Category Archives: Uncategorized

Further steps must be taken towards implementing appropriate biosafety and food quality standards by enhancing the technical skills of laboratory personnel from the developing countries of Asia and Africa. The ultimate goal is to ensure Inclusive Market-Oriented Development (IMOD) by leveraging on the potential of the agribusiness and food processing sectors in Asia and Africa, ICRISAT Director General Dr William D Dar said.

Dr Dar was speaking at the training program on “Analytical Techniques in Nutrition, Food Safety and Biosafety” organized by ICRISAT in association with the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutes (APAARI). The Director General, in his address, highlighted that such capacity building activities are part of ICRISAT’s efforts to help develop mechanisms to link the smallholder farmers to markets, and make them resilient and sustainable in the long run.

During the two-week training program, the participants were provided hands-on training in understanding Genetically Engineered Food safety assessment; risk analysis for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – concepts, methods, and issues; use of GMOs under containment, confined, and limited field trials; post-release monitoring of GMOs; and allergenicity and toxicity assessment in GM crops.

The participants were also exposed to nutritional analysis, sessions on laboratory accreditation (ISO/IEC 17025:2005), rules and regulations in the food industry and their implications on international trade. Hands-on training on different analytical aspects of food testing was arranged at the National Collateral Management Services Ltd (NCML), Hyderabad.

Addressing the participants, Dr RS Paroda, Executive Secretary, APAARI, stressed on the importance of establishing accredited laboratories, especially in the public sector, and their need in the current global scenario. Dr JL Karihaloo, Coordinator, Biotechnology Program (APCoAB), APAARI also spoke on APAARI’s activities in biosafety, with special emphasis on the role of GMOs in addressing food and nutritional security.

Dr Kiran Sharma, Director – Platform for Translational Research on Transgenic Crops (PTTC) said, “Food safety starts from post-harvest handling through storage, processing, distribution and consumption. Appropriate interventions across the food value chain can prevent contamination and outbreak of food-borne diseases. Nutritional security is not possible without food safety and biosafety,” he emphasized.

Giving feedback on the training program, Dr Miladis Mabutol Afidchao from Philippines said: “The training program covered the most recent and important aspects of nutrition, food and biosafety. We look forward to greater exposure to specific areas of analytical testing.”

Another participant, Mr Sydney Phiri of Zambia said: “We learnt a lot on better scientific practices and new technologies for food and biosafety. The technical part of the process and analysis as well as the principles behind the analysis were explained to us well.”

The training program was supported by the Research Programs on Dryland Cereals and Grain Legumes and was coordinated by PTTC and the NutriPlus Knowledge Program of the ICRISAT Agribusiness Innovation Platform. Eighteen participants from Nepal, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Thailand, Syria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Zambia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe attended the training at the ICRISAT headquarters.

ICRISAT participated in the celebrations of Dr Norman Borlaug’s birth centenary organized by the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII). This ceremony was held on 26 August along with the 13th Iranian Crop Science Congress and 3rd Iranian Seed Science and Technology Conference.

Dr. Pooran Gaur, Assistant Research Program Director – Grain Legumes represented ICRISAT. Several dignitaries including Mr Mahmoud Hojjati, Minister of Agriculture, Islamic Republic of Iran and Dr Kenneth M Quinn, President of World Food Prize were present. The CGIAR institutes represented included ICRISAT, ICARDA, IRRI and CIMMYT.

At the sixth edition of ‘Agri Tech India 2014’, Mr Aravazhi Selvaraj, Chief Operating Officer, ICRISAT Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP), emphasized the crucial role of entrepreneurship and innovations in agriculture. He elaborated on the role of ICRISAT in bringing different stakeholders together to accelerate the development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources, services and technology commercialization through public-private partnership. The event showcased the use of latest technologies in post-harvest management, value addition in food processing, and packaging. It also provided an opportunity for growers, wholesalers, importers, exporters and other stakeholders from various segments of agriculture and allied sectors, to expand and diversify their activities.

