India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 26Dec'15 !

1. Come January 1, government-run Air India will no longer serve non-vegetarian food to its economy class passengers on flights of up to 90 minutes duration. The national carrier has also decided to strike off both tea and coffee from its lunch and dinner.
2. Onion exports fall 18%  to 4.86 lakh tonnes during April-September on govt restrictions.
3. Rashtriya Krishi Mela - Chhattisgarh 2015 Agricultural Exhibition & Conference
 Dec 26, 2015 To Dec 28, 2015, Exhibition Ground, Infront of Indira Gandhi Krishi MahaVidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
4. IIT & CII - FACE Certified Food Professional Course: Batch IV, Start Date: Dec 15, 2015, End Date: Dec 30, 2015 Venue: IIT Kharagpur Campus, India 
5. 4th Edition - AgriCon 2015, Engineering Excellence for Agriculture, Mar 04, 2016, Venue: Hotel Hilton, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, Guindy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 25Dec'15 !

1. Corporates evince keen interest in Floriculture cultivation sector in India as 90% of demand is now met via imports.
2. Amul's Aggregator model aimed at eliminating middlemen from supply chain & providing higher remuneration to farmers. In this model, private players could be incentivised to work as aggregators to collect farm produce and sell it to consumers.
3. NABARD to provide assistance of Rs 75 crore to Rajasthan for infrastructure facilities and financial literacy at village level.
4. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade excluded Onions from Minimum Export Price (MEP) restriction.
5. Climate - Rapid warming of the Indian Ocean may potentially turn this biologically productive region into an ecological desert, according to a new study by scientists at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 25Dec'15 !

1.  SFP (Sustainable Farm Partners) seeks $40m to convert US row crops to organic through share crop leases.
2. Dairy Crest has bought out its joint venture partner for £6M as it prepares to start selling a prebiotic widely used in infant formula.
3. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published its long-awaited final rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals (FSVP).
4. Mass spectrometry has broken through in food more than other sectors primarily because contaminant testing depends on trace analysis, says Agilent.
5. As the global dairy industry grapples with issues of oversupply and the changing face of product mixes, Asia-Pacific countries will hold massive sway over the direction the market takes over the coming 12 months, according to the US Dairy Export Council.

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition udpates - 24Dec'15 !

1. The revenue share from the organized dairy segment could rise to 25% of India's total dairy market by fiscal 2018, up from 19% in fiscal 2015.
2. Government of India (GOI) launched two mobile Apps - The AgriMarket Mobile App and Crop Insurance Mobile App, developed by the in-house IT division of the Agriculture Ministry and can be downloaded from Google Store or mKisan portal.
3. Indian tea industry faces major challenges affecting production, quality and costs due to climate changes viz. Droughts, floods & severe attack of pests.
4. Cabinet approves Rs 3,000 crore scheme for fisheries sector that covers about 14.50 million fishers.
5. Indonesia has decided to open its market for Indian rice, pharmaceuticals and bovine meat, a big breakthrough for the country to diversify its export basket to the Southeast Asian nation with which India has a huge trade deficit.
6. According to a Survey, Nearly 70% of the agricultural households in India owned land less than 1 hectare while 0.4% such households possessed more than 10 hectare.
7. The India Met Department has forecast heavy rain at isolated places over south coastal Tamil Nadu from December 27 as part of an easterly wave activity directed towards Sri Lanka.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 24Dec'15 !

1. CDPQ leads C$300m raise for Canadian dairy processor.

2. Pontifax leads $17m funding round for agri robotics.

3. Campbell Global acquires 100,000 acres of Washington timberland.

4. Sustainable timber fund raises $130m .

5.American Farmland acquires almond and fruit land in California.

6. In the Food & Agriculture Technology Market, Volumes are set to surpass $4 billion by the end of the year, breaking all records.

7. Four traditional farming systems i.e. One in Bangladesh (Floating Gardens) and 3 in Japan have been acknowledged by U.N. for their importance to Global Agriculture.

8. A New Zealand report has set out a series of actions to ensure the dairy industry's future food safety capability, building on the 'good shape' of the sector in 2015.

9. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide millions of dollars in funding to reduce rural poverty and increase the incomes of thousands of households and smallholder families in south Asia.

10. Nestle scientists are working on a new formula for slow-relese coffee, something that could conceivably spread the effects of caffine out over a longer period of time.

