India Agri, Food & Health updates - 27May'2015 !

1. Exports of six key agricultural products, including tea, spices and tobacco, have registered negative growth in 2014-15, mainly due to decline in prices in global commodity markets.

2. Agricultural scientists stressed the urgent need to stop 'Jhum' (slash and burn method of farming in the hill tops) cultivation in the 8 North Eastern hilly states by providing settled and alternative farming methods and increasing the skills of young farmers toward this.

3. With prices faring at a 5 year low, Suicides up in troubled rubber belt in Kerala.

4. Heat waves in South claim 70 lakh birds, poultry industry suffers Rs 100 crore loss.

5. With pulses prices rising by up to 64 per cent in the last one year, the government plans to increase supplies to rein in prices as it looks at steps to keep inflation down amid forecast of deficit monsoon.

6. Wheat procurement up at 26.47 million tonnes; hailstorm, rains hit quality.

7. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has said it has started to detain imports from India of corn for feeding livestock to allow for testing of aflatoxins.

8. India was the sixth-largest corn exporter in the world in 2013/14, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

9. Fertiliser plants manufacturing urea and connected to the national gas grid will get domestic gas pooled with imported gas at a uniform delivered price from July 1.

10. The Project Appraisal Committee on Technology Mission on Coconut has cleared 19 projects with an outlay of ₹21 crore and subsidy of ₹4.25 crore. Of these, 13 projects were for processing.of six key agricultural products, including tea, spices and tobacco, have registered negative growth in 2014-15, mainly due to decline in prices in global commodity markets.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47433340.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Exports of six key agricultural products, including tea, spices and tobacco, have registered negative growth in 2014-15, mainly due to decline in prices in global commodity markets.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47433340.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Global Agri, Food & Health Updates - 27May'15 !

1. HpE Process has signed a deal with BSS Systems to supply hygienic products to the industrial market sector after being asked by Unilever to cut the amount of waste generated by sauces.

2. The 17th Annual Food Safety Summit went ahead as planned in Baltimore, US, recently with contingency plans in place to avoid an outbreak which saw more than 200 people sick from food poisoning last year.

3. Audits are a time consuming, yet an imperative part of food production. 75% of the audits done by auditing bodies encounter a non-conformance issue with CCP metal detectors.

4. French legislation voted in yesterday will require supermarkets to donate all unsold, edible food to charity in a bid to cut food waste.

5. Food industry exports could be hit by challenging exchange rates, calling the sector’s recent growth into question, figures show as one of Britain’s biggest manufacturers urges the UK to leave the EU.

6. European research into food, health and nutrition needs to be better synchronised to link up data on food intake, production and health outcomes, according to an EU-funded project due to end in August this year.

7. The University of California Davis (UC Davis) has signed an agreement with officials from a Chinese city to coordinate research and training activities in food safety.

8.Nestlé has hit back at orders from an Indian food safety authority to recall Maggi noodles because of lead levels.

9. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is going to squeeze smaller snack players who may not have the finances and resources to implement required changes under regulations, warns a lawyer.

10. Zelfo Technology and Upgrading have produced an up-cycled wheat straw based packaging concept made from agriculture waste.

11. A European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel has recommended the EU Commission reconsider the Specific Migration Limit (SML) for zinc after evaluating a food contact material (FCM) application.

12. Pressure on food manufacturers to label genetically modified food and provide non-GMO alternatives is mounting as consumer concern and confusion about the technology increases in response to a deluge of negative messaging about it.

13. The Organic Trade Association and the GRO Organic Core Committee submitted to the USDA May 12 a petition to launch an organic check-off campaign that, if approved, could raise more than $30 million annually to promote and support the industry in the U.S.

14. Australian food and beverage firm Lion has opened what it claims is now the largest specialty cheese manufacturing facility in the Southern hemisphere.

15. For the first time, consumers are spending more money at restaurants than on groceries in America, likely reflecting more financial flexibility from savings garnered by shopping at less expensive box stores and from lower gas prices, according to recent research.

