gene cloning and characterisation, mining of elite alleles/haplotypes, exploitation of natural variations, and genomic selection have paved the way towards genomics-assisted breeding GAB). With the availability of more and more informative genomic datasets, GAB would become a promising technique to expedite the breeding cycle for crop improvement.

How biotechnology can transform poultry farming

Global meat consumption is growing exponentially because of rapid urbanisation and population growth. This surge is driven not only by increasing numbers but also by changing lifestyles, particularly in developing countries. Poultry birds known for their white meat, contribute significantly to the overall meat supply. To meet the escalating demand for meat and its products, the advent of the biotechnology revolution presents a multitude of opportunities in the poultry industry. Biotechnology is no longer limited to merely enhancing farming practices; it now encompasses a broad range of transformative impacts on poultry production and the food systems that support it.

"Capital infusion from both the government and private investors will definitely boost the horticulture sector"

Founded in 2010, Sahyadri Farms Post Harvest Care Limited, based in Nashik, has emerged as the largest exporter of grapes in India. Remarkably, Sahyadri accounts for nearly 17 per cent of all grapes exported from the country. In 2022, the company clocked a revenue of nearly Rs 800 crore. To further strengthen its operations, it recently raised Rs 310 crore in growth capital from a group of impact-focused investors including Incofin, Korys, FMO and Proparco. Besides, Sahyadri Farms, India’s largest integrated value chain owned by small and marginal farmers, announced the introduction of Employee Stock Ownership Plans ESOPs) worth Rs 45 crore for its employees in 2023. This forms part of the total ESOPs pool amounting to Rs 70 crore. Vilas Shinde, Chairman and Managing Director of Sahyadri Farms Post Harvest Care Limited expressed his insights on the horticulture value chain in India during an interview with AgroSpectrum. Edited excerpts;

Largest Grain Storage Plan: Strengthening India's Food Security

The government of India has recently given its approval to the World's Largest Grain Storage plan, aimed at addressing the shortage of food grain, particularly at the local level, and enhancing the country’s food security. However, implementing the plan presents its own set of challenges. The government must consider the possibility of creating these warehouses for public usage, which requires careful planning. It is crucial for the government to also consider reintroducing The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Promotion and Facilitation) Act. By integrating these warehouses with the eNAM National Agriculture Market) platform, depositors would have the freedom to sell their produce at their preferred time and location, providing them with greater flexibility and market access.

Govt's decision to hike MSP for Kharif crops is a master stroke: Experts

The Indian government’s recent announcement of increasing the minimum support prices (MSP) for Kharif crops for the marketing season 2023–24 has been hailed as a masterstroke by experts. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), has approved the MSP hikes for various crops.