In partnership with the Ready-To-Eat (RTE) food industry ICRISAT will initiate pilot projects involving smallholder farmers, towards understanding the traits required by the food processing industry for facilitating the rapid adoption of ICRISAT mandate crops in the industry. The projects will also help the private RTE entrepreneurs appreciate the untapped opportunities of ICRISAT mandate crops.

With focus on leveraging the growth potential of the RTE food processing sector, the NutriPlus Knowledge Program of the ICRISAT Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) along with ASSOCOM- India organized the “6th Symposium on Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Foods: Creating flourishing opportunities and promoting consumption among masses”.

The event provided a platform for stakeholders from various sectors of the food and allied industries to discuss and share latest opportunities for research and development, entrepreneurship and market potential of the RTE foods segment. It also helped them strategize ways to promote affordable, safe and nutritional RTE foods among the masses.

Dr Saikat Datta Mazumdar, Chief Operating Officer (COO), NutriPlus Knowledge Program, urged the RTE food industry to work towards products and technologies based on the health benefits of ICRISAT mandate crops. He also stressed on the need to foster Inclusive Market Oriented Development (IMOD) as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of the food processing industries.

“Implementation of an overall food safety program for the masses, through development and promotion of affordable, hygienically packed, long shelf-life, nutritionally rich RTE foods is the need of the hour,” he highlighted.

Other topics of discussion included regulatory aspects, policies, role of RTE foods in nutritional security and food safety.
The event was inaugurated on 4 August in Mumbai, India, by Mr Jagdish Prasad Meena, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India. Well-known RTE manufacturers, retailers and technology providers including MTR Foods, Marico Industries, Future Consumer Enterprise, Buhler, and Clextral took part in this event.

The ‘Boot Camp on Business Development and Capital Raising’ conducted by ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) helped 24 prospects secure business incubation support and three prospects secured funding from participating banks.

The camp was to help start-ups explore opportunities in agri-business, farm opportunities and food processing ventures, and provide a platform for sharing and exchange of ideas and innovations in availing incubation services, funding assistance and marketing support.

“This boot camp gave me a deep insight on the tools necessary to analyze my idea and feel confident about it. This camp has helped build my network, work on new opportunities available in the agricultural sector and learn from my peers,” said, Mr Manjunath from Gulbarga, a participant.

Mr SM Karuppanchetty, COO, Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program, ICRISAT-AIP, discussed the role of ICRISAT-AIP in promoting start-ups, agribusiness ventures and nurturing innovations.

Dr Saikat Datta Mazumdar, COO, NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK) Program of ICRISAT-AIP presented the various opportunities that small and medium entrepreneurs can avail in various sectors of the rapidly growing food industry. He also highlighted on the schemes available under Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India.

Mr Aravazhi Selvaraj, COO, Innovation & Partnership (INP) Program of ICRISAT-AIP discussed the funding opportunities available from the Technopreneur Promotion Program of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, banks and venture capitalists.

The camp was held on 5 August at ICRISAT-India. More than 40 agribusiness innovators and entrepreneurs from the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka, explored new opportunities in farm opportunities, food processing ventures, funding assistance and marketing support.

At Seed Tech Asia 2014 conference organized by ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) stakeholders focused on how technological interventions and proper management at the post-harvest stage can help reduce losses and thus improve yields for the smallholder farmers.

As part of the conference, an Indo-Israel session on ‘Post-Harvest and Food Security’ was organized. This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Technologies on Post-Harvest Handling of Crop Produce – Way towards self-sufficiency’. The sessions focused on how to improve the post-harvest scenario for the Indian smallholder farmer drawing on experiences from Israel.

Dr Saikat Datta Mazumdar, COO, NPK-AIP, ICRISAT, presented a case study discussion on ‘Food Technology and Food Processing’. Mr Aravazhi Selvaraj, COO, INP-AIP, ICRISAT, presented on ‘Post-harvest Scenario and Need for its Management’.