16. North America’s largest trade show fully focused on food and beverage processing and packaging, will be held September 15-18, 2015, McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois.

17. The Italian health food market is booming – 80% of Italians consume food supplements or functional foods – but regulation threatens a sector comprised of 1800 firms.

18. Southeast Asia is heading for massive economic change with its ten-nation ASEAN single market and this could have ripple effects for the EU too, says expert.

19. USDA reveals $2m has been made available to establish regional centers to support food safety training and education, pursuant to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

20. Mars and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have partnered to boost food safety in Africa.

21. Genome sequencing is helping to be more precise in foodborne outbreak investigation but has not recognised its full potential yet, according to a microbiologist.

22. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has said it will help finance small and medium-sized businesses in the agri-food sector in Georgia.

23. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has closed the investigation of an outbreak of E.coli which sickened 13 people without finding a specific source of illness.

India Agri & Food updates - 23May'15 !

1. CIIE opens applications for India’s first agri accelerator. Start-ups in sustainable agriculture areas like precision farming; supply chain tech; soil, weather and water tech; and internet-based products for agriculture can apply.

2. With Greenpeace India reeling after a government-led block to its funding, the number of state governments that have voiced their approval for field trials of genetically-modified crops has grown to eight—a notable success for the new government.

3. The Centre has asked the West Bengal state labour department to settle the minimum wages issue at tea gardens at the earliest.

4. Dal prices are going to shoot up and the increase in prices is going to pinch the common man for the next few months, till fresh produce reaches the markets.

5.  Over the past four months, three countries have opened their doors to Indian mangoes, but the higher price and increase in freight costs are proving to be hurdles for exporters. Also, the lack of availability of ‘export-quality’ fruit, due to the recent unseasonal rains, is compounding their woes.

6. The Mango Grower Association of India has estimated the overall mango exports from India at around 25,000-30,000 tonnes. The main destinations are UAE, Saudi Arabia, UK, Kuwait, Qatar, Bangladesh and Nepal.

7.  Cotton exports from India slow down on big drop in demand from China.

Global Agri, Food & Health updates - 23May'15!

1. The Canadian biotech company Inocucor Technologies is raising $15m in Series B funding to accelerate its second bio-stimulator product for agricultural production.



2. Plant waters such as aloe, birch, artichoke, maple, cactus, and almond water are starting to challenge coconut water’s pedestal, with NPD in this emerging category booming, according to Innova Market Insights.

3. An Israeli scientist has harnessed the power of pulsed electric fields (PELs) to kill Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in milk.

4. The European Commission (EC) has rejected mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) for milk and dairy products in a report to be passed to European legislators.


5. An estimated 280,000 people fall ill in the UK with Campylobacter per year, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

6. More than $2m has been made available by USDA to establish regional centers to support food safety training and education, pursuant to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

7. Mars and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have partnered to boost food safety in Africa.

8. Arla Foods and Egypt's largest dairy Juhayna Food Industries have agreed to form a joint venture to sell Arla products in the country.

9. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Process Verification Program could provide an avenue for firms to certify the veracity of non-GMO claims without indirectly suggesting that genetic engineering is undesirable or unsafe.

10. A subsidiary of ConAgra will pay $11.2m related to the shipment of contaminated peanut butter linked to a 2006-07 Salmonella outbreak.

11. Despite strong growth in the German organic sector, there is little switching to organic cultivation by domestic farmers – something that the German government is now aiming to change.

12.  Last year, U.S.agricultural exports totaled more than $150 billion.

India Agri & Food updates - 22May'15 !

1. Dal prices are going to shoot up, The increase in prices is going to pinch the common man for the next few months, till fresh produce reaches the markets.

2. Cabinet approves ammonia-urea complex with investment of Rs 4,500 crore.

3. The current prices of soybean at Rs 3,900 per quintal compared to government rate of Rs 2,700 will persuade farmers to plant more.

