Ahmedabad, Gujarat; December 15, 2014 – WIMWI Foods Private Limited, a venture by IIM-Ahmedabad Alumni (batch 2014) has recently launched India’s first high quality packaged Shii’take mushrooms under the brand name Le Gourmetz – the Foodies. The product is now available across all Hypercity stores in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Kanupradeep Subramanian and Srishti Shaw, the co-founders of WIMWI Foods chose to start their own venture to pursue a common passion to bring healthier food choices into India. The company is currently a part of IIMAvericks Programme, a Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship initiative, which invites IIM Ahmedabad alumni to pledge their support for graduating students, who want to tread the unconventional path of entrepreneurship.

“Indian consumers are looking for healthier options for food which offer them the taste without the calories. They are looking for both quality and affordability in their vegetables. We have responded to this consumer need by introducing high quality Le Gourmetz Shii’take mushrooms,” said Srishti Shaw.

Shii’take Mushrooms, the jewel of the oriental cuisine, are the second most consumed mushrooms globally. Kanupradeep Subramanian further added, ”In the near future, we want to promote the cultivation of these mushrooms in India and build the technologies to make this an attractive source of income for Indian farmers.”

Explaining the health benefits of these mushrooms, Kanupradeep said, “These flavorful Japanese wood mushrooms have high protein content, rich in B complex Vitamins and dietary fiber. When consumed regularly they reduce cholesterol and develop protection against multiple diseases. Shii’take contains an active compound lentinan, which helps protect against cancer and is an official adjuvant for stomach cancer in Japan. The high level of protein makes them an excellent source of protein for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians who want to reduce the amount of meat in their diet.”

Courtesy : IIM-Ahmedabad

Farmers can now access to solar and hybrid-powered cold storage solutions. IIT Kharagpur alumnus Devendra Gupta along with Vivek Pandey and Prateek Singhal started Ecozen Solutions in 2010 solar-cum-hybrid cold storage for Indian farmers. Gupta said, "The product works on solar power and uses thermal storage as the energy back-up. The cost of the solution depends on the commodity to be stored. Normally, a fruit farmer should be able to recover the cost within three years and earn at least twice of what he is currently earning."

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student Rajat Sethi, currently pursuing his MBA, has co-founded Coolify as a new-generation cold storage solution, targeted to serve the back-end of the fruits and vegetable supply chain in India. He is planning to launch in India in 2015, after graduating from MIT. "We were awarded the most innovative business idea by the US Department of Agriculture, quoting a Rs 60 lakh prize money. This is an IT-enabled solution, wherein a farmer with a smartphone can activate the storage container and set the temperature," said by Sethi.

According to ColdStar, which supplies refrigerated storage to multinational companies and big farms, which in turn take it to farmers to retain quality of perishable produce, more than 18 per cent of India's fruits and vegetable produce worth Rs 13,300 crore goes waste annually due to lack of or poor cold chain facilities in India.

Cold Supply Chain reduces wastage of perishable produce said by Shagun Kapoor Gogia, founder-director of ColdStar.

There are business opportunities in dairy and milk industry providing facility for Dairy industry players.

Courtesy : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for agricultural professionals were launched at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) global headquarters, Hydrabad.

National Virtual Academy for Indian Agriculture offers online platform India's agricultural professionals. Advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) now enable building of "classrooms without boundaries" in the cloud to provide courses and learning approaches among academic institutions in India. The intension is to reach to the masses. With this platform, one course can have the potential to reach 50,000-150,000 learner participants at one time.

Top agricultural universities from India, Africa and USA are getting involved in online education for Agricultural Professionals.

The MOOCs is a recent development in distance education in the country, which has now been boosted by the consortium through the pooling of international expertise, experience and resources, offering free online agricultural courses aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the internet. Learning material will be videos, readings, and problem sets.

Courtesy : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

TSaba Firdous Srinagar, June 4: As horticulture is emerging as lucrative business, the growers in the valley are fast converting their paddy land into orchards. According to the growers, horticulture has been more profitable than other agriculture activities especially cultivation of rice. “Horticulture is more profitable than any other agriculture activity,” said Chairman Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Association Ghulam Rasool Wagay. Growers complain that paddy growing is more laborious than horticulture their family members are not willing to work in paddy fields. Mohammad Akbar Sofi, a grower said, “People are not ready to work on paddy fields. Agriculture requires more hard work than horticulture. Horticulture is more profitable too.” Sofi said there is no point in growing rice when it is imported at cheaper prices from outside the state to Valley. “Very few people from Kashmir buy local rice which costs double that what is imported from outside,” Sofi added. Director Horticulture PK Sharma said that growers prefer horticulture over other agriculture practices. “Horticulture is less labor intensive. Growers earn more in horticulture than in agriculture,” said Sharma. Director Agriculture, Mushtaq Peerzada, said they are trying their best to safeguard agriculture. “We have introduced new methods of agriculture, new mechanism that is helpful for not only farmers but other educated youth who can contribute to the field of agriculture. This can help us where growers will also sustain in agriculture,” Mushtaq said. As per the official figures, the horticulture contributes of about 300 lakh metric tons of production per annum, while more than 70% population is directly and indirectly involved in horticulture and allied activities. The figures show that more than 7 crore boxes of fruit were exported per year, while 3 crore boxes were consumed in the domestic market. There are 282 private registered nurseries of horticulture which produce 25 lakh plants per year with the income of Rs 9 crore. Over 5 lakh fruit plants were annually supplied to other States. Each hectare of orchard generates employment of 400 man-days per year which is 13.80 crore man-days per annum.