During the conference, ICRISAT team interacted with Mr Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Agriculture Minister of the newly formed state of Telangana, India. The minister discussed with ICRISAT the agricultural and horticultural development plans for Telangana.

The Seed Tech Asia 2014 conference held on 8-9 July 2014, was hosted as part of AGRITEX 2014, an agricultural trade fair, bringing together the farming community, agri-specialists and agri-service providers under one roof. This is the biggest platform for promoting start-ups and agripreneurs in India.

Coffee smallholder farmers in Uganda can now look forward to better entrepreneurship and agribusiness opportunities and become stronger players in the coffee value chain with the launch of the Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development (CURAD). CURAD also aims to work towards becoming the leading generator of young agribusiness entrepreneurs to create jobs and wealth in East Africa.

ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) program has facilitated the establishment of CURAD, an agribusiness incubator that will work along the coffee value chain, at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Station, Kabanyolo in Kampala, Uganda.

CURAD is one of the six agribusiness incubators being established under the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa’s initiative on Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation (FARA-UniBRAIN) project with mentoring support from ICRISAT-ABI of the institute’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP).

“FARA is committed to help the African farming community through initiatives like CURAD. We will work towards promoting agro-entrepreneurs in Uganda and elevate the position of Ugandan coffee in the international market,” said Dr Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director, FARA and chief guest during the launch.

In his keynote address, Dr Kiran K Sharma, CEO, ICRISAT-AIP, highlighted ABI’s efforts in mentoring 22 agribusiness incubators in India and in establishing five Food Processing Business Incubation Centers in Africa under the India-Africa Forum Summit-II. He also spoke of extending support to all Agribusiness Innovation Incubator Consortia (AIIC) established under FARA-UniBRAIN and in exploring opportunities to scale-up this unique initiative across different African nations and work towards their sustainability.

“The Danish Government contributes about US$ 2 billion every year for various development activities across the globe and it will continue to support initiatives like UniBRAIN in the African continent,” said Mr Henrik Vistisen, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark.

“The AIIC established under the UniBRAIN initiative is committed to carry out extensive entrepreneurship activities in Africa and contribute immensely to the overall development of different nations,” said Mr Alex Ariho, UniBRAIN facility coordinator.

Others who spoke during the launch were: Mr Joseph Nkandu, Executive Director, National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises (NUCAFE); and Dr Samuel Kyamanywa, Principal Investigator of CURAD. Hon Gerald Ssendaula, CURAD Board Chairperson; Prof Bernard Bashasha, Principal, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University; Ms Irene Frempong, Director, FARA; and many other dignitaries were present during the program.

Officially launched on 9 May, CURAD is primarily promoted by the Makerere University, NUCAFE, the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), the University of Copenhagen, and NIRAS International.

FARA also organized a UniBRAIN steering committee meeting on 8 May, where Mr Ariho presented the progress and scaling-up strategy of UniBRAIN.

Mr S Aravazhi, COO, ICRISAT-ABI, presented the institute’s experiences in successfully running the Network of Indian Agribusiness Incubators (NIABI) and the way forward for the African Agribusiness Incubation Network (AAIN) leading to the formation of the Global Agribusiness Incubation (GABI) network.

Binging public and private sectors together in promoting innovations, partnership and entrepreneurial climate in the Indian agricultural sector, the Agri Innovation Conclave 2014 concluded successfully in New Delhi on 18-19 May.

The Conclave was the culmination of the Krishi Parivartan Yatra, a train journey of 50 National Agricultural Innovation Project’s (NAIP) farmer beneficiaries across five cities to share success stories on agri-ventures, and the Agri-Biz Idol Camps held to reach out to the youth and start-up entrepreneurs. The Conclave convened agribusiness experts, professionals, and other stakeholders from across the country, on a common platform to share NAIP’s success and conceive path breaking ideas for strengthening the future of agribusiness in India.

