Duluth, GA, US – AGCO Corporation, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology, celebrates the production of the one-millionth tractor at its Massey Ferguson Beauvais plant. This milestone coincides with the company’s 175th anniversary. Massey Ferguson has been manufacturing tractors in Beauvais, France since November 20, 1960.

“2022 is a year of milestone celebrations for Massey Ferguson,” said Darren Parker, vice president of Massey Ferguson, North America. “We applaud the hard work and dedication of our colleagues in Beauvais to produce our one-millionth tractor. We’re also excited to celebrate Massey Ferguson’s 175 years of straightforward, dependable equipment innovation this year. These dual milestones prove our status as agricultural problem solvers dedicated to providing the right equipment, at the right price, for individual farming operations. Our equipment, just like our customers, is Born to Farm,” Parker added.

62 years of production in Beauvais

Thierry Lhotte, vice president and managing director, Massey Ferguson EAME, and president of AGCO in France presented the one-millionth tractor produced in Beauvais – a brand-new MF 8S.305 Dyna-VT – to Thierry Aubrée, an arable farmer and contractor from the village of La Chapelle des Fougeretz in Brittany, France. “On behalf of all our employees and dealers, I want to thank our customers for their steadfast trust,” said Lhotte. The new 8S adds to Aubrée’s expanding Massey Ferguson fleet that already includes four tractors, three combines, and two large balers.

Boussad Bouaouli, vice president, manufacturing at Beauvais, emphasised employee commitment on the Beauvais MF campus development. “From 1960, there have always been people who kept the site moving, always with the right farmer-first focus to address challenges of the times and, above all, with a clear view to the future,” Bouaouli said.

It all started with the MF 825 in 1960. From then, the site grew continuously, producing iconic tractors driven by innovation, including:

• MF 3000 Series in 1986, the first tractor with onboard electronics.
• MF 8600 in 2008, introducing the efficient power concept, which reduces environmental impact, courtesy of the first use of SCR technology on an agricultural machine.
• MF 8S Series in 2020, with its award-winning Protect-U concept, which features a 9.4-inch gap between the cab and the engine installation, reducing heat, noise, and vibrations being transmitted to the cab and improving cooling and performance. The MF 8S Series received the Tractor of the Year 2021, Red Dot: Product Design 2021 and Farm Machine 2022 awards.

“The Beauvais plant and our dedicated employees embody Massy Ferguson’s commitment to farmer-focused equipment solutions. This plant, named Factory of the Year 2016, represents the modern era of Massey Ferguson. This campus sets our future and new standards,” Bouaouli said.

The site has seen innovative developments in recent years, including implementation of lean manufacturing practices, expansion of the Beauvais two cab assembly line and a logistics centre, and a tractor customisation workshop. The facility produces many of the brand’s most popular tractors, including the MF 4700 M, MF 5700 M, MF 5S, MF 6S, MF 7S, MF 8S and MF 8700 S Series. Up to 100 tractors can be produced and shipped daily to dealers in more than 70 countries.

“As we hand over this one-millionth tractor, we are set to unify our sites into a single MF campus with all our departments under one roof,” Lhotte said. “This offers high flexibility and leverages the unique experiences, skills and commitment of the people who work here. This tractor milestone is our 2,500 employees’ success, including our GIMA transmissions’ Joint Venture.”

Solis Yanmar, the flagship brand of International Tractors Limited, has been significantly expanding its market presence not just in India but across the globe. After making a grand debut in 2013 in Turkey – the 4th world’s largest tractor market, the tractor brand now strongly holds the No.1 tractor exports position in the country. Powered by its advanced technology-equipped tractor range, the company is also the fastest growing tractor brand in Turkey, International Tractors, the manufacturer of Sonalika Tractors in India, has said.

According to the company, banking on the 100 years of Japanese technology experience, Solis Yanmar is now fully prepared to remain ahead of the competitive market and expand its compact tractor range with the launch of three new models in up to 30 HP segment in Turkey. Equipped with Japanese technologies, the tractors will further raise the performance bar in the local tractor market. The company also recently unveiled the Solis 75 HP CRDi tractor in the Izmir and Konya national fairs held in February and March 2022 respectively. The company has a leadership position in 12 European countries in the addressable segment.

