Monthly Archives: November 2020

ICRISAT agtech incubatee BharatAgri raises US$ 2 million

LeanCrop Technology Solution Pvt Ltd (BharatAgri), an agtech start-up incubatee with the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI) of ICRISAT, has raised US$ 2 million in pre-Series A funding from 021 Capital and India Quotient.

“This round of funding will be used to further enhance product features and scale up operations to newer states in India. Our unique product offering has been well accepted by farmers on a large scale. We are among the few agri-tech companies in India that have been able to monetize advisory at scale, that too digitally, with over 43,000 farmers using our premium service package,” said Mr Siddharth Dialani, CEO and Co-Founder of BharatAgri.

Founded in 2017 by Ms Sai Gole and Mr Dialani, alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, BharatAgri offers farmers season-long plans that are customized to the crop and field conditions to improve farm yield and quality of produce. The plans include real-time actionable insights that cater to weather-related changes during the season, backed by data science and real-time monitoring using satellite imaging.

“It is heartening news when agtech start-ups win investor trust. Farmers and agriculture in the drylands need all the support they can get and organizations like BharatAgri have a critical role to play. Such developments attract youth to agriculture to solve problems, bridge gaps and create opportunities to increase incomes and improve livelihoods,” said Dr Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT.

BharatAgri has a user base of over 400,000 farmers in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. It offers both free and premium paid services. Besides advisories, premium users get annual soil and water quality checks. The users can use BharatAgri to connect with the market and access other value chain essentials like inputs, machinery, insurance, etc. In terms of impact, farmers have seen over a 40% increase in yield and a significant reduction in costs, the organization claims.

“ABI-ICRISAT accepted us in 2017 into their program and we got very good support from their team in research work guidance, access to facilities for experiments, and our discussions on various issues and ideas ranging from revenue model to field trials that helped to grow the company,” Mr Dialani said. ABI-ICRISAT was also the incubation partner for BharatAgri when it was selected for the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) of Biotechnology Industrial Research & Action Council (BIRAC). Dr Harikishan Sudini was the scientist-mentor from ICRISAT for this project that involved the development of algorithms for pest and disease detection in groundnut.

The robustness of the start-up’s model was proven when the organization emerged from challenges in the initial weeks of COVID-19 lockdown with digital campaigns to help farmers with harvesting schedules and connect them to leading farm-to-market companies. Its 21 Jugaad (21 Smart Tips) to fight pests and nutrient deficiencies using home remedies and live Shetishalas (agri-school) on the BharatAgri app helped keep operations running while supporting farmers in preparing for Kharif 2020. The efforts resulted in an increase in premium subscriptions during the period.

“We are very happy for the BharatAgri team. It has been phenomenal to see their growth since inception. This is a testament to their business model and trust established with farmers. We will continue to support BharatAgri in their scaling-up journey to equip smallholder farmers with tools and knowledge to address various challenges in the sector and beyond,” said Dr Kiran K Sharma, Head of ABI-ICRISAT and Deputy Director General-Research, ICRISAT.

021 Capital is backed by noted entrepreneur Mr Binny Bansal. BharatAgri’s existing investors Better Capital and Mr Ajay Prabhu (COO, Quest Global) also participated in this funding round.

This article was posted in ICRISAT Happenings # 1882, 27 November 2020

Intellectual property databases crucial for innovation in smart agriculture

International experts in a recent webinar discussed how ‘smart agriculture’ – modern information and communication technologies for agriculture – will radically change the way we do things. Patent databases can play a key role in enabling researchers and innovators to leverage technology for agriculture through up-to-date information. Patents or Intellectual Property databases are relevant, valuable and comprehensive sources of technical and legal information that can be used for research and development of innovations.

Computers, satellites, sensors, automated machines, Internet of Things (IoT), drones and a wide range of technologies allow us to reach levels of precision that were unimaginable a few years ago. Key to driving innovation in smart agriculture is the ability to enable researchers, scholars and innovators to access up to date information and research partnerships.

With India’s focus on smart agriculture, it is critical that researchers and innovators understand the current trends in agricultural innovation. When compared with journals or publications, patent databases are much more advanced and informative. “At the Intellectual Property Facilitation Cell at ICRISAT (IPFC), we always advise researchers to refer to patent literature search for latest information while writing a thesis or a proposal, in addition to manuscripts and journals,” said Dr Surya Mani Tripathi, Legal Counsel at ICRISAT.

Patent databases give researchers access to patents documents that can help them learn more about innovations or options to replicate them. “A patent document contains all the technical, legal and business information pertaining to the innovation,” said Mr Ricardo Oltra Garcia, Team Manager – Operations, European Patent Office (EPO).

The technical information included in patent documents are linked to each other that allow to access everything around that innovation or field of technology.
The legal information includes the scope of claims that describe the legal scope of the patent, that is, which part of the innovation has been covered by the particular patent and which isn’t.
The business information includes who the applicant is, companies that are investing in it and allows one to track trends.

Another big advantage of a patent database is the access to global patent information. Patent landscapes help to see and forecast trends in innovations and help build global partnerships. Patent landscapes also help organizations take informed decisions about their IP strategy.

Espacenet

“This is where the European Patent Office comes in. It has the largest patent database in the world, it has over 120 million documents available free of charge via its tool Espacenet,” said Mr Gerard Owens, Country Coordinator, EPO. All patent information in Espacenet is classified, indexed and easily searchable. Espacenet is linked to another free tool called Patent Translate that helps to translate from English to 33 other languages. It is interesting to note that India happens to be the sixth largest user of Espacenet. Ms Ankita Tyagi, Senior Manager IP, European Business & Technology Centre (EBTC) demonstrated how the Espacenet website works and the various features it includes.

