News

AGTHIA COMPLETES TRANSACTION WITH AL FOAH TO CREATE TOP 10 F&B COMPANY IN THE REGION

Agthia Group PJSC, a leading food and beverages company, announced the successful completion of its strategic combination with Al Foah, the world’s largest date processing and packaging company based in Abu Dhabi.

With the integration of Al Foah into Agthia as a strategic business unit, Agthia has instantly become the domestic market leader in four essential food and beverage categories: water, dates, flour, and animal feed, in addition to having a diversified international exposure within the date category. As a more robust, diversified, and consumer-centric food and beverage player, Agthia will have an even stronger platform to compete across the MENA region and beyond.

The transaction – which was first proposed by General Holding Corporation PJSC (Senaat) to the Agthia Board of Directors in October 2020 and received approval from Agthia’s shareholders in November 2020 – saw Senaat transfer Al Foah’s business, excluding its organic date farm in Al Ain, to Agthia in exchange

AL AIN FARMS ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE FIRST BOVINE COMPETITION IN THE UAE

DR. ROULA SHAABAN, THE FIRST EMIRATI FEMALE VETERINARIAN, REVEALED THE WINNERS OF THE FIRST-EVER COW MILKING CONTEST IN THE UAE AT AL AIN FARMS

Al Ain Farms, UAE’s first and largest local dairy brand, has announced the winners of the seven-day local dairy farmers contest, First in Region Bovine Competition, that gathered the representatives from all local farmers and dairy industries competing in a challenge of highest milk production per a cow. The winner of the contest was Al Rawabi Dairy, who clinched the title and a cash prize of AED 20,000. Marmum Dairy took second place, with an AED 19,000 cash prize, and Al Ain Farms took third place and AED18,000. 7 more winners were announced from Al Rawabi Dairy, Zakher Dairy Farm, Al Ain Farms, Al Dahra Dairy Company and Emirates Dairy Farm who all took the title of the winners of the bovine show, first in region. Other participating farms included MTKMN, Marai Farms and Hilli Farms. As an active supporter and advocate of local dairy farming, Al Ain Farms instituted the event as a platform to bring local farmers and large-scale dairy producers together, who jointly play a key role in providing fresh, healthy, and nutritious produce for residents of the UAE and by their combined efforts play a major role in the food security of the country. The event also emphasizes Al Ain Farms’ commitment to animal welfare, and the exceptional standards of animal care adopted by each participant in and throughout the event, as the cows were hosted by Al Ain Farms veterinary teams and handlers, and were taken care with all needs of food, water, milking and care 24/7 on Al Ain Farms site.

The judging of the competition entries was under the expert guidance of Dr. Roula Shaaban, the first Emirati female veterinarian and counselor for the Middle East and North Africa region of the World Veterinary Association, supported by two more Emirati female veterinarians. This was the first allfemale vet jury recorded in the Middle East.

CEO of Al Ain Farms Willem van Walt Meijer said; “The event has been a true celebration of local food production scale, showcasing the excellence and integrity of the UAE’s local farming community. As a proud host of this competition, Al Ain Farms will continue to work closely with the local authorities, and colleagues from the farming sector to bring new information and opportunities that support this vital community in the UAE”.

Dr. Roula Shaaban said; “While we congratulate the winners, it must be said that all the participants from the local farms have exceeded our expectations, and truly deserve the recognition in the Al Ain Farms Bovine Competition. It has been a privilege for me to judge this contest, and to work with Al Ain Farms as we support the local farmers of the UAE”.

for 120 million new shares through the issuance of a convertible instrument. As a result, Senaat now owns 59.17% of the entire issued share capital of Agthia, up from the 51% it owned before the deal. Senaat is part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s economy.

Khalifa Sultan Al Suwaidi, Chairman, Agthia Group and Chief Investment Officer, ADQ, said: “The successful consolidation of Al Foah’s business has created a true F&B regional powerhouse and an immediate UAE champion in the exciting date market. Agthia has a winning formula which enables us to take advantage of opportunities such as the Al Foah transaction. We have a clear roadmap for growth and diversification of geographies and products, underpinned by a robust balance sheet. Moreover, we are proud of our impeccable reputation for quality products and service, which is revered by peers and endorsed by our customers. We will continue to seek organic and inorganic growth opportunities to

AVIAGEN ANADOLU ACHIEVES A FIRST FOR THE TURKISH POULTRY INDUSTRY WITH COMPARTMENT STATUS

As a result of excellent biosecurity standards, Aviagen® Anadolu officially obtained compartmentalization status from the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on October 27, 2020. This allows the company to continue to deliver birds to customers all over Turkey and the Middle East and to countries that have formally recognized and accepted compartment status, when an Avian Influenza (AI) outbreak has occurred in other parts of the country.