4. To boost urea production and reduce import dependence, the Cabinet has decided to pump in ₹10,500 crore in two plants.

5. The practice to announce MSPs for certain crops to protect the basic interests of farmers may become extinct, an expert former Chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) says.

Global Agri, Food & Health updates - 22May'15 !

1. SEDCO Capital's agribusiness private equity fund will soon make its first sharia compliant investment into non-land assets. It is targeting $150m by the end of the year.

2. Food and agri accounts for 5 percent of the $60bn of impact assets under management, according to a survey conducted by JPMorgan and the Global Impact Investing Network.

3. China signs $27bn trade deal with Brazil, including planned co-operation in the agriculture sector.

4. Google Ventures led the $15m Series B round into Farmer Business Network, which was founded by an ex-Google employee. Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers joined the round.

5. The venture capital-backed agricultural biotechnology company Arcadia Biosciences priced its IPO at $8 a share, below its $13-$15 a share price range. It started trading on the Nasdaq on Friday.

6. Food industry exports could be hit by challenging exchange rates, calling the sector’s recent growth into question, figures show as one of Britain’s biggest manufacturers urges the UK to leave the EU.

7. Hungary is seeing a renaissance of its herbal sector, supported by a trend towards organic foods and supplements.

India Agri & Food updates - 21May'2015!

1. Bt cotton accounts for 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the total turnover of the rapidly growing seed industry in the country.

2. Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) to fund Rs 1,787-crore  Rengali Left Bank Canal irrigation project in Odisha.

3. At 278.48 lakh tonnes, India has produced 16% higher sugar in 2014-15 over the previous year. Further Sugarcane price arrears cross Rs 21,000 crore in 2014-15 season.

4. Government sanctions 30 cold chain projects with Rs 725 crore outlay.

5. Gujarat government will set up a cell to implement its new organic farming policy with a view to promote non-conventional method of Farming.

6. The 10% rise on Paddy import duty affects eastern Indian states as well as Andhra Pradesh the most.

7. India's foodgrains production is estimated to have declined by 5.25 per cent to 251.12 million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year .

8. Wheat procurement set to cross 27 million tonnes this year.

Global Agri, Food & Health updates - 21May'15 !

1. The association's global survey revealed that about 50% of LPs want to build their agribusiness exposure in each emerging market region.

2. Brookfield nears first close of Brazil AgriLand Fund II – The fund manager is expecting to announce a first close on $300m this month ahead of a second closing on $500m in June.

3. Australian Dairy Farms Group, the first ASX-listed dairy company, has launched a A$16m share placement to pay for the purchase of three dairy farms which will double its production capacity.

4. Credit Suisse has teamed up with CDC, EMPEA, IFC and WWF to produce a report to help fund managers navigate and invest in the agribusiness sector sustainably.

5. Aquaculture tech company XpertSea raises $1.3m in seed capital.

6. Amid scrutiny over its water bottling operations in drought-hit California, Nestlé is spending $7m (€6.1m) to recycle wastewater at its Carnation Evaporated Milk plant.

7. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected probiotic dossiers from Canadian firm Lallemand Health Solutions (immunity) and Italian player Synbiotec (defecation) in a batch of opinions.

8. Eurofins Scientific, the international environment testing company, has agreed to acquire a 65% stake in Sắc Ký Hải Đăng (EDC-HD), Vietnam’s biggest private food analysis laboratory.

9. USDA announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $6.5 million in the Ogallala Aquifer region this year to help farmers and ranchers conserve billions of gallons of water and improve water quality.

10. he Organic Trade Association and the GRO Organic Core Committee submitted to the USDA May 12 a petition to launch an organic check-off campaign that, if approved, could raise more than $30 million annually to promote and support the industry in the U.S.

11. Reaching the goal of 100% Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) in Europe by 2020 is a big challenge with significant barriers, says RSPO.

12. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that approximately $11.9 million in organic certification assistance is available through state departments of agriculture to make organic certification more affordable for organic producers and handlers across the country.

