Dairy Pulse 53rd Edition(1st to 15th Jan 2018)

ContentsSuruchi endeavor in Skill Entrepreneur Development Domain 4

Indian News

Animal HealthProtection5

Soon tech to ensure female births in cattle 5

Atrocities towards milk animals-cows and buffaloes 6

Marketing7

Danone to rationalise India portfolio to allow for growing investments 7

KMF dispatches first milk consignment to Kashmir8

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नया 9Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in Delhi 12

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch 12

HealthAwareness 13

Make a DASH for it13

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019 14

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt help15

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmers16

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently17

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fund 19

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40 villages 20

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi21

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement 22

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crash23

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS link24

RegulatoryLegal26

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seized26

SurveyReport27

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistent27

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status29

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries 32

Whiteout The death of dairy 32

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection 34

Danone to shut down its dairy business in India 34

In the name of milk36

Weekly feed business update36

Dairy margin increase reported39

Sex is big business in dairy farming 39

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies41

5 agricultural trends to watch in 201842

Suruchi endeavor in Skill Entrepreneur Development Domain

Diploma in Dairy Technology (DDT) inalliance with IGNOU

Study Center authorized by School of AgricultureIndira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)Details as below

Academy of Dairy Skill Development (ADSkiD)Unit of Suruchi ConsultantsC-49 Sector-65 Noida UP ndash 201307SCPSC Code 39018PProg In-charge Mr Sanjay SinghalContact no +91-0120+4370845Email adskid39018pgmailcom

New admissions are closed for July 2017

Indian Dairy Map 2017 launched on 27thOctober at Pune

Aspiring entrepreneurs might attend ourintroductory session (Free) on how to set updairy farm and plant on every2ndand4thSaturday of month from 2 PM to 5PM Prior registration is must and for thatcontact our officeFor more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

52nd Dairy Entrepreneurship DevelopmentProgram (DEDP) at Suruchi Consultants C-49 Sec-65 Noida 21st 22nd amp 23rd Jan2018 with Guided Tour to a Dairy Farm plus amilk processing plant

For more information please follow the linkhttpwwwsuruchiconsultantscompageDownloadsdownloadstraining3_49th20DEDP20BROCHURE20pdf

Suruchi is launching 2nd Second Level DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(DEDP- Level II) 2017 one week intensivehand on Dairy Plant on 19 to 24 Feb 2018

For more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

Suruchi is launching 1st Second Level DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(DEDP- Level II) 2018 one week intensivehand on Dairy Farm Dates will be announcedsoon

For more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

Suruchi is launching 1st Global DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(GDEDP) the dates will announce soon

For more information please follow the link

httpwwwsuruchiconsultantscompageDownloadsdownloadstraining5_1st2020GDEDP20BROCHUREpdf

Suruchi has launched 1st Online DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(ODEDP) It is 12 weeks programRegistrations are open

WatchVideohttpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=5iS432VlGc8ampt=42s

For more information please visit on websitehttpskilldairycom

Indian News

Animal HealthProtection

Soon tech to ensure female births in cattle

Written by Parthasarathi Biswas | Updated January 15 2018 437 amhttpindianexpresscomarticletechnologysciencesoon-tech-to-ensure-female-births-in-cattle-5024876

airy farmers in India can soon plan thebirth of extensively female milchanimals reducing the possibility of

unproductive males Pune-based BAIFDevelopment Research Foundation (BDRF) hasembarked on a project to produce semen thatincreases the probability of birth of cows andshe-buffaloes to 92 per cent

The technology is based on sorting of semenwhose genetic material determines the sex ofoffspring Genetically semen contains X- and Y-chromosomes females are conceived whensperm with an X-chromosome fertilises thefemalersquos egg and males when the sperm carriesa Y-chromosome The sorting technology seeksto ensure that only sperms with X-chromosomesfertilise the eggs

Special reagents are used to stain the semenPost-staining the semen is passed through anarrow tube illuminated by laser beams The X-chromosome-carrying sperms exhibitfluorescence under laser beams whichfacilitates their sorting A minor electricitycharge is used to separate the fluorescentsperms

Semen-sorting technology has had relativelynarrow exposure in India but developedcountries have been using it since 2002 Theglobal patent is held by US-based SexingTechnologies It is now in its third version andallows for 95 sorting of sperms BDRF hassigned an agreement with the company afterfield trials

ldquoIn 2014 around 14 lakh straws of sorted semenwere imported by BDRF to conduct trials Ofthese 70000 straws were distributed at ourcentres in Maharashtra UP Bihar JharkhandOdisha and recently in Andhra Pradesh andKarnatakardquo said Dr Ashoke Pande senior vicepresident and head of BDRFrsquos Central ResearchCentre Pande said the conception rate usingthese straws has been around 44 and 90 of400 calves born were female

BDRF has now decided to set up a facility toproduce such semen at its Urali Kanchan facilitywith Pande looking at the first week of April forstarting production ldquoSexing Technologies is inthe process of arranging the machinery as well asrecruiting skilled manpower to run the facilityrdquohe said Sorted semen of both pure andcrossbred Holstein Friesian Jersey as well asindigenous Indian breeds and buffaloes will beproduced at this facility

Since the beef ban in Maharashtra birth ofmales calves has been a burden for farmersEarlier such animals were sold at the cattlemarket for slaughter but now farmers are forcedto rear these unproductive animals which draintheir ownersrsquo resources Straws of sorted semenare priced at Rs 1200 each as against Rs 50 fornormal semen Production in India will notreduce the cost as BDRF will still have to pay feesto Sexing Technologies for using its technologyPande said ldquoTo start with we will store suchstraws in 2500 of our 4300 centresrdquo Pandesaid

D

Technicians have been retrained in properhandling and usage of such straws Farmersopting for such straws too need to ensure that

the animals to inseminated are under propersupervision

Atrocities towards milk animals-cows and buffaloeson January 06 2018httpnewsstatetimesinatrocities-towards-milk-animals-cows-and-buffaloes

ear EditorAlthough cow is loved respected andnourished equally by all the

communities-Hindu Sikh Muslim and Gujjarsyet the refusal to provide food shelter water tosome of them have forced them to stray onroadConstitution empowers state to frame and formlaws preventing cruelty to animals still cows diecruel and painful death by consuming polythenebags rubbish and thrown out rotten food in citiesand villages Some of the reason of her dryingcruel and painful death are-Explosion of Population1) Fastely shrinking pastures and water drinkingtalabs2) Insufficient animal husbandry hospitals anddoctors3) Lack of Gow-Shalas4) Lack of moral and ethical education

Let everyone in the public be given awarenessthrough social agencies like NGO and persuadegovernment agencies to enforce lawspreventing all kind of atrocities and crueltytowards this useful gentle animal so that it doesnot die by inches and there should be provisionof-1) Opening of Gow-Shalas2) Re-innovation of shrinking water talab andpastures3) Opening of new animal husbandary hospitalsespecially for cowsGiving moral and ethical education to commonman so that this useful animal does not die crueland painful death due to hunger thurst andshelter in urban as well as rural areasRattan Singh ManhasRetired Teacher Education DepttJammu

D

Marketing

Danone to rationalise India portfolio to allow for growing investmentsSaturday 13 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdanone-to-rationalise-india-portfolio-to-allow-for-growing-investments-41634

Danone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which accounts for over 90per cent of the business The company alreadyenjoys a leadership position in the country

In line with this Danone with discontinue stock-keeping units (SKUs) which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the ultra-high temperature(UHT) and fresh dairy products

Danone has a stated goal to double its nutritionbusiness in India by 2020 in line with its globalmission to bring health through food to as manypeople as possible and this renewed focus isthe key to achieving this goal

A Danone India spokesperson said ldquoWe havegreat ambitions for our business in India andremain committed to invest and grow in India

through well-established brands such asProtinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac and NeocaterdquoldquoIn order to maximise the growth opportunitieswe are continuously analysing our portfolio andsharpening our focus to accelerate investmentson the best performing categories and productsFor this reason we are discontinuing some ofthe SKUs sold in Indiardquo he added

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally-superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has been atestimony to that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquo thespokesperson stated

In line with this a small factory at Rai near Delhimanufacturing the discontinued products willstop production Danonersquos state-of-the artfactory in Lalru which is involved inmanufacturing infant nutrition products willcontinue to function as usual

KMF dispatches first milk consignment to KashmirJan 11 2018 0323 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityhubballikmf-dispatches-first-milk-consignment-to-kashmirarticleshow62451305cms

he Belgaum District Co-operative MilkProducers Societies Union Limitedof Karnataka Milk Federation(KMF)

dispatched the first consignment of milk flexisachets to Jammu and Kashmir on WednesdayUnion chairman MLC Vivek Patil flagged off thefirst truck carrying milk sachets at MahanteshNagar The dairy has orders from Jammu andKashmir and Andhra Pradeshgovernments toprovide 10000 litres of milk per day Patil toldreporters that KMFs Nandini brand is being sentto Jammu and Kashmir and it takes 3-4 days forthe consignment to reach the northern state

Milk sachets in the sizes of 180ml 200ml and500ml are sent to Jammu and Kashmir andAndhra Pradesh he said

Patil also informed that for the first time milkprocurement by the Union has reached 2 lakhlitres attributing the surge to the increase in

milk societies (300) in the district and reductionof price by dairies in Maharashtra

Managing director Ubedullha Khan said that theUnion is planning to start an ice-creammanufacture unit on the dairy premises He saidthat the flavoured milk powder will bemanufactured to prevent misuse as there werecomplaints with regard to the supply of the itemto government schools under the KsheeraBhagya scheme

Directors Sanjaygouda Patil and director (admin)of KMF Dr HM Tippareddy were present on theoccasion

Chief minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated theflexi packet unit in Belagavi in November 2017The unit the first such facility in north Karnatakawas set up at a cost of Rs 22 crore Machines forthe unit were brought from Finland

T

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नयाhttpwwwdairytodayinmilk-production-gradually-increase-in-india

यर टड नटवक

नई द ल अहमदाबाद 9जनवर 2018

ि क ड म क पाउडर (एसएमपी) का उ पादनखपतस अ धक रहन स भारतीय द ध उ योग क लएमि कल खड़ी हो गई ह एसएमपी का भडार माच तकबढ़कर 2 लाख टन पहच सकता ह दसर तरफ द धसहकार इकाइय क पास पहल ह 20 तशत अ धकदध क मा ा आ रह ह ल कन इ ह एसएमपी मत द ल करन क उनक मता पया त नह ह इसकानतीजा यह हआ ह क कसान को मलन वाला खर दम य औसतन 20 तशत कम हो गया ह ज द हएसएमपी क खप का नयात नह हआ तो क मतऔरकम हो सकती ह

द ध उ योग क हालत ख ता

द ध सहकार स थान न सरकार स एसएमपीखर दन या नयात सि सडी दन क माग क ह कछलोग का मानना ह क सरकार एसएमपी खर दसकतीह और इस मदद योजना क तहत साक दश को भजसकती ह कल मलाकर द ध उ योग क हालतख ता ह और ज द स कोई समाधान नह नकला तोदध उ पादक को तगड़ी चोट पहच सकती ह हालातऐस ह रह तो अगल स म दध उ पादन पर बरा असरपड़ सकता ह और कसान इसस आहत होकर द धउ योग स मह मोड़ सकत ह

गजरात सहकार द ध वपणन महासघ क एमडी आरएस सोढ़ कहत ह lsquoि थ त स नपटन क लए हमनसरकार स नयात सि सडी क माग क ह सि सडीनह मलन क ि थ तम हमन कमस कम 20000स30000 टन एसएमपी का भडारण करन का आ हकया ह यह भडार गरमी क मौसम मखप सकता हrsquo

ड

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries 32

Whiteout The death of dairy 32

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection 34

Danone to shut down its dairy business in India 34

In the name of milk36

Weekly feed business update36

Dairy margin increase reported39

Sex is big business in dairy farming 39

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies41

5 agricultural trends to watch in 201842

Suruchi endeavor in Skill Entrepreneur Development Domain

Diploma in Dairy Technology (DDT) inalliance with IGNOU

Study Center authorized by School of AgricultureIndira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)Details as below

Academy of Dairy Skill Development (ADSkiD)Unit of Suruchi ConsultantsC-49 Sector-65 Noida UP ndash 201307SCPSC Code 39018PProg In-charge Mr Sanjay SinghalContact no +91-0120+4370845Email adskid39018pgmailcom

New admissions are closed for July 2017

Indian Dairy Map 2017 launched on 27thOctober at Pune

Aspiring entrepreneurs might attend ourintroductory session (Free) on how to set updairy farm and plant on every2ndand4thSaturday of month from 2 PM to 5PM Prior registration is must and for thatcontact our officeFor more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

52nd Dairy Entrepreneurship DevelopmentProgram (DEDP) at Suruchi Consultants C-49 Sec-65 Noida 21st 22nd amp 23rd Jan2018 with Guided Tour to a Dairy Farm plus amilk processing plant

For more information please follow the linkhttpwwwsuruchiconsultantscompageDownloadsdownloadstraining3_49th20DEDP20BROCHURE20pdf

Suruchi is launching 2nd Second Level DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(DEDP- Level II) 2017 one week intensivehand on Dairy Plant on 19 to 24 Feb 2018

For more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

Suruchi is launching 1st Second Level DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(DEDP- Level II) 2018 one week intensivehand on Dairy Farm Dates will be announcedsoon

For more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

Suruchi is launching 1st Global DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(GDEDP) the dates will announce soon

For more information please follow the link

httpwwwsuruchiconsultantscompageDownloadsdownloadstraining5_1st2020GDEDP20BROCHUREpdf

Suruchi has launched 1st Online DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(ODEDP) It is 12 weeks programRegistrations are open

WatchVideohttpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=5iS432VlGc8ampt=42s

For more information please visit on websitehttpskilldairycom

Indian News

Animal HealthProtection

Soon tech to ensure female births in cattle

Written by Parthasarathi Biswas | Updated January 15 2018 437 amhttpindianexpresscomarticletechnologysciencesoon-tech-to-ensure-female-births-in-cattle-5024876

airy farmers in India can soon plan thebirth of extensively female milchanimals reducing the possibility of

unproductive males Pune-based BAIFDevelopment Research Foundation (BDRF) hasembarked on a project to produce semen thatincreases the probability of birth of cows andshe-buffaloes to 92 per cent

The technology is based on sorting of semenwhose genetic material determines the sex ofoffspring Genetically semen contains X- and Y-chromosomes females are conceived whensperm with an X-chromosome fertilises thefemalersquos egg and males when the sperm carriesa Y-chromosome The sorting technology seeksto ensure that only sperms with X-chromosomesfertilise the eggs

Special reagents are used to stain the semenPost-staining the semen is passed through anarrow tube illuminated by laser beams The X-chromosome-carrying sperms exhibitfluorescence under laser beams whichfacilitates their sorting A minor electricitycharge is used to separate the fluorescentsperms

Semen-sorting technology has had relativelynarrow exposure in India but developedcountries have been using it since 2002 Theglobal patent is held by US-based SexingTechnologies It is now in its third version andallows for 95 sorting of sperms BDRF hassigned an agreement with the company afterfield trials

ldquoIn 2014 around 14 lakh straws of sorted semenwere imported by BDRF to conduct trials Ofthese 70000 straws were distributed at ourcentres in Maharashtra UP Bihar JharkhandOdisha and recently in Andhra Pradesh andKarnatakardquo said Dr Ashoke Pande senior vicepresident and head of BDRFrsquos Central ResearchCentre Pande said the conception rate usingthese straws has been around 44 and 90 of400 calves born were female

BDRF has now decided to set up a facility toproduce such semen at its Urali Kanchan facilitywith Pande looking at the first week of April forstarting production ldquoSexing Technologies is inthe process of arranging the machinery as well asrecruiting skilled manpower to run the facilityrdquohe said Sorted semen of both pure andcrossbred Holstein Friesian Jersey as well asindigenous Indian breeds and buffaloes will beproduced at this facility

Since the beef ban in Maharashtra birth ofmales calves has been a burden for farmersEarlier such animals were sold at the cattlemarket for slaughter but now farmers are forcedto rear these unproductive animals which draintheir ownersrsquo resources Straws of sorted semenare priced at Rs 1200 each as against Rs 50 fornormal semen Production in India will notreduce the cost as BDRF will still have to pay feesto Sexing Technologies for using its technologyPande said ldquoTo start with we will store suchstraws in 2500 of our 4300 centresrdquo Pandesaid

D

Technicians have been retrained in properhandling and usage of such straws Farmersopting for such straws too need to ensure that

the animals to inseminated are under propersupervision

Atrocities towards milk animals-cows and buffaloeson January 06 2018httpnewsstatetimesinatrocities-towards-milk-animals-cows-and-buffaloes

ear EditorAlthough cow is loved respected andnourished equally by all the

communities-Hindu Sikh Muslim and Gujjarsyet the refusal to provide food shelter water tosome of them have forced them to stray onroadConstitution empowers state to frame and formlaws preventing cruelty to animals still cows diecruel and painful death by consuming polythenebags rubbish and thrown out rotten food in citiesand villages Some of the reason of her dryingcruel and painful death are-Explosion of Population1) Fastely shrinking pastures and water drinkingtalabs2) Insufficient animal husbandry hospitals anddoctors3) Lack of Gow-Shalas4) Lack of moral and ethical education

Let everyone in the public be given awarenessthrough social agencies like NGO and persuadegovernment agencies to enforce lawspreventing all kind of atrocities and crueltytowards this useful gentle animal so that it doesnot die by inches and there should be provisionof-1) Opening of Gow-Shalas2) Re-innovation of shrinking water talab andpastures3) Opening of new animal husbandary hospitalsespecially for cowsGiving moral and ethical education to commonman so that this useful animal does not die crueland painful death due to hunger thurst andshelter in urban as well as rural areasRattan Singh ManhasRetired Teacher Education DepttJammu