11. China's biggest fruit distributor (Joyvio Group) has merged with one of its major fruit producers(Golden Wing Mau group) to create the country's largest fruit business.

12. Pinnacle Foods’ $975 million acquisition of Boulder Brands gives it a better foothold in the fast-growing refrigerated and health food segments.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition udpates - 23Dec'15 !

1. The $170m fund has invested in a forestry concession in Indonesia, and plans to make a second in Indo-China early next year.
2. Anterra leads $5.5m agri data round.
3. Abacus Emerging Markets and state-owned KazAgro will bridge the gap between local agribusinesses and foreign investors in Kazhakastan.
4. After years of battling undernutrition, Africa is facing an emerging threat of obesity and the two must be considered simultaneously, according to the director of nutrition at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). 
5. A coalition of international labour rights and environmental groups has questioned whether audits carried out by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) were robust enough to root out members that used slave labour.
6. Tetra Pak has signed the Paris Pledge for Action at COP21, joining other major signatories from the food and beverage industry including Nestlé, Diageo, The Kellogg Company and Mars Incorporated.
7. In the drinks segment, Ball Corporation has won Brazilian approval of its proposed £5.4bn ($8.2bn) acquisition of Rexam.
8. Körber technology group has completed its acquisition of Efacec Handling Solutions strengthening its presence across Portugal, Czech Republic, India, Singapore, and Spain.
9. Moderate drinking could reduce the risk of death for people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.
10. US retail sales of Greek yogurt have been picking up strongly over the past year, according to the latest Nielsen data*, with year-on-year (YoY) percentage growth up from 4.6% in the latest 52 weeks, to 6.1% in the latest 26 weeks, 7.4% in the latest 13 weeks, and 9.2% in the latest four weeks.
 

AgriSolve partner's with kCubeConsulting !

1. 'AgriSolve' partner's with 'kCubeConsulting' to provide Geo-Spatial solutions for Agriculture(Crop) Industry. Talks have been concluded in this regard on Thursday (17Dec'15).

2. AgriSolve's strong social network of Blogspot, Linked In, 3100+Farmers on FaceBook and 250+Farm Companies, Agriprofessionals on Twitter will be leveraged to promote the services.

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 18Dec'15 !

1. Cashew export shipments have plunged 37 per cent in volumes and 31 per cent in value in November 2015 from a year ago.
2. Indian Government asks private companies to invest in agri-extension services that would focus on educating farmers about the application of scientific research and new knowledge of agri-practices. At present, farm extension services are being provided mainly by the public sector.

3. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University here has cautioned farmers in coastal districts of the State of possible pest infestation to the crops in the aftermath of the recent rains.
4. In a programme on agricultural project management sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt.Of.India, Officers of Agriculture ministries of six countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar) have underlined the need to study the impact of El Nino while preparing agricultural projects.
5. The centre has urged states to introduce e-Market platform (Electronic agriculture market) that would cover 250 mandis by September'2016.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 18Dec'15 !

1. Rabobank says in Brazil, wet weather has made production more difficult, tightening global supplies.

2. Moringa agroforestry fund holds €84 million final close.

3. Egypt’s Qalaa Holdings has sold a mothballed cheese company and the Sudanese division of its sweets producer in deals totalling almost US$10m, the group announced this month.

4. Bioscience company Chr Hansen wins €75m from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to 'develop new microbial solutions'.

5. Symrise wins €125m EIB loan for nutrition and skin R&D.

6. Serbian confectionery industry receives €250m loan from European Investment Bank.

7.  Dollar sales of Plum Organics urge 44% in 2015 in measured channels in the past 52 weeks.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition udpates - 17Dec'15 !