The webinar was jointly organized by the EPO, EBTC and IPFC at AIP of ICRISAT on 10 November 2020. A total of 125 participants including scientists, researchers, and innovators took part in the webinar.

Source: ICRISAT Happenings | 21 Nov 2020 | #1881

Legal experts decode rules for plant variety protection registration

Legal experts in plant variety protection noted that registering a new plant variety in India, although time-consuming, can be simplified with a clear understanding of Indian regulatory and legislative frameworks. Steps involved in this registration process were clarified at a recent webinar, along with definitions and various key aspects of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 (PPVFR Act).

Dr Neeti Wilson, a subject expert and partner at the law firm Anand & Anand, and Dr Surya Mani Tripathi, legal counsel at ICRISAT, took the participants through each step in the plant variety registration process during the webinar, which was moderated by Ms Ankita Tyagi, Senior Manager IP, European Business & Technology Centre (EBTC).

Dr Wilson began described the legal scenario and legislative framework for plant protection in the country. She emphasized that, besides the rules and regulations, there were several public notices issued by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FR Authority), Government of India. Some of these public notices include regulations and must be paid close attention to. “For example, last year a public notice was issued on hybrid varieties as to why the hybrids would be registered in a combined manner with their parent line so the notices are very important when we are looking at plant protection variety in India,” Dr Wilson added.

Preparing to file plant variety protection application

Dr Wilson described the criteria for a plant variety to be registered under the PPVFR Act. Currently there are 4,098 registered varieties under the PPVFR Act and 158 species up for registration. She noted that Indian legislative framework was still ‘young’ and evolving in phases. This is because India is developing testing guidelines for each species and that process is time-consuming.

The speakers discussed various milestones in the registration process, noting that the process begins two years before the actual application. They also provided a brief overview on the gamut of applications, forms and fees that need to be planned for, and addressed for a registering a new plant variety. For the pre-application phase, collating all the information on the breeding history and data related to uniformity and stability is a very critical part. “Apart from the forms, the statement of distinctness is the most critical aspect of the application process. This is statement that compares your plant variety with other varieties and shows distinct traits with the support of declarations you submit,” said Dr Wilson.

Plant variety registration procedure

The registration of a plant variety contains four main processes and each process has several steps. The process begins with the application to the Registrar, PPV&FR Authority. “While registration seems looks long and confusing, it can get easier once you become familiar with the processes,” Dr Wilson said. The details of the registration process, the testing phase and the validity of the certificate were also discussed during the webinar.

India’s unique plant protection act
Dr Surya Mani Tripathi highlighted the fact that many countries have taken a cue from India when it comes to drafting their own plant variety protection laws. Although existing International systems that can reduce the registration time exist, India chose to have its own to protect rights of small and marginal farmers that international systems do not allow for.

This webinar, part of a series jointly organized by the European Business & Technology Centre (EBTC) and the Intellectual Property Facilitation Cell (IPFC) at AIP of ICRISAT, was organized on 30 October 2020. A total of 240 participants including scientists, researchers, breeders and farmers took part in the webinar.

A recording of the webinar can be viewed here.

Tribal women-owned food processing unit launched in Utnoor, Telangana

Mr Allola Indrakaran Reddy, Minister for Endowment, Law, Forest and Environment, Telangana, inaugurated a tribal women-run food processing unit in Utnoor on 2 November. The Komaram Bheem Peanut Chikki Industries that the minister opened is wholly owned by first generation tribal entrepreneurs. The unit will supply to government nutrition programs and anganwadis in the tribal region.

This food processing unit is part of a successful collaboration between the Tribal Cooperative Finance Corporation Limited (TRICOR), Tribal Welfare Department of Telangana State, Government of India’s Ministry of Tribal Affairs and ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP). This collaboration aims to localize production and address malnutrition, besides improving economic conditions of tribal communities.

“I am delighted to inaugurate the Komaram Bheem Peanut Chikki Industries in Utnoor today. This unit is a testament to Telangana government’s commitment to development and welfare of tribal populations in the state. That the unit is owned and run by women is another reason for celebration,” the minister said.

Mr. Indrakaran Reddy and Ms. Ajmera Rekha inaugurate the unit.

The food processing unit is designed and equipped with machinery as per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines. It will ensure production of nutritious food products meeting national and international market standards. ICRISAT has trained 80 tribal women farmers from Utnoor, Eturnagaram and Bhadrachalam in Telangana to manage food processing units that are being set up in these blocks.

The training covered food safety management systems, machine operations and maintenance, and quality control. The women will produce hygienically packed, safe and nutritious foods for their communities. ICRISAT has enabled the women to form Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) to manage the food processing units.

“This is a great example of the values that form the basis of ICRISAT’s work – empowering women and the less privileged. Such success is only possible through partnership, and working with the Department of Tribal Welfare has been a wonderful opportunity and their leadership is greatly appreciated,” said Dr Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT.

This project brings together key aspects of ICRISAT’s mandate: nutrition, food safety, sustainable small businesses and gender equity. The project has leveraged locally available dryland crops to create healthy value-added Smart Food products that promote dietary diversity and in the long run address malnutrition in vulnerable communities.

“ICRISAT will continue to support the project towards sustainably scaling up this unique initiative to promote economic independence of tribal women and ensuring the nutritional security of their communities,” said Dr Kiran K Sharma, Deputy Director General-Research, ICRISAT.

The project trains tribal women to be “Nutrition Entrepreneurs” and is critical to ensure evolution of local value chains around local food production and consumption to make vulnerable tribal communities sustainable, especially post COVID-19. Going forward, this initiative will empower tribal communities by establishing more units and build their capacity to run the units in a sustainable manner, contributing towards not only health and nutrition, but sustainable livelihoods as well.