Organized by of the NAIP of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in collaboration with the Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) program of ICRISAT, the two-day Conclave marked the successful completion of NAIP, showcasing success stories and best agri- innovative products developed under the project.

“This is just the beginning of big things to come. Transformation is important to enable economies to progress. One of the best ways to achieve this is to promote entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. Entrepreneurs act as major building blocks of the economy anywhere in the world today. Agribusiness incubation is the only way to solve the many and diverse challenges faced by entrepreneurs,” said Dr William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, in his special address at the Conclave.

“For us, the parameters of success have been the farmers and their growth. We call it an agricultural transformation, as we intended at the end of these five years of NAIP implementation. It has all been about giving, enabling and empowering our fellow farmers,” said Dr S Ayyappan, Director General, ICAR.

“ICAR is trailblazing in many ways. NAIP has benefited about 200,000 farmers in five years. This is the ultimate test of success of any development project and NAIP certainly passed it with flying colors,” said Dr D Rama Rao, National Director, NAIP.
“The joint effort of ICRISAT-ABI and NAIP’s Business Planning and Development (BPD) units has brought in a great change in the entrepreneurial system in the country. This success has to continue and the BPD operations must attain sustainability,” said Dr Kiran K Sharma, CEO, Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP), ICRISAT.

Mr Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director for India said that: “NAIP has addressed the challenges by transforming the agriculture sector in the country and enhancing the livelihoods of the farmers. The agriculture system in India has completely changed and now farmers are having access to agricultural technology.”

According to Mr Peter Kenmore, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in India, “The country is on the march towards attaining food security and NAIP has really contributed towards this aim through innumerable innovations and interventions. Development in the agriculture sector should also emphasize off-farm job creation in the rural areas through more innovations.”

A train journey to promote cross learning among farmers across India was kick-started by ICRISAT with its hosting of the first of five Agro-tech and business opportunities expos to take place in five cities traversing through Hyderabad, Nagpur, Bhopal, Mathura and New Delhi.

Krishi Parivartan Yatra (meaning, a journey of agricultural transformation) took 50 farmers and entrepreneurs who are beneficiaries of the World Bank-funded National Agriculture Innovation Project (NAIP) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), on a five-city tour to share new technologies and agri-ventures with fellow farmers.

The first expo held at ICRISAT on 11 May showcased the best of innovations and enterprises developed through NAIP. Parallel sessions and discussions were held, where NAIP farmer beneficiaries shared their success stories with about 200 farmers and entrepreneurs and promoted the tremendous potential of agribusiness in boosting the transformation of Indian agriculture. The train journey was then flagged from the ICRISAT headquarters in Hyderabad for the five-city tour.

“Innovation in agriculture is widely considered as the key to achieve food security. To actualize this vast untapped potential of Indian agriculture, this Krishi Parivartan Yatra is being organized to bring to the fore, the unlimited opportunities that agriculture and agribusiness offer,” said Dr D Rama Rao, National Director, NAIP at the inaugural session of the Yatra.

“We believe smallholder farming in the drylands can be prosperous. And that is why we are engaged in promoting entrepreneurship and agribusiness among the rural communities” said Ms Joanna Kane-Potaka, Strategic Marketing and Communication Director, representing ICRISAT Director General Dr William Dar.

“ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program has supported more than 200 agribusiness ventures and benefited over 500,000 farmers in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states. We have identified and supported some very good innovative products and technologies and taken them to the market. The Krishi Parivartan Yatra supports our goal to bring together the best of agri-ventures and enterprises to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers,” said Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer, ICRISAT-ABI.

The train journey, along with the just concluded Agri-Biz Idol Camps held in various cities on 5-9 May to reach out to the youth and start-up entrepreneurs, will culminate in the Agri-Innovation Conclave on 18-19 May in New Delhi. The conclave aims to bring together agribusiness experts, professionals, and other stakeholders from across the country, on a common platform to share NAIP’s success and conceive path breaking ideas for strengthening the future of agribusiness in India.