D

Marketing

Danone to rationalise India portfolio to allow for growing investmentsSaturday 13 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdanone-to-rationalise-india-portfolio-to-allow-for-growing-investments-41634

Danone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which accounts for over 90per cent of the business The company alreadyenjoys a leadership position in the country

In line with this Danone with discontinue stock-keeping units (SKUs) which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the ultra-high temperature(UHT) and fresh dairy products

Danone has a stated goal to double its nutritionbusiness in India by 2020 in line with its globalmission to bring health through food to as manypeople as possible and this renewed focus isthe key to achieving this goal

A Danone India spokesperson said ldquoWe havegreat ambitions for our business in India andremain committed to invest and grow in India

through well-established brands such asProtinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac and NeocaterdquoldquoIn order to maximise the growth opportunitieswe are continuously analysing our portfolio andsharpening our focus to accelerate investmentson the best performing categories and productsFor this reason we are discontinuing some ofthe SKUs sold in Indiardquo he added

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally-superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has been atestimony to that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquo thespokesperson stated

In line with this a small factory at Rai near Delhimanufacturing the discontinued products willstop production Danonersquos state-of-the artfactory in Lalru which is involved inmanufacturing infant nutrition products willcontinue to function as usual

KMF dispatches first milk consignment to KashmirJan 11 2018 0323 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityhubballikmf-dispatches-first-milk-consignment-to-kashmirarticleshow62451305cms

he Belgaum District Co-operative MilkProducers Societies Union Limitedof Karnataka Milk Federation(KMF)

dispatched the first consignment of milk flexisachets to Jammu and Kashmir on WednesdayUnion chairman MLC Vivek Patil flagged off thefirst truck carrying milk sachets at MahanteshNagar The dairy has orders from Jammu andKashmir and Andhra Pradeshgovernments toprovide 10000 litres of milk per day Patil toldreporters that KMFs Nandini brand is being sentto Jammu and Kashmir and it takes 3-4 days forthe consignment to reach the northern state

Milk sachets in the sizes of 180ml 200ml and500ml are sent to Jammu and Kashmir andAndhra Pradesh he said

Patil also informed that for the first time milkprocurement by the Union has reached 2 lakhlitres attributing the surge to the increase in

milk societies (300) in the district and reductionof price by dairies in Maharashtra

Managing director Ubedullha Khan said that theUnion is planning to start an ice-creammanufacture unit on the dairy premises He saidthat the flavoured milk powder will bemanufactured to prevent misuse as there werecomplaints with regard to the supply of the itemto government schools under the KsheeraBhagya scheme

Directors Sanjaygouda Patil and director (admin)of KMF Dr HM Tippareddy were present on theoccasion

Chief minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated theflexi packet unit in Belagavi in November 2017The unit the first such facility in north Karnatakawas set up at a cost of Rs 22 crore Machines forthe unit were brought from Finland

T

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नयाhttpwwwdairytodayinmilk-production-gradually-increase-in-india

यर टड नटवक

नई द ल अहमदाबाद 9जनवर 2018

ि क ड म क पाउडर (एसएमपी) का उ पादनखपतस अ धक रहन स भारतीय द ध उ योग क लएमि कल खड़ी हो गई ह एसएमपी का भडार माच तकबढ़कर 2 लाख टन पहच सकता ह दसर तरफ द धसहकार इकाइय क पास पहल ह 20 तशत अ धकदध क मा ा आ रह ह ल कन इ ह एसएमपी मत द ल करन क उनक मता पया त नह ह इसकानतीजा यह हआ ह क कसान को मलन वाला खर दम य औसतन 20 तशत कम हो गया ह ज द हएसएमपी क खप का नयात नह हआ तो क मतऔरकम हो सकती ह

द ध उ योग क हालत ख ता

द ध सहकार स थान न सरकार स एसएमपीखर दन या नयात सि सडी दन क माग क ह कछलोग का मानना ह क सरकार एसएमपी खर दसकतीह और इस मदद योजना क तहत साक दश को भजसकती ह कल मलाकर द ध उ योग क हालतख ता ह और ज द स कोई समाधान नह नकला तोदध उ पादक को तगड़ी चोट पहच सकती ह हालातऐस ह रह तो अगल स म दध उ पादन पर बरा असरपड़ सकता ह और कसान इसस आहत होकर द धउ योग स मह मोड़ सकत ह

गजरात सहकार द ध वपणन महासघ क एमडी आरएस सोढ़ कहत ह lsquoि थ त स नपटन क लए हमनसरकार स नयात सि सडी क माग क ह सि सडीनह मलन क ि थ तम हमन कमस कम 20000स30000 टन एसएमपी का भडारण करन का आ हकया ह यह भडार गरमी क मौसम मखप सकता हrsquo

ड

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Suruchi endeavor in Skill Entrepreneur Development Domain

Diploma in Dairy Technology (DDT) inalliance with IGNOU

Study Center authorized by School of AgricultureIndira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)Details as below

Academy of Dairy Skill Development (ADSkiD)Unit of Suruchi ConsultantsC-49 Sector-65 Noida UP ndash 201307SCPSC Code 39018PProg In-charge Mr Sanjay SinghalContact no +91-0120+4370845Email adskid39018pgmailcom

New admissions are closed for July 2017

Indian Dairy Map 2017 launched on 27thOctober at Pune

Aspiring entrepreneurs might attend ourintroductory session (Free) on how to set updairy farm and plant on every2ndand4thSaturday of month from 2 PM to 5PM Prior registration is must and for thatcontact our officeFor more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

52nd Dairy Entrepreneurship DevelopmentProgram (DEDP) at Suruchi Consultants C-49 Sec-65 Noida 21st 22nd amp 23rd Jan2018 with Guided Tour to a Dairy Farm plus amilk processing plant

For more information please follow the linkhttpwwwsuruchiconsultantscompageDownloadsdownloadstraining3_49th20DEDP20BROCHURE20pdf

Suruchi is launching 2nd Second Level DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(DEDP- Level II) 2017 one week intensivehand on Dairy Plant on 19 to 24 Feb 2018

For more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

Suruchi is launching 1st Second Level DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(DEDP- Level II) 2018 one week intensivehand on Dairy Farm Dates will be announcedsoon

For more information please email oninfosuruchiconsultantscom or contact at +910120 4320845

Suruchi is launching 1st Global DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(GDEDP) the dates will announce soon

For more information please follow the link

httpwwwsuruchiconsultantscompageDownloadsdownloadstraining5_1st2020GDEDP20BROCHUREpdf

Suruchi has launched 1st Online DairyEntrepreneurship Development Program(ODEDP) It is 12 weeks programRegistrations are open

WatchVideohttpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=5iS432VlGc8ampt=42s

For more information please visit on websitehttpskilldairycom

Indian News

Animal HealthProtection

Soon tech to ensure female births in cattle

Written by Parthasarathi Biswas | Updated January 15 2018 437 amhttpindianexpresscomarticletechnologysciencesoon-tech-to-ensure-female-births-in-cattle-5024876

airy farmers in India can soon plan thebirth of extensively female milchanimals reducing the possibility of

unproductive males Pune-based BAIFDevelopment Research Foundation (BDRF) hasembarked on a project to produce semen thatincreases the probability of birth of cows andshe-buffaloes to 92 per cent

The technology is based on sorting of semenwhose genetic material determines the sex ofoffspring Genetically semen contains X- and Y-chromosomes females are conceived whensperm with an X-chromosome fertilises thefemalersquos egg and males when the sperm carriesa Y-chromosome The sorting technology seeksto ensure that only sperms with X-chromosomesfertilise the eggs

Special reagents are used to stain the semenPost-staining the semen is passed through anarrow tube illuminated by laser beams The X-chromosome-carrying sperms exhibitfluorescence under laser beams whichfacilitates their sorting A minor electricitycharge is used to separate the fluorescentsperms

Semen-sorting technology has had relativelynarrow exposure in India but developedcountries have been using it since 2002 Theglobal patent is held by US-based SexingTechnologies It is now in its third version andallows for 95 sorting of sperms BDRF hassigned an agreement with the company afterfield trials

ldquoIn 2014 around 14 lakh straws of sorted semenwere imported by BDRF to conduct trials Ofthese 70000 straws were distributed at ourcentres in Maharashtra UP Bihar JharkhandOdisha and recently in Andhra Pradesh andKarnatakardquo said Dr Ashoke Pande senior vicepresident and head of BDRFrsquos Central ResearchCentre Pande said the conception rate usingthese straws has been around 44 and 90 of400 calves born were female

BDRF has now decided to set up a facility toproduce such semen at its Urali Kanchan facilitywith Pande looking at the first week of April forstarting production ldquoSexing Technologies is inthe process of arranging the machinery as well asrecruiting skilled manpower to run the facilityrdquohe said Sorted semen of both pure andcrossbred Holstein Friesian Jersey as well asindigenous Indian breeds and buffaloes will beproduced at this facility

Since the beef ban in Maharashtra birth ofmales calves has been a burden for farmersEarlier such animals were sold at the cattlemarket for slaughter but now farmers are forcedto rear these unproductive animals which draintheir ownersrsquo resources Straws of sorted semenare priced at Rs 1200 each as against Rs 50 fornormal semen Production in India will notreduce the cost as BDRF will still have to pay feesto Sexing Technologies for using its technologyPande said ldquoTo start with we will store suchstraws in 2500 of our 4300 centresrdquo Pandesaid

D

Technicians have been retrained in properhandling and usage of such straws Farmersopting for such straws too need to ensure that

the animals to inseminated are under propersupervision

Atrocities towards milk animals-cows and buffaloeson January 06 2018httpnewsstatetimesinatrocities-towards-milk-animals-cows-and-buffaloes

ear EditorAlthough cow is loved respected andnourished equally by all the

communities-Hindu Sikh Muslim and Gujjarsyet the refusal to provide food shelter water tosome of them have forced them to stray onroadConstitution empowers state to frame and formlaws preventing cruelty to animals still cows diecruel and painful death by consuming polythenebags rubbish and thrown out rotten food in citiesand villages Some of the reason of her dryingcruel and painful death are-Explosion of Population1) Fastely shrinking pastures and water drinkingtalabs2) Insufficient animal husbandry hospitals anddoctors3) Lack of Gow-Shalas4) Lack of moral and ethical education

Let everyone in the public be given awarenessthrough social agencies like NGO and persuadegovernment agencies to enforce lawspreventing all kind of atrocities and crueltytowards this useful gentle animal so that it doesnot die by inches and there should be provisionof-1) Opening of Gow-Shalas2) Re-innovation of shrinking water talab andpastures3) Opening of new animal husbandary hospitalsespecially for cowsGiving moral and ethical education to commonman so that this useful animal does not die crueland painful death due to hunger thurst andshelter in urban as well as rural areasRattan Singh ManhasRetired Teacher Education DepttJammu

D

Marketing

Danone to rationalise India portfolio to allow for growing investmentsSaturday 13 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdanone-to-rationalise-india-portfolio-to-allow-for-growing-investments-41634

Danone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which accounts for over 90per cent of the business The company alreadyenjoys a leadership position in the country

In line with this Danone with discontinue stock-keeping units (SKUs) which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the ultra-high temperature(UHT) and fresh dairy products

Danone has a stated goal to double its nutritionbusiness in India by 2020 in line with its globalmission to bring health through food to as manypeople as possible and this renewed focus isthe key to achieving this goal

A Danone India spokesperson said ldquoWe havegreat ambitions for our business in India andremain committed to invest and grow in India

through well-established brands such asProtinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac and NeocaterdquoldquoIn order to maximise the growth opportunitieswe are continuously analysing our portfolio andsharpening our focus to accelerate investmentson the best performing categories and productsFor this reason we are discontinuing some ofthe SKUs sold in Indiardquo he added

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally-superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has been atestimony to that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquo thespokesperson stated

In line with this a small factory at Rai near Delhimanufacturing the discontinued products willstop production Danonersquos state-of-the artfactory in Lalru which is involved inmanufacturing infant nutrition products willcontinue to function as usual

KMF dispatches first milk consignment to KashmirJan 11 2018 0323 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityhubballikmf-dispatches-first-milk-consignment-to-kashmirarticleshow62451305cms

he Belgaum District Co-operative MilkProducers Societies Union Limitedof Karnataka Milk Federation(KMF)

dispatched the first consignment of milk flexisachets to Jammu and Kashmir on WednesdayUnion chairman MLC Vivek Patil flagged off thefirst truck carrying milk sachets at MahanteshNagar The dairy has orders from Jammu andKashmir and Andhra Pradeshgovernments toprovide 10000 litres of milk per day Patil toldreporters that KMFs Nandini brand is being sentto Jammu and Kashmir and it takes 3-4 days forthe consignment to reach the northern state

Milk sachets in the sizes of 180ml 200ml and500ml are sent to Jammu and Kashmir andAndhra Pradesh he said

Patil also informed that for the first time milkprocurement by the Union has reached 2 lakhlitres attributing the surge to the increase in

milk societies (300) in the district and reductionof price by dairies in Maharashtra

Managing director Ubedullha Khan said that theUnion is planning to start an ice-creammanufacture unit on the dairy premises He saidthat the flavoured milk powder will bemanufactured to prevent misuse as there werecomplaints with regard to the supply of the itemto government schools under the KsheeraBhagya scheme

Directors Sanjaygouda Patil and director (admin)of KMF Dr HM Tippareddy were present on theoccasion

Chief minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated theflexi packet unit in Belagavi in November 2017The unit the first such facility in north Karnatakawas set up at a cost of Rs 22 crore Machines forthe unit were brought from Finland

T

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नयाhttpwwwdairytodayinmilk-production-gradually-increase-in-india

यर टड नटवक

नई द ल अहमदाबाद 9जनवर 2018

ि क ड म क पाउडर (एसएमपी) का उ पादनखपतस अ धक रहन स भारतीय द ध उ योग क लएमि कल खड़ी हो गई ह एसएमपी का भडार माच तकबढ़कर 2 लाख टन पहच सकता ह दसर तरफ द धसहकार इकाइय क पास पहल ह 20 तशत अ धकदध क मा ा आ रह ह ल कन इ ह एसएमपी मत द ल करन क उनक मता पया त नह ह इसकानतीजा यह हआ ह क कसान को मलन वाला खर दम य औसतन 20 तशत कम हो गया ह ज द हएसएमपी क खप का नयात नह हआ तो क मतऔरकम हो सकती ह

द ध उ योग क हालत ख ता

द ध सहकार स थान न सरकार स एसएमपीखर दन या नयात सि सडी दन क माग क ह कछलोग का मानना ह क सरकार एसएमपी खर दसकतीह और इस मदद योजना क तहत साक दश को भजसकती ह कल मलाकर द ध उ योग क हालतख ता ह और ज द स कोई समाधान नह नकला तोदध उ पादक को तगड़ी चोट पहच सकती ह हालातऐस ह रह तो अगल स म दध उ पादन पर बरा असरपड़ सकता ह और कसान इसस आहत होकर द धउ योग स मह मोड़ सकत ह

गजरात सहकार द ध वपणन महासघ क एमडी आरएस सोढ़ कहत ह lsquoि थ त स नपटन क लए हमनसरकार स नयात सि सडी क माग क ह सि सडीनह मलन क ि थ तम हमन कमस कम 20000स30000 टन एसएमपी का भडारण करन का आ हकया ह यह भडार गरमी क मौसम मखप सकता हrsquo

ड

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Indian News

Animal HealthProtection

Soon tech to ensure female births in cattle

Written by Parthasarathi Biswas | Updated January 15 2018 437 amhttpindianexpresscomarticletechnologysciencesoon-tech-to-ensure-female-births-in-cattle-5024876

airy farmers in India can soon plan thebirth of extensively female milchanimals reducing the possibility of

unproductive males Pune-based BAIFDevelopment Research Foundation (BDRF) hasembarked on a project to produce semen thatincreases the probability of birth of cows andshe-buffaloes to 92 per cent

The technology is based on sorting of semenwhose genetic material determines the sex ofoffspring Genetically semen contains X- and Y-chromosomes females are conceived whensperm with an X-chromosome fertilises thefemalersquos egg and males when the sperm carriesa Y-chromosome The sorting technology seeksto ensure that only sperms with X-chromosomesfertilise the eggs

Special reagents are used to stain the semenPost-staining the semen is passed through anarrow tube illuminated by laser beams The X-chromosome-carrying sperms exhibitfluorescence under laser beams whichfacilitates their sorting A minor electricitycharge is used to separate the fluorescentsperms

Semen-sorting technology has had relativelynarrow exposure in India but developedcountries have been using it since 2002 Theglobal patent is held by US-based SexingTechnologies It is now in its third version andallows for 95 sorting of sperms BDRF hassigned an agreement with the company afterfield trials

ldquoIn 2014 around 14 lakh straws of sorted semenwere imported by BDRF to conduct trials Ofthese 70000 straws were distributed at ourcentres in Maharashtra UP Bihar JharkhandOdisha and recently in Andhra Pradesh andKarnatakardquo said Dr Ashoke Pande senior vicepresident and head of BDRFrsquos Central ResearchCentre Pande said the conception rate usingthese straws has been around 44 and 90 of400 calves born were female

BDRF has now decided to set up a facility toproduce such semen at its Urali Kanchan facilitywith Pande looking at the first week of April forstarting production ldquoSexing Technologies is inthe process of arranging the machinery as well asrecruiting skilled manpower to run the facilityrdquohe said Sorted semen of both pure andcrossbred Holstein Friesian Jersey as well asindigenous Indian breeds and buffaloes will beproduced at this facility