1. Moringa agroforestry fund holds €84 million final close.
2. Australian herd numbers have fallen, which could open up more export opportunities for competitors to US and Chinese markets in Brazil, India and Argentina.
3. Argentine president Mauricio Maccri relaxes Foriegn exchange rules and scraps taxes on Agriculture exports.
4. Wheatsheaf leads $20m raise for indoor farming specialist.
5. DuPont, Dow merger – ‘likely to be one of the biggest M&A transactions of 2016.
6. Specialty rice producer Amira sees significant potential for Basmati to win the hearts of Americans, who lately have been flirting more with Indian food and ancient grains.
7. Royal Hawaiian Orchards is aiming to hit $100m in wholesale sales within five years after expanding its macadamia offerings, says the company's CEO.
8. USDA announced the availability of $3.4 million for research projects in support of the new International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) program.
9. Australia and China are set to foster closer ties in agricultural research and wine production with the launch of a new collaborative research centre at the University of Adelaide's Waite campus in South Australia.
10. Korean scientists have discovered a small molecule EPPS that destroys the protein plaques that build up in the brain of those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
11. India’s food regulator never “banned” Maggi noodles but instead issued a show-cause notice to Nestlé for an explanation about lead levels and product labelling, a court has heard.
12. Saudi Arabia will see US$8bn in new aquaculture investment according to the Ministry of Agriculture, while Kuwait’s fish market troubles continue as shrimp prices rise.
13. Though the direct impact of rising temperatures on agricultural yields is widely known, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) press that the processing and packaging steps of the global food system are crucial intervention points to protect global food security.

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 14Dec'15 !

1. Attempts for a breakthrough on a special safeguard mechanism to protect poor farmers against an indiscriminate rise in imports spearheaded by India and other developing countries of the G-33 alliance have failed to yield results.
2. India's vegetable oil imports in November rose 13 per cent from a year ago to 1.34 million tonnes.
3. Maharashtra CM calls on farmers to adopt new agriculture technologies in order to improve and increase their farm yield.
4. Blow to Monsanto as agriculture ministry set to control cotton seed prices.
5. Aimed at boosting farm productivity, Indian Prime Minister has allocated Rs 100 crore to states to prepare soil health cards.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition udpates - 12Dec'15!

1. The organic industry is the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture, with sales growing from $1 billion in 1990 to nearly $35 billion in 2012.

2. AeroFarms Raises $20m Series B from Global Investors.

3. Government-led Coalition (U.S., Sweden, Germany) Invests $12.9m into Clean Energy Agtech for Emerging Markets.

4. Google Campus Inspires UK’s First Agtech Startup Facility, Farm491.

5. Ripple Foods Raises $14m Series A to Launch Plant-Based Milk Product.

6.  2.5 years after opening a $206m, 350,000 sq ft factory in Batavia, New York, PepsiCo and German dairy giant Theo Müller Group have agreed to count their losses and exit their joint venture (Muller Quaker Dairy). The plant has been sold to Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) for an undisclosed sum.

7. Kellogg will work with its suppliers directly for the first time to help reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2050.

8. DuPont and The Dow Chemical Company have ended speculation by announcing they are to merge and the combined company will be called DowDuPont.

9. Australia and China are set to foster closer ties in agricultural research and wine production with the launch of a new collaborative research centre at the University of Adelaide's Waite campus in South Australia.

10. Asia-Pacific is home to the country with the world’s highest rate of diabetes and also one of the lowest, the annual International Diabetes Foundation “Atlas” reveals.

11. A European Commission report says the EU market for dairy commodities and milk imports will grow 2.4% annually up to 2025 as European demand rises.

12. According to a U.N report, an Elnino effect would possibly result in rains & floods in South India between now and Feb'16.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition News - 09Dec'15 !

1.  Liontrust will invest in aquaculture and water testing. The fund, expected to be approved in Dublin next year, will rely on globally rising water prices, as well as the demand for water safety in China and salmon from Norway.
2. Eurostat’s report shows that while one in four farm holdings disappeared between 2003 and 2013, the average size of each holding went up by 38 percent.
3. Using drugs that are crucial to humans in livestock could claim 10 million lives each year by 2050, a UK report warns.
4. Prosetta Bio-science secures $31m private placement and looks at cell-free protein synthesizing systems to find new treatments for animal and human diseases.
5. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will result in greater accountability for food safety and is expected to reduce incidence of foodborne illness, according to the partner of a law firm - Hogan Lowells.
6. The number of illnesses in the E. coli O26 outbreak linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill has risen to 52.
7. Asda, the Co-operative and Marks & Spencer (M&S) were all forced to recall products last week over mislabelled allergen advice that could cause health risks to allergen sufferers.
8. Each year as many as 600 million, or almost one in 10 people in the world, fall ill after consuming contaminated food, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
9.  Nestlé claims it has become the first major confectioner in the UK & Ireland to source all its cocoa 100% sustainably.
10. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ordered that Canada and Mexico accept a third of the compensation they were seeking for economic losses caused by the USA’s country-of-origin labelling (COOL) rules for beef and pork.

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 08Dec'15 !