According to International Tractors, Turkey has been among the leading markets with over 70,000 tractor sales annually and Solis Yanmar has a strong product offering in the below 100 HP segment with more than 10 models and 20+ variants for the agricultural and compact tractor category. Solis entered into a strategic partner with Yanmar Turkey Machine in 2017 to set up an assembly plant and tractor distribution operations in Izmir, Turkey. The state-of-the-art facility is well equipped with superior tools and techniques to roll out over 3,000 units locally annually. Solis Yanmar has established a robust presence in the entire Turkish market with over 50 dealerships and close to 100 sales points across the country. The company also has over 200 dedicated service centres linked to these dealers to serve its end customers.

Highlighting the market performance, Raman Mittal, Joint Managing Director, Solis Yanmar, said, “We are proudly a happy family of 5,000+ customers of Solis tractors that are running successfully on Turkish fields. We feel delighted to share that we are the fastest growing tractor brand in Turkey while strongly holding No.1 tractor exports brand position. The Turkish market has a huge demand for tractors between 30-90 HP making our Solis 50 and Solis 90 to be the star products for us. Our S26 model has 88 per cent market share in the calendar year of 2021 and overall we have captured 8 per cent market share in Turkey.”

“We also recently unveiled the 75 HP CRDi tractor in the Izmir and Konya national fairs held in February and March 2022 respectively. We are now expanding our compact tractor range in up to 30 HP with the launch of three new models with Japanese technologies to address the niche segment and take the Turkish tractor market by a storm.”

Climate-smart deeptech startup Ecozen has raised INR 54 crore of additional funding as the first tranche of a planned INR 200 crore Series C round.  The new funding round was led by Dare Ventures, the venture capital arm of Coromandel International, with participation from existing investors Caspian and Hivos-Triodos Fonds (managed by Triodos Investment Management) through equity. Northern Arc, UC Inclusive Credit, Maanaveeya, and Samunnati also participated with debt funding. Early investors in Ecozen include IFA and Omnivore.

Briefing about the latest fundraising, Devendra Gupta, CEO and Co-Founder of Ecozen said, “We are thrilled to partner with Dare Ventures and other new and existing investors, as we accelerate our growth and bring climate-smart deeptech solutions to new sectors of the economy. The new funding will be used for expanding our product range, manufacturing capacity and boosting exports. Expanding beyond India and beyond agriculture will enable us to expand our market potential multifold and grow exponentially while ensuring sustainability.”

Highlighting their investment, Sameer Goel, Director, Dare Ventures and Managing Director, Coromandel International said, “This investment marks the entry of Dare Ventures and Coromandel into the agritech investment space. We are focused on businesses with positive and long-term on-the-ground impact and Ecozen through its innovative deeptech products is well aligned with our vision. With a keen focus on sustainability, we believe their core technology stack will significantly impact sectors beyond agriculture as well. Going forward, we aspire to build a strong portfolio of such highly transformational startups working at different levels of the agricultural value chain and thus creating a remarkable impact on the farmers’ livelihoods.”

Speaking on their investment in the Ecozen, BV Narasimham, Investment Director, Caspian Impact Investment Adviser said, ”Caspian and Hivos-Triodos have been partners to Ecozen for over seven years through our equity and debt initiatives. We are very happy to be part of the journey thus far where the company is successfully implementing technology initiatives to solve the problems of farmers in India as well as in other countries through innovative approaches which are environment-friendly. We are pleased to partner with Dare Ventures and other fellow investors of Ecozen in this exciting phase of the company’s growth.”

Ecofrost is the world’s leading solar-powered decentralised cold storage solution, employing innovative thermal energy storage tech, with over 450 units deployed. Meanwhile, Ecotron is India’s leading solar pumping solution adopted by over 70,000 farmers which leverage embedded IoT, predictive analytics and advanced motor controls to help improve irrigation efficiency and agricultural profitability.