Since the beef ban in Maharashtra birth ofmales calves has been a burden for farmersEarlier such animals were sold at the cattlemarket for slaughter but now farmers are forcedto rear these unproductive animals which draintheir ownersrsquo resources Straws of sorted semenare priced at Rs 1200 each as against Rs 50 fornormal semen Production in India will notreduce the cost as BDRF will still have to pay feesto Sexing Technologies for using its technologyPande said ldquoTo start with we will store suchstraws in 2500 of our 4300 centresrdquo Pandesaid

D

Technicians have been retrained in properhandling and usage of such straws Farmersopting for such straws too need to ensure that

the animals to inseminated are under propersupervision

Atrocities towards milk animals-cows and buffaloeson January 06 2018httpnewsstatetimesinatrocities-towards-milk-animals-cows-and-buffaloes

ear EditorAlthough cow is loved respected andnourished equally by all the

communities-Hindu Sikh Muslim and Gujjarsyet the refusal to provide food shelter water tosome of them have forced them to stray onroadConstitution empowers state to frame and formlaws preventing cruelty to animals still cows diecruel and painful death by consuming polythenebags rubbish and thrown out rotten food in citiesand villages Some of the reason of her dryingcruel and painful death are-Explosion of Population1) Fastely shrinking pastures and water drinkingtalabs2) Insufficient animal husbandry hospitals anddoctors3) Lack of Gow-Shalas4) Lack of moral and ethical education

Let everyone in the public be given awarenessthrough social agencies like NGO and persuadegovernment agencies to enforce lawspreventing all kind of atrocities and crueltytowards this useful gentle animal so that it doesnot die by inches and there should be provisionof-1) Opening of Gow-Shalas2) Re-innovation of shrinking water talab andpastures3) Opening of new animal husbandary hospitalsespecially for cowsGiving moral and ethical education to commonman so that this useful animal does not die crueland painful death due to hunger thurst andshelter in urban as well as rural areasRattan Singh ManhasRetired Teacher Education DepttJammu

D

Marketing

Danone to rationalise India portfolio to allow for growing investmentsSaturday 13 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdanone-to-rationalise-india-portfolio-to-allow-for-growing-investments-41634

Danone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which accounts for over 90per cent of the business The company alreadyenjoys a leadership position in the country

In line with this Danone with discontinue stock-keeping units (SKUs) which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the ultra-high temperature(UHT) and fresh dairy products

Danone has a stated goal to double its nutritionbusiness in India by 2020 in line with its globalmission to bring health through food to as manypeople as possible and this renewed focus isthe key to achieving this goal

A Danone India spokesperson said ldquoWe havegreat ambitions for our business in India andremain committed to invest and grow in India

through well-established brands such asProtinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac and NeocaterdquoldquoIn order to maximise the growth opportunitieswe are continuously analysing our portfolio andsharpening our focus to accelerate investmentson the best performing categories and productsFor this reason we are discontinuing some ofthe SKUs sold in Indiardquo he added

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally-superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has been atestimony to that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquo thespokesperson stated

In line with this a small factory at Rai near Delhimanufacturing the discontinued products willstop production Danonersquos state-of-the artfactory in Lalru which is involved inmanufacturing infant nutrition products willcontinue to function as usual

KMF dispatches first milk consignment to KashmirJan 11 2018 0323 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityhubballikmf-dispatches-first-milk-consignment-to-kashmirarticleshow62451305cms

he Belgaum District Co-operative MilkProducers Societies Union Limitedof Karnataka Milk Federation(KMF)

dispatched the first consignment of milk flexisachets to Jammu and Kashmir on WednesdayUnion chairman MLC Vivek Patil flagged off thefirst truck carrying milk sachets at MahanteshNagar The dairy has orders from Jammu andKashmir and Andhra Pradeshgovernments toprovide 10000 litres of milk per day Patil toldreporters that KMFs Nandini brand is being sentto Jammu and Kashmir and it takes 3-4 days forthe consignment to reach the northern state

Milk sachets in the sizes of 180ml 200ml and500ml are sent to Jammu and Kashmir andAndhra Pradesh he said

Patil also informed that for the first time milkprocurement by the Union has reached 2 lakhlitres attributing the surge to the increase in

milk societies (300) in the district and reductionof price by dairies in Maharashtra

Managing director Ubedullha Khan said that theUnion is planning to start an ice-creammanufacture unit on the dairy premises He saidthat the flavoured milk powder will bemanufactured to prevent misuse as there werecomplaints with regard to the supply of the itemto government schools under the KsheeraBhagya scheme

Directors Sanjaygouda Patil and director (admin)of KMF Dr HM Tippareddy were present on theoccasion

Chief minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated theflexi packet unit in Belagavi in November 2017The unit the first such facility in north Karnatakawas set up at a cost of Rs 22 crore Machines forthe unit were brought from Finland

T

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नयाhttpwwwdairytodayinmilk-production-gradually-increase-in-india

यर टड नटवक

नई द ल अहमदाबाद 9जनवर 2018

ि क ड म क पाउडर (एसएमपी) का उ पादनखपतस अ धक रहन स भारतीय द ध उ योग क लएमि कल खड़ी हो गई ह एसएमपी का भडार माच तकबढ़कर 2 लाख टन पहच सकता ह दसर तरफ द धसहकार इकाइय क पास पहल ह 20 तशत अ धकदध क मा ा आ रह ह ल कन इ ह एसएमपी मत द ल करन क उनक मता पया त नह ह इसकानतीजा यह हआ ह क कसान को मलन वाला खर दम य औसतन 20 तशत कम हो गया ह ज द हएसएमपी क खप का नयात नह हआ तो क मतऔरकम हो सकती ह

द ध उ योग क हालत ख ता

द ध सहकार स थान न सरकार स एसएमपीखर दन या नयात सि सडी दन क माग क ह कछलोग का मानना ह क सरकार एसएमपी खर दसकतीह और इस मदद योजना क तहत साक दश को भजसकती ह कल मलाकर द ध उ योग क हालतख ता ह और ज द स कोई समाधान नह नकला तोदध उ पादक को तगड़ी चोट पहच सकती ह हालातऐस ह रह तो अगल स म दध उ पादन पर बरा असरपड़ सकता ह और कसान इसस आहत होकर द धउ योग स मह मोड़ सकत ह

गजरात सहकार द ध वपणन महासघ क एमडी आरएस सोढ़ कहत ह lsquoि थ त स नपटन क लए हमनसरकार स नयात सि सडी क माग क ह सि सडीनह मलन क ि थ तम हमन कमस कम 20000स30000 टन एसएमपी का भडारण करन का आ हकया ह यह भडार गरमी क मौसम मखप सकता हrsquo

ड

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Technicians have been retrained in properhandling and usage of such straws Farmersopting for such straws too need to ensure that

the animals to inseminated are under propersupervision

Atrocities towards milk animals-cows and buffaloeson January 06 2018httpnewsstatetimesinatrocities-towards-milk-animals-cows-and-buffaloes

ear EditorAlthough cow is loved respected andnourished equally by all the

communities-Hindu Sikh Muslim and Gujjarsyet the refusal to provide food shelter water tosome of them have forced them to stray onroadConstitution empowers state to frame and formlaws preventing cruelty to animals still cows diecruel and painful death by consuming polythenebags rubbish and thrown out rotten food in citiesand villages Some of the reason of her dryingcruel and painful death are-Explosion of Population1) Fastely shrinking pastures and water drinkingtalabs2) Insufficient animal husbandry hospitals anddoctors3) Lack of Gow-Shalas4) Lack of moral and ethical education

Let everyone in the public be given awarenessthrough social agencies like NGO and persuadegovernment agencies to enforce lawspreventing all kind of atrocities and crueltytowards this useful gentle animal so that it doesnot die by inches and there should be provisionof-1) Opening of Gow-Shalas2) Re-innovation of shrinking water talab andpastures3) Opening of new animal husbandary hospitalsespecially for cowsGiving moral and ethical education to commonman so that this useful animal does not die crueland painful death due to hunger thurst andshelter in urban as well as rural areasRattan Singh ManhasRetired Teacher Education DepttJammu

D

Marketing

Danone to rationalise India portfolio to allow for growing investmentsSaturday 13 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdanone-to-rationalise-india-portfolio-to-allow-for-growing-investments-41634

Danone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which accounts for over 90per cent of the business The company alreadyenjoys a leadership position in the country

In line with this Danone with discontinue stock-keeping units (SKUs) which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the ultra-high temperature(UHT) and fresh dairy products

Danone has a stated goal to double its nutritionbusiness in India by 2020 in line with its globalmission to bring health through food to as manypeople as possible and this renewed focus isthe key to achieving this goal

A Danone India spokesperson said ldquoWe havegreat ambitions for our business in India andremain committed to invest and grow in India

through well-established brands such asProtinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac and NeocaterdquoldquoIn order to maximise the growth opportunitieswe are continuously analysing our portfolio andsharpening our focus to accelerate investmentson the best performing categories and productsFor this reason we are discontinuing some ofthe SKUs sold in Indiardquo he added

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally-superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has been atestimony to that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquo thespokesperson stated

In line with this a small factory at Rai near Delhimanufacturing the discontinued products willstop production Danonersquos state-of-the artfactory in Lalru which is involved inmanufacturing infant nutrition products willcontinue to function as usual

KMF dispatches first milk consignment to KashmirJan 11 2018 0323 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityhubballikmf-dispatches-first-milk-consignment-to-kashmirarticleshow62451305cms

he Belgaum District Co-operative MilkProducers Societies Union Limitedof Karnataka Milk Federation(KMF)

dispatched the first consignment of milk flexisachets to Jammu and Kashmir on WednesdayUnion chairman MLC Vivek Patil flagged off thefirst truck carrying milk sachets at MahanteshNagar The dairy has orders from Jammu andKashmir and Andhra Pradeshgovernments toprovide 10000 litres of milk per day Patil toldreporters that KMFs Nandini brand is being sentto Jammu and Kashmir and it takes 3-4 days forthe consignment to reach the northern state

Milk sachets in the sizes of 180ml 200ml and500ml are sent to Jammu and Kashmir andAndhra Pradesh he said

Patil also informed that for the first time milkprocurement by the Union has reached 2 lakhlitres attributing the surge to the increase in

milk societies (300) in the district and reductionof price by dairies in Maharashtra

Managing director Ubedullha Khan said that theUnion is planning to start an ice-creammanufacture unit on the dairy premises He saidthat the flavoured milk powder will bemanufactured to prevent misuse as there werecomplaints with regard to the supply of the itemto government schools under the KsheeraBhagya scheme

Directors Sanjaygouda Patil and director (admin)of KMF Dr HM Tippareddy were present on theoccasion

Chief minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated theflexi packet unit in Belagavi in November 2017The unit the first such facility in north Karnatakawas set up at a cost of Rs 22 crore Machines forthe unit were brought from Finland

T

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नयाhttpwwwdairytodayinmilk-production-gradually-increase-in-india

यर टड नटवक

नई द ल अहमदाबाद 9जनवर 2018

ि क ड म क पाउडर (एसएमपी) का उ पादनखपतस अ धक रहन स भारतीय द ध उ योग क लएमि कल खड़ी हो गई ह एसएमपी का भडार माच तकबढ़कर 2 लाख टन पहच सकता ह दसर तरफ द धसहकार इकाइय क पास पहल ह 20 तशत अ धकदध क मा ा आ रह ह ल कन इ ह एसएमपी मत द ल करन क उनक मता पया त नह ह इसकानतीजा यह हआ ह क कसान को मलन वाला खर दम य औसतन 20 तशत कम हो गया ह ज द हएसएमपी क खप का नयात नह हआ तो क मतऔरकम हो सकती ह

द ध उ योग क हालत ख ता

द ध सहकार स थान न सरकार स एसएमपीखर दन या नयात सि सडी दन क माग क ह कछलोग का मानना ह क सरकार एसएमपी खर दसकतीह और इस मदद योजना क तहत साक दश को भजसकती ह कल मलाकर द ध उ योग क हालतख ता ह और ज द स कोई समाधान नह नकला तोदध उ पादक को तगड़ी चोट पहच सकती ह हालातऐस ह रह तो अगल स म दध उ पादन पर बरा असरपड़ सकता ह और कसान इसस आहत होकर द धउ योग स मह मोड़ सकत ह

गजरात सहकार द ध वपणन महासघ क एमडी आरएस सोढ़ कहत ह lsquoि थ त स नपटन क लए हमनसरकार स नयात सि सडी क माग क ह सि सडीनह मलन क ि थ तम हमन कमस कम 20000स30000 टन एसएमपी का भडारण करन का आ हकया ह यह भडार गरमी क मौसम मखप सकता हrsquo

ड

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Marketing

Danone to rationalise India portfolio to allow for growing investmentsSaturday 13 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdanone-to-rationalise-india-portfolio-to-allow-for-growing-investments-41634

Danone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which accounts for over 90per cent of the business The company alreadyenjoys a leadership position in the country

In line with this Danone with discontinue stock-keeping units (SKUs) which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the ultra-high temperature(UHT) and fresh dairy products

Danone has a stated goal to double its nutritionbusiness in India by 2020 in line with its globalmission to bring health through food to as manypeople as possible and this renewed focus isthe key to achieving this goal

A Danone India spokesperson said ldquoWe havegreat ambitions for our business in India andremain committed to invest and grow in India

through well-established brands such asProtinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac and NeocaterdquoldquoIn order to maximise the growth opportunitieswe are continuously analysing our portfolio andsharpening our focus to accelerate investmentson the best performing categories and productsFor this reason we are discontinuing some ofthe SKUs sold in Indiardquo he added

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally-superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has been atestimony to that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquo thespokesperson stated

In line with this a small factory at Rai near Delhimanufacturing the discontinued products willstop production Danonersquos state-of-the artfactory in Lalru which is involved inmanufacturing infant nutrition products willcontinue to function as usual

KMF dispatches first milk consignment to KashmirJan 11 2018 0323 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityhubballikmf-dispatches-first-milk-consignment-to-kashmirarticleshow62451305cms

he Belgaum District Co-operative MilkProducers Societies Union Limitedof Karnataka Milk Federation(KMF)

dispatched the first consignment of milk flexisachets to Jammu and Kashmir on WednesdayUnion chairman MLC Vivek Patil flagged off thefirst truck carrying milk sachets at MahanteshNagar The dairy has orders from Jammu andKashmir and Andhra Pradeshgovernments toprovide 10000 litres of milk per day Patil toldreporters that KMFs Nandini brand is being sentto Jammu and Kashmir and it takes 3-4 days forthe consignment to reach the northern state

Milk sachets in the sizes of 180ml 200ml and500ml are sent to Jammu and Kashmir andAndhra Pradesh he said

Patil also informed that for the first time milkprocurement by the Union has reached 2 lakhlitres attributing the surge to the increase in

milk societies (300) in the district and reductionof price by dairies in Maharashtra

Managing director Ubedullha Khan said that theUnion is planning to start an ice-creammanufacture unit on the dairy premises He saidthat the flavoured milk powder will bemanufactured to prevent misuse as there werecomplaints with regard to the supply of the itemto government schools under the KsheeraBhagya scheme

Directors Sanjaygouda Patil and director (admin)of KMF Dr HM Tippareddy were present on theoccasion

Chief minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated theflexi packet unit in Belagavi in November 2017The unit the first such facility in north Karnatakawas set up at a cost of Rs 22 crore Machines forthe unit were brought from Finland

T

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नयाhttpwwwdairytodayinmilk-production-gradually-increase-in-india

यर टड नटवक

नई द ल अहमदाबाद 9जनवर 2018

ि क ड म क पाउडर (एसएमपी) का उ पादनखपतस अ धक रहन स भारतीय द ध उ योग क लएमि कल खड़ी हो गई ह एसएमपी का भडार माच तकबढ़कर 2 लाख टन पहच सकता ह दसर तरफ द धसहकार इकाइय क पास पहल ह 20 तशत अ धकदध क मा ा आ रह ह ल कन इ ह एसएमपी मत द ल करन क उनक मता पया त नह ह इसकानतीजा यह हआ ह क कसान को मलन वाला खर दम य औसतन 20 तशत कम हो गया ह ज द हएसएमपी क खप का नयात नह हआ तो क मतऔरकम हो सकती ह

द ध उ योग क हालत ख ता

द ध सहकार स थान न सरकार स एसएमपीखर दन या नयात सि सडी दन क माग क ह कछलोग का मानना ह क सरकार एसएमपी खर दसकतीह और इस मदद योजना क तहत साक दश को भजसकती ह कल मलाकर द ध उ योग क हालतख ता ह और ज द स कोई समाधान नह नकला तोदध उ पादक को तगड़ी चोट पहच सकती ह हालातऐस ह रह तो अगल स म दध उ पादन पर बरा असरपड़ सकता ह और कसान इसस आहत होकर द धउ योग स मह मोड़ सकत ह

गजरात सहकार द ध वपणन महासघ क एमडी आरएस सोढ़ कहत ह lsquoि थ त स नपटन क लए हमनसरकार स नयात सि सडी क माग क ह सि सडीनह मलन क ि थ तम हमन कमस कम 20000स30000 टन एसएमपी का भडारण करन का आ हकया ह यह भडार गरमी क मौसम मखप सकता हrsquo

ड

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

KMF dispatches first milk consignment to KashmirJan 11 2018 0323 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityhubballikmf-dispatches-first-milk-consignment-to-kashmirarticleshow62451305cms

he Belgaum District Co-operative MilkProducers Societies Union Limitedof Karnataka Milk Federation(KMF)

dispatched the first consignment of milk flexisachets to Jammu and Kashmir on WednesdayUnion chairman MLC Vivek Patil flagged off thefirst truck carrying milk sachets at MahanteshNagar The dairy has orders from Jammu andKashmir and Andhra Pradeshgovernments toprovide 10000 litres of milk per day Patil toldreporters that KMFs Nandini brand is being sentto Jammu and Kashmir and it takes 3-4 days forthe consignment to reach the northern state