13. The world’s biggest food firm, Nestlé, has put reducing food waste firmly on its agenda, announcing plans to help further prevent the issue of food losses and waste around the world at the Save Food Congress.

14. The price of vegetables has risen by a whopping 199% in the past 30 years in the UK while the cost of an ice cream has fallen by 50%, driving the UK’s obesity epidemic, a new report has claimed.

15. India is expected to have the fastest growth in polymer demand anywhere in the world over the next five years outstripping China and other emerging economies, according to AMI Consulting.

16. The 17th Annual Food Safety Summit went ahead as planned in Baltimore, US, recently with contingency plans in place to avoid an outbreak which saw more than 200 people sick from food poisoning last year.

17. Eurofins Food Testing UK has made an £150,000 investment in its Wolverhampton microbiology test facility.

18. Scotland’s food industry will get £70M as part of the new Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) 2014-2020, which is expected to receive formal EU approval shortly.

19. announced that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest approximately $21 million in additional Farm Bill dollars to help farmers and ranchers apply science-based solutions to mitigate the short and long term effects of drought.

20. Plant waters such as aloe, birch, artichoke, maple, cactus, and almond water are starting to challenge coconut water’s pedestal, with NPD in this emerging category booming, according to Innova Market Insights.

21. With a goal to to grow rice production by 30% each year—a sum that is vitally necessary for the country to be self-sufficient in rice by 2017, Big Data and drones could bring more precision to Indonesia’s farms.

Inida Agri & Food updates - 14May'15 !

1. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the New Urea Policy-2015 which should help facilitate new investments in the sector, particularly by way of new plants being set up and the augmentation of existing capacity.

2. Bad monsoon, unseasonal rain drag food grain output to 5% i.e. four-year low of 251.12 million tonnes.

3. Despite the Union Agriculture Ministry’s clarification that the Meena Kumari Committee report recommending letting foreign vessels to fish in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone has been ‘thoroughly rejected’ by the Centre, fishing unions in the coastal States are not convinced.

4. India is hopeful that China will provide market access to its non-basmati rice – blocked till now as quality norms have not been defined between the two countries – during Indian Prime Minister's visit later this week.

5. An El Nino has been declared in the east and equatorial tropical Pacific, proving right forecasts put out by a number of weather and climate models worldwide.The Australian Bureau of Meteorology officially raised its tracker to ‘El Nino’ status on Tuesday from El Nino ‘watch’ and El Nino ‘alert’ over the past few months.

6. The government has cut the estimate on wheat output to 90.78 million tonnes from the February estimate of 95.76 million tonne.

7. The Centre fixed the subsidy rates for complex fertilisers -- Diammonium Phosphate and Muriate of Potash -- for current fiscal at the same rate as that of last year's level of Rs 12,350 and Rs 9,300 per tonne, respectively.

8. Gurudwaras advise farmers to conserve water and plant crops in kharif season.

Global Agri, Health & Food updates - 14May'15 !

1. Packaged water consumption levels are set to soar above carbonated soft drinks for the first time this year, according to figures from Canadean’s global beverage forecast data.

2. Botanical ingredient experts are not surprised by a recent report on the association of green tea extracts with liver toxicity.

3. Broccoli’s ‘superfood’ status has been elevated, following findings from the Institute of Food Research (IFR) claiming a new variety could reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

4. Star performances from the fast-moving world of food nutrition were celebrated this week in the inaugural NutraIngredients Awards, staged at VitaFoods Europe, Geneva, Switzerland.

5. Belgian olive oil extract supplier BioActor has inked a deal with the world’s biggest food firm (Nestle) to develop products based on bone health benefits.

6. The German Fairtrade market is the most dynamic globally, as growth in certified products spiked by more than a quarter in the past year, says TransFair chief .

7. The food industry – the most water-intensive business on earth - is unprepared for global water shortages, according to a report which ranks the best and worst offending companies for their water management.