1. With the introduction of Noodle's by Baba Ramdev's Patanjali group, the market has heated up.

2. Ahead of the World Trade Organisation’s 10th Ministerial in Nairobi from December 15-18, hundreds of big farmer organisations across India have urged the government not to give in to pressure by rich nations to cap subsidies.

3. With pulses supplies improving but prices still ruling comparatively high, the Centre has released over ₹90 crore to various agencies (FCI, NAFED, SFAC) for procurement to create a buffer stock. 

4. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) – which started the initiative of marketing pulses – aims to create a strong brand that offers quality pulses in the country, as it looks to scale it up with a long-term view. Its wholly-owned subsidiary Mother Dairy Fruits & Vegetables is selling pulses under brand Safal.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 08Dec'15 !

1. Each year as many as 600 million, or almost one in 10 people in the world, fall ill after consuming contaminated food, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
2. Poland occupies 46% of central Europe’s supplements markets that will grow collectively at 7.6% annually until 2020 with improved economic indicators, analyst PMR has said.
3. Saline water overflows from Atlantic ocean a real cause of concern to the Farmlands of Senegal.
4. Food and drink businesses with a turnover of more than £36M a year should prepare now to comply with the new Modern Slavery Act or risk “disaster”, warns law firm Roythornes, after Nestlé revealed plans to stamp out labour abuses in its supply chain.
5. The world packaging machinery market will grow by 4.9% over the next three years to reach €40.3bn in 2018, according to Ucima, the Italian Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Association.
6. The European Commission has launched an IT system which will be used to exchange information on cross-border violations of EU food chain rules such as food fraud.
7. Monsanto urges Philippines to embrace GM and biotech to avoid food crisis.

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition udpates - 07Dec'15 !

1. Soil Fertility Testing cards will be issued to all the Farmer's in the country by the next 3 years, the Indian P.M is quoted as saying.

2. Mobile Soil Fertility testing vans are being deployed one in every district of Andhra Pradesh.

3. Andhra Pradesh Govt. issued orders that if anyone resorts to Artificial ripening of fruits using Carbide, a 6 months jail and 1 Lakh penalty will be handed over to them.

4. One in every Five food items in the country are found to be of low quality and misleading the customers. Uttarpradesh, Madhyapradesh and Punjab are the top Three states in the category of states compromising on Food Security.

5. Rising temperatures due to greenhouse gases (Global Warming) and El Nino are said to be taking a toll on the wheat crop s as late planting in the hottest year on record is set to delay the harvest and severyly hit farm yields, magnifying rural distress.

6. With no end in sight to the pricing tussle with Mahyco-Monsanto – the Bt cotton technology provider – the seed industry has approached the Centre to intervene and resolve the knotty issue. Invoking the Patent Act, Competition Act or the Environment Protection Act, the industry asked the government to help fix the price of cottonseed, including the royalty fee (or trait value).

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition udpates - 05Dec'15 !

1. Asian markets have led demand for vegetable ingredients (Puree of Carrot, Courgette, Kale), but the appetite from US and European markets has increased and this growth is expected to continue gathering pace, according to SVZ.
2. An Indian Minister of State for Finance has mentioned that Farm/Agriculture loans will not be waived off but instead, a National Crop Insurance programe will be implemented thoroughly and by offering farm loans at a low interest rate of 7%. The 33% crop damage criteria will be considered instead of the earlier 50% one for crop insurances.
3. The Agriculture Ministry has proposed further hike in import duty of edible oils by 5 per cent in a bid to protect the interest .
4. Wet spells may revisit Chennai for 10 more days, says US agency.
5. The Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad is organising an ICAR-Industry meet today (Saturday) to display of technologies and services with potential of commercialisation.
 

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 05Dec'15 !

