Author: Hithaishi CB

Queensland University of Technology (QUT), to commercially cultivate QCAV-4, a genetically modified (GM) variety of Cavendish banana resistant to the fungal disease Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued license DIR 199 to Queensland University of Technology (QUT), to commercially cultivate QCAV-4, a genetically modified (GM) variety of Cavendish banana resistant to the fungal disease Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), also known as Panama disease. On February 16, 2024, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) also notified the Food Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) that it has approved QCAV-4 as suitable for human consumption. FSANZ approved this GM banana for sale…

MARD Minister says Vietnam has strengths in agricultural production, with over $53B in agricultural, forestry and fishery export value by 2023, a trade surplus of $12.07B Vietnam’s Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien had a working session with Iain Frew, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Vietnam at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that Vietnam has strengths in agricultural production, with over $53 billion in agricultural, forestry and fishery export value by 2023, a trade surplus of $12.07 billion, accounting for over 50% of the country’s…

FPSA is a collaborative initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable organic waste reduction and regenerative agriculture solutions in more than 20 national and regional food and beverage companies The Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA), a global collaborative initiative focused on driving systemic change, is dedicated to promoting sustainable organic waste reduction and regenerative agriculture solutions. With the addition of Milk Specialties Global, the Alliance gains a valuable partner with extensive experience in sustainable manufacturing and is dedicated to supporting America’s farmers. The FPSA was launched in 2020 with founding members Unilever, Starbucks, Dairy Farmers of America, and Vanguard Renewables and has…

Panda Biotech’s modern industrial hemp processing facility will play a key role in meeting a significant portion of global demand for renewable processes and products such as textile-grade fiber, hurd, short-fiber/hurd mix, and nutrient-rich micronized hurd Panda Biotech™ announced the official commencement of commercial operations at Panda Hemp Gin, its flagship industrial hemp processing facility in Wichita Falls, Texas. Panda industrial hemp striving to play a key role in meeting a significant portion of global demand for renewable processes and products. The 500,000-square-foot building on 97 acres is the first facility of its kind and the largest in the Western…

Lindsay to acquire Pessl Instruments GmbH to enhance technology solutions for agricultural producers around the globe Lindsay Corporation, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, announced it has agreed to acquire a 49.9% minority interest in Austria-based Pessl Instruments GmbH, with an option to acquire the remainder of the company at a later date. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of fiscal 2024, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. Pessl is a leading global provider of advanced agricultural technology solutions under the METOS® brand and offers IoT hardware and software…

Việt Nam currently ranks third in the world as a spice supplier and processor after India and China, but mainly exports products with low processed content, said the Việt Nam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA). The entire Vietnamese spice industry currently has 14 factories with deep processing technology. Regarding pepper, Việt Nam is still ranked number one in the world in production and export. However, in the context of competition and favourable market fluctuations for other crops such as coffee and durian, the area and output of Vietnamese pepper are decreasing. Hoàng Thị Liên, VPSA President, said that all efforts…

Syngenta Proteção de Cultivos has just reached an agreement to acquire agricultural inputs distributor Produtécnica, a chain of six stores spread across Tocantins, Maranhão and Piauí states. With the deal, the fourth of its kind in the last three years, the company now has its own retail units in all regions of the country for the first time, cementing the strategy it set in motion five years ago. In 2019, Syngenta took the first step towards acting directly in the resale of inputs by creating Atua Agro, which concentrates its operations in the South region of the country. The chain…

Corteva Agriscience has launched its new herbicide, Paxeo, in Brazil to control various broadleaf and narrowleaf weeds for a long time. Among these targets is Eleusine indica, commonly known as goosegrass, which is one of the main weeds in soybean crops. According to the Brazilian Association for Action Against Weed Resistance to Herbicides, Eleusine indica can potentially cause losses of up to 80% in productivity. Goosegrass is considered a difficult-to-control weed and is present not only in soybeans but also in corn, cotton, beans, sorghum, and wheat. This weed is characterized by forming multiple plants close together, forming a tuft, making it challenging…

Certis Biologicals and Certis Belchim have announced their first biofungicide formulation for cereals seed treatment: TOLTEK. TOLTEK is the first biological fungicide for Take-All disease in cereals registered in Europe and it will be distributed by Certis Belchim. The co-development project between Certis Biologicals and Certis Belchim (registered as TOLTEK FS) started five years ago. The first authorization for the product has been granted in France for use on Wheat, Barley, Spelt and Triticale, with more authorizations for TOLTEK still pending in Germany, Belgium, Czechia, Ireland and the UK. TOLTEK contains the microorganism Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D747, a proven bio-fungicide strain, that has demonstrated effective protection against…

BioConsortia, Inc., a leading agricultural technology company that discovers, designs and licenses advanced microbial products to reduce the ecological impacts of agriculture while ensuring crop productivity, has announced that the company has closed an internal financing round that will fund expanded development of microbial products designed to increase crop yields by fixing nitrogen or controlling nematode, fungal and soil insect pests. Existing investor Otter Capital led the round, excited by progress shown in recent field trial results, as well as new discoveries that further enhance BioConsortia’s microbial gene-editing leadership position. According to Marcus Meadows-Smith, BioConsortia CEO, “We have validated the consistency…