8. The EU and Mexico will strengthen economic ties by modernising their Free Trade Agreement, announced EU trade commissioner and the Mexican economic minister yesterday.

9. he Organic Trade Association and the GRO Organic Core Committee submitted to the USDA May 12 a petition to launch an organic check-off campaign that, if approved, could raise more than $30 million annually to promote and support the industry in the U.S.

10. Claims that much of the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) sold in US supermarket is not ‘extra virgin’ at all are hardly new. But the fact that many retail buyers are effectively turning a blind eye to such widespread fraud is immensely frustrating for companies that are playing by the rules.

11. US sales of specialty foods blasted through the $100bn barrier in 2014, with retail ($85.5bn) and foodservice sales ($24bn) combined hitting $109.5bn, up 10.3% on 2013 sales of $99.3bn, according to a new report from the Specialty Food Association using data from Mintel International and SPINS/IRI.

Global Agri, Food & Helath News - 13May'15 !

1. A trade association (Western Growers) that represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce launched the $4m agtech fund alongside Silicon Valley Venture Partners.

2. Russia is likely to extend its ban on EU food imports beyond the August 7 deadline, as the European Union looks set to continue its sanctions against Russian products.

3. DuPont Nutrition & Health has signed an agreement with Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories to provide analytical testing services as part its DuPont Detect + Protect offering.

4. Food safety in countries including Montenegro, Slovenia, Turkey and Moldova has been highlighted as part of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) World Health Day.

5. The complex and globalized food supply increases the vulnerability of certain products to fraud, according to the National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD).

6. More than 2 billion tons of coffee by-products that are currently thrown away could have applications in the food and nutrition sector with prebiotic, antimicrobial and antioxidant potential, say researchers.

7. Canadian brand SEVA has weighed into the debate over maple water standards ahead of a meeting in New York on Friday (May 15) where key stakeholders from across the industry will gather to discuss labeling conventions in the rapidly-growing industry.

8. The world’s biggest food firm, Nestlé, has put reducing food waste firmly on its agenda, announcing plans to help further prevent the issue of food losses and waste around the world at the Save Food Congress.

9. EU ministers have failed to reach an agreement on proposed changes to the EU's organic regulation, pushing back a vote until June – a standstill that is welcomed by organic groups who called the review 'a bureaucratic monster.'

10. Food manufacturer Nestlé has changed the name of its iconic Kit Kat to YouTube Break, its biggest redesign in its 80-year history.

11. South Korea’s consumer regulator is warning consumers not to buy weightless pills over the internet from foreign sources after it discovered alarming amounts of banned drugs following an investigation into some of the products on the market.

12. Chinese imports of maize are expected to be cut from three to two million tons in 2015/16, reports the grain market analysis division of a UK agriculture research agency.

13. With two-thirds of Asia’s farmland now owned by just a handful of landowners, United Nations-backed policies to promote corporate agricultural production have been blamed for displacing farmers.

14. Global food import costs are set to reach their lowest level in five years during 2015, even as volumes remain the same or rise slightly, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

India Agri & Food updates - 12May'15 !

1. Western sanctions on Russia, a boon for Indian farm produce suppliers. Market fundamentals appear to be favourable for Indian farm produce suppliers, with the Russian market showing renewed interest in Indian fruits and vegetables.

2. The monsoon is expected to arrive on time this year, hitting Kerala on June 1, but rainfall may remain below normal.

3. With the Russian phytosanitary services cracking down on potatoes from Egypt, it could have been a blessing in disguise for Indian exporters had it not for the brown bacterial rot disease.

4. Climate change is taking a toll on fisheries sector with the consequent ocean warming posing multiple threats to biodiversity and functioning of ocean ecosystem.

5. With unseasonal rain and errant monsoon affecting production and yield in important growing belts, prices of almost all pulses, a key source of protein in the country, have increased sharply, particularly over the last month.

6. With the European Union expected to approve import of 17 more genetically-modified food products by the end of May, opponents in India like Greenpeace will have a weaker case to stall permission for commercial cultivation of GM crops.

