Author: Hithaishi CB

Plant Biology Company Raises Pre-Seed Round of $4.5 Million Led by Playground Global Biotech pioneer GigaCrop has raised a $4.5 million pre-seed round of funding led by Playground Global. Using machine learning to improve enzymes, the company aims to boost photosynthesis, crop yields, and farmers’ profits. GigaCrop’s technology will help plants use sunlight more efficiently, enabling agricultural producers of food, fiber, and fuel to grow more with the same water, fertilizer, and acreage. “Plants are part solar panel, part fabrication facility, which is pretty amazing,” said Chris Eiben, founder and CEO of GigaCrop. “Farmers, and the plants they grow, support a robust…

After reaching highs of just under $1000 per bale in mid-2022, prices for the 2024 crop sit below the $600-per-bale level. More than 100 industry representatives gathered in Toowoomba last week for the Australian Cotton Shippers Association’s inaugural Post Farm-Gate Forum. The event brought together logistics firms, shipping lines, merchants, ginners, and warehousing companies to collaborate and develop solutions to the cotton industry’s challenges in the year ahead. It was also part of ACSA’s strategy to foster industry collaboration, strengthen communication with the Australian Government, and enhance engagement with global trading partners. The forum kicked off with presentations from ACSA…

A partnership between Abler Nordic, Livelihoods Funds, Musim Mas, and Temasek Foundation aims to support at least 400 smallholders A sustainability impact fund manager, Abler Nordic, has partnered with a Singapore-based philanthropic organization, Temasek Foundation, which runs impact projects in Asia, as well as sustainable palm oil producer Musim Mas and Livelihood Funds to launch the Sustainable Oil Palm Replanting in Indonesia (SOPRI) initiative. The pilot initiative facilitates smallholders’ access to finance and resources so that they can replant oil palm trees sustainably, increasing their income and preventing forest encroachment. In Indonesia, smallholders cultivate more than 40% of the land…

The Philippine banana industry generates over $1 billion in annual sales and provides livelihoods to over 700,000 Filipinos Philippines Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., accompanied by a high-level delegation and representatives from the Philippine banana industry, recently met with Japanese importers in Tokyo to address challenges to country’s banana exports in lucrative Japanese market. Though the Philippines still holds the largest share of the Japanese market, supplying three out of every four bananas consumed, this figure has declined from a peak of nine in every 10. The Japan Banana Importers Association (JBIA) attributes Japanese consumers’ preference for Philippine…

Agronomists and farmers can identify potential risks in advance and take preventative action A new Syngenta Portal allows farmers, growers and agronomists to access vital weather data and digital crop management tools on the go, so they can make more informed and effective decisions regarding their crops. Using the Syngenta Portal app to support agronomy decisions on a daily basis ensures growers are up to date with the very latest information and advice. The Syngenta Portal app also integrates with the company’s “Partnership Plan loyalty programme”, giving growers access to their account, topical recommendations, new products and valuable offers. Members can view…

A grant of over $1.12 million was awarded to agriculture equipment manufacturers Chinese company, Quanyibao to provide Kyrgyzstan with agricultural equipment for artificial rain and pest control worth over $1.12mn as a grant. Additionally, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between Quanyibao and Kyrgyz Agro Holding to advance agricultural technology initiatives. The agreement was reached during Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry Bakyt Torobaev’s working visit to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China. During his trip, Torobaev also held discussions with China-Kyrgyzstan Kaiyuan Industrial Development (Xinjiang). regarding the…

Fertilizer production emits 2.6 gigatonnes of CO₂e annually 3Degrees, a leading global climate solutions provider and certified B Corporation, announced the launch of the Low Carbon Fertilizer Alliance, a collaborative initiative designed to help reduce emissions in agricultural supply chains. Managed by 3Degrees, the Alliance leverages decades of expertise in greenhouse gas strategy and agricultural emissions reductions by bringing together organizations in the food, beverage, and apparel industries. The Alliance is supported by founding member Mars, Inc., alongside three additional Fortune 200 food companies, with CF Industries—the largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers in North America—joining as the founding manufacturing member.…

Thailand ranked 8th, contributing 0.27% of China’s cocoa bean imports, valued at $194,396 The Thai government is exploring opportunities to expand the country’s cocoa exports to China, as rising global prices and increasing demand have prompted Chinese importers to seek new suppliers. A report from the Office of International Trade Promotion (OITP) in Xiamen indicates that China imported $1.335 billion worth of cocoa products in 2024, a 29.29% increase from the previous year. While the majority of imports came from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Italy, and Belgium, Thailand accounted for just 0.36% of China’s total cocoa imports, highlighting room for growth…

Strato 1 precision sensing hardware, gathers data from the soil to the sky to feed into CropX’s AI-powered comprehensive farm management system CropX Technologies, a global leader in digital agronomy solutions, has announced the global launch of Strato 1, a professional in-field weather station designed to enhance on-farm decision-making with real-time, hyperlocal weather data that feeds seamlessly into the CropX farm management system. Developed by customer demand, Strato 1 provides farmers with accurate, real-time weather insights to optimize operations to boost yields and reduce irrigation for greater farm profitability and sustainability. CropX is releasing Strato 1, a professional in-field weather…

Aims to empower soybean growers with real-time, scalable insights to mitigate yield losses caused by soybean cyst nematode (SCN) Agmatix, a leading provider of AI-powered agronomic solutions, announced a strategic collaboration with BASF, one of the world’s largest chemical and agricultural solutions companies, to develop a cutting-edge digital solution for detecting – and predicting – the presence of soybean cyst nematode (SCN). This collaboration started through AgroStart, an open innovation and partnership platform by BASF, that aims to empower soybean growers with real-time, scalable insights to mitigate yield losses caused by SCN, one of the most damaging and often invisible…