1. China on road to reforming agri finance services - Jilin province is to pilot a scheme which will see banks provide more loans and financial services to agribusinesses.
2. With Global Warming, Irrigated crop acreage in the US could decline as soon as 2020.
3. With a goal to collect video and sensor data related to Agriculture, Drone Aviation raises $4m for tethered drone system.
4. Zero Gravity Solutions, the producer of space-tech agri products raises $3m for plant nutrient system and also expects to gain listing on a senior exchange in 2016.
5. Tetra Pak has expanded its OneStep processing technology for milk from powder partnering with Sadafco dairy in Saudi Arabia, one of the largest producers of recombined milk products.
6. Tetra Pak and its sister company DeLaval, part of Tetra Laval Group, have signed a five-year agreement with the Dairy Association of China to train 150 Chinese dairy farm managers over the next five years to run large-scale dairy farms.
7. A British organic dairy cooperative (OMSCo) has broken into the one of the world’s most lucrative markets after being awarded the UK’s first licence to export organic products to China.
8. The dairy market is more than adequately supplied into 2016, as there is likely 400,000 metric tons of excess dairy across the world, mostly in the form of powder, according to the US Dairy Export Council.
9. High in protein and omega-3, Peruvian sacha inchi has ‘superfood’ potential, according to a supplier of its oil and protein powder.
10. Danone, One of France’s biggest dairy companies has unloaded its failing Chinese infant formula unit to Yashili in a deal worth US$159m.
11. Danone-Nutricia has invested €240m in a new production plant in the Netherlands on the back of double-digit sales growth of infant formula products such as Aptamil and Nutrilon.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition udpates - 04Dec'15 !

1. Supplements of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract may improve muscle strength, size, and recovery, say results of a new randomized, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study.
2. Italian researchers have developed a functional pasta rich in polyphenols and fortified with probiotic strain Bacillus coagulans.
3. The EU has pledged to spend £4.8M (€7M) in combating “a dangerous plant pathogen” that targets fruit trees, such as olive trees, and grave vines.
4. UK organic meat producers explores the potential of exporting to China following the granting of a licence via the Soil Association and the Organic Food Development and Certification Centre of China (OFDC).
5. Tyson Foods, the US food company, is to close two of its prepared food plants, affecting the jobs of 880 people.
6. According to recent DNA research, Russians were the first to bring cheese to Europe 4,000 years ago.
7. The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host the 92nd Annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in Arlington, Va. on Feb. 25-26, 2016. The theme would be "Transforming Agriculture: Blending Technology and Tradition."
8. Dairy ingredients, including milk powder, whey, lactose and casein, are slated to reach $59.8bn by 2020 Globally, with yearly growth of approximately 5.6%, according to a recent report.
9. Each year as many as 600 million, or almost one in 10 people in the world, fall ill after consuming contaminated food, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
10. More than 1,400 international food and drink exhibitors descended on Paris for the Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) show this week.
11.The dairy market is more than adequately supplied into 2016, as there is likely 400,000 metric tons of excess dairy across the world, mostly in the form of powder, according to the US Dairy Export Council.

India Agriculture, Food & Nutirition update - 04Dec'15 !

1. Indian investor IBS Synergies has unveiled plans to invest about US$150m (€140.6m) in a greenfield project related to Poultry Industry in Romania.

2. The Indian Govt has suggested that the Agricultural Equipment & Tool Manufacturers list M.R.P rate, on every product sales (Rotovators etc) to the farmers.

3. Companies working in the food processing sector -- from Field Fresh to Cargill -- feel more investment is required in farmland for building up infrastructure and providing technology to Indian farmers.

4. To meet its growing demand, India needs to lift its annual food production to 333 million tonnes by 2050 against the current level of 252 million tonnes, according to a Grant Thornton-FICCI report.

5. India's sugar production rose 24 per cent to 23.60 lakh tonnes (LT) in the first two months of the current marketing year on higher output from Maharashtra. India is the second largest producer and biggest consumer of sugar in the world.

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 03Dec'15 !

1. Agriculture growth is likely to be “moderate” in the current fiscal as prospects of both rabi and kharif crops have been affected by vagaries of monsoon, the Reserve Bank of India said.
2. India will soon become an urea surplus state from a deficit state and start exporting it, Union Fertiliser Minister said. Urea production is expected to rise by 7 per cent to a record 24 million tonnes this fiscal year.

3. The total cotton output in the country is estimated to be 370.50 lakh bales for the 2015-16 season which began on October 1, an industry body said.

4. Flooded Chennai would need to be prepared to deal with rain of varying intensity for another fortnight, according to the US Climate Prediction Centre.  India Met Department has on Wednesday extended the ‘heavy to very heavy rain’ forecast for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for four more days until Sunday.

5. In view of higher dal prices in the retail market, the govt had decided to create a buffer stock and accordingly NAFED, SFAC to procure 40,000 tons pulses for Rs 350 crore.

6. The forthcoming 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) scheduled to be held at Nairobi from December 15-18 poses tough challenges for developing nations including India related to matters of Food Security, Special Safegaurd Mechanisms/Measures, MSP (Minimum Support Prices), Subsidies etc.

