Food and agribusiness in Karnataka, Karnataka agribusiness, Way2Agribusiness, Way2Foods

Food & Agribusiness in Karnataka

All the participants in the food and agribusiness chain mainly the famers need to continue with their livelihood agriculture activities though the desired results and returns not achieved in their operations. This is not only important for farmers’ point of view but also for consumers, to meet their food requirements. Practically, food sector will never face recession as consumers cannot forgo food. This reveal that there is a huge scope for growth in the sector, but change in perception mainly in the mind of the farming community from merely farming to agribusiness is a must. Concept of crop

production should change from production driven to consumer/ market driven for better results. Higher priority for commercial crop cultivation, value addition to produce and application of business principles in selected commercial agriculture operations is the indicator of transition towards agribusiness.However, there is a scope to do a lot more for betterment of food and agribusiness sector in India and also in the state of Karnataka. The state is blessed with 10 agro climatic zones, which are suitable for different products offering by taking up production and marketing of different food and agricultural crops. It is the time for adoption of crop cluster approach, adoption of better cultivation practices, value addition to the produce and have a practice of marketing excellence.

Government Policies & Notifications

Integrated agriculture key to farmers’ uplift

Date: Apr 13, 2022 & Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/integrated-agriculture-key-to-farmers-uplift-385802
Parveen is an example of a small farmer from Vagarahalli village of Hassan district in Karnataka whose enterprise has made sustainable agriculture a reality on his 1.69-hectare farm. Traditionally, he grew crops such as ragi (finger millet), maize, potato and coconut with a small dairy and poultry unit. The use of improved varieties and hybrids has been supplemented on the farm with introduction of high-value crops such as ginger and sericulture. Drumstick and papaya have been intercropped with coconut. Silver oak has been planted all along the farm borders. Farm waste is being recycled into healthy manure. He has installed a micro-sprinkler irrigation system in the coconut garden in addition to using appropriate farm machineries such as coconut climbers and de-huskers. Despite the challenges of climate change, soil fatigue and reduction of water availability, with the above measures, Parveen has increased his net annual income from Rs 47,740 to Rs 7.28 lakh! Without doubt, technical and capacity-building support from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Hassan, has been a critical resource.
The Doubling Farmers Income (DFI) Report, 2017, observes that the integration of farm activities, in both rainfed and dryland areas, when carefully chosen, planned and executed can yield greater dividends for sustainable livelihoods, especially in the case of small and marginal farmers. The Union Government is implementing the National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture. The objective of this mission is to extensively leverage the adaptation of integrated farming practices and appropriate technologies in conjunction with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and more importantly, the state government.
Our KVKs under the aegis of the ICAR have created and nurtured several successful integrated farming system models with crop combinations. The time is ripe for them to learn and dovetail from the good practices of the myriad private sector agritech initiatives, especially agri-startups, in the rural landscape. To name a few, Dehaat, Ninjacart, Sammunati, Waycool, Agrostar and Jumbotail have attracted huge venture capital funding in precision agriculture, on-farm management, supply chain and output market initiatives, according to a 2021 Ernst & Young study. There is a tremendous penetration of broadband connectivity and mobile usage in villages. Hence, virtual interaction with farmers on integrated farming ‘package of practices’ has to be supplemented with the physical reach of sufficient numbers of extension officers of agriculture, horticulture and allied departments. The use of Common Service Centres (CSCs), in this context, has to be intensified too. These are last-mile public delivery access points in districts that provide high-quality and cost-effective video, voice, data content and public utility services. It is in the above robust ecosystem that small farmers, such as Parveen from Karnataka, will be doubly empowered through a public-private partnership approach to imbibe the economic, ecological and sustainable dimensions of integrated farming.

