The Pusa Krishi Incubator of ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute launched the “Maitri - Indo-Brazil Agri-Tech Cross Border Incubation Programme” at the National Agricultural Science Centre Complex starting on 9 December 2019.
Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR) highlighted the importance of such programmes for strengthening and promoting the best agricultural practices internationally. Dr. Mohapatra regarded the programme to be useful for the exchange of agricultural technologies and expertise between both the countries. The Director General accentuated on the importance of various agricultural and allied science technologies that are crucial for strengthening the agricultural arena in the country .
He emphasized that the collaboration with Government of Brazil will help in effective exchange and, of course, transfer of newer agricultural ideologies and technologies. The Director General urged the young Incubates to be vigilant and smart enough to adopt the latest and newer technologies for succeeding in their lives.
The Brazilian Start ups, five in number are TNS Nanotechnologies, Decoy Smart Control, 4milk, Tau Flow, and DigiFarmz Smart Agriculture. These companies are working in the areas of chemical technology company focused on aggregating value to the B2B market through green and sustainable solutions. The products developed are based on plant extract through nanotechnology which can replace chemical pesticides and thus reduce production loss and impact on the environment. The Biotechnology startup of animal health that developed the first biopesticide treatment against ticks in the world. The technology is completely harmless to humans and animals and leaves no residues in the milk or meat. Additionally, the startup works on developing healthy and sustainable solutions for the common animal plagues, The start-up of 4milk is leveraging the productivity level of world dairy farming, through technology, providing for those involved mechanisms for a better competence in the activity and a higher quality of the milk produce, Tau Flow - the company provides engineering services focused on mathematical modeling and computational numerical simulations concerned on process and environment improvement. Additionally, the company also provide a web and mobile platform for Animals Breeding Environments Management concerning animal welfare and enhance production.
DigiFarmz Smart Agriculture is a digital platform that provides smart agronomic recommendations in plant health for higher productivity and prfitability with less environmental impact.
The Indian start-ups are Silage Agro Pvt. Ltd., Aegipan Animal Biocare Private Limited, Zentron Labs Pvt. Ltd., Satyukt Analytics Pvt Ltd., and Natura Crop Care. The Indian Start ups are in the business of the preserving and enhancing quality of green fodder for feeding cattle; the other is dealing with the frozen semen of Black Bengal Goat & the technique Artificial insemination. The other startup is in line of computer vision algorithms to deliver innovative and custom Machine-Vision solutions that perform automated visual inspection; The other is to deliver higher spatiotemporal earth observation data at a farm-scale by combining multiple stellite data; The Natura Crop Care is bridging the gaps between research and farming through safe and sustainable agri-horti inputs, developing precise farming practices for healthy crops and healthy yields.
The Ambassador of Brazil to India H.E. Andre Aranha Correa do Lago, regarded the venture as an auspicious occasion for strengthening the partnership with the agriculturally-rich countries like India. He stated that there is a wide scope of agriculture and allied sciences in India. Lago accentuated on the cross border relations as the opportunity to learn about the expertise of each other and prosper more in the designated fields. He also stressed that the occasion will enhance the relations between the two countries. Applauding the various achievements made by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Government of India, Lago hoped for life long association with the country for prospering and accolade both the countries with new advancements in the agricultural arena.