Milk sachets in the sizes of 180ml 200ml and500ml are sent to Jammu and Kashmir andAndhra Pradesh he said

Patil also informed that for the first time milkprocurement by the Union has reached 2 lakhlitres attributing the surge to the increase in

milk societies (300) in the district and reductionof price by dairies in Maharashtra

Managing director Ubedullha Khan said that theUnion is planning to start an ice-creammanufacture unit on the dairy premises He saidthat the flavoured milk powder will bemanufactured to prevent misuse as there werecomplaints with regard to the supply of the itemto government schools under the KsheeraBhagya scheme

Directors Sanjaygouda Patil and director (admin)of KMF Dr HM Tippareddy were present on theoccasion

Chief minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated theflexi packet unit in Belagavi in November 2017The unit the first such facility in north Karnatakawas set up at a cost of Rs 22 crore Machines forthe unit were brought from Finland

T

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नयाhttpwwwdairytodayinmilk-production-gradually-increase-in-india

यर टड नटवक

नई द ल अहमदाबाद 9जनवर 2018

ि क ड म क पाउडर (एसएमपी) का उ पादनखपतस अ धक रहन स भारतीय द ध उ योग क लएमि कल खड़ी हो गई ह एसएमपी का भडार माच तकबढ़कर 2 लाख टन पहच सकता ह दसर तरफ द धसहकार इकाइय क पास पहल ह 20 तशत अ धकदध क मा ा आ रह ह ल कन इ ह एसएमपी मत द ल करन क उनक मता पया त नह ह इसकानतीजा यह हआ ह क कसान को मलन वाला खर दम य औसतन 20 तशत कम हो गया ह ज द हएसएमपी क खप का नयात नह हआ तो क मतऔरकम हो सकती ह

द ध उ योग क हालत ख ता

द ध सहकार स थान न सरकार स एसएमपीखर दन या नयात सि सडी दन क माग क ह कछलोग का मानना ह क सरकार एसएमपी खर दसकतीह और इस मदद योजना क तहत साक दश को भजसकती ह कल मलाकर द ध उ योग क हालतख ता ह और ज द स कोई समाधान नह नकला तोदध उ पादक को तगड़ी चोट पहच सकती ह हालातऐस ह रह तो अगल स म दध उ पादन पर बरा असरपड़ सकता ह और कसान इसस आहत होकर द धउ योग स मह मोड़ सकत ह

गजरात सहकार द ध वपणन महासघ क एमडी आरएस सोढ़ कहत ह lsquoि थ त स नपटन क लए हमनसरकार स नयात सि सडी क माग क ह सि सडीनह मलन क ि थ तम हमन कमस कम 20000स30000 टन एसएमपी का भडारण करन का आ हकया ह यह भडार गरमी क मौसम मखप सकता हrsquo

ड

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

दश म दध का बपर उ पादन ि क ड म क पाउडर क बढ़त टॉक स मि कल म डयर कप नयाhttpwwwdairytodayinmilk-production-gradually-increase-in-india

यर टड नटवक

नई द ल अहमदाबाद 9जनवर 2018

ि क ड म क पाउडर (एसएमपी) का उ पादनखपतस अ धक रहन स भारतीय द ध उ योग क लएमि कल खड़ी हो गई ह एसएमपी का भडार माच तकबढ़कर 2 लाख टन पहच सकता ह दसर तरफ द धसहकार इकाइय क पास पहल ह 20 तशत अ धकदध क मा ा आ रह ह ल कन इ ह एसएमपी मत द ल करन क उनक मता पया त नह ह इसकानतीजा यह हआ ह क कसान को मलन वाला खर दम य औसतन 20 तशत कम हो गया ह ज द हएसएमपी क खप का नयात नह हआ तो क मतऔरकम हो सकती ह

द ध उ योग क हालत ख ता

द ध सहकार स थान न सरकार स एसएमपीखर दन या नयात सि सडी दन क माग क ह कछलोग का मानना ह क सरकार एसएमपी खर दसकतीह और इस मदद योजना क तहत साक दश को भजसकती ह कल मलाकर द ध उ योग क हालतख ता ह और ज द स कोई समाधान नह नकला तोदध उ पादक को तगड़ी चोट पहच सकती ह हालातऐस ह रह तो अगल स म दध उ पादन पर बरा असरपड़ सकता ह और कसान इसस आहत होकर द धउ योग स मह मोड़ सकत ह

गजरात सहकार द ध वपणन महासघ क एमडी आरएस सोढ़ कहत ह lsquoि थ त स नपटन क लए हमनसरकार स नयात सि सडी क माग क ह सि सडीनह मलन क ि थ तम हमन कमस कम 20000स30000 टन एसएमपी का भडारण करन का आ हकया ह यह भडार गरमी क मौसम मखप सकता हrsquo

ड

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

नजी डयर कप नय न अ त र त द ध खर दना बदकया

सग ठत द ध उ पादन स सहकार इकाइया 40-

60 तशत तक दध खर दती ह व 20 तशत तकअ धक दध ल रह ह और राज थान और म य दशजस रा य म य इकाइया सद म सामा य मा ा स 30

तशत तक अ धक दध खर द रह ह सोढ़ न कहाक नजी इकाइय न दध खर दना ब कल बद करदया ह य क उ ह यह यावसा यक तौर परफायदमद नह दखाई दता ह पछल एक मह न म घीक क मत भी त टन 100 पय कम हो गई ह

कनाटक न बगाड़ा द ध कप नय का खल

कनाटक सरकार कसान को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी दती ह कनाटक म क फडरशन (कएमएफ)

को इस समय 72 लाख ल टर त दन दध मल रहाह जब क दध क ब 32 लाख ल टर त दन हशष 40 लाख ल टर त दन मा ा बाजार म िजस(एसएमपी) या लि वड म क (दध) क प म आताह अ त र त दध क आवक स कएमएफ च नई

मबई और हदराबाद क बाजार म दध क आप त कररहा ह जानकार का कहना ह क पछल सालकएमएफ न कसान को 23 पय त ल टर का

भगतान कया था कएमएफ को 5 पय त ल टरसि सडी सरकार स मल थी हाला क महारा मकारोबार को उ पाद बचन क लए कएमएफ सत पधा करनी पड़ती ह कएमएफ क लए खर दम य 18 पय त ल टर रह जाता ह य क शषरकम सि सडी क तौर पर मल जाती ह

लागत स कम पर दध बचन पर मजबर कारोबार

द ण भारत क एक अ णी नजी द ध उ पादकइकाई क मख न नाम सावज नक नह करन क शतपर बताया lsquoघबराहट म दध कारोबार उ पादन लागतस कम क मत पर दध बच रह ह अगर दसरा दशभारत म लागत स कमक मत पर अपन उ पाद बचताह तो हम उस ि थ त म वरोध जता सकत ह ल कनयहा मामला कछ और ह यहा कएमएफ व भ नरा य म दध क आप त कर रहा ह मौजदाप रि थ तय को दखत हए इस क सरकार क नजरम लाना और इस रोकन क लए वधयक पा रत करनाज र हो गया हrsquo

सोढ़ न कहा क कएमएफ सरकार सि सडी क कारणएसएमपी दसर इकाइय क मकाबल 50 पय तकलो ाम कमक मत पर बच सकता ह उ ह न कहाक इसस दसर इकाइय को भी इसी क मत परएसएमपी बचन पर मजबर होना पड़ रहा ह जहा तकदध को एसएमपी म बदलन क बात ह तो कएमएफ नपछल 12 साल म इस दशा म मता व तार नह कया ह हाला क अब यह बगल क नकट रामनगर

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

म नया एसएमपी सय श कर रहा ह यह एसएमपीभडार पछल मह न क 16500 टनस कमकर 15000

टन करन म सफल रहा ह

कनाटक म क फडरशन खाल करना चाहता हएसएमपी का भडार

कएमएफ क एक व र ठ अ धकार न कहा क वह इससाल जन तक एसएमपी भडार खाल करना चाहता हनजी कप नया ह दर उ तर भारत और महारा मनजी द ध एव िजस कप नय न दध खर दना खासाकम कर दया ह रा य राजधानी (एनसीआर)क एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनी न कहा क बाजारएसएमपी स पटा पड़ा ह िजसस घरल बाजार मक मतकम होकर 150 पय त कलो ाम तक रह गई हयानी इनम 30 तशत तक कमी आ गई ह दसरतरफ अतररा य तर पर क मत 115 पय त

कलो ाम ह िजसस नयात का वक प भी नह रहगया ह

दश म दो हजार करोड़ म य का ह एसएमपी भडार

फलहाल जीसीएमएमएफ कसान को पछल सालका खर द म य द रहा ह और इस कम नह कया गयाह आ दश म भी क मत ि थर ह हाला क नजीद ध उ पादक इकाइय स लस उ तर दशमसहकारस म तय नखर दार 900000ल टर त दनस कमकर 500000 ल टर त दन कर द ह दश मएसएमपी भडार का म य 1600 करोड़ पय स 2000

करोड़ पय क बीच ह एक नजी द ध उ पादक कपनीन कहा lsquoअगरसरकार कछमा ा खर दती ह तो ि थ तम सधार हो सकता हrsquo(साभार- बजनस टडड)

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Parag Milk Foods ventured into Rs1500cr curd market in DelhiJanuary 06 2018 1319 IST

httpswwwindiainfolinecomarticlenews-top-storyparag-milk-foods-ventured-into-rs1-500cr-curd-market-in-delhi-118010500254_1html

arag Milk Foods (PMF) haslaunched Gowardhan Fresh lsquonrsquo ThickDahi in the markets of Delhi The product

is available in tubs of 400gm 200gm and 80gmat a price of Rs60 Rs25 and Rs10 respectivelyThrough this launch PMF has expanded itsgeographical reach and has entered into aRs1500cr curd market of Delhi The Northernregion contributes ~33 of curd consumption inIndia the company stated in the BSE filing

In order to successfully cater to the newlyentered market of fresh Dahi company has tiedup with renowned supply chain companies tomaintain the freshness and quality of theproduct

PMF is already present in Delhi for its highershelf life products - Ghee Cheese and other

products It has opted for a 360 degreecommunication approach in order to createawareness about the brand (both media andprint)

Parag with daily milk processing capacity of 2mnlitre has a diversified product portfolioacross 170+ SKUs and 7 brands Its revenue isdiversified across milk products (68 of Q2FY18revenues) liquid milk (20) skimmed milkpowder (11) and others (1) Parag derives68 of revenue from the high margin consumersegment Recently the company launchedldquoAvvatarrdquo Indiarsquos 1st 100 veg whey proteinand has outlined capex of Rs1774cr forexpansion of whey capacity Whey has thehighest gross margin among dairy productshence the initiative is set to boost margins forParag going ahead

Steep fall in milk procurement prices leaves farmers in lurch

httpwwwmoneycontrolcomnewsindiasteep-fall-in-milk-procurement-prices-leaves-farmers-in-lurch-2476465html

here is a dairy crisis brewing in MadhyaPradesh as the milk procurement pricescrashed in some parts of the state to as

low as Rs 24 per litre reports The HinduBusinessLine

A dairy farmer Maharaj Singh from Bastoli villagein Morena district who sells nearly 12 litres ofmilk every day said that the price of milk hasfallen to Rs 24 per litre against Rs 38 per litre thathe used to get 20 days back

The sudden drop in milk prices led to protest bydairy farmers in Morena and Bhind districts inthe Chambal division of Madhya Pradesh

Milk prices have been declining sharply from lastmonth as private dairies stopped purchasing

milk co-operatives are receiving 20-30 percenthigher prices in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanthan usual said Gujarat Co-operative MilkMarketing Federation managing director RSSodhi

The increase in the supply of milk from dairyfarmers with the start of the flush season fromDecember also resulted in worsening of thesituation

The fate of dairy farmers in other states is nodifferent as they are paid Rs 18 per litre for cowmilk by private traders in Maharashtra againstearlier price of Rs 27 whereas in Uttar Pradeshand Haryana buffalo milk price crashed to Rs 26per litre from Rs 40

P

T

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

HealthAwareness

Make a DASH for itJan 14 2018 0000 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomlife-stylehealth-fitnessdietmake-a-dash-for-itarticleshow62469786cms

ASH diet has been ranked the best dietfor the 8th year in a row by US News ampWorld Report It has also been voted

best for diabetes heart health and healthyeating Originally designed to lower bloodpressure DASH diet is apparently very effectivefor weight loss lowering cholesterol andmanaging or preventing diabetes DASH standsfor Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Inresearch studies people who were on DASHlowered BP within 2 weeks DASH was created byresearch sponsored by the US National Instituteof Health The research found that bloodpressure could be lowered without the use ofmedication It lowers your blood pressure bylimiting salt saturated fat and cholesterol andincreasing foods high in finer protein andnutrients These nutrients include potassiumcalcium and magnesium Researchers found that

by cutting back on empty carbs you can notonly lose weight but also control BP Those onDASH need to do the following

- Eat more fruits vegetables and low-fat dairyfoods

- Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fatcholesterol and trans fats

- Eat more whole-grain foods fish poultry andnuts

- Limit sodium sweets sugary drinks and redmeats

D

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

IRMA to start PG diploma course for executives from 2019

httpwwwthehindubusinesslinecomnewsnationalirma-to-start-pg-diploma-course-for-executives-fromarticle10024706eceAHMEDABAD JANUARY 10

n a bid to inculcate rural perspective indecision making at the middle and seniormanagerial levels of the corporate and agri-

businesses the Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA) will soon launch a 15-month Post-Graduate diploma programme for executives

The programme which is likely to be launchedfrom January 2019 will have a strength of 60out of which 30 will be sponsored by theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) forsuitable and qualified candidates recommendedby the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) orcooperative dairies

ldquoThe remaining 30 participants will beindividuals who will be given placementassistance on completion of the course Aminimum of four yearsrsquo experience will berequired in any domain The 15-month coursewill have one year of classroom teaching andthree months of project work or internshiprdquo saidHitesh Bhatt Director of IRMA

Notably in 1990-91 IRMA was among the firstto launch the one-year diploma programme inrural management which was sponsored byNDDB and the dairy cooperatives mdash primarily tomeet the requirements of dairy professionalsunder Operation Flood

ldquoAfter the third phase of Operation Flood endedin 1996 the one-year programme popularly

known as OYP was also suspended This createda vacuum for a course suitable for executivesinterested in pursuing rural management Thenew course will be unique in its structurerdquo saidSaswata Biswas Organisational Behaviour andHR

Key components

According to Biswas the new executiveprogramme will have broader applicationsbeyond dairy sector as it will have three keycomponents mdash functional areas of managementperspective building for rural management andsocial marketing (such as marketing of socialgoods such as health sanitation mother andchild care etc)

Screening for the new course will take placethrough a score of common admission test (CAT)or XAT followed by IRMArsquos own internal testISAT mdash IRMA Social Aptitude Test groupdiscussions and personal interview

Currently IRMA offers a two-year Post-GraduateDiploma in rural management (PGDRMequivalent to masters) a fellow programme inrural management (equivalent to doctoralprogramme) besides a certificate programme inrural management with total student strength of360

I

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Milk procurement hit prices to farmers drop 20 sector asks for govt helpJanuary 9 2018

httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticlemarketsmilk-procurement-hit-prices-to-farmers-drop-20-sector-asks-for-govt-help-118010900059_1html

ith stocks of skimmed milk powder(SMP) expected to touch 200000tonnes by March there is a problem

of plenty in the Indian dairy sceneCooperativesare already flush with 20 per cent more milk thisseason but capacities to convert this into SMPare stretched The result is that procurementprices to farmers have already dropped by 20 percent on an averageMilk cooperatives haverequested the government to buy SMP (as bufferstocking) or announce an export subsidy (asinternational commodity prices are notconducive for exports) If not handled well itwould affect milk production next season TheSMP stock in the country is estimated at Rs 16-20 billionR S Sodhi managing director of GujaratCooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) said ldquoWe have asked for eitherexport subsidy or the government to do bufferstocking of at least 20000-30000 tonnes of SMPto ease out the situationThis stock can bereleased during summer months (which is thelean season for procurement)rdquoCooperativesaccount for 40-60 per cent of the milk procuredby the organised sectorIn Rajasthan andMadhya Pradesh cooperatives are getting 30per cent more milk than the normal winterseason Sodhi said private players havecompletely stopped procuring as they do notthink it is commercially viable Ghee prices havefallen to Rs 100 a tonne over the past monthAnadditional factor at present is the Karnatakagovernment offering a subsidy to milk farmers ofRs 5 a litre Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) iscollecting 72 million litres per day (mlpd) asagainst sales of 32 mlpd It is thanks to thisexcess that KMF has entered the ChennaiMumbai and Hyderabad markets with liquidmilkLast year KMF paid Rs 23 a litre to the

farmer but takes its own purchase price as Rs 18a litre the rest being government subsidy