This Year's Summer Crops May Be Damaged Due to Rising Temperature, Says Experts

Date: 20 April, 2022 & Source: https://krishijagran.com/agriculture-world/this-years-summer-crops-may-be-damaged-due-to-rising-temperature-says-experts/
Summer crops, which are cultivated on the Indian subcontinent between 'Rabi' (winter) and 'Kharif' (monsoon) crops, may be harmed by this year's extremely hot March and April, according to agricultural experts. States have also criticized the central government for failing to take any steps to assist them in increasing output of summer crops like pulses, oilseeds, and healthy cereals. Summer crop seeding begins in the last week of February or the first week of March, with harvest occurring in May or June. This year's summer harvests are causing alarm among the government and farmers. Summer crops require a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, according to experts. They go on to say that if the temperature rises beyond 40°C, the crops will be harmed. Summer moong (green gram) and urad (black gram) made up the bulk of summer harvests, according to Aditya Pratap, principal scientist at the Indian Institute of Pulses Research in Kanpur. He went on to say that the fact that the temperature has been over 40°C since the first week of April and that the weather has been dry may affect pollination of these pulse crops. Due of the heat, pulses will not be able to form beans. Farmers who harvested potatoes and mustard in the middle of February and planted summer crops in the final week of February or the first week of March, according to Aditya Pratap, would be unaffected. Farmers who harvested wheat and planted pulses in the middle or final week of March after harvesting it, on the other hand, may experience crop damage
Concerns About Procurement:Summer crops, which are cultivated in the remaining season between Rabi and Kharif, are regarded as a source of supplementary revenue for farmers. Summer crops, which make up the majority of such crops, are being promoted by the Indian government in order to minimise imports of pulses and oilseeds. The central government is calling on the state governments to encourage farmers to produce more summer crops. States, on the other hand, claim that the central government is not taking any concrete steps to procure these crops. According to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, summer crops have been sown on 5.58 million hectares this year. This is a modest decrease from the 5.64 million hectares planted the previous year. Summer crops were planted on 3.36 million hectares in 2018-19.

Why mangoes will cost way more this summer

Date: Apr 22, 2022 & Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/why-mangoes-will-cost-way-more-this-summer/article65342065.ece
Lower output due to erratic weather and higher cost of production likely to make mango prices soar. For mango lovers this summer is going to be sour as the king of fruits is likely to be costlier by nearly 30-50 per cent due to lower production. Some of the major mango producing states including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka are reporting the likelihood of lower harvest this year due to unfavourable weather conditions. According to industry players and farmers in Maharashtra, unseasonal rains, humidity and extreme heat have affected the quantity and quality of Alphonso this year and the overall output is likely to go down by about 30-35 per cent. Even though the fruit is arriving in all major APMCs in the State including the Mumbai market, the price is comparatively high. A box containing four to five dozen mangoes is sold at Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000 depending on the size and taste of the mango. Traders said that last year about 50,000 boxes arrived in the market every day during the peak season. On Monday over 45,000 boxes of mango arrived in Washi Market (Mumbai) and if the flow continues prices may come down.
Karnataka, another large mango producer is also reporting a slump in production. Excess rains last year in the state has impaired the physiology of mango, thereby affecting the production, said S V Hittalamani, a horticulture expert. The flowering was good raising expectations of a good crop. But the vegetative flush that followed destroyed the flowers and the fruit setting was very poor. As a result, the crop that could be harvested is about 30 per cent only, he added. Trade sources also estimate that the crop would be lower this year in the state. As against last year’s 13-14 lakh tonnes, the mango crop this year is likely to be around 5-7 lakh tonnes, sources said. Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the key producing regions, is forecasting a 30 per cent dip in production this year. The state is likely to produce only around 15 lakh tonne of mangoes this year, as against an average production of around 40-45 lakh tonne.

Governor sees need for more focus on farm, rural development

Dharwad agri University gets set for Krishi Mela

Date: Apr 22, 2022
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/dharwad-agri-university-gets-set-for-krishi-mela/articleshow/90990516.cms