Courtesy & Source : risingkashmir.com

UP Co-operative Sugar Mills limited has roped in Simbhaoli Sugar to operate and maintain its Powayan sugar plant based in district Shahjahanpur in UP.

The plant, which wasn't operational for four years has a cane capacity of 2,100 tonne per day. This is the company's second such project with Up cooperative mills, one already in Mohiuddinpur, Meerut.

Integrated Casetech Consultants pvt ltd, which is a subsidiary of Simbhaoli would carry out the complete repair of the mill and make it operational for the coming crushing season.

"The management fees for both the consultancy projects in UP is Rs 5.5 crore annually," Simbhaoli Sugars Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Tapriya said.

The subsidiary is involved in the business of providing consultancy services in the fields of sugarcane, alcohol and sugar. It also provides feasibility, engineering, management and O & M services for any sugarcane related business.

Besides UP, Casetech is operating and maintaining a sugar plant at Karnal, Haryana. It has completed feasibility studies for two sugar mills in Bihar.

It already has projects in countries such as Ethiopia, Philippines, Iran, Zimbabwe, Vietnam and Myanmar among others.

Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd BSE -2.60 % has three sugar mills in UP with manufacturing capacity of up to 3 lakh tonnes per annum of sugar.

Courtesy : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India held a meet with onion importers to help fast clearance of imported stock today in Mumbai. India is expecting arrivals of around 600 tonne of imported onion at Mumbai within the next week, which will further increase supply at a time when its prices are going up.

The purpose of the meeting was to understand and resolve issues relating to clearance of imported stock of onion arriving at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Mumbai, with regards to phyto-sanitary and food security issues.

Chaired by NAFED managing director Sanjeev Chopra, the meeting was attended by leading onion exporters and importers and senior officials of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The meeting covered exhaustively all ground problems being faced by importers and majority of the issues were resolved to the satisfaction of all the stake holders, read a media statement issued by the ministry of agriculture. It is expected that there would be a higher production of onion in the kharif season across the country which will ease the pressure on onion prices, it said.

Courtesy : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: Country's rice production is projected to drop to 92.32 million tonnes in the Kharif season this year due to deficient rains in some states, but the overall foodgrain output is estimated to rise marginally to 129.32 million tonnes in the same period.

The rice production stood at 92.76 million tonnes in the kharif (summer) season of the 2012-13 crop year (June-July), while total foodgrain output was estimated at 128.20 million tonnes.

"As per the first advance estimate for kharif season of 2013-14, rice production is estimated at 92.32 million tonnes in the kharif season of this year," Agriculture Commissioner J S Sandhu said at the national conference on rabi (winter) crops).

The estimate for rice output is kept lower as deficient rains in Bihar, Jharkhand and North East have affected the kharif crops, he said.

Also, the flood situations in Assam, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have an impact on the kharif crops, he added.

Sandhu said, however, maize production is projected to increase to 17.78 million tonnes in the kharif season of this year, against 16.04 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

Pulses production is also estimated to rise to 6.01 million tonnes from 5.91 million tonnes in the review period.

Whereas millet production is forecast at 13.21 million tonnes in the kharif season of this year, he said.

Sowing of kharif crops begin with the onset of southwest monsoon from June, while harvesting starts from October.

According to Indian Meteorological Department, the 53 per cent of the country received normal monsoon. One-third of the country received excess rains.

Monsoon has withdrawn from western and northern regions of the country. Early withdrawal of monsoon has created heat stress in central parts of the country, Sandhu added.

The Agriculture Ministry releases production estimates at different stages of crop.

Courtesy : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

PUNE: Cotton traders from second largest producer Maharashtra have decided to strengthen their efforts to build the Mahacot brand of local cotton.

The Khandesh Ginning and Pressing Factory Owners and Traders Association initiated efforts last year to build a brand for Maharashtra's cotton in order to compete with the Shankar cotton of Maharashtra.

""We did a small effort last year appealing the ginners to brand a small portion of their cotton. The result was encouraging as they received good rates for this cotton. This year, we have decided to use lables to take the branding one step further,"" said Pradip Jain, president, Khandesh Ginning and Pressing Factory Owners and Traders Association.

In an all India meet on cotton trade to be held on September 22 in Jalgaon, the Association will give guidance to farmers for producing high grade cotton.

Courtesy : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: Russia has lifted an eight-month-old ban on the import of Indian rice and peanuts, effective from this month, a move that would help traders regain their lost market.


The Russian Federation had imposed the ban due to the presence of khapra beetles pest in rice and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts. 

"Russia has cancelled the temporary restriction on import of rice, rice cereals and peanuts from India. Exporters can resume export of these products effective from September 1," a senior government official told PTI. 