And operators elsewhere have to compete withKMF to sell but without the subsidyldquoThis ispenalising farmers of other states If anothercountry dumps its products in India by sellingbelow cost with subsidy from their governmentwe can object Here is a classic example ofdumping of milk amp commodities in differentstates by KMFrdquo alleged the head of a leadingprivate dairy in the south who did not wish to benamedSodhi said KMF can sell SMP at Rs 50 a kgless compared to other players because of thegovernment subsidy forcing other players toalso sell at that priceKMF is working to add anew SMP plant at Ramanagara near BengaluruIts SMP stock has gone down from 16500 tonneslast month to 15000 tonnes at present A seniorofficial in KMF says they aim to dispose off theSMP inventory by June banking on the statersquosKsheera Bhagya scheme that supplies milkpowder to schoolchildren and has a monthlyrequirement of 3000 tonnesPrivate dairies andcommodity players in the north andMaharashtra have heavily reduced theirprocurement of milk A private dairy based in theNational Capital Region (NCR) said the marketwas flush with SMP and prices had fallen to Rs150 a kg or so in the domestic market down by30 per centOn the other hand the internationalprice of Rs 115 a kg makes it unviable forexportAs of now GCMMF is offering last yearrsquosprocurement price to farmers In Andhra tooprices are stableHowever in Uttar Pradeshdominated by private dairies the procurementby cooperatives has dropped from an earlier900000 litres a day to 500000 (lpd)

W

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Maha Agro kindles entrepreneurial dream among farmersJan 8 2018httpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcityaurangabadmaha-agro-kindles-entrepreneurial-dream-among-farmersarticleshow62420563cms

tate-level agriculture fair Maha Agro2018 saw a glittering conclusion onMonday after an impressive response

from farmers in the regionAccording to the organisers an estimated 30000people visited the three-day event

The fair was inaugurated on January 5 byAssembly speaker Haribhau Bagade in presenceof dairy development and fisheries developmentminister Mahadev Jankar and other political andindustrial bigwigs

The event was aimed at developing anentrepreneurial mindset among farmersVarious sessions were held to encourage andguide farmers to venture into agro-processingindustry and less explored areas like bambooplantation animal husbandry and fisherybusiness

The issues discussed in the sessions weresupported by a dynamic exhibition participatedby agro industry majors small scale businessesself-help groups and farmers Various stalls wereput up which provided information related toseeds saplings farm equipment machinerynewer tech for tilling sowing watering andharvesting fresh farm produce and variousprocessed food

On Monday retired chief secretary SudhirkumarGoyal presented the valedictory address He saidthat information on various products schemesand techniques will be crucial for the growth ofagriculture in the region We should gain fromthe experiences and struggle of those who havebecome successful in various agro areas saidGoyal adding that the producers from the region

cannot continue to complain about the harshgeo-climatic condition and resort to water savingand cost efficient methods

Various sessions on different vital issues wereheld on the final day Vilas Shinde from NashiksSahyadri Farms Abhinav Farmers Club Punefounder Dnyaneshwar Bokhde K Tripathi ofNational Horticulture Board former agriculturecommissioner Krushna Lavhekar and ShankarraoNagare enlightened the farmers on variousissues

Stalls representing different wings of the stategovernment like fisheries dairy silk productionMaharashtra Seeds Corporation LimitedMahrashtra Agro Industries Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act andBeti Bachao Beti Padhao sensitised farmersabout various government schemes creditsystem subsidies and marketing platforms Thestalls on organic farming organically developedseeds received a significant response at the fair

During the recent pink bollworm attack ongenetically modified cotton crop the cottonfarmers suffered a major loss Sillod MLA AbdulSattar who has been a witness to agitation byfarmers visited the fair on Monday He said thatthe government had said that even if 30 of cropis lost due to pest attack it will compensate thegrowers but the pest has spoiled 70 of the cropand so the government will have to live up to itsassurance

A team of experts from Marathwada AgricultureUniversity is being formed to assess the damageThe agriculture department will scrutinise thereport compiled by them following whichcompensation will be provided Sattar informed

S

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Satellites help Cape farmers use water more efficiently

httpwwwfreshplazacomarticle187428Satellites-help-Cape-farmers-use-water-more-efficiently

rought-stricken Cape farmers arereceiving help from above ndash throughsatellite data they are able to monitor

their water use efficiency with reportedimprovements of at least 10

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture isproviding the FruitLook service brainchild ofDutch company eLEAF without charge to fruitfarmers From this season thanks to increasedgovernment funding FruitLook covers all of theirrigation areas in the Western Cape as well asthe Eastern Cape section of the Langkloof Thismeans it is available to all of the fruit-producingareas of the Western Cape running up the WestCoast to the north of Vredendal Even hopsfarmers in the George district and dairy farmersin the Tsitsikamma are now using it

In response to the third year of drought demandfor the service has grown and FruitLook recentlyappointed three technical coaches(TechCoaches) to aid users in interpreting thesatellite data and using it in farm managementAccording to Ruben Goudriaan project managerof FruitLook at eLEAF their latest figures indicatethat approximately 35000ha is being activelymonitored through this programme by 500different users throughout the Western CapeldquoAccording to a survey a few seasons back over10 of the users indicated an improvement inwater use of up to 30 while more than 60 ofthe respondents indicated increases in efficiencyexceeding 10rdquo

Biomass production over a period of a week inlate summer on a Western Cape farm (photossupplied by FruitLook)

FruitLook was introduced in 2011 by the far-sighted Andreacute Roux former Director Sustainable

Resource Management at the provincialDepartment of Agriculture He retired last yearbut was brought back by the Western CapePremierrsquos office to coordinate and monitor theprovincersquos drought activities

During the period of August to April fruit growerslog into the FruitLook website to compare blockson their farms in terms of actual biomassproduction (supported by the vegetation and theleaf area index displaying crop health anddensity) evapotranspiration and the deficitthereof as well as the biomass produced perm3 of water consumed by the crop Cumulativebiomass measured in kgha is an indicator ofproduction FruitLook allows a producer todetermine how much water was needed for aspecified amount of growth as well as whethertoo much water was perhaps used to bring fortha certain amount of growth

D

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

FruitLook allows comparison between well-performing and underperforming orchards onthe basis of biomass production (apples in thisexample)

The overview of the orchards aids growers tostart recognising trends regarding over- orunder-irrigation to understand growth variationacross the farm and it allows a grower to

compare blocks overtime By now six years ofdata is availablerendering the toolincreasingly useful astime goes by

ldquoGrapelook was thepredecessor to FruitLookrunning during the 2010-11 production seasonrdquoRuben Goudriaanexplains ldquoIt was a firstattempt at providingsatellite monitoring tofarmers and only focusedon wine and table grapesFrom 2011-12 onwardfruit areas were includedin the monitoring systemwhich was subsequentlycalled FruitLook This isnow the seventh seasonin a row that theFruitLook service is

available to the agricultural communityrdquo

Nelius Kapp director of the soil scienceconsultancy Soil2Root Technologies who hasused FruitLook for a number of years and knowsit inside out says ldquoFruitLook gives you the pointin time during the season when things mighthave gone wrong ndash no other technology can giveyou thatrdquo

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Farm ministry for inclusion of milk in price stabilisation fundJanuary 6 2018httpwwwbusiness-standardcomarticleeconomy-policyfarm-ministry-for-inclusion-of-milk-in-price-stabilisation-fund-118010600731_1html

o stem the sharp decline in milk pricesthe agriculture ministry has soughtinclusion of the milk under the Price

Stabilisation Fund scheme of the department ofconsumer affairsThis officials said would

enable state governments and milk unions topurchase bulk quantities of fresh milk fromfarmers and convert it intoskimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee for futureuseHowever almost 99 per cent of the Rs 35billion allocated as the central share in the fundhas been exhausted till December much ofwhich has gone into buying pulses fromfarmersOfficials said once milk was included inthe Price Stabilisation Fund it would also enablestates to distribute milk through the publicdistribution systemThe Centre contributes halfof the Price Stabilisation Fund while states chipin with the restThe agriculture ministry in mid-December had issued an advisory to states andcentral ministries and departments toinclude milk in the mid-day meal publicdistribution system and other welfareprogrammes including distribution throughAnganwadisThe recent measures to createadditional domestic demand for milk has come

against the backdrop of a sharp fallin milk procurement prices mainly due to weakglobal markets and excess supplies during theflush seasonThe flush season for milk runs fromNovember to March when supplies are usually

on the higher sideThough prices tend to movedownwards during this period this yearrsquos declinehas been particularly pronounced asprocurement rates have dropped to their lowestlevelsA weak global market for milk since 2015has also contributed to thefallSkimmed milk powder which quoted at$5000 per tonne in 2015 in global markets isnow below $2000 per tonneOfficials saidfresh milk procurement rates in Maharashtrahad dropped to Rs 18 per litre from Rs 26-27 perlitre last year while buffalo milk rates in Punjaband Haryana had fallen to Rs 26 per litre from Rs38-40 per litre last yearThough cooperativeshave upped their procurement by 25-30 per centthis year this not not adequate

The private sector has shown little interest inbuying milk this year as exports areunviableOverall milk production in 2017-18 isestimated at 6-7 per cent more than last yearrsquos

T

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

production of 165 million tonnesThegovernment estimates the country has a stock of116000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder due to

higher conversion and this is expected toincrease to 200000 tonnes by March

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctions fund for setting up milk chilling centers in 40villages

4th January 2018httpswwwnyooozcomnewsjaipur1000340rajasthan-cm-vasundhara-raje-sanctions-fund-for-setting-up-milk-chilling-centers-in-40-villages

ajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje sanctionsfund for setting up milk chilling centersin 40 villages To promote women

empowerment and dairy development inRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hasrecently given a gift to Dholpur district

In the programme organised at Reserved Policeline CM Raje handed over the approval orders ofRajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation to theofficials and workers of Saheli Sarwangeena

Women Development Co-operative SocietyLimited for establishment of Milk ChillingCenters in 40 villages of the district

On the occasion Chief Minister said that milkchilling centers will be opened in a phasedmanner in the villages

State Government has sanctioned Rs

48 crore for this purpose

R

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Key to farmersrsquo growth is animal husbandry Sodhi

January 05 2018httpwwwindiancooperativecomdairykey-farmers-growth-animal-husbandry-sodhi

CCMF Managing Director R S Sodhi hasmade a strong pitch for animalhusbandry in the upcoming budget and

says that return on investment in it outweighsthat of agriculture sector Sodhi said this in apanel discussion of TV network CNBC

ldquoWhile agriculture registers a growth of measly2-3 percent animal husbandry claims awhopping 14 percent That is to say spendingmoney on agriculture amounts to covering 20percent rural population while spending onanimal husbandry is virtually the same asbenefiting 80 percent of the people in thehinterlandrdquo Sodhi argued

Sodhi said farmers are in difficulty what withplummeting commodity prices and therefore thenext budget needs to focus on this problem if itaims any meaningful relief for those engaged inthe farm sector

According to Sodhi animal husbandry isextremely important with its contribution to

agriculture counting a generous 30 percent Ahigher budget allocation for animal husbandrycould go a long way in raising farm income hesaid

Elaborating on his point the GCMMF MDmentioned about 80 percent of landless ormarginal farmers are dependent on animalhusbandry The latter significantly spurs growthin farmers income in the countryside heunderscored

Advocating for inclusion of animal husbandry inthe priority sector Sodhi bemoaned the factwhile farmers including rich ones among themare provided with all manner of concessionsincluding income tax exemption farmers doinganimal husbandry are not only denied facilitiesbut they are made to pay income tax as wellSodhi wanted animal husbandry to be treated ona par with agriculture

G

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Govt directs cooperatives to increase milk procurement

NEW DELHI JANUARY 02 2018 2040 ISThttpwwwthehinducombusinessgovt-directs-cooperatives-to-increase-milk-procurementarticle22353354ece

iming to double farmers income by2022 the government said it hasdirected cooperatives to increase their

share of milk procurement from farmers andasked states to boost consumption bydistributing it under various schemes like MiddayMeal

The food ministry has also been requested toconsider inclusion of milk under the PublicDistribution System (PDS) an official statementsaid

ldquoThis will increase the consumption of milk andsubsequently better returns to dairy farmerseven in flush season as wellrdquo the agricultureministry said in a statement

The milk cooperatives have also been advised toset a target of 2 share in the World Trade by2020

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) hasbeen asked to prepare an action plan incoordination with the states to achieve theexport target it added

The government has set a target of 255 milliontonnes of milk production by 2022 so as todouble the farmersrsquo income

ldquoThe total share of milk procurement bycooperatives is to be increased from existing 10 to 20 of milk production by 2022 This willensure better returns to dairy farmersrdquo theministry said

In a recent meeting the ministry has askedmajor cooperatives such as Amul in GujaratNandini in Karnataka Sudha in Bihar Vita inHaryana Verka in Punjab PCDF-Parag in UttarPradesh to ensure that the milk is purchasedfrom farmers without discrimination

Cooperativesrsquo milk procurement rose by 204 during November 2017 from over the year-agoperiod The procurement rate of milk was higherby 47

The agriculture ministry said that the country hasa stock of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) of 116lakh tonnes due to higher conversion andexpected to increase to 2 lakh tonnes by the endof March 2018

About Rs 10881 crore of financial assistance isbeing provided under Dairy ProcessingInfrastructure Fund (DIDF) to MilkFederationsUnions for the purpose The statesand cooperatives have been asked prepare plansaccordingly the statement added

A

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Dairy farmers in distress as milk prices crashJanuary 4 2018 2312httpmthehindubusinesslinecomeconomyagri-businessdairy-farmers-in-distress-as-milk-prices-crasharticle10012311ece

am getting only 24 per litre for milknow whereas I used to get around 38per litre 20 days backrdquo said Maharaj

Singh a farmer from Bastoli Village in Morenadistrict who sells around 12 litres of milk everyday A crisis is clearly brewing for milk producers

Dairy farmers in some parts of Madhya Pradeshparticularly Morena and Bhind districts havebeen protesting the steep cut in purchase prices

The steep cuts effected by private diaries whichhave collection centres across the district wouldknock off more than 5000 from the monthlyincome of Singh who has three buffaloes

ldquoThere have been protests by farmers in Morenaas well as in several parts of Bhind and Gwaliordistricts since December 20 as they are getting alower price for the milk that they supplycollection centresrdquo said Ashok Tiwari MadhyaPradesh Kisan Sabha General Secretary ldquoTheyhave reduced prices all over the State Theagitation started in Morena and later spread toBhind and Gwalior districtsrdquo he said

RS Sodhi Managing Director Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation said thatmilk purchase prices have been falling drasticallyin many States since last month

ldquoAs private dairies have stopped buying milkmilk cooperative societies in States such asMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are getting 20-30 per cent more than what they normallyprocurerdquo he said

The commencement of flush season since theonset of winter has aggravated the situation

with farmers bringing more milk to collectioncentres

Too much milk

As a result cooperative societies in many ofthese States are flooded with milk ldquoEven thoughco-operative societies havenrsquot reduced purchaseprices much they are not in a position to buymore milk from farmersrdquo Sodhi said

Private traders are exploiting the farmersrsquo plightjust as they have with onion and potato farmerswho resort to distress sales While privatetraders in Maharashtra pay 18 per litre for cowmilk as against 27 earlier in UP and Haryanafarmers get 26 a litre against the earlier price of

40 for buffalo milk he said

The root of the problem he said lies in the crashof global commodity prices since 2015 Milkpowder which used to command $5000 pertonne in the global market is now being sold for$1600-1700 However the fall in prices hasnrsquotaffected export of milk products from thecountry

Sodhi suggested that State governments shouldincrease the buffer stock of milk powder to helpdairy farmers

On Tuesdaythe Agriculture Ministry directedmilk cooperative societies to purchase all themilk being brought to them by farmers It alsosaid the stock of skimmed-milk powder which is117 lakh tonnes currently would go up to 2 lakhtonnes by March

ldquoI

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

FIAPOrsquos DontGetMilked campaign creates awareness about dairy-PCOS linkWednesday 03 January 2018 08 00 AM [IST]Our Bureau New DelhihttpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsfiapos-dontgetmilked-campaign-creates-awareness-about-dairypcos-link-41590

Diabetes heart disease polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS) hypertension hypothyroidosteoporosis and even cancer - these are someof the diseases consumers are at risk ofdeveloping due to a repeated intake of dairyproducts This was stated by the Federation ofIndian Animal Protection Organisationrsquos (FIAPO)DontGetMilked campaign which is urgingconsumers to rethink their dietary habits and govegan

The focus here was on dairy products and onweaning consumers off them The campaignerssaid that they wanted to protect the rights ofdairy animals and also highlight the adverseimplications of using mammals as milkmachines By combating mainstream digital andoutdoor advertising about pro-dairy messagingwith its own the campaign revealed seriousflaws in the dairy sector both backyard andcommercial

Forceful artificial insemination for repeatedbreeding use of illegal drugs such as Oxytocin tostimulate the milk let-down separation ofcalves from their mothers use of Khal Bachchatail docking holding animals captive discardingused up and useless animals and zero medicalcare are common malpractices in the dairysector which need to be addressed urgently

Dr Nandita Shah Auroville-based expert indiabetes reversal on a plant-based diet saidldquoSugar is not the cause of diabetes High bloodsugar is the result of diabetes In order to get ridof diabetes we need to get rid of the causewhich is insulin resistance The cause of insulinresistance is what we have to work onrdquo

ldquoIt is caused by fat in the muscle cellsTherefore we must minimise the fats and

increase fibre All animal products includingmilk contain large amounts of fats and no fibreRefined fats like oil ghee butter and vanaspatiare also the problem These must be avoided inorder to reverse diabetesrdquo she added

Kuntal Joshier the worldrsquos first vegan to climbMount Everest has also joined the campaignSharing his thoughts he said ldquoI am amountaineer by passion and a vegan bycompassion I decided to climb Mt Everest on avegan diet or not at allrdquo

ldquoI wanted to raise awareness on the cruelty toanimals in the dairy sector and thus climbed theworldrsquos highest mountain in 2016 as a veganThat is proof enough that physical strength andstamina have nothing to do with theconsumption of milkrdquo he added

Humans need cow milk as much as cows needhuman milk which is not at all No species otherthan human beings consume the secretions ofanother being

