Author: Suchetana Choudhuri

John Deere has announced the acquisition of Sentera, a Minnesota-based leader in remote imagery solutions for agriculture. The move is aimed at enhancing John Deere’s current technology suite, enabling farmers and agricultural service providers to access more advanced tools for data collection and analysis. By integrating Sentera’s aerial imaging expertise, John Deere aims to support improved decision-making on the farm—boosting profitability, operational efficiency, and sustainability. John Deere has announced the acquisition of Sentera, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based leader in agricultural remote sensing and imagery solutions. The move is set to strengthen Deere’s digital agriculture portfolio by integrating Sentera’s high-resolution drone…

SVG Ventures, a global agri-food innovation and investment firm, has invested $500,000 in Calgary-based Brilliant Harvest—a participant in the THRIVE IV Accelerator—via its Pioneer Fund SVG Ventures, a global leader in agri-food innovation and investment, has announced a $500,000 investment in Calgary-based Brilliant Harvest through its $50 million Pioneer Fund. The fund, headquartered in Alberta and anchored by Farm Credit Canada (FCC), is focused on supporting high-potential agrifoodtech startups and driving innovation across the agricultural value chain. Brilliant Harvest, a participant in the THRIVE IV Accelerator, stands out for its AI-driven platform that enhances efficiency within agricultural equipment dealerships. The…

DJI Agriculture, a dedicated branch of DJI—the world’s leading drone technology company—was founded in 2015. It specializes in creating innovative drone solutions for the agricultural industry, with the goal of improving efficiency, sustainability, and overall productivity in farming practices DJI Agriculture, a dedicated division of DJI—the global leader in drone technology—was founded in 2015 to deliver advanced drone solutions tailored for the agricultural industry. The division is committed to improving farming efficiency, sustainability, and productivity through cutting-edge technology. Its product lineup includes the powerful Agras series, engineered to meet the growing demands of modern agriculture. These unmanned aerial systems perform…

OFI’s New Linhares Facility expands instant coffee operations with emphasis on traceability and renewable energy Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), a business unit of Singapore-headquartered Olam Group, has inaugurated a cutting-edge instant coffee manufacturing facility in Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil. The 570,000-square-foot plant is set to significantly boost ofi’s presence in the global soluble coffee market, which is projected to reach $52.2 billion by 2031. Strategically located near Espírito Santo’s rich supply of Conilon coffee—which accounts for approximately 70 per cent of Brazil’s production—the facility will convert beans sourced from ofi’s nine processing units across Brazil into premium instant coffee products.…

The move supports Varun Beverages’ efforts to enhance supply chain efficiency through backward integration and self-manufacturing of visi-coolers and accessories Varun Beverages Limited (VBL), a leading bottling partner of PepsiCo, has announced the acquisition of a 50 per cent equity stake in Everest Industrial Lanka (EIL) for Rs 32.08 crore ($3.75 million). The investment aligns with VBL’s strategy to enhance backward integration by sourcing visi-coolers and accessories internally. EIL, headquartered in Sri Lanka, specializes in the production, manufacturing, and distribution of commercial visi-coolers. The acquisition, approved by the Investment and Borrowing Committee of VBL’s Board of Directors, has also received…

MBRF emerges as Brazil’s 7th largest company with $152 Billion in annual revenue, uniting two meat industry giants into a global multi-protein leader Marfrig Global Foods and BRF have officially merged to establish MBRF, forming one of the largest food companies in the world. The consolidation brings together two of Brazil’s biggest players in the meat and food processing industry, uniting their multi-protein portfolios and global brand networks under a single corporate entity. Citing strategic, operational, and tax efficiencies, the companies stated that MBRF will employ 130,000 people and operate in 117 countries. With a reported combined net revenue of…

China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced Tuesday that three sites in the country have recently been recognized by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) The newly designated sites include an ancient pear orchard system in Gansu Province in northwest China, a freshwater pearl mussel and fishery system in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province, and a white tea cultural system in Fujian Province, also in the east. With these new designations, China’s total number of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems has risen to 25 — the most of any country worldwide. Launched…

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is delighted to welcome Dr Junel B Soriano as its new Deputy Director General – Philippines Representative. A recognized leader in the country’s agriculture sector, Dr. Soriano brings over two decades of experience in advancing science-based solutions for sustainable and resilient agri-food systems Before this appointment, Dr. Soriano served as Director IV of the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), where he led initiatives to strengthen the Philippine agri-fishery research for development (R4D) agenda and programs. His leadership helped shape national commodity R4D programs towards inclusive and sustainable technology development, utilization, and commercialization.…

In a push to promote sustainable agriculture and combat groundwater depletion in Bangladesh’s drought-prone Barind region, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a pilot project to encourage the adoption of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation practices among local farmers The Barind area, located in the country’s northwestern region, faces chronic water scarcity due to low rainfall and poor aquifer conditions. Groundwater is heavily relied upon for dry-season rice cultivation, raising concerns about the long-term viability of farming in the area. To address this challenge, ADB, in collaboration with several national and international partners, has initiated a study involving…

Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have confirmed the first documented case of yellowing syndrome in the Philippines caused by two different viruses The IRRI team, led by Dr. Van Schepler-Luu, investigated reports from the Department of Agriculture- Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) and the Stanta Cruz Municipal Agriculture Office of unusual yellowing and stunting in the LAV666 rice variety, locally known as Jackpot 102. Initially, they suspected that the rice plants were infected with tungro or orange leaf disease as the leaves of the infected rice plants turned yellow-orange, one of the key symptoms of tungro. However,…