Author: Suchetana Choudhuri

In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Lawrence Pratt, President of ClearLeaf (Costa Rica), unveils how the company’s GotaBlanca Post platform is revolutionizing post-harvest crop protection with zero-detectable residues. Using a proprietary copolymer matrix that embeds elemental silver, the technology destroys pathogens through multiple mechanisms while keeping silver levels at natural background thresholds. Pratt highlights that in pineapples and bananas—two of the world’s largest tropical export crops—the product delivers fungicide-level efficacy without worker safety risks or environmental trade-offs. With EU bans tightening and consumers demanding residue-free produce, he sees the non-toxic post-harvest protection market growing exponentially over the next five years. Regulatory…

Israel’s water journey offers a powerful playbook for nations grappling with depleting aquifers. In an exclusive conversation with AgroSpectrum, Noa Amsalem, Water Attach’e, Embassy of Israel in India describes how Israel moved from groundwater dependence to “manufactured water” through large-scale desalination and recycling over 90 per cent of its municipal wastewater. She cautions that while groundwater may resemble oil in its scarcity, its true value is closer to gold — finite, irreplaceable, and too precious to be used only once. For India, Noa stresses that regulation must go hand in hand with alternatives: treated wastewater, drip irrigation, and locally adapted…

Image Source: AI In this exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum and NuFFooDS Spectrum, Wine Brand Strategist and Digital Communications Specialist Margot van Lieshout-Koopmans, DipWSET, shares her reflections on the rapid evolution of Chinese wine. She explores how Marselan has become China’s signature grape, adapting across terroirs from Ningxia to Xinjiang and offering a storytelling opportunity through regional diversity. Margot highlights the emerging sensory identity of boutique Chinese wines—ripe yet fresh, textural, and increasingly expressive of place rather than Bordeaux mimicry. She emphasizes the power of visual storytelling and culturally rooted label design in elevating authenticity and overcoming global scepticism. On commercial…

From Punjab to Paraná, aquifers are silently collapsing under the weight of modern agriculture. Yet the world’s food systems remain dangerously dependent on groundwater—a resource long considered infinite, now revealing its limits. As irrigation expands, rainfall becomes erratic, and global trade scrutinizes embedded water footprints, a radical rethink is underway. To unpack this inflection point, Agrospectrum spoke to Bernhard L. Kiep, Managing Director at Bermad Brazil and a key board member across pioneering platforms like Pessl Instruments, MAIZALL+ Abramilho, InLida and InstaAgro. A Business Administrator by training and an agri-innovator by conviction, Kiep offers a panoramic yet grounded take on the future…

India’s clean energy ambitions hinge on scalable, accountable, and commercially viable biofuel adoption—and Buyofuel is fast emerging as the digital infrastructure powering that shift. In an exclusive conversation with AgroSpectrum, CEO Kishan Karunakaran outlines how the platform is catalyzing India’s decarbonization goals by transforming agri-residues, used cooking oil, and waste streams into certified, traceable low-carbon fuels for industry. More than a marketplace, Buyofuel digitizes and de-risks a fragmented biofuel sector, offering real-time pricing, quality assurance, and logistics support across biomass, biodiesel, and bio-CNG. The platform is already enabling 30–60 per cent emissions reductions for industrial clients and is gearing up…

In an era of deepening groundwater crises across Asia and Africa, Israel’s desert-honed innovations offer a compelling blueprint for sustainable farming. At the heart of this transformation is precision irrigation—pioneered by Netafim—which has redefined how crops can thrive with minimal water. But beyond drip systems, Israel’s integrated approach now includes root-zone moisture sensing, AI-driven scheduling, and large-scale treated wastewater reuse. In this exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Ram Lisaey, Head of Global Agronomy at Netafim, shares how these technologies are being adapted for high-evapotranspiration regions from Maharashtra to the Sahel. He explains why real-time soil data is more powerful than rainfall averages,…

Image Source: Canva Halfway into 2025, the global shrimp industry is entering a new phase of competitive realignment. Indonesia’s May export performance—a 27 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise in volume and 33 per cent increase in value—signals a strategic shift that goes beyond opportunistic trade acceleration. With 89,224 metric tons exported from January through May valued at $756 million, Indonesia is not only consolidating its global presence but also diversifying its product portfolio and export destinations in a calculated bid to counterbalance potential U.S. trade actions. The export surge places Indonesia on a fresh growth trajectory, even as established powerhouses…

In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum & NUFFOODS Spectrum, Carlsberg Denmark’s Senior Sustainability Manager, Stig Schneider Johnsen, shared how the company is leading the brewing industry’s shift toward regenerative agriculture by committing to 100 per cent regeneratively grown barley malt by 2040. With raw materials accounting for nearly a quarter of Carlsberg’s total emissions, the move is a strategic step to cut CO₂ output and enhance soil health. The company’s regenerative framework—built around crop rotation, soil cover, low inputs, and biodiversity—was developed with agricultural advisors and industry collaborations. By working closely with farmers and maltsters, Carlsberg scaled up regenerative barley…

In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Dr. Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Director for Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems at the Gates Foundation, outlines the unique challenges and opportunities facing food systems in APAC. She emphasizes the need for holistic solutions that integrate climate adaptation, gender equity, and nutrition. Loboguerrero highlights the role of digital innovations—from India’s livestock traceability to AI-based weather forecasts—in boosting resilience. She also stresses the importance of regional cooperation and increased adaptation finance for smallholder farmers. Looking ahead, she remains optimistic about APAC’s potential to lead the world in building inclusive, climate-smart food systems. What makes the APAC…

Image Source: Canva Once dismissed as fantasy, desert farming is fast becoming a frontier solution to food insecurity in a climate-stressed world. Across the UAE, Israel, and India, arid lands are being transformed by AI, desalination, and solar-powered greenhouses into hubs of high-yield, water-efficient agriculture. However beneath this promise lies a critical dilemma: Can these energy- and input-intensive systems remain sustainable under mounting climate and ecological pressures? The success of desert farming hinges not just on innovation, but on integrating traditional knowledge, conserving biodiversity, and balancing output with long-term resilience. As food geopolitics heat up, the desert may yet hold…