NAIP-ICAR has embarked on this unique initiative to promote awareness on the potential opportunities in agri-business, nurture agri-innovators for future generations, and promote the various business incubation services offered by NAIP’s Business Planning and Development (BPD) units. The BPDs which primarily act as agriculture incubation centers help start-ups or entrepreneurs foraying into agribusiness to flourish by providing comprehensive business solutions.

Over the last five years, 22 agribusiness incubators (BPDs) have been set up throughout India in agricultural universities and research institutes by NAIP-ICAR with support and mentoring by ICRISAT-ABI. The success has led to ICRISAT and ICAR sharing their expertise across the continents to Africa, to coordinate the setting up of food business incubators and food technology laboratories in 10 African countries.

Highlighting opportunities in agribusiness for the youth, the National Agriculture Innovation Project (NAIP) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has embarked on a unique initiative called Agri-Biz Idol Camps. Aimed at reaching out to the youth and start-up entrepreneurs and to showcase the tremendous potential of agribusiness, the camps were successfully organized in five Indian cities, namely Hyderabad, New Delhi, Pune, Coimbatore and Anand from 5 to 9 May.

The camps helped participants understand the various business incubation services offered by NAIP’s Business Planning and Development (BPD) Units. The BPDs primarily act as an agriculture incubation center helping start-ups or entrepreneurs foraying into the agri-business to flourish by providing comprehensive business solutions.

At the camp in Hyderabad on 5 May, start-ups and agri-students were provided with an ideal platform to pitch their business ideas and develop new agri-ventures. Thirty-four students from the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) took part in the event along with representatives from five industries.

A total of 12 ideas were pitched at the event, of which two best presentations have been shortlisted for the Agri-Innovation Conclave to be held in New Delhi on 18-19 May. The top two ideas shortlisted are ‘Innovative hyacinth removal device’ by Mr Godasu Narsimhu and Mr Vasu Dev; and ‘Hydroponics based vertical farming’ by Ms Nazhat Kittur and Mr Shelke Sagar.

Present on the occasion were Dr SL Goswami, Director, NAARM; Dr Kalpana Sastry, Joint Director, NAARM; Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer, Agri-Business Incubation Program (ABI), ICRISAT; Brigadier Ganeshan from Palle Srujana (an NGO); and Mr Rakesh Reddy, Director, Vishvawani Management Institute.

The BPDs cover the entire spectrum of agribusiness including agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and livestock, fisheries and marine products, animal husbandry, crop production, food processing and agri-inputs, agri-engineering, textile and industrial processing, and postharvest management. ICRISAT’s ABI is currently extending its handholding and mentoring services to the 22 BPDs set up under the World Bank-funded NAIP.

Swayambhu Biologics, a graduate incubatee of ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program was adjudged the winner of the Social Enterprise Award 2014 under the Agriculture, Food and Livelihoods category at the Sankalp Unconvention Summit 2014, held on 9-11 April in Mumbai, India.

Swayambhu Biologics was recognized for its path-breaking, proprietary compost technology on Accelerated Rapid Biological Intervention Technology (ARBIT), the first of its kind in the world. This technology composts press-mud in 14 days as against the existing 90-120 days, which is then ready for conversion as Phosphate Rich Organic Manure (PROM). ICRISAT-ABI has been working with Swayambhu Biologics for the past two years in the commercialization of their proprietary ARBIT technology.

The Sankalp Unconvention Summit is one of the largest conferences that focus on identifying and promoting social enterprises in Asia. ICRISAT-ABI has been a regular participant of this Summit, identifying potential innovators and investors for incubator activities.

Dr R Balaji, Managing Director of Swayambhu Biologics received the award while Mr Suneel Vemu represented ICRISAT-ABI at the event.