Backed by strong demand for its cold chain and irrigation products, Ecozen crossed INR 100 crore in revenue in FY2021-22 and was EBITDA positive. Ecozen has also executed successful pilots abroad and has been able to build strong demand in African and Southeast Asian countries. It is on track to more than double its sales in FY2022-23 and become highly profitable. Growth will come from scaling up existing businesses as well as expanding beyond the Indian market.

Ecozen sees a significant opportunity in applying its technology stacks and introducing climate-smart solutions for sectors beyond agriculture, notably electric vehicles. The company expects the market size for its innovative technology stacks in India will grow to USD 25 billion by 2025. In the coming years, Ecozen will launch multiple products which build on its deeptech expertise in thermal energy storage, motor controls, IoT, and analytics.

In order to boost agricultural exports from the union territory, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in collaboration with Union Territory of Ladakh Tuesday organised an International Buyer-Seller Meet (IBSM) in Leh.  The buyer-seller meet aimed at boosting exports of apricots and other agri products from the UT.Eighteen entrepreneurs from UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir displayed a range of apricots and other agricultural products. Twenty buyers from India, USA, Bangladesh, Oman, Dubai participated in this event.

More than 30 producers of Ladakh apricots and other agro products and stakeholders from UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir participated to interact with the importers and exporters providing a platform for growers, and entrepreneurs from both UTs to display their products and facilitate B2B interactions. Ladakh is endowed with conducive climatic conditions for the production of a large number of apricots and other agri products.  The farmers and entrepreneurs of both UTs need exposure to the international trade opportunities with specific reference to temperate fruits such as apricots, walnuts, and apples among others.

IBSM provided an opportunity to the producers and processors of the UTs to showcase their products to promote the exports as well as their wholesale and retail sales.

Radha Krishna Mathur, Lieutenant Governor, UT of Ladakh inaugurated the IBSM in the presence of Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Member of Parliament, Ladakh; Dr. M. Angamuthu, Chairman APEDA; Ravinder Kumar, Secretary, Agriculture, Ladakh; Saugat Biswas, Secretary, Industry and Commerce, Ladakh; Dr. Tarun Bajaj, Director, APEDA; Moses Kunzang, Director, Industry and Commerce, Ladakh and officials from APEDA and Ladakh. APEDA, under its initiative to boost exports from the Himalayan region, is encouraging the states and UTs to harness their potential for agricultural produce exports. A platform will be created for the buyers to get the products directly from the producer group and the processors.

This event is aimed to link the producers and processors of both UTs and buyers from other parts of the country as well as abroad which in turn will broaden the base of the export basket from the region to increase the employment opportunities thereby improving the livelihood of the people.

APEDA organises international trade fairs for the participation of exporters and provides a platform for the exporters to market their food products in the global marketplace. APEDA was also given priority and was provided to participation from UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir in the national and international events organised by it such as AAHAR, Organic World Congress and BioFach India to promote agro product exports from these regions.

Bihar Agriculture University (BAU) is hosting a two-day national conference ‘Recent Developments in Nutrient Management Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture: Indian Context’ from June 18, 2020, on its campus at Sabour in Bhagalpur.

Inaugurating the seminar through video conference, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar said, “The government is working on the promotion of agriculture through various schemes and programmes, which are impacting the agriculture sector, as well as increasing the income of farmers. During the last 8 years, unprecedented work has been done in the agriculture sector in the country. While making agriculture sustainable, the existing challenges are being addressed as a priority.

Addressing the conference, the agriculture minister said that there was a need to work towards making maximum use of technology in agriculture, attracting farmers towards remunerative crops, reducing the cost of farming, providing the best price to farmers for their produce, reducing dependence on fertilisers, motivating them towards soil health with a view to save power and water in irrigation and increase productivity. The Government of India is working closely with the State governments in this regard. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is also working at a fast pace, along with the agricultural universities and other institutes.

Speaking at the occasion, Tomar said, Bihar is a farming state, where about 70 per cent of the population is engaged in agriculture. Bihar is also excellent from the point of view of agricultural productivity, while many crop varieties have been developed here, due to which the state is not only getting good returns but is also contributing to the agricultural growth of the country. Describing the management of nutrients as the need of the hour, he said that such a seminar would definitely be beneficial in this regard.