7.  Prime Minister of India on Sunday said he foresees the second Green Revolution taking place in eastern Indian states as they have abundant resources and need to develop their economy.

Global Agri & Food Updates - 12May'15 !

1. Russia-China strengthen agricultural ties with $2bn fund.An experimental free trade zone in China's biggest grain-producing region was also agreed.

2. The USDA will invest $235 million capital into water conservation partnerships that aim to solve regional water issues.

3. Agriculture is one of the sectors that OPIC is targeting with its $400m mandate for seven to eight PE fund managers.

4. Daily consumption of a low-calorie cranberry juice may improve certain risk factors of heart disease, including blood pressure and triglycerides, says a new study from the Agricultural Research Service at the USDA and Ocean Spray Cranberries.

5. Food safety in countries including Montenegro, Slovenia, Turkey and Moldova has been highlighted as part of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) World Health Day.

6. Vietnamese dairy giant Vinamilk is in talks to acquire dairy operations in Europe, according to reports from the South East Asian country.

7. The WHO is urging people to ‘use with caution’ its own predictions that nearly 90% of Irish men and 77% of Greek men would be obese by 2030.

8. hrough the Food for Progress Program, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service will provide the government of Jordan with 100,000 metric tons of U.S. wheat, valued at approximately $25 million.

9. Global food import costs are set to reach their lowest level in five years during 2015, even as volumes remain the same or rise slightly, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

India Agri & Food updates - 06May'15 !

1. Russian firm Rosatom and Hindustan Agro to set up irradiation plants for food preservation.
The venture plans to invest Rs 4000 crore-Rs 4,500 crore in the next five years to set up 25 integrated irradiation plants.

2. Close to 20 applications for field trials of six crops—cotton, corn, brinjal, chickpea, rice and wheat are pending with the GEAC currently. While Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab have granted no objection certificates (NOCs) to field trails, they are still awaited from others.

3. Ahead of Indian Prime Minister's maiden visit to China, India today sought greater cooperation between the two nations in the farm sector to improve bilateral trade in products like basmati rice, beef and fish.

4.The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI) has urged the Union Commerce Minister to not to cut the prevailing cashew sops.

5. Agriculture Minister along with a delegation will leave tomorrow for Istanbul to attend the two-day agri-meet of G-20 nations starting May 7.
This is the second meeting of G-20 agriculture ministers. The first meeting was held in June 2011 at Paris, France.

6. Government releases Rs 24,250 crore to FCI as food subsidy till April 29. The law aims at providing legal entitlement to 5 kg of subsidised foodgrains per person per month at Rs 1-3/kg to two-thirds.

Global Agri, Food & Health updates - 06May'15 !

1. Bayer will work closely with the venture capital firm's innovation arm VentureLabs to identify technologies that could be helpful to the crop science company's mission of improving farming and agriculture.

2. Farm app Agrivi, the knowledge-based platform for farmers which won World's Best Startup in 2014,is in talks with a variety of venture capital firms in Europe and the US for €1m capital raising round.

3. 3D Robotics, The drone producer and software platform has received new funding from venture capital firms including WestSummit Capital which led the top-up round after initially closing the Series C round on $50m.

4. Meritus Ventures and Innova Memphis were selected by the USDA to be RBICs and are raising $125m between them to invest into early-stage rural and agtech companies in Tennessee.

5. The European Commission is taking Romania to the EU Court of Justice over its failure to amend revised EU legislation on packaging waste into domestic law.

6. Funding of more than $3.8m to support nanotechnology research has been made available by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

7. The German confectionery industry has slammed plans for a 19% tax proposal on sugar aimed at reducing obesity - but the social democrat party denies that such a 'sin tax' is on the cards.

8. Belgian olive oil extract supplier BioActor has inked a deal with the world’s biggest food firm Nestle, to develop products based on bone health benefits.

9. Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services announced the availability of up to $3.3 million in competitive funding to support the ability of farmers markets to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a form of payment.