On the motto of the campaign Varda Mehrotradirector FIAPO said ldquoThe solution lies withusmdashwith humankind We need to realise thepower we hold individually as consumersrdquo

ldquoThe decision to consume animal products issubjective and impacts millions of animalsAnimals require protection because werepeatedly fail to acknowledge the fact that allsentient beings are equals and continue tosubjugate animals to fulfill our needsConsuming dairy or any other animal product

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

is not a necessity but a choicerdquo she added

Most Indian dishes are already vegan or can beeasily veganised as most Indian food is already

vegetarian Dishes usually contain grains andvegetables (with the exception of paneer-baseddishes) and ghee which is most definitely aluxury and not a necessity and can be easilysubstituted with cooking oil

According to the campaigners milk does notcontribute to human health positively

Mehrotra said ldquoIntensive studies have proventhat humans who thrive on dairy products oftenface health complications While dairy isprevalent in substantial commercially packagedfood consumer demand and apathy towardsthe truth are major contributors to this trendrdquo

ldquoReduction in demand can surely lead to adecrease in supply The reality of the dairyindustry is not happy cows ruminating in greenfields the reality is subjugation of innocentsentient beings who are exploited their wholelife for human greedrdquo she added

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

RegulatoryLegal

Veterinary oxytocin worth Rs20 lakh seizedJan 6 2018 1228 ISThttpstimesofindiaindiatimescomcitypatnaveterinary-oxytocin-worth-rs20-lakh-seizedarticleshow62385804cms

ver 20000 samples ofveterinary oxytocin along with itspackaging materials worth about Rs20

lakh were seized from Machhuatoli in the cityon FridayThe drug controlling authority and Patna policeconducted a joint raid on the residence ofDr Krishna Kumar and seized the samplesAlthough the use of veterinary oxytocin inblister packaging is allowed in veterinarycolleges and hospitals its sale is restricted inthe retail market and is allowed only underclose scrutiny of drug officials

Drug inspector Sachidanand Prasad told thisnewspaper that the presence of unblisteredsamples unavailability of any purchasereceipt sale invoice and raw materials provethat the hormone was meant for illegal sale inretail market The samples were kept indifferent cartons while their labels were storedin separate boxes he said

The area has been sealed The raids willcontinue till tomorrow after which an FIR will

be lodged against Dr Krishna and his medicalchemist Arvind Jha Prasad said

Sources said Dr Krishna initially tried to misleadthe raiding team when its members tried toenter the premises where oxytocin was storedAn official of the drug safety wing said usuallyoxytocin is injected into cows and buffaloes toincrease milk yield

Although oxytocin is used in some cases fortreatment it has many adverse effects onhumans due to consumption of milk and dairyproducts obtained from animals subjected tothis injection Medical experts point out thatthe use of oxytocin can cause hormonalimbalances in humans reducing the age atwhich girls attain menarche from 16 to 10years Boys have been diagnosed withgynecomastia (breast enlargement) Childrenare most susceptible to its side-effects and it isknown to have caused unbalanced hearing andweak eyesight

O

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

SurveyReport

Despite 15 CAGR in Indiarsquos dairy sector threats to sector persistentFriday 12 January 2018httpwwwfnbnewscomDairy-Productsdespite-15-cagr-in-indias-dairy-sector-threats-to-sector-persistent-41633

ith the Indian dairy industrygrowing at a compound annualgrowth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per

cent and expected to touch nearly Rs 10 trillionby 2020 fundamental questions remainunanswered And these can somewhat derailthe progress or at least slow down the growth

Experts have opined that despite being theworldrsquos largest producer with 1555 milliontonne of milk produced in 2015-16 the dairysector is by and large in the primitive stage ofdevelopment and modernisation

Abhishek Saareen executive director TridentFampB Consultants said ldquoThough India mayboast of one of the worldrsquos largest cattlepopulations the following are the challengesthat the dairy industry faces today in India lowyield (average output) of Indian cows poorly-developed cold chain infrastructureunavailability of veterinary health servicesinadequate availability of fodder in all seasonslack of use of scientific practices in milchingpoor quality of fodder poor transportationfacilities and fierce competition among variousdairy brandsrdquo

Besides farmers are not getting enoughremuneration for the milk There have beenreports about farmers agitating in some partsof Madhya Pradesh against the drop in milkprices per litre from Rs 38 to Rs 24

Saareen stated that this could be a result ofpressure from the international brands whoare introducing their products aggressively andimporting milk and milk products into thecountry

Terming it a national crisis he added ldquoThereare numerous international brands that havecome up in India becoming aggressive in termsof their penetration in the marketrdquo

ldquoImport of milk and milk products in India is athreat to the Indian dairy farmersrdquo Saareensaid

ldquoThere has been a significant fall in

procurement volumes demanded from thefarmers by the procurement agentsprivatecorporations and also low remunerationsreceived by the farmersrdquo he added

ldquoFarmers in turn have been advised to expandand modernise their practises However allthis is not possible without proper investmentSo the farmers take heavy loans get trappedinto debt and finally lose their livelihoodsrdquoSaareen said

ldquoNeither the Central nor the stategovernments have taken any serious action toavert this crisis Small dairy farmerseverywhere in India particularly those whoown cows continue to struggle This is anational crisisrdquo he added

According to reports in Maharashtra Rs 18per litre for cow milk was being paid to farmersas against Rs 27 earlier

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers werereceiving Rs 26 a litre against the earlier priceof Rs 40 for buffalo milk

Badrinath Raghavendran director F1rst saidldquoLow remunerationreturn on investment(RoI) to dairy farmers is due to supply chaindeficiencies Improvement guarantees betterreturnsrdquo

ldquoTo prevent the issue becoming a pan-Indiaproblem structural revisions are neededHigher profit margins are crucial to farmersrdquohe added

ldquoCurrently the lack of support in animalmaintenance the unavailability of qualityfodder the lack of adequate transport toprocessing centres and the lack of access tobulk retail markets such as institutions orrestaurants are pulling down farmersrsquoincomesrdquo Raghavendran said

ldquoFor a comprehensive understanding of allchallenges faced by the dairy industry aproject scope needs to be draftedrdquo he added

W

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Partly the problem experts have opined liesin the crashing of prices of skimmed milkpowder in the international market whichreduced to $1600 from $5000 per tonne

Another factor is milk procurement by theprivate agencies

R S Khanna chairman Kwality Limited saidldquoThe organised dairy sector is procuring only20 per cent of the total milk produced and thisproportion has not increased for almost adecaderdquo

ldquoThe dairy industry also faces seasonalsurpluses of skimmed milk powder (SMP) thatlead to the drop in the prices paid to dairyfarmersrdquo he added suggesting ldquoThere is aneed to increase the investment onprocurement processing and production ofvalue-added dairy productsrdquo

ldquoThere is also a need that the governmentcreates a corpus fund to mop up the surplusSMP and use it for donating in times of naturaldisasters The government should put in placea programme for the regular use of SMP for themid-day milk scheme in all schoolsrdquo Khannasaid

However on the part of the government thedairy sector is being given importance since itwants to double farmersrsquo incomes and dairy isa vital component of this proposition

The National Dairy Plan (NDP) beingimplemented by the National DairyDevelopment Board (NDDB) is aimed athelping to increase the productivity of milchanimals and thereby increase milk productionto meet the rapidly-growing demand for milkand to help provide rural milk producers withgreater access to the organised milk processingsector

NDP-I ending this fiscal year cost nearly Rs2300 crore It focused on 18 major milkproducing states namely Andhra PradeshBihar Gujarat Haryana Karnataka KeralaMadhya Pradesh Maharashtra OdishaPunjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar PradeshWest Bengal Telangana UttarakhandJharkhand and Chhattisgarh which togetheraccount for over 90 per cent of the countryrsquosmilk production

Raghavendran said that NDP was supportive

with regard to dairy infrastructure creationThis keeps the food sector viable - betterinfrastructure by definition increasesresources options and processes available to afarmer

ldquoDairy as a sector is witnessing growth withregards to all products The growth numbersare variable Value growth is expected toovertake volume growth in the dairy industryduring the next five yearsrdquo he added

ldquoFor the entire chain to be enabled (from farmto consumers) lower taxes betterinfrastructure and digitisation incentives aremandatory across the value chainrdquoRaghavendran said

Khanna said ldquoThe NDP has developed asoftware that tracks the lifecycle events in thecows and buffaloes registered with the NDDBrdquo

ldquoThe farmer gets information on his mobileFor example he can be informed that hiscowbuffalo is likely to come in heat on aspecific date He can get her impregnated ontimerdquo he added

ldquoThe farmer can also get help in feeding andcreating balanced rations based on the rawmaterial availabilityrdquo Khanna said

ldquoThis process helps in increasing theproductivity of the cowbuffalo and thus afarmer can more On a long-term basis this isgood tool in improving the genetic potentialrdquohe added

And therefore the future will look bright if thedairy industry implements the plans andmodernises itself

Khanna opined that the sector will see moremergers acquisitions and investments Moreinvestments are likely to come up in modernmethods of genetic improvement of cattle andbuffaloes

He said ldquoThe government must support theprivate dairy sector through priority fundingand inclusive financingrdquo

ldquoFarmers particularly the landless andmarginal should be provided a loan withoutcollateral or guarantees for expansion andimprovement of management of their herds ofcows and buffaloes and insurance of cows and

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

buffaloes should be made cheaper like cropinsurance An insurance policy should becomea guarantee for creditrdquo Khanna added

Saareen said ldquoToday India is the oyster of theglobal dairy industry It offers opportunitiesgalore to entrepreneurs worldwide who wishto capitalise on one of the worldrsquos largest andfastest growing markets for milk and milkproductsrdquo

ldquoBe it investors researchers entrepreneurs orthe merely curious the Indian dairy sector hassomething for everyonerdquo he added

ldquoIndia has the potential to become one of theleading players in milk and milk productexportsrdquo Saareen said

ldquoThere is a vast market for the export oftraditional milk products such as ghee

paneer shrikhand rasgullas and other ethnicsweets for the large number of Indiansscattered all over the worldrdquo he added

Saareen suggested that for the dairy sector toremain on the path of growth significantinvestment has to be made in milkprocurement equipment chilling andrefrigeration facilities

ldquoAlso training has to be imparted to improvethe quality to bring it up to internationalstandardsrdquo he added

And as India is located amidst major milk-deficit countries in Asia and Africa like theSouth-east Asian nations and the Gulfcountries there lie immense opportunities forthe dairy sector to remain the potent sub-sector within the processing sector of thecountry

Budget Wishlist Dairy sector should be given priority sector status

Jan 04 2018 0417 PM IST | Source CNBC-TV18

n an interview to CNBC-TV18 RS SodhiMD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk MarketingFederation (GCMMF) S Sivakumar Group

Head-Agriculture amp IT Business at ITC and VPMahendra VC amp MD of VST TillersTractorsdiscussed about what one shouldexpect if one is getting a farm focused Budget

Sodhi said Indian farmers are in distress due todecline in commodity prices

He further said that 30 percent of agriculturecontribution is made by animal husbandryTherefore growth in farmers income is due toincrease in animal husbandry

He also mentioned that there should higherbudget allocation to animal husbandry toimprove farm income

According to him dairy and animal husbandrysectors should be given priority sector status

ITCs Sivakumar said that the government hasalready launched good schemes and oneshould now focus on implementation

He further said that the new model ofagricultural produce market committee(APMC) Act is a positive move Thereforeupcoming Budget should enable states toimplement the new model act

According to him food processing should bezero rated under goods and services tax (GST)regime

He also mentioned that higher minimumsupport price (MSP) would be unsustainable asgovernment has to keep a leash on inflation

Talking about DBT he said fertiliser directbenefit transfer (DBT) wont raise productivitybut will reduce cost

Income from animal husbandry should beexempt from income tax he added

VP Mahendra of VST Tillers said DBT requires alittle fine-tuning as some farmers misusefunds

Below is an excerpt of the interview

I

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Latha If you were to ask the government for afarm focused Budget what exactly would youwant from them What would be your Budgetwish list

Sodhi What is happening today in Indianfarmers they are in distress Reason is that it isnot pertaining only to India All over the worldcommodity prices are decliningUnfortunately we had two years drought thisyear production is good but prices are lowerso farmers income has reduced Now comingto our expectation from the Budgetagriculture contribution to the national grossdomestic product (GDP) is around 17-18percent Out of that 30 percent is contributedby animal husbandry

What we expect is that animal husbandry onwhich 80 percent are dependent are landlessand marginal farmers If you take total ruralIndia 80 percent landless or marginal farmersare dependent on animal husbandry But if yousee the central budget or the stategovernment budget whatever kitty they keepfor agriculture central budget will keepmaximum 5-6 percent for the animalhusbandry out of the agriculture budgetwhereas it should be minimum 30 percentNow if you take farmers income and thegrowth maximum growth in rural India in thefarmers income is coming from animalhusbandry

If you take last 10 years data growth inagriculture is 2-3 percent but in animalhusbandry income growth is 14 percent So ifyou want farmers income to double in fiveyears then we have to see budget is alsoallocated in that ratio to the maximum peoplethat is the landless and marginal farmers Sowhat we want is that government should givemore allocation more schemes wheremaximum people in rural India can be evolved

Latha So something like an animal husbandrybudget would work perhaps as a sub-headingitself is that what you are saying

Sodhi Yes if you want maximum people to getthe benefit you have to give to where peopleare involved maximum When you give anymoney for the cultivation it goes to the bigfarmers who have got land You give forirrigation you give for seeds you give forfertiliser you give for crop loan It is going tothe 20 percent farmers 80 percent people arenot getting the benefit

Latha So what exactly would you want fromthe government

Sodhi What we want is the government toallow like we are giving priority sector benefitto the cultivation or to the agriculture dairy oranimal husbandry should be included in thepriority sector When you give crop loan orinterest subvention to agriculture it should begiven to the dairy farmer also He or she shouldalso be able to buy even cow or buffalo with aninterest subvention Similarly when they seekloan for working capital that also should begiven at a very concessional rate

And third biggest thing is very few peopleknow let me tell you there is no income tax onagriculture income But in that agricultureincome animal husbandry is not included If afarmer is having 50 acres of land and he isearning Rs 30 lakh in a year he is not to payincome tax But if a farmer is having 10 cows orbuffaloes and he is earning Rs 6 lakh he has topay income tax So small farmer is liable to payincome tax big farmer is not liable So what weexpect animal husbandry should be treat atleast on par with the agriculture

Sonia What do you think the Budget shouldfocus on this time around to improve farmincome

Sivakumar A couple of areas One is severalflagship schemes have been announced overthe last couple of years so continuing theallocation and focusing on the implementationis one aspect Things like crop insuranceirrigation efforts to change fertiliser and foodsubsidy to direct benefit transfer related todairy Sodhi already talked about stepping upshort-term credit I think several of these havebeen done They are all good schemes and onemust continue and focus more onimplementation so that they are on the groundtranslating into reality of the intent with whichthey have been started

The second and more important as just heardthat despite good crops in 2017 that goodproduction is not enough for farmer incomesand in fact they have been adverselyimpacting and consequently the criticality ofagricultural marketing reforms is brought tothe fore by 2017 Goods and services tax (GST)has already been done That is good comparedto the value added tax (VAT) regime Theunscrupulous players do not have a distortedplaying field in their favour with agriculturalbeing at zero

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

So the critical thing which still needs to bedone is the whole agricultural produce marketcommittee (APMC) Act The new model act hasbeen recommended in 2017 That is a goodpiece that segregated the role of regulatorthey also said Essential Commodities Act willnot be enforced on supply chain players asopposed to hoarders or speculators

The Budget should find a mechanism to ensurethat states start adopting the new model act sothat the role of private sector in a marketoriented economy can this produce to themarket is recognised and whether its privatesector as in businesses coming in and doing itor farmers from organisations doing it thatdoes not really matter so long as theconsumers demand is met through in a moreseamless kind of fashion

The other area is options have been allowedExchanges need to roll out these contracts andthey must get integrated to the spot market sothat linked transactions can happen farmerscan hedge the price risk at the time of plantingitself And one critical bit is also theimportance of food processing in dealing withthe perishability of crop and value addition

So I think first step is really making processedfood affordable and much the way agriculturehas been put at zero rate it is useful for sometime to put food processing also at zero GSTand by exceptions maybe a few things can beat 5 percent And the GST Council responded

last year to the industrys request and someitems have been brought down from 18 to 12and some from 12 to 5 percent But still inorder to step up food processing there needsto be zero or by exception 5 percent It is quiteimportant to add value and then bring thatlarger bit back to the farmers

Latha One repeated point we keep gettingfrom farm leaders is the minimum supportprice (MSP) be raised and raised significantly tomatch what the Swaminathan Committeerecommended Both of you spoke about evenin a good farm year prices have not risen andso farmers have not benefitted Is a higher MSPsomething that you want and should be done

Sivakumar Higher MSP is unsustainablebecause simultaneously obviouslygovernment has an obligation to managingfood inflation also You raise MSP on one sideand want to keep the consumer price on theother side expanding Food Security Act tomore and more consumers around thecountry the amount of Budgetary resourcesyou need is just impossible to manage in thelong run So I think the productivityimprovement matching with taking valueadded products to the consumer is how onemust get the farm incomes rising But justsaying that cost and you do cost plus thenthere is no responsibility that will ensure thatthe consumer price is also managed

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Foreign News

Recall of French baby milk products extended to 83 countries

Jan 14 2018 903 AM EThttpabcnewsgocomHealthwireStoryrecall-french-baby-milk-products-extended-83-countries-52339315

he head of French dairy companyLactalis says that a recall of baby milkproducts because of a salmonella scare

has been extended to 83 countries fromaround 30

In an interview with French weekly Le Journaldu Dimanche the president of LactalisEmmanuel Besnier said that more than 12million boxes of infant milk products are nowconcerned They represent all lots from theLactalis factory in Craon northwest France

where the salmonella bacteria was discoveredin December

The move comes after Besnier met Friday withFrances economy minister mdash and a bungledrecall operation whose responsibility remainsunclear