Dharwad: With pandemic receding and the government withdrawing all Covid-19 related restrictions, preparations are in full swing at the University of Agricultural Sciences in to host the 32nd edition of Krishi. The varsity has planned to hold the Krishi Mela from April 27 to 29. Covid-19 had cast a shadow on the event for the second successive year in 2021. Normally held in September, the event had to be cancelled due to pandemic. Every year, the four-day Mela was attracting lakhs of people not only from but also from other states. The 31st edition of the mela could not be held in 2019 due to heavy rains and floods in the region and it was held in January 2020. UAS vice-chancellor Professor Mahadev Chetti told TOI on Friday that they have decided to hold this year’s Krishi Mela for three days. Focus has been given to disseminate quality information and introduce new farm technologies and crop breed to the farming communities. Accordingly, this year, there will be special talks on production, value addition and marketing, rainwater harvesting system for groundwater recharge, diversified and Integrated Farming System (IFS) for doubling farmers income. Agriculture experts and progressive farmers will also throw light on empowerment of farm families through IFS, soil fertility and conservation of soil health, integrated crop, nutrient, pest and disease management, organic farming, biofertilizers and biopesticides, Improved farm equipment and machineries. There will be an exhibition on hi-tech horticulture, fruits and flowers show, agroforestry and bio-fuel trees, scientific animal husbandry and exhibition of breeds and home science technologies for empowerment of women. The seven districts of North Karnataka come under the jurisdiction of UAS. Due to the huge success of the Krishi Melas, people from far and wide attend it. Considering this, over the years, manufacturers of agricultural equipment like sowing equipment tractors, harvesting machines and many others put their products on display and sell them at the . The sellers come from as far as Punjab and Haryana. Farmers will be able to buy improved variety of seeds for Kharif sowing.

Food & Agribusiness News & Events

News

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Released 2 Products of ICAR- Sugarcane Breeding Institute