10. Farmers must play a greater part in China’s development through better links between urban and rural areas, the country’s president has told the Communist Party’s policy chiefs.

11. Saudi Arabia has bought a stake in Canada’s formerly state-owned wheat buying organisation, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), in a US$200m deal.

Global Agri, Food & Helath updates - 05May'15 !

1. Millions of dollars are urgently needed to help disaster-struck Nepalese farmers resume preparations for the imminent rice sowing season, FAO has warned.

2. Over 200 scientists from 38 countries have signed a petition asking for PFCs (Flourinated chemicals known as C8) in food packaging to be phased out, according to The Green Science Policy Institute.

3. Russia is likely to extend its ban on EU food imports beyond the August 7 deadline, as the European Union looks set to continue its sanctions against Russian products.

4. Croatian food group Podravka has reached a €33.03m ($36.91m) deal to acquire a 51.55% stake in Zito, Slovenia's top domestic chocolate manufacturer.

5. The UK’s Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has changed some tech !nical details in its rules for promotional marketing, but stressed the main principles remain that promotions should be fair and not misleading.

6. Green tea could improve the quality of MRI scans, while black tea may decrease blood pressure, suggest scientists.

7. Audits are a time consuming, yet an imperative part of food production. 75% of the audits done by auditing bodies encounter a non-conformance issue with CCP metal detectors.

8. he first reported foodborne listeriosis outbreak in Portugal highlights the need for an effective surveillance system for early detection and prompt submission of isolates for typing, according to researchers.

9. Austrian-based biscuit firm Josef Manner is considering marking its entry into Asia by entering Indonesia, where there is already an established wafer market.

10. Stable Micro Systems has launched a suite of egg testing tools in conjunction with its TA.XT Express texture analyser.

11. USDA announced an investment of up to $235 million to improve the nation's water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability.

12. With European Union (EU) milk quotas abolished, Irish dairy cooperative Ornua expects revenue to rise to €3bn by 2020.

India Agri, Food & Health Updates - 05May'15 !

1. Coffee exports from the country have increased by 7.22 per cent to 31,060 tonnes in April this year.

2. As wheat harvest across key growing regions in North India almost comes to an end, Millers struggle to get quality wheat as unseasonal rain leads to lustre loss.

3. Scientists say climate change is to blame for uneven rainfall that is cutting yields and lifting costs for tea firms such as McLeod Russel, Tata Global Beverages and Jay Shree Tea.

4. Varieties of wheat and rice introduced during green revolution period are not resistant to drought and flood situation, agri-research body ICAR has said.

5. The Mango Growers’ Association of India (MGAI) estimates that the damage caused is as high as 30 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, among the key mango-growing States, while Maharashtra and Gujarat, which supply nearly 12 per cent of the delectable Alphonso variety overseas, have also been hit.

6. The asset quality of India’s agriculture credit could be significantly affected by the crop damage resulting from the untimely hail and rain of March 2015, according to an India Ratings and Research report.

7. The government's Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed a new colour-based test for rapid detection of detergent in milk.

India Agri & Food updates - 04May'15 !

1. A new bajra (pearl millet) hybrid, HHB 272, developed at Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) here will be released for cultivation in Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

2. Fish catch from the sea has declined in the country with Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which account for over 50% of the fish landings in the coasts, reporting a sharp fall in 2014.

3. The soybean processors of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra under the banner of Soybean Processors Association (SOPA) are trying to find out ways and means to fight out speculation in soybean prices.

4. Coffee exports from the country have increased by 7.22 per cent to 31,060 tonnes in April this year compared to the same month in 2014.

5. Lack of working capital, coupled with high processing cost, has forced the government undertaking Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) to close down 30 of its factories.

Global Agri & Food updates - 04May'15 !

1. USDA is expected to announce a substantial investment to improve the nation's water quality, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability.  The funding is being made available through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

2. The organic sector has cultivated a culture of ethical awareness among consumers that conventional manufacturers are now cashing in on – and new product development is vital for the sector to retain its value, say experts.