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed withsalmonella in France one in Spain and apossible case in Greece

Whiteout The death of dairy

14th Januaryhttpwwwheraldscotlandcomnews15826840The_death_of_dairy

EMP hazelnut almond oat rice peacashew Not long ago it was almostunheard of to follow these words with

lsquomilkrsquo Now dairy alternatives like plant-basedlsquomilksrsquo are the pinnacle of one of the fastest-growing food movements worldwide - a dietfree from dairy

US livestock production giant Semexrsquos annualdairy conference starts in Glasgow todaywhere current industry problems will bediscussed by leading figures from the tradeBut while political issues like Brexit dictate theconference agenda the cultural shift awayfrom dairy is raising new challenges for theagricultural community

The big issues in dairy have changed from talkof the benefits of high calcium content toquestions of sustainability negative healtheffects and animal cruelty In the last severaldecades changes in dairy consumption havebecome clear According to UK governmentfigures between 1995 and 2015 the numberof UK dairy cows fell from 26m to 19m as anestimated 10 million abandoned dairy Thedrop accounts for the pound240 million loss in salesbetween 2014 and 2016 Last year saw the

traditional dairy milk industry continue todecline in the UK Global market researchersMintel predict an 11 per cent drop in milkpopularity by 2020 across western EuropeMeanwhile other lsquomilksrsquo - like almondcoconut and oat - show a 191 per cent salesincrease in the past year alone

So why are we abandoning dairy Educationalcharity The Vegan Society say that there are360 more vegans now than ten years agoThroughout 2016 and 2017 advertisingcompany Go Vegan World put out a series ofbillboards promoting veganismacross Scotlandrsquos central belt Sandra Higginsdirector of the organisation argues that theincrease in veganism is down to a number offactors ldquoPeople have access to the truth aboutdairy productionrdquo she says Higgins explainedthat the public were now focussed on ldquoissuessuch as the rights of animal agriculturalworkers including dairy farmers andslaughterhouse workers to more ethical lessviolent and dangerous conditionsrdquo

Gary Mitchell Vice-President of the NationalFarmersrsquo Union Scotland and proud Stranraerdairy farmer of 10 years disagrees with the

T

H

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

way his industry has been painted by animalrights activists

ldquoTherersquos an ideology thatrsquos appeared thatrsquosvery very coordinated and targets especiallythe younger consumer The advertising in theblack cabs in London accusing farmers oftaking calves away from their mothers It feelslike a hate crime

ldquoWersquove been doing this for generations andfor a UK or a Scottish farmer our welfarestandards are some of the highest in the worldThe way they portray us being farmers ndash thatwe arenrsquot animal lovers in some way wersquorecruel we treat animals cruelly ndash itrsquos so far fromthe truthrdquo

Edinburgh-based vegan nutritionist ClaireHider has dedicated her career to helpingpeople make the switch to a - so-called -cruelty-free lifestyle She believes healthconcerns are leading the public away fromdairy

ldquoCutting out dairy may be helpful for thosewith acne allergies digestive problems sinusissuesrdquo she said adding ldquothere are also plentyof scientific papers pointing to a connectionbetween dairy products and inflammatorybowel disease diabetes and hormonalcancers for example of the breast andprostaterdquo

She also points to dairyrsquos potential for weightgain as a force behind the decline ldquoCowrsquos milkcontains proteins fats and minerals in ratiosthat are nutritionally beneficial only to a babycalf ndash which is designed to grow pretty rapidlyinto a full-grown bovine ruminant weighingclose to a tonrdquo

In response to fears that relying on plant-basedmilks reduces the calcium in your diet Hiderexplained that there are natural solutions ldquoIoffer advice on alternative sources of calciumndash for example tofu almonds green leafyvegetables broccoli and tahini - from sesameseeds - are all excellent sourcesrdquo

Environmental concerns are a major player ininfluencing modern nutritional choices andlivestock sustainability consultant Dr JudeCapper will speak on the topic at todayrsquosSemex conference

ldquoThe UK dairy industry has made amazingprogress in reducing environmental impacts ndashfor example a nine per cent decrease in the

carbon footprint per litre of milk from 2011-2013 ndash and produces safe highly-nutritiousmilk thatrsquos affordable to the consumerrdquo shesaid

Capper says that despite declining figurestherersquos hope for the industryrsquos future ndashclaiming converts can be brought back througheffective education

ldquoThe social sustainability side has beenneglected ndash we need to communicate betterthe ecological advantages of dairy productionthe positive nutritional benefits of milk anddairy product consumption and the dedicationfarmers show to keep their cows happy andhealthyrdquo

Despite her title as the UK Dairy IndustryrsquosWoman of the Year 2017 Capper wassurprisingly once a vegan herself

ldquoI stopped being vegan and went back toeating milk eggs and meat once I began talkingto farmers and started my degree in animalscience ndash a better understanding of whatfarmers do and how well they treat theiranimals showed me that much of theinformation that I had believed was incorrect

ldquoDespite the food scares lsquoX will kill you Ycures cancerrsquo there are no perfect or terriblefoods ndash if we have a balanced healthy diet wecan eat almost anything in moderationrdquo

Scottish dairy industry by numbers

According to Scottish Government figuresthere are only 918 dairy herds today asopposed to 5735 in 1903 when records beganThe largest quantity of Scottish dairy cows arefarmed in Dumfries and Galloway with over 40per cent of the nationrsquos dairy cattle locatedthere

The farmerrsquos cut of milk prices is also indecline with dairy giant Mueller slashing theircut by 15p per litre and others following suit

Scottish supermarket customers can expect topay 50p for a pint of milk (or a pound1 per litre)throughout January up from around 44p atthe end of 2017 according to the Office ofNational Statistics Meanwhile plant-basedmilk companies like Alpro charge betweenpound150 and pound200 per litre ndash although somesupermarkets have launched their ownversions for less than a pound

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

SC orders laboratory test of packaged milk for adulterants detection

Posted on January 13 2018httpsarynewstvencjp-packaged-milk-karachi-registry-supreme-court

e was hearing a suo moto case of thedeficiencies in the productionprocessing and packing of different

brands of packaged milk in Sindh at SupremeCourtrsquos Karachi registry when passed theseorders

ldquoPackaged milk in markets are deceitful as itrsquosadulteratedrdquo he said

He expressed extreme displeasure over Sindhgovernmentrsquos inaction in making certainpolicies to prevent supply of substandardpackaged milk

ldquoThe province has no food authoritydepartmentrdquo Justice Nisar noted whilepointing out Sindh governmentrsquos apathy toaddress health-related issues

To which Advocate General Sindh respondedthat the legislation for food authority isunderway

ldquoSo the supply of substandard milk to residentswill continue until the final legislationrdquo hequipped

On the occasion he also expressed annoyanceover role of authorities concerned after theyfailed to submit a detailed report on the use ofinjections to cow to increase milk production

ldquoThe injections administered to cows areresulting in breast cancer and other hormonalproblems in womenrdquo he remarked

Moreover he also sought a report on use andconfiscation of such injections by 11pmtonight The CJP had took notice of the sale ofsubstandard packaged milk earlier this week

Danone to shut down its dairy business in IndiaFri Jan 12 2018 04 37 AM ISThttpwwwlivemintcomCompaniesYPDquZkbD3CAOR4IL9n0DNDanone-to-shut-down-its-dairy-business-in-Indiahtml

rench dairy company Danone SA hasfinally decided to close down its dairybusiness in India after three failed

attempts to make a mark in one of the worldrsquosfastest growing consumer packaged goodsmarkets

ldquoWe will discontinue some of the SKUs (stockkeeping units) sold in Indiardquo said a DanoneIndia spokesperson The company willdiscontinue SKUrsquos which have been making aminority contribution to its overall business inIndia which include the UHT (ultra-hightemperature processing) and fresh dairyproducts it said in a statement With Danonersquosdecision to close down its dairy unit thecompanyrsquos factory at Rai Sonipat near Delhiwill stop production

Despite repeated efforts dairy remained asmall business accounting for around 10 ofthe companyrsquos revenue in India Globally dairyis the largest business for Danone In 2016dairy accounted for euro1073 billion of Danonersquos

euro219 billion global sales according to thecompanyrsquos results statement

Despite being in the business in India for manyyears Danonersquos dairy portfolio in India wasconsisted of flavoured yogurt lassi and mistidoi and milk The companyrsquos products wereavailable across 20 cities covering 200000retail outlets but its flagship yogurt wasavailable only in six cities

ldquoDanone has decided to rationalise its productportfolio in India to allow for acceleratedinvestments and a sharper focus on growing itsnutrition portfolio which is more than 90 ofthe business and where the company alreadyenjoys leadership positionrdquo the company saidin the statement

This was Danonersquos third attemptmdashfirst on itsownmdashto crack Indiarsquos estimated Rs80000crore to Rs90000 crore dairy market which isdominated by cooperatives like the Gujarat

H

F

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltdthat owns the Amul brand

The largest yogurt maker in Europe had twofailed joint ventures (JVs) from which it had toexit The Europersquos largest yogurt maker firstentered India in the 1990s in joint venture withthe Wadia Group to build a biscuits portfoliofor Britannia Industries Ltd which lasted 13years and included a dispute over theintellectual property of Britanniarsquos Tigerbiscuits brand The dispute ended as Danoneglobally exited the biscuits segment

The company had its second attempt in early2000s in joint venture with Rahul NarangGroup The JV ended in 2015 after Danoneexited from the beverage space in India whereit had brands Qua and Brsquolue manufactured anddistributed by two JVsmdashDanone NarangBeverages Pvt Ltd and Narang Danone AccessPvt Ltd Globally Danone has four lines ofoperationsmdashdairy beverages early lifenutrition and advanced medical nutrition

The French company re-entered the market onits own in 2010 with the dairy business and in2015 re-organized its operations to merge thedairy arm with its nutrition business whichincludes the acquired nutrition business ofWockhardt in India

ldquoWe have great ambitions for our business inIndia and remain committed to invest andgrow in India through well-established brandssuch as Protinex Aptamil Farex Dexolac andNeocate In order to maximize growthopportunities we are continuously analyzingour portfolio and sharpening our focus to

accelerate investments on the best performingcategories and products For this reason wewill discontinue some of the SKUrsquos sold inIndiardquo said the Danone India spokesperson

On 17 January 2017 Danone had said thecompany will focus on its nutrition businessand not dairy to double its revenue in India by2020 Mint reported

ldquoOur focus is to bring nutritionally superior andrelevant products to India and 2017 has beena testimony of that with 10 new launchesincluding some from our global portfoliordquoaccording to the Danone spokesperson

While about 80 of Danonersquos revenue in Indiacomes from its early nutrition or infant foodsbusiness globally the segment contributesonly euro5 billion in 2016

Danone which also sells Farex baby food andProtinex supplements that it acquired fromWockhardt Ltd had earlier said that thecompany had invested Rs1800 crore in Indiaduring the past six-seven years primarily onbuilding manufacturing facilities in Haryanaand Punjab setting up the head office inMumbai and the acquisition of WockhardtGrouprsquos nutrition business in 2011

Danonersquos decision of exiting dairy businesscomes at a time when local entities of PepsiCoInc and Coca-Cola Co home-grown biggieslike ITC Ltd have entered the market eyeing apie from the dominant players like SwissPackaged food company Nestle India Ltd andhome-grown Amul brand with focus on thevalue-added segment

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

In the name of milk

httpswwwthenewscompkprint268425-in-the-name-of-milk

f you are in Islamabad and you have goneout to buy milk chances are you will buyadulterated milk Both loose and

powdered milk available in markets haveharmful substances in it Companies are sellingpoison in the name of milk

There is no authority to keep a check onprofiteers who have no regard for peoplersquos

health Residents now do not complainanymore because they know nothing is goingto happen

Shakir H Shamim

Islamabad

Weekly feed business update

ew feed products factories mergersand acquisitions conferences andmuch more All About Feed wraps up

the latest updates and new businessdevelopments from the global feed industry

Olmix Group open first factory in Asia

Feed additive producer Olmix officially openedits 1st factory in Asia The factory located inBinh Duong province Vietnam will beproviding approximately 15000 tons of animalfeed additives and nutraceuticals for feed millsand farms per year The opening of this newproduction facilities is a milestone on theOlmix Grouprsquos road towards a prosperousgrowth in Asia It also represents the OlmixGrouprsquos commitment to further strengtheningthe presence and activities in Vietnam andthroughout Asia Starting its production from1st November 2017 the factory will be focusedon producing new feed additives to beprovided to the Asian market such as mShell(shell and bones quality enhancer) and ASEAD(range of innovative acidifiers)

Farmers by plane with the Alltech Euro Tour

Last November a group of 130 dairy farmersfrom 7 countries embarked on a European tourof dairy farms with Alltech to learn about newinnovations and different approaches beingadopted by farmers Visiting 7 different dairyfarms in Germany the Netherlands Franceand Ireland over the 4-day journey the touralso provided a networking opportunity forfarmers to discuss and share ideas about thefuture of dairy production The host farmsincluded a German farm near Berlin calledMilsana which has 3600 cows In addition to

farm tours the group heard presentations onthe global dairy market outlook from DrMarkus Fahlbusch from the University ofGoumlttingen in Germany as well as the impact ofdigital technologies on dairy farming fromDavid Hunt CEO of Cainthus

European contest for insect based fish feedsolutions

INvertebrateIT is an innovative project fundedby the EU to work towards sustainableaquaculture using invertebrates Until January15th INvertebrateIT is open for proposalsfrom SMEs relating to invertebrate-based feedsolutions for aquaculture with opportunitiesfor funding technical support and businesssupport Ten projects will be short-listed by theproject partners of INvertebrateIT andpromoted by the partnership via theircommunication channels Three projects willthen be awarded by an expert jury followingthe evaluation criteria and procedures Thewinning projects will receive support in theirdevelopment to a pre-commercial level Tofind out more about the application processplease click here

BioMar invests in the shrimp market

Just 2 months after confirming the acquisitionof Ecuadorian feed manufacturerAlimentsa BioMar announced theestablishment of a new trial facility for shrimpThe new investment confirms the previousannouncements from BioMar stating thathigh-performing diets and functional feeds forshrimp will be an important part of BioMaracutesportfolio BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz explainsldquoThis is a part of our overall expansion

I

N

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

strategy We basically take the requireddecisions to build a strong competitive andinnovative foothold in the shrimp market Theinvestment in Ecuador is a tangible outcome ofa much greater plan for innovation in BioMarThe global RampD budget will increase by roughly20 in 2018 which comes on top of adedicated global set-up for RampD implementedover the last years Ecuador has developed intoone of the most important shrimp producingnations and has in many aspects takenalternative roads This makes it a veryinteresting hub for product developmentrdquoBioMar has already been supplying shrimpgrower diets from Costa Rica and shrimp larvaldiets from France to customers around theworld The company will also within a fewmonths launch itsrsquo shrimp range in China

New book on INRA feeding system ruminants

Wageningen Academic Publishers haslaunched a new book lsquoINRA feeding system forruminantsrsquo The book is edited by GaetanoMartino Konstantinos Karantininis StefanoPascucci Liesbeth KE Dries and Jean MarieCodron The INRA Feeding System forRuminants has been renewed to betteraddress emerging challenges for animalnutrition prevision of productive responsesproduct quality animal health and emissionsto the environment in a larger extent ofbreeding contexts This book presents thewhole system for dairy and meat large andsmall ruminant production includingspecificities for tropical and Mediterraneanareas The book can be ordered here

Proagrica rolls out agri-food supply chain ofAgility

Leading data insight company Proagrica partof the global RELX Group and publisher of AllAbout Feed launched the roll-out to the agri-food supply chain of Agility the revolutionarydata platform which collects aggregatescleans and delivers accurate and timely datafrom multiple trusted sources Agility is alreadygiving businesses across the agriculture supplychain competitive advantage throughactionable insights and data analytics to seeWhat success factors and limitations aredriving their business Why did they happenand what data-sets can identify them Whatidentified areas in their control can theyandor their key partners improve And howcan actionable data ensure theseimprovements are qualified and developed

Already in use by major internationalbusinesses Agility is now being implementedin Europe North America and Australasia

Cornell University to test calcium binder incows

Cornell University tested the efficiency of acalcium binder (X-Zelitreg) for preventinghypocalcemia Feeding low level calcium in thepre-partum diet has shown to be effective inimproving the calcium level at calvingHowever as this is difficult to obtain using thecommonly used feeds binding the dietarycalcium using a calcium binder can mimic thelow calcium approach Preliminary results fromthe trial were presented at the annual CornellNutrition Conference 2017 and the overallconclusion was that X-Zelit markedly improvedcalcium status during the peri-parturientperiod The X-Zelit product has been on themarket in Europe and Canada since 2008 Justrecently it has been launched in the USA andworldwide X-Zelit is a product of Vilofoss

Succesfull GMP+ International 25thAnniversary Conference

There must be traceability within the feedchain but how much transparency shouldthere be And how does the sector strike abalance between a big data overkill and usableinformation Those were some of the keyquestions that were discussed at GMP+Internationalrsquos 25th Anniversary Conferenceon November 1-3 at the Beurs van Berlage inAmsterdam the Netherlands Keynote speakerHorst Lang Head of QA amp Environment atGlobus a German retail chain said ldquoSharinginformation guarantees more safety Yet insome quarters of the sector track amp trace is stilllacking That should be unheard of these daysrdquoAs the second keynote speaker on the first dayAngela Booth Director of Feed Safety at ABAgri (UK) agreed ldquoWhat keeps me awake atnight is whatrsquos coming through the gates Thesupply chain is still a challenge There are somany elements we have to understand andcontrol Products are shipped stored andshipped again And this only will get morerdquoBooth argued in favour of more professionalknowledge transfer with regards to feed safetymanagement Working together and sharinginformation were prevalent again on day 2 ofthe conference when Leo denHartog (Director RampD and Quality Affairs atNutreco the Netherlands) Dries Berckmans(KU Leuven and CEO at Soundtalks Belgium)