Govt. will consider reintroducing Krishi Bhagya scheme in some areas: CM

Best tobacco farmer awards presented in Hunsur

Indian green coffee exports rise amid global crunch, price hike

Nagaland coffee brewing export dream for Northeast

31 March, 2022
https://krishijagran.com/agriculture-world/union-minister-of-agriculture-and-farmers-welfare-released-2-products-of-icar-sugarcane-breeding-institute/
GlobalNarendra Singh Tomar, Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare released two products of ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore viz., Cane jam and Entomo-pathogenic nematode (EPN) formulation, a biopesticide to manage white grub pests during the 93rd Annual General Meeting of the ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) Society. Dr. C. Sankaranarayanan (EPN) and Dr. G.S.Suresha (Cane jam), the product-developers from ICAR-SBI, participated in the meeting, organized at the National Agricultural Science Centre Complex, New Delhi, recently. Dr. G.Hemaprabha, Director of ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute said that ‘Cane jam’ is a unique value-added product from sugarcane juice, that retains the nutrition and flavour of sugarcane juice. This jam could easily be blended with any flavouring agents and can be used with food items such as bread, chapatti, idly, dosa and cake. This technology has been licensed to two firms from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, she added. Mentioning that the ‘entomo-pathogenic nematode’ formulation developed by the Institute is an effective biopesticide for the management of white grubs, which has been a serious menace for sugarcane farmers, she said that this formulation can be easily applied in the sugarcane fields. This technology has been licensed to eight firms belonging to Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, she added. Interested firms can contact the Director, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore – 641007 for details.
ICAR’s Annual General Meeting was held on 26th March 2022 and was addressed by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare & President of the ICAR Society, Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying & Senior Vice-President of the ICAR Society and Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Vice-President of ICAR Society
March 29, 2022
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/govt-will-consider-reintroducing-krishi-bhagya-scheme-in-some-areas-cm/article65270945.ece
The popular Krishi Bhagya Scheme, for making farm ponds for harvesting rainwater, may come back in some areas of the State. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday assured the Legislative Assembly of considering the suggestion for re-introduction of the scheme. He made the assurance while intervening during the reply of Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil to debate on demand for grants in his department. Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah took exception to the BJP Government stopping the flagship programme Krishi Bhagya taken up by the erstwhile Congress Government though the scheme was hailed by agricultural scientists as one that could change the farm dynamics of parched areas. Responding to this, Mr. Patil said the scheme had been discontinued and instead provision had been made to build farm ponds under MNREGA. However, Mr. Siddaramaiah and former Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda observed that building mere farm ponds cannot be equated with Krishi Bhagya scheme that looked at farm ponds from a wholistic angle of harvesting rainwater to take care of summer requirements. Endorsing their views, Mr. Bommai said the Government would consider the suggestion of reintroducing the scheme in areas where the coverage was poor, he said. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister said the Government wanted to provide millet-based food to school children under the mid-day meal scheme once a month with the co-operation of KMF. A sum of ₹10 crore had been earmarked for this, he noted.
APRIL 28, 2022
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/best-tobacco-farmer-awards-presented-in-hunsur/article65364102.ece
The Tobacco Institute of India (TII) on Thursday organised the 21 st edition of the Tobacco Farmers’ awards to give recognition to enterprising farmers for having demonstrated the benefits arising out of contemporary farming practices, leading to enhanced productivity levels. The awards ceremony was attended by Mysuru MP Prathap Simha, Hunsur MLA H.P. Manjunath, and Periyapatna MLA K. Mahadeva. The ceremony witnessed the felicitation of 10 tobacco farmers from Karnataka in two separate categories - ‘Best Farmer’ and ‘Recognition’. Channabasappa from Motha village, Kuchele Gowda from Seerenahalli, H.M. Paramesha from Hadlapura, Raghu from Kothavally Koppal, Suresh K.T. from Kottegala and S.V. Yoganna from Seebally got the best farmer awards. Deva Naika from Gowdagere, M.N. Ramachandra from M.P. Koppal, Aslam Pasha from Halaganahalli, and Ramakrishna from Lakkikuppe received awards in recognition category. Sharad Tandan, Director, TII said tobacco is a major commercial crop in India, giving agricultural employment, farm income, and foreign exchange earnings. India is the world’s second largest tobacco producer and a leading exporter. The tobacco industry is a large contributor to the economy, contributing around ₹12 lakh crore, according to an ASSOCHAM study, a note from TII said.
APRIL 29, 2022
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/commodities/indian-green-coffee-exports-rise-amid-global-crunch-price-hike-8429751.html
A global supply crunch and the resultant price spike have spurred exports of Indian green coffee – unroasted coffee beans -- although the Russia-Ukraine conflict has slowed instant coffee shipments. The benchmark New York ICE futures coffee price, based on the premium arabica variety, has eased to $2.15 per pound after hitting a10-year high of $2.60 per pound in February. Indian coffee exports, contracted when the price escalated, are being shipped now. According to Coffee Board data, between January 1 and April 27, 2 exports rose by 25% over the same period last year to 148,402 tonnes. “Exports are brisk in April. In the previous months also, there was good demand. But what we are shipping is for prior orders,” said Ramesh Rajah, president of the Coffee Exporters Association. Although exports may slow down after June, when harvesting in Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, gets underway, Rajah said the delay in shipments could work to India’s advantage.
Brazil has its problems: “Brazil is experiencing container shortage problems and hence its shipments are at least two months late. But the country could be exporting more this year because of a better crop and depreciation in its currency against the dollar,” he added. In its forecast for the upcoming coffee season early this year, Brazil’s national supply company Conab estimated the 2022/23 coffee crop at 55.7 million bags of 60 kg. This is a 16.8% increase over 2021 as the country enters the “on-year” of large production in the biennial arabica production cycle. The prediction, however, is below 2020’s record crop of 63 million bags. The drop in production this year, when compared to 2020, is a reflection of adverse weather conditions, with drought and frost impacting Arabica crops in Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Paraná, mostly in July and August 2021, Conab said.
Robusta vs Arabica: India is now exporting the robusta variety, the dominant coffee crop in the country. The production of premium arabica has been much less than the 99,000 tonnes projected by the Coffee Board, according to growers. And most of it has been already exported to take advantage of the higher price. Coffee Board’s estimate for robusta production in 2021-22 is 235,000 tonnes. “Arabica fetched a high price of Rs 16,000 per 50 kg bag this year compared with Rs 9,000-10,000 last year. Unfortunately, the growers couldn’t cash in on it much as the output was low. Robusta crop is much better, but may be 20% lower than previous year. The price level of robusta is almost similar to last year,’’ said N Ramanathan, chairman of the Karnataka Planters’ Association. Normally, India has to compete with Vietnam, the second biggest coffee producer, and Indonesia, which with their cheaper coffee find more buyers in Europe. But now these countries are struggling with high freight rates to Europe. In comparison, India’s freight rate to Europe is lower. “The freight rate hikes have helped India to match the coffee prices of Vietnam and Indonesia in the global market and get more buyers,’’ said N Sathappan, director of SLN Coffee.
World outlook: According to the International Coffee Organisation’s latest provisional outlook, consumption is expected to exceed production by 3.1 million 60 kg bags in this coffee year (October, 2021 to September 2022). It pegged the total production at 167.2 million bags, a 2.1% decrease compared to 170.83 million bags of the previous coffee year. The organisation as projected world coffee consumption to grow by 3.3%, to 170.3 million bags in 2021/22 compared to 164.9 million bags in the previous year. Supply and demand may be affected by variations due to a downturn in the world economy, increased cost of inputs and the conflict in Ukraine, it added.
30 April 2022
https://www.sentinelassam.com/editorial/nagaland-coffee-brewing-export-dream-for-northeast-585411
The coffee grown in Nagaland winning international recognition has triggered new hopes for commercial cultivation of the beverage crop on a wider scale in the highlands of the northeastern region. The Land Resources Department, Nagaland - the nodal department for coffee promotion and cultivation in the state - has an ambitious goal of expanding the area under coffee plantations to 30,000 hectares by 2030. The coffee grown in the state has won recognition at the third annual Aurora International Taste Challenge, which was held in South Africa, to celebrate and pay tribute to universal food quality has emboldened the department to dream bigger. Currently, the state grows coffee on about 9,832 hectares. The production is a minuscule level of 56 MT but the fact that it could export about 48% of its total production is expected to boost the confidence of the growers in the state as well as other states in the region. India grows coffee on 4.6 lakh hectares with Karnataka Kerala, Tamil Nadu accounting for 97% of total production in the country. Karnataka accounts for over 70% of the production of 3.34 lakh MT in 2020-21.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce has recommended to the Central Government to give more thrust to coffee and rubber production in the northeast region by exploring the growth potential and prospects in the states in the region. Promotion of coffee has less scope in Assam except in its hill districts and tea is grown in the state accounting for more than 50% of the country's tea production demonstrates that the climate in the state is more suitable for growing tea. There is also a genuine apprehension about the growing popularity of coffee in the state affecting local demand for tea which cannot be overlooked by stakeholders in both coffee and tea plantations. Growing coffee on high hills has multiple advantages such as beans being hard can be stored for a longer duration and the aroma of coffee brewed is strong. India exports coffee to about 88 countries. Myanmar is one export destination of Indian coffee and 408 MT valued at Rs 5.7 crore were exported to the neighbouring country in 2020-21. Being a non-traditional area of coffee plantation, the Northeast can leverage India's Act East policy to tap the coffee market in Myanmar as Nagaland and other states in the regions have geostrategic advantages to deepen trade and commerce with the neighbouring country. Bangladesh imported 865 MT of coffee from India last year and these figures when compared with a total production of only 160 MT of the total coffee produced in the Northeast also indicate the potential for expanding the area under coffee in the region. Currently, the Robusta variety is produced more (90 MT) compared to the Arabic variety (70 MT). The Arabia variety is the largest traded variety in the global coffee market and such market realities need to be kept in mind while drawing the roadmap for the expansion of coffee plantations in the region. The connectivity with ASEAN countries through Myanmar and with Bangladesh getting a big push under Act East and Neighbourhood First policies, coffee production in the region can be increased manifold to promote plantation of the cash crop for remunerative livelihood option for tribal farm families.