Earlier, Dr Arun Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Bihar Agriculture University presented a progress report of the university. More than 250 scientists, researchers and teachers are participating in the two-day seminar. A report on the findings of the seminar will be provided by the university to the Central and state government and on the basis of the report, the university will take appropriate steps to give further impetus to sustainable agriculture.

Jain said that the success of the project in Udham Singh Nagar has encouraged Gram Unnati to take up newer challenges. “Gram Unnati intends to scale up this intervention to 100,000 acres of Spring Maize in the next five years. Not only would this reduce dependency on groundwater resources, but it will also help in making agriculture more remunerative for the farmers and more sustainable for the environment,” Jain added.

As agriculture is the largest consumer of fresh water in India, the shift from high to low-intensity crops such as Maize, pulses, millets, oilseeds, etc. has the potential to significantly reduce farmers’ dependence on rainwater/ irrigation, while helping in greater water conservation, enhancing farmers’ capacity to better cope with climate change and in the long run making India more self-sufficient in these crops.

It is estimated that out of total extractable groundwater available in India, 90% goes to agriculture annually to often support highly water-intensive crops like paddy, sugarcane, and wheat, sometimes in severely water stressed regions of the country. As many as 30% of districts in India have reported ‘critical’ groundwater levels according to recent Central Ground Water Board data. The growing water crisis is being worsened by climate change with rising temperatures and uncertain rainfall patterns.

An Indian delegation led by Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar visited Israel’s Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Institute of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Tuesday. Israel’s agricultural experts made a presentation before the Indian delegation on various areas of advanced agricultural research, precision agriculture, remote sensing and post-harvest technology. Discussions with the Indian delegation on potential areas of agricultural development were also held during the visit.

The demonstration on the application of drone technology- advanced techniques and interventions in agricultural operations were also shown to the Indian delegation during their visit by ALTA Precision Agriculture Company at Ganei Khna’an. At the end of the day, the minister visited the desert farm at Be’er Milka, owned by an Indian origin farmer growing Indian vegetables in Negev desert area.

A delegation under the leadership of Indian agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar is on a visit to Israel for bilateral meetings for discussing various issues related to the agriculture sector between the two countries from May 8, 2022 which would end today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Biotech Startup Expo – 2022 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on June 9, 2022 at 10:30 AM. This will be followed by his address on the occasion, Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Biotech Startup Expo – 2022 is a two-day event being held on 9th and 10th June. It is being organised by the Department of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). The expo is being held to mark the completion of 10 years of setting up of BIRAC. The theme of the Expo is ‘Biotech Startup Innovations: Towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’.

According to the PMO release, the expo will act as a platform to connect entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, scientists, researchers, bio-incubators, manufacturers, regulators, government officials, among other stakeholders. About 300 stalls will be set up at the expo, which will showcase the applications of biotechnology in various fields such as healthcare, genomics, biopharma, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, waste-to-value, clean energy, among others.

London, UK: UPL has published its inaugural ‘Africa Sustainability Report,’ highlighting its work over the last 12 months to improve farming systems’ environmental and social performance across the continent.

UPL is the first global agribusiness company to dedicate a standalone sustainability report for operations across Africa, drawing on its 35-year track record supporting smallholder farmers in over 30 countries. The report covers the period April 1, 2021 to March 30, 2022 and details UPL’s key achievements to create sustainable opportunities and outcomes for farmers and food value chain stakeholders across five key pillars: Stewardship & Training, Technology, Food Chain, Partnerships, and OpenHearts.

Key highlights of the report

• 11,500 farmers trained in stewardship and 21,400 trained in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
• 92 new seed varieties were launched and 69 new products registered
• 24,000 growers reached during demo days and 1 million reached through partnerships
• 41 new partnerships formalised
• 172 workdays invested by UPL employees in community engagement

Speaking on UPL’s commitments in Africa, Jai Shroff, Global CEO, UPL said, “UPL is one of the most established agricultural businesses investing in Africa, and I am very proud that we are the first global business to detail our sustainability commitment across the continent in this way. Our activities across Africa exemplify our global commitment to farmers and food systems and the importance of reimagining sustainability as a catalyst for positive change.”