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

and Stanley Oliveira (Embrapa InformaticaAgropecuaria Brazil) held their keynotes abouthow big data will challenge and secure feedsafety Their addresses lead to an animateddebate with the audience and other experts onstage about the importance of transparencythe opportunities of data management torealize it the ownership of data and thequestion of how much data would be enoughldquoData in the end is just datardquo Berckmans saidldquoWhat we need is useful information Andtherein lies the challengerdquo Den Hartog fearsthe possibility of a data overkill ldquoOne risk isthat we randomly start gathering data andstart calculating and then drawing wrongconclusions as a result We have to start withsetting clear goalsrdquo According to RuudTijssens Member of the Executive Committeeat International Feed Industry Federation(IFIF) the discussion should not primarily be onwhat information should be shared withwhom but first and foremost about trustldquoTake the discussion about soy Even if yoursoy for 80 comes from areas that were notdeforested the discussion will not go away Itis so complex We need dependable systemsthat prove responsible productionrdquo The fullreview of the event can be read here

Spanish maize and UK wheat tested formycotoxins

Feed additive producer Nutriad tested maizesamples from Spain and wheat samples fromthe UK and Ireland for the presenceof mycotoxins 121 maize samples from acrossSpain were tested for aflatoxin B1

(AfB1) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) (sum of fumonisin B1and fumonisinB2) It was concluded that theyearrsquos harvest of maize in Spain was of mediumquality (gtLOQ but below EU recommendationlevels) in terms of mycotoxincontamination(DON ZEN FUM) The exceptions were thevery high average and the maximumconcentrations of aflatoxin B1 which clearlyexceeded the concentration of aflatoxinB1 permitted in the EU in feed materials 51wheat samples from across Great Britain andIreland were tested for AfB1 ZEN DON T-2 toxin HT-2 toxin fumonisins (FB1 + FB2)and OTA The results show that 745 of wheatsamples were contaminated with DON andnone of the samples contained AfB1 T-2 toxinHT2-toxin nor FUM The averageconcentrations of allidentified mycotoxins were medium while thehighest concentration of DON found in one ofthe samples reached 1180 μgkg Although35 of the samples were contaminated withZEN a mycotoxin affecting reproductivefunctions of all animal species its averageconcentration was negligible at only 38 μgkgHowever the maximum concentration of ZENfound in one of the samples was 164 μgkg andthis level may be significant for sows boarsand piglets As expected none of the sampleswere contaminated with OTA Whencomparing DON and ZEN contamination levelsof wheat in the years 2014 2015 2016 and2017 the contamination levels in 2017 aresignificantly higher than in the 3 previousyears

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Dairy margin increase reported

Jan 5 2018

ata from the latest Milkminder costedherds report illustrates that theaverage Milkminder herd achieved a

significant increase of 47 per cent in itsmonthly Margin Over Purchased Feed (MOPF)for the month of September this yearcompared to September 2016

Nigel Davies Promarrsquos National ConsultancyManager explained that this illustrates howpositive the swing in milk price volatility hasbeen over the last 12 months ahead of thecurrent threat of weakening commodityprices

ldquoThis notable impact has been driven byincreasing yield and cow numbers butparticularly milk pricerdquo he says ldquoThis resultedin the average Milkminder herd achieving asignificant increase of 47 per cent or pound9428 inits monthly MOPF for September alonecompared to September last year

ldquoThis is a marked premium compared to theprevious year which should benefit reportedaccounts and the reported bottom line for thisfinancial yearrdquo he added

Sex is big business in dairy farming

Jan 03 2018 0720Lydia Mulvany and Susan Decker Bloomberg Newshttpswwwfin24comCompaniesAgribusinesssex-is-big-business-in-dairy-farming-20180103

ex is big business in dairy farming whichis why a battle is brewing in the US overnew technologies designed to make

sure only milk-producing cows are born

Most of Americarsquos 94 million dairy cows werebred using artificial insemination from bullswith specific genetic traits but therersquos still acoin-flip randomness about the sex of theoffspring So more farmers are paying apremium for semen that contains only the Xchromosomes for females Itrsquos a small butgrowing business dominated by one companyInguran LLC in Navasota Texas

Over the years dairies improved breeding toboost milk output using fewer cows Sex-specific semen is a recent innovation and itrsquosso promising that New Zealandrsquos EngenderTechnologies plans to sell its own version ofthe product in the US

Companies also are fighting in court overpatents for the technique Farmers welcomemore competition because sex-sorted semenvials can cost $30 for a typical dose aboutdouble those that canrsquot guarantee a femalecalf

ldquoWe have no choice but to payrdquo said RussWarmka owner of a dairy farm in Fox LakeWisconsin that milks 500 cows a day and usessex-sorting semen on his heifers ldquoWe spendour entire lives as farmers trying to breed abetter cow If we know wersquoll get a heifer calfwe can spend a lot more on that semenrdquo

Thatrsquos because a young female that willeventually produce milk for four to six years isfar more valuable to a dairy than a steer thatgets shipped to a beef-processing plant saidAlbert De Vries a professor of animal sciencesat the University of Florida in Gainesville At anauction on November 28 in SpringfieldMissouri baby heifers sold for as much as $350each while bulls sold for as little as $50according to the Springfield LivestockMarketing Centre

Dairy farmers use artificial insemination toimpregnate heifers shortly after their first yearand nine months later a calf is born After thatthe cow produces milk for 10 monthsTypically she will give birth two to four timesduring her time on the dairy before outputdrops and she is sold for slaughter

More milk

D

S

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

On average US cows produced a record 1 910pounds of milk a month in the past year upabout 14 from a decade ago US Departmentof Agriculture data show Thatrsquos allowedfarmers to expand output while shrinking theirherds

Still sex-determined semen for breedingremains relatively new and accounts for only3 of a global market so therersquos plenty ofroom for growth as long as farmers can beconvinced the extra investment will pay off

ldquoWhen you look at the dairy industry this is afundamental problem that hasnrsquot yet beenwidely resolvedrdquo said Brent Ogilvie managingdirector at Auckland-based Engender whichprimarily serves the New Zealand dairyindustry the worldrsquos largest milk exporterldquoSex is the most-important genetic traitFarming is all about genetics and most farmersdonrsquot have control over the sex of their herdrdquo

In the US the market is dominated by InguranIts Sexing Technologies unit provides thesorted semen which is marketed through theSTgenetics unit Inguran has patents onimprovements to a technology first developedby a USDA researcher more than two decadesago Using the cell-sorting science of flowcytometry the company says it can deliverheifer calves in about 90 of pregnancieswhich is a big increase on the 50-50 chances ofconventional semen

Laser beam

In flow cytometry sperm cells move single filepast a laser beam at about 50 miles an hourwith special detection machines making about180 000 measurements per second saidGeorge Seidel a professor at Colorado StateUniversity who worked to apply thetechnology to dairy farms in the 1990s

Inguran uses a fluorescent dye to cells thatreacts differently on female X chromosomesthan male Y chromosomes The amount offluorescence is measured and then anelectrical charge is applied which deflects thecells into different containers The sortedsemen is then sold in vials known as straws

The technique has some obstacles Moremature cows donrsquot always get pregnant so

farmers tend to use it only on virgin heiferswhich conceive more easily said Matt GouldPhiladelphia-based analyst for the Dairy ampFood Market Analyst newsletter

Inguranrsquos conception rates are nowcomparable to those of conventional semenvials according to Jim Hiney the companyrsquosmarketing manager

Engender which hopes to start selling sex-sorted semen in the US within two years saysits product has a higher pregnancy ratebecause their sorting process is gentler It usesphotons or pulses of light to physically nudgesperm cells into specific channels Thecompany also says its product will be cheaperand easier to supply

Of the 175 million semen straws sold globallyeach year only about 5 million are sex-selected and 2 million of those are in the USaccording to Ogilvie at Engender

Legal battles

While Engender targets Inguran customerssome US companies are eyeing its technologyGenus Plcrsquos ABS Global of Wisconsin a studcompany that wants to enter the sex-sortingbusiness persuaded the US Patent andTrademark Office to rule two patents invalidAn appeals court is reviewing that decisionInguran filed suit in June accusing ABS ofinfringing patents and stealing trade secrets

The same court is considering whether torevive antitrust claims brought by anotherfirm Trans Ova Genetics LC which says manyof Inguranrsquos patents are simply combiningknown ideas Trans Ova accused Inguran ofburying the US Patent and Trademark Office inpaperwork so examiners wouldnrsquot spotinformation that showed the applicationsdidnrsquot cover new inventions Inguran said itdeveloped ways to preserve the cells improvethe sorting process and produce sexedembryos

ldquoThere will be millions of dollars in intellectual-property battles no matter the merits of whoor whateverrdquo because some of the patents arewritten so broadly Colorado Statersquos Seidelsaid

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

Report ND Minn farmers vulnerable to Cuba policies

By Mikkel Pates on Jan 1 2018 at 550 amhttpswwwdglobecombusinessagriculture4380693-report-nd-minn-farmers-vulnerable-cuba-policies

orth Dakota and Minnesota are twoof the top states in the US to be hurtmdash or helped mdash by the openness of

US-Cuba trade policies a recent report says

A study report was prepared by C Parr Rossonhead of the department of agriculturaleconomics at Texas AampM University WilliamMessina an agricultural economist at theUniversity Florida and Steven Zahniseragricultural economist in the US Departmentof Agriculture

The economists ranked potential based oncommodities production demand from Cubalogistic proximity historic sales to Cuba andprevious diplomatic outreach including eachstates current political leadership with aninterest in Cuba

The projections were largely based onpotential sales of a basket of commoditiesincluding soybeans soymeal wheat cornpoultry dairy products and rice

The report relied on data from the USDAGlobal Trade Atlas database US State ExportData the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology Media Lab and the Cubangovernment Data was collected fromtransactions in 2012 2013 and 2015 and thereport was released at the end of November

Among the conclusions Cuba imports 60 to 80percent of its food to feed 115 million peopleBefore the Cuban revolution Cuba was theninth largest destination for US farm exportsCuban citizens have been receiving increasedremittances that help create a middle classthat may lead to more ag imports

A consensus of economists and Cuba punditsthink the US should be able to capture half ofthe Cuba market and perhaps as much as two-thirds according to the report

For example Paul Johnson co-chair of the USAgriculture Coalition for Cuba says the USshould be able to capture 60 percent of theCuban market

That is based on logistics he says

The US mainland ships $117 billion to theDominican Republic which has a similarpopulation of about 106 million

Ifs and buts

The report says if the US does not re-establish a Cold War-era relationship the USwill probably be a major supplier of poultrysoybeans and corn Without lifting financingrestrictions it will be difficult to resumeregular shipments of rice wheat dairyproducts and dry beans Rossen said that if allrestrictions for agriculture trade with Cuba arelifted the sales of commodities like soybeanand wheat improves dramatically but notesthat current data doesnt permit predictabilityfor wheat or rice

David Schemm president of the NationalAssociation of Wheat Growers thinks the UScould take 75 percent of the Cuban wheatmarket

Kevin Paap president of the Minnesota FarmBureau quoted in the study said increasingthe market demand would be important If Itake my wheat that is $310 per bushel andincrease the price by 10 percent from newmarket demand that is 30 cents more times30 bushels per acre times 3000 acres That isexponential

The study identifies North Dakota andMinnesota among the top in 17 states mostlikely to benefit from lifting ag salesrestrictions which could generate $500 millionto $1 billion in sales

bull North Dakota has exported only $12 millionof food to Cuba since 2004 The state produces54 commodities But North Dakota ranksamong the nations top exporters of wheatsoybeans and soymeal all of which Cubaimports in regularly the report says Thereport notes Cuba imports an average of $189million of wheat per year from 2005 to 2014 IfNorth Dakota captured its 115 percent

N

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

proportion it would sell $15 million in wheatin Cuba If the state kept its 46 percentsoybean proportion it would sell $47 millionto $74 million there The island nation importsabout $60 million annually in dry beans andNorth Dakota produces about one-fourth ofthe US output indicating an $8 millionmarket

bull Minnesota sold $93 million to Cuba from2004 to 2015 despite the fact that it

aggressively pursued a trade relationship withCuba State Agriculture Commissioner DaveFrederickson noted that farmers producesoybeans soymeal corn dairy and wheat thatCuba would want but acknowledges the stateis up the river and a little farther than sayLouisiana but that the Mississippi River is anadvantage If proportionality countedMinnesota could also sell $56 million in dairyproducts and $4 million to $6 million in wheat

5 agricultural trends to watch in 2018January 4 2018httpswwwfarmanddairycomnews5-agricultural-trends-to-watch-in-2018463856html

he top five trends to watch for in2018 are sure to keep farmers ontop of their game

With an increased number of events causinghysteria with the rise of ldquofake newsrdquo anoverload of news in general mdash thanks to theworld being at our fingertips mdash farmers haveto work harder to tell their story said JimCarroll futurist

ldquoAll producers need to be honest in explainingthe humane treatment of animals to explainwhat they do We need real ag folks to tell ourstory wersquove got to increase real newsrdquo hesaid

Social media is the key and farmers havenrsquotbeen in the conversation enough Carroll said

This year we need to keep our eye onemerging issues agritourism and marketingadds Brad Bergefurd Ohio State Extensionhorticulture specialist and educator in SciotoCounty

In addition to the continuous need to tell ourstory experts believe these five issues will betrending in 2018

1 Increased speed of change

Wersquove been talking about it for years and nowitrsquos happening Young people are returning tothe family farm mdash the iPod generation isgaining the reins said Jim Carroll

ldquoThe speed of change will pick up thosereturning to the farm are open to all these newideasrdquo said Carroll who travels the country

talking about the future ldquoPeople are scared ofthe future but want to understand itrdquo

The average age of farmers is 58 Their averageage has been inching upward forapproximately 30 years according to theUSDArsquos Census of Agriculture

The census shows that during the past 30years the average age of US farmers hasgrown by nearly eight years from 505 years to583 years but that is about to change warnsCarroll and that change brings rapidinnovation adoption

2 Fitbits for cows

A world with animal and crop health sensorswill continue to flourish this year

ldquoFitbits for cows chickens pigs mdash we see ithappening now but it will expandrdquo saidCarroll

Using drones to fly over herds to check on thehealth is happening Farmers are monitoringthe gestation of an animal gettingnotifications from their iPhone he said

ldquoWersquoll see connectivity as a managementpracticerdquo Carroll said ldquoBeing connected cansave time and money on animal healthrdquo

ldquoData analysis in the year ahead willsupplement what farmers know intuitivelyrdquo hesaid ldquoand in some cases challenge thoseassumptionsrdquo

New products rely on aerial satellite imagerygreenness sensors soil maps and millions ofweather data points mdash this innovation meshed

T

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said

with a group of early adopters is sure to keeptechnology pushed to the limits

3 Global trade advocates

Global trade matters it always has and italways will agree Carroll and Tanner Ehmke aformer wheat farmer who is now theKnowledge Exchange manger at CoBank

ldquoOf course farmers in the Midwest are sayinglsquodonrsquot take apart NAFTArsquo NAFTA does matterrdquosaid Carroll

ldquoWithout a global perspective the cost of foodwill double or worse Without NAFTA marketswill be lost trading partners and labor forceswill be lostrdquo Ehmke said

ldquoThere is room to be optimistic in trade in2018rdquo he said ldquoBut we canrsquot lose NAFTA Nobilateral trade deals can replace the benefits ofNAFTArdquo

4 Labor shortages

Labor shortages will continue for highly skilledstoop labor which tend to Ohio fruit orchardnursery hops and vegetable crops saidBergefurd who focuses on specialty cropsacross Ohio

ldquoThere were major labor shortages on Ohiofarms in 2017 resulting in many acres ofvegetables and some fruit not being harvesteddue to shortage of hand harvest laborrdquo hesaid

He foresees a shortage of high quality locallygrown fruit and vegetables Several large farmsdonrsquot have the needed labor and as a resultthey are changing operations and notproducing as many mdash or any mdash specialty cropsand are growing more grain crops insteadBergefurd said

Bergefurd predicts the acreage devoted tomechanically harvested pickling cucumberswill increase in northwest Ohio and few acresof the 80-year-old traditional hand-harvestedpickling cucumbers of Ohio will be planted dueto labor shortages

ldquoFarmers who will plant hand-harvest pickleswill adopt the use of harvest aids and willcontinue to move away from the crop sharemethod that has historically been usedrdquo hesaid

5 Hitting bottom

ldquo2018 looks like we will hit bottom with grainand dairy prices bottoming outrdquo said Ehmkewho works to provide strategic insights abouttrends structural change and policy directiveswithin the key rural industries served byCoBank

ldquoIn 2018 we will see farm stress get worsebefore it gets better We need to be proficientthinkers and use our relationships to get byrdquo

The world supply of crops will get tighter thisyear as usage picks up mdash starting to match withproduction he said

ldquoWe see the world demand especially inSoutheast Asia going up and that is a goodthingrdquo

Politically trade uncertainty looks to continuethis year which wonrsquot help the markets Dairyprices continue to be under stress as we seeexpansion globally he said

As prices hit bottom Ehmke is optimistic thatthey will start to go the other way in 2019

ldquoI hope to see the dollar soften a bit It wonrsquotbe a game changer this year but it will start tohelprdquo he said