3. MEPs adopted a resolution on calorie content of alcoholic drinks yesterday, a move welcomed by industry and stakeholders across Europe who hope it will spur the Commission into legislating.

4. With working class households making up nearly one third of sales, organic is no longer a middle-class preserve - and some say it is even fueling Britain's 'foodie' culture.

India Agri & Food updates - 02May'15 !

1. India, US agree to renew 2010 agri pact,  to include new areas viz. weather forecasting systems for improving preparedness as well as redressal of problems caused by natural calamities.

2. Seed associations of Bangladesh and India have inked a pact to facilitate traders of both nations to increase business in high-yielding varieties of rice seeds. The bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh stood at USD 6.65 billion in 2013-14.

3. Sugar output in India rises by 14.27% to 27.37 million tonnes in October-April.

4. Recent unseasonal rainfall in the country has come as a blessing for some farmers as it has replenished reservoirs.

5. Mango production in Uttar Pradesh may shrink to almost half at 43 lakh tonnes due to unseasonal rains accompanied by hailstorm and strong winds in past four months, industry body Assocham has said.
Chausa, dashehari, fazli, gulab khas, langra, mallika and amrapali are certain varieties of mangoes produced in the state.

6. Centre asks states to set up unified agriculture market (e-Mandi's), a software platform where farmers could enter the data.

7. Government today said it is aware of and has seen the original research done on Genetically Modified (GM) banana by the scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

8. Pears from across the globe(China, US & South Africa) are flooding Indian markets .

9.  The Meenakumari committee recommendations on deep sea fishing has put traditional fishermen and mechanised fishing boat owners on the war path. The fisheries sector, of late, is seeing a series of protests against the move to implement the report, which they feel will affect their livelihood.

Global Agri, Food & Health News - 02May'2015 !

1. The $20.26bn New Mexico State Investment Council has approved a $75 commitment to Brookfield Asset Management's Brazil Agriculture Fund II.This is the council's second investment into an agriculture-related fund this year, after it approved a $200m commitment to a TIAA-CREF fund in February.

2. Africa’s agri sector needs government-led investment into basic infrastructure,and the continent is not growing at the rate it should be said delegates at this week's AVCA conference.

3. The South African food and agribusiness private equity fund Agri-Vie is targeting $175m overall and expects some repeat investors, from its $100m fund.

4. A pioneering salt reduction scheme was derailed by the UK government leading to 6000 preventable deaths, says Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH).

5. The forecasted 50% post-quota increase in Irish milk production is "wildly optimistic," says the US Dairy Export Council (USDEC).

6. Consumers’ concern about genetically modified food is on the rise, but most shoppers are not yet willing to pay a premium for non-GMO foods – making it difficult for manufacturers to evaluate the business case for going non-GMO, according to research by The NPD Group.

7. Egyptian bakery manufacturer Edita has embarked on an aggressive regional expansion drive across the Middle East and North Africa after acquiring the rights to Hostess Brands’ Hoho’s, Twinkies and Tiger Tail brands in 12 new countries.

8. PepsiCo owned Frito-Lay has launched its Doritos Roulette tortilla chips onto the US market and is using Twitter’s new video streaming platform Periscope to support its introduction.

9. Food businesses in Kazakhstan have called on the country’s authorities to restrict imports of meat, oil and dairy products from Russia, despite the fact that the step would contravene the rules of the Customs Union.

10. The new owners of Serbia’s largest biscuit-maker Bambi, Mid Europa Partners (MEP), hope to grow the business to become Eastern Europe's biscuit leader.

11. Synlait Milk has commercialised a "sleep promoting" milk powder, produced using milk collected from cows in the hours of darkness, following a clinical trial.

12. A joint-venture between China and Malaysia has led to the opening of a halal food laboratory in northwestern China.

13. With European Union (EU) milk quotas abolished, Irish dairy cooperative Ornua expects revenue to rise to €3bn by 2020.