Events

AgriTech India 2022, Fri, 26 – Sun, 28 Aug, at BIEC, Bengaluru

Krishi Mela Dharwad 2022, 27 – 29, May 2022, at UAS, Dharwad

EIMA Agrimach INDIA, Thu, 1 – Sat, 3 Sept, at UAS, Bengaluru

Asia-Pacific Conference on Sustainable Agriculture, Wed, 18 – Fri, 20 May, The Capitol Hotel, Bengaluru

Natural Products Expo India, ri, 6 May - Sun, 8 May, at UAS, Bengaluru

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Market Intelligence

Market information v/s intelligence: Market Intelligence is a process of analysis of data and giving insights into what might happen in the future. This

Trading platform

Building linkage between the farm and the market for the benefit of farmers and also trading community is the need of the day. This would assist to reduction

Horticulture

With commercial crops gaining momentum, there has been a great shift in the minds of farming community to go for horticulture. Horticulture

Vegetables cultivation

Demand for green vegetables and fresh vegetables is increasing with increase in population and also increasing demand for high.

Value Addition

Value addition is gaining momentum as the food is transported for longer distances and globalisation has created more opportunity to trade food products

Crop cluster

At a time when input cost, labour cost, management cost are going up, cluster approach play an important role in making efficient use of resources,

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