Russia decided to remove restrictions after its officials visited processing units in India in June. The delegation was convinced about the safety measures that were put in place here while processing these food items, the official said. 

The resumption of trade comes as the country seeks to boost exports to address the current account deficit. 

India, the world's second-biggest producer of rice, had shipped 61,000 tonnes of rice and 3,700 tonnes of peanuts in the last financial year, earning USD 31 million from the export of the two food items.

Courtesy : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

BHOPAL: In a push to make agriculture more profit-oriented, the Madhya Pradesh government provided Rs 9,000 crore in loans to 30 lakh farmers on zero percent interest rate in 2012.

Stating this, an official release said here today that the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has taken a number of key decisions to make agriculture profitable during the last nine years.

During the earlier regime, crop loans were given at the rate of 15-16 percent interest.

The present BJP-ruled government reduced it to seven per cent in 2003, 5 per cent in 2008, 3 per cent in 2010 and zero percent in 2011 and 2012 for purchasing fertilisers and seeds, benefitting lakhs of farmers.

Due to extension of crop loans to farmers at zero percent interest rate, percentage of recovery of loans in the cooperative sector also increased to 78.04 percent in 2012. Under another significant decision in the cooperative sector, over 45 lakh farmers were provided Kisan Credit Cards.

Courtesy : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

“Adoption of best scientific and management practices would be key to optimizing nutrient efficiency and crop productivity,” Prof RB Singh said.

Renowned agricultural scientist and chancellor of the Central Agricultural University, Imphal Prof RB Singh prescribed a dramatic step up in green agricultural practices for sustainable development in his diamond jubilee lecture titled "Greening Agriculture for Green Economy" on Friday. Prof Singh said that green agriculture should be a national priority.

 

He said that despite the availability of “the best of brains and scientists,” India remains steeped in poverty and hunger,” pointing to green agriculture as a path to sustainably enhanced human livelihood and economic security. Despite the Green Revolution, Indian agriculture during the past three decades has failed to attain the targeted annual growth rate of 4 per cent, he said.

 

"In spite of the 8% growth achieved in the last decade, India is home to around to 1/5th of the world's deprived people. More than 40% of the world's malnourished children are in India," Singh said. He warned that factors like slowing GDP growth, climate change, policy inertia and a declining currency could make it difficult for the country to achieve its socio-economic targets, including those in the Food Security Bill.

 

"The challenge is to increase the average yield of wheat to four tonnes per hectare from the current level of three in about eight years. Climate change is expected to result in a 10 to 30 per cent loss in productivity which could drag the GDP down by 1. 5 to 4.5 per cent," said.  “Smart agriculture is the best hope to achieve zero hunger and this requires political determination.”

 

“Adoption of best scientific and management practices would be key to optimizing nutrient efficiency and crop productivity,” he said, commending the efforts of IARI in developing disease resistant strains of grains like Pusa Basmati rice 1509 and HD 2967 wheat.  Investment in science and research for development should be suitably enhanced “and linked with an effective monitoring, evaluation and impact mapping system,” he concluded.

Courtesy : www.southasia.oneworld.net

Even as he asked farmers to 'think big', Chief Minister Narendra Modi painted a grim picture of agriculture in the country at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit 2013 here on Monday.

 

Addressing delegates from 14 countries in Hindi, Modi said that everyday 2,500 people abandon farming as profession and more than two lakh farmers committed suicide in the past two decades.

 

He suggested to the Central government that instead of slaughterhouse subsidy, warehouse subsidy would help farmers save their livestock.

At the two-day event, which the CM claimed to be the first of its kind in India, farmers from 29 states and two Union territories listened to Modi's suggestions to the Prime Minister on how to revive agriculture.

 

"Instead of slaughterhouse subsidy, if equal amount of subsidy was given in construction of warehouses, farmers would not have to send livestock to slaughterhouses," claimed Modi.

 

At the event, partnered by Denmark, Modi said, "Indian farmer is insecure. I have figures from the government that say that 2,500 persons are abandoning farming per day. In the past 20 years, 2.70 lakh farmers have committed suicide. Less then 30 per cent farmers get loans from banks and the rest approach sharafs (private dealers)."

 

Modi said that there was an urgent need to increase farm productivity but the Centre was ignoring suggestions made by a committee he headed. "We do not lack talent, universities. Then what is the reason that productivity is low? We have nothing to map real-time production," he said, mentioning figures that throw light on how India is way behind in farm productivity compared to countries like the Netherlands, Peru, Indonesia and Ireland.

Modi added that he had given suggestions to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh four times and thrice to the Government of India. He called for an integration of technology and e-governance with agriculture, and stressed giving benefits of IT revolution to farmers. He said the share of agriculture in GDP had dropped. "From 51 per cent at the time of Independence, it has dropped to 14 per cent," he added.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state agriculture department is all set to launch a GPS-based service for providing polyhouse farmers accurate information on market-based demand and nutrition needs for vegetables cultivated inside the translucent tents.

 

In polyhouse farming, vegetables are cultivated in a controlled atmosphere by providing ideal weather condition, mitigating the risk of pest attacks so that the farmers are able to get a high yield.