Underlining the interventions made by UPL in the continent, Marcel Dreyer, Regional Head – Africa & Middle East, UPL said, “Agriculture is vital to Africa’s economies and responsible for 60 per cent of employment across the continent. Yet, the sector faces many challenges, and the continent remains a net importer of many staple foods. We are working with farmers to face these challenges and transform Africa’s food systems into efficient, resilient, and sustainable systems that deliver shared benefits for growers, their communities and our environment.”

UPL is a global provider of sustainable agriculture products and solutions, bringing biological and conventional agricultural inputs to more than 138 countries worldwide. The company is the largest distributor of Africa-adapted biosolutions and integrated offers and is the only multinational agribusiness to be a member or signatory of some of Africa’s most significant sustainability reporting initiatives, including the Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI)

Best Agrolife, a leading agrochemical company in India, held a launch event for its crop protection products – Ronfen, AxeMan, Warden, Tombo, and Reveal in Pattaya, Bangkok recently. The top leadership and entire marketing team of the company along with more than 250 distributors attended this event in which the specifications and in-depth knowledge of each product were shared with them.

Speaking on the launch, Vimal Alawadhi, Managing Director, Best Agrolife said,” Due to the decreasing arable land and the urgent need for addressing food security the crop protection market across the globe has undergone a tremendous transformation in recent years. The demand for safer and more sustainable crop protection solutions is higher than ever. As one of the leaders in the crop protection industry in India Best Agrolife has empowered farmers across the globe by innovating high-performance crop solutions and industry-leading products.”

“Our company has one of the strongest pipelines of sustainable and eco-friendly products that offer complete solutions to the farmers for their present and future needs. We are working tirelessly to develop cost-effective and single-shot agro-inputs in order to benefit farmers across multiple crops. Aligned to the larger Make in India initiative, our company aims to launch more than five new products every year to provide relevant solutions for all crop-related issues. In fact, our entire R&D investment is dedicated to developing innovations that are sustainability – advantaged and these newly launched products are a testimony to that,” Alawadhi added.

Salient features of the newly launched crop protection products

A first-of-its-kind proprietary ternary insecticidal combination of Best Agrolife, Ronfen is a single-shot solution that controls all sucking pests together in various crops like cotton, chilly, vegetables and many other segments. Ronfen covers the composition of Pyriproxyfen 8%, Diafenthiuron 18%, and Dinotefuran 5% in a unique suspension concentrate formulation. On the other hand, AxeMan (Dinotefuran 15% + Pymetrozine 45% WG) with its dual mode of action, helps in protecting the rice crop from the devastating pest BPH which develops high resistance against all agrochemicals. AxeMan provides healthy and vibrant tillers at the reproductive stage and helps in the long-duration control and resistance management of BPH in paddy.

Warden is a ternary combination of two fungicides and one insecticide (Azoxystrobin 2.5% + Thiophanate Methyl 11.25% + Thiamethoxam 25% FS). It acts as a systemic fungicide and systemic insecticide that provides effective seed treatment and can prevent pest and disease infestation for up to very long if treated properly. It ensures 100 per cent germination and provides an early and healthy start to seedlings. A new generation herbicide Tombo (Tembotrione 34.4% SC) is a broad-spectrum post-emergence herbicide that takes quick action on broadleaf and grassy weeds in corn. By ensuring a high level of crop tolerance, Tombo boosts the corn yield by 20 per cent.

A new generation systemic insecticide and acaricide, Reveal (Spiromesifen Technical) controls red spider, mite in brinjal, whitefly and mite in cotton, European red mite and spider mite in apple, chilli and okra and yellow mite in chilli. Reveal is an effective tool for Insect Resistance Management (IRM) as it is strong against insects but protects natural insect enemies.

Listed among the top 15 agrochemical companies in India, Best Agrolife (BAL) is a research-based organisation that serves the farmer community across the globe by bringing in world-class and cost-effective farm solutions in the form of novel agrochemical formulations.