7. The Andhrapradesh Govt seeks support from Japan on Agriculture/Food industry front promising 10Lakh acres.

 

India Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 02Dec'15 !

1. The overall Indian food industry is expected to be worth US$65.4bn by 2018, a research report has estimated.
2. India readies to combat malnutrition through fortification programme; Food processing minister calls for FDI in produce retailing; and e-Commerce start-up brings ayurvedic formulation to an app.
3. Sharwood’s wants to become the No. 1 brand in the US for pre-made Indian sauces and accompaniments, just like it is in the U.K., by instituting Thursday as “curry night,” according to the food brand’s maker Premier Foods.
4. Commerce Ministry to hold meeting with pulses importers tomorrow to decide on the amount of pulses to be imported by PSUs.
5. In view of higher dal prices, NAFED and SFAC to procure 40,000 tons of pulses for Rs 350 crore.
6. India imported 3.76 lakh tonnes wheat in April-September from Australia.
7. The 'soaker trough' spraying rain into Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and coastal Andhra Pradesh will not get a move off its current perch over South-West Bay of Bengal until Saturday, global weather maps show.
8. India is close to attaining 4% growth in agriculture while grappling with a new set of challenges in the form of stressed natural resources and climate change.
9. According to various industry estimates pests and disease infestation amounts to crop losses worth Rs 50,000 crore each  year in INDIA.

Global Agriculture, Food & Nutrition updates - 02Dec'15 !

1. GreenSoil raises €50-€70 million to invest in Europe and Israel.
2. SLM Partners seeks $100m for sustainable farming in Chile.
3.  Agriculture has attracted more overall capital ($3.9bn) in 2015.
4. Caixa Capital Risc, Middleland Capital and Novozymes joined Monsanto to raise €5.7m series A  equity for Madrid-based PlantResponse Biotech.
5. The Chinese drone maker DJI is using new capital to move into sophisticated agricultural drone technology, and plans to open a new research facility in Silicon Valley.
6. With a  $32m deal, Farmland Partners acquires 7,400 acres of Louisiana farmland.
7. High-resolution accurate mass mass spectrometry capabilities can take food safety testing to ‘another level’, according to Thermo Scientific.
8. Foodborne outbreaks accounted for 3,301 illnesses, 225 hospitalizations and 30 deaths, according to an analysis of a reporting system in Canada.
9. Oman and Japan have agreed to form a US$400m investment fund focused on food and agribusiness, aimed at boosting the industry in Oman as well as Japanese exports.
10.  From closing out its $7 million Series A round of funding in September 2014 on AgFunder, the agriculture-focused online investment platform, 'aWhere' is now partner to some of the top names in agribusiness - Sage Insights, John Deere, DN2K, MyAgCentral, AgVerdict, Willbur-Ellis etc.
11.Fonterra's work with FOSS and Arla Foods on a method to screen for adulterants served as a foundation for the development of its award-winning Milk Fingerprinting technology.
12. US agencies are investigating 19 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7) infections linked to rotisserie chicken salad made and sold in Costco Wholesale stores.
13. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will sample and test cucumbers and hot peppers in fiscal year 2016 under a sampling program.
14. As Singapore’s National Environment Agency launches a campaign to curb food wastage, it was revealed that residents each dumped roughly 150kg of food last year.
15. Japanese savoury snack manufacturer Calbee UK will make a “significant investment” in its Deeside factory in Wales and boost staff numbers to 100, after winning a contract to supply 650 Tesco stores, the firm has revealed.
16.Dietary supplementation with olive oil may protect blood vessels from the deleterious effects of air pollution, suggests a new study from the US Environment Protection Agency.
17. Nestlé has launched a one-finger KitKat made with edible gold leaves for $16 a bar at its Chocolatory boutiques in Japan.
18. Around 32 of 1400 exhibiting companies (3%) have pulled out of the industry event Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) next week in Paris following the city’s fatal attacks, despite efforts from the organiser to up security.
19. The Russian government has imposed sanctions on food imports from Turkey in protest after a Turkish jet shot down a Russian warplane, stepping up the unofficial sanctions of last week.
20. General Mills has rolled out its $500m higher-fiber brand Fiber One to retailers in the UK for the first time.
21. Supplements of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract may improve muscle strength, size, and recovery, say results of a new randomized, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study.