Aviagen Anadolu production facilities were inspected by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry within the scope of the “Directive on the Definition and Declaration of Compartments Free From Mandatory-to-report Avian Influenza” prepared under the “Regulation on Disease-Free Compartmentalization”, as a result of which Aviagen Anadolu received the compartment certificate approved by the Ministry on October 27, 2020 following the United Kingdom, US and Brazil, thanks to its efforts towards biosecurity.

Compartmentalization ensures that a company with compartment status can export from its establishments located in the defined compartments when the Avian Influenza disease occurs in a country or region.

Compartmentalization takes a proactive approach to prevent the disease from penetrating into the establishments located in a compartment and guarantees that the necessary high-level biosecurity measures are taken; all activities are recorded and traceable in a transparent manner; and management and production systems are constantly inspected and controlled through internal or Ministry inspections. It is possible for such companies to prevent not only Avian Influenza, but also other infectious agents from penetrating into their establishments thanks to the highlevel biosecurity measures put in place.

The capacity of a company with compartment status to export depends on countries’ bilateral agreements through which they recognize each other’s status. Aviagen Anadolu will continue to successfully represent Turkey in exporting markets with the support of the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as the public authority, and of sectoral associations and organizations for a sustainable compartment status and its recognition by other countries.

This compartment status will also enable sustainable production within the Turkish poultry industry and the continuous supply of high generation stock (Grand Parent and Parent Stock) without any problems, so that consumers can have access to healthy, sustainable and affordable poultry meat. The approval of compartments in various countries through bilateral agreements between public authorities to guarantee the supply of parent stock is strategically important for the Turkish poultry industry in order to continue to meet the domestic demand and to maintain, and further improve if necessary, its strong position in the international arena.

support our ambitions and to further strengthen the UAE’s food and beverage sector.”

Alan Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Agthia Group, said: “With the successful close of this transaction, we have fast-tracked our ambitions to become amongst the top 10 F&B companies in the MENA region. Additionally, as a leader in the global date market, the integration of Al Foah as a strategic business unit of Agthia enables us to immediately become a regional champion and a serious competitor on a global scale in a very promising food category. The global date market is exhibiting very encouraging market fundamentals with constructive demand and supply dynamics. As a very versatile superfood with immense nutritional value the opportunities in the date category are vast and exciting, and with the expertise of the Al Foah team and its extensive global reach to 45 international markets across the date market value chain, we are closer to achieving our strategic priorities of product diversification and geographic expansion.”

EW NUTRITION ACQUIRES FEED QUALITY AND PIGMENT BUSINESS FROM NOVUS INTERNATIONAL

EW Nutrition, a global provider of animal nutrition solutions, announced that it has acquired the Feed Quality and Pigments business from Novus International, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, EW Nutrition becomes the owner of world-renowned brands such as Santoquin® feed preservative, SURFACE® feed mill processing aid, and Agrado® feed ingredient. The acquisition also gives EW Nutrition ownership of a state-ofthe-art production facility in Constantí, Spain. "This transaction will bring additional value to our customers, further reinforcing EW Nutrition’s global market position, and increasing its product portfolio and geographical reach,” says Michael Gerrits, Managing Director of EW Nutrition. “The products acquired will further support EW Nutrition’s mission to mitigate the impact of antimicrobial resistance by providing comprehensive animal nutrition solutions."

Dan Meagher, President and CEO of Novus International, Inc., explained that the sale is part of Novus’s Project Destiny, a multi-year plan to transform the company into the industry’s leading provider in animal health through nutrition solutions by focusing its resources on core platforms and emerging technologies.

“We are pleased to have found a committed owner for these platforms so that they may continue bringing value to the industry,” said Meagher. “This event is a significant

milestone in our Project Destiny journey. Now that our Feed Quality and Pigments platforms are in good hands with EW Nutrition, we are excited to focus our energies on developing new, innovative technologies into meaningful nutrition solutions for our customers.”

The transaction was closed on February 1, 2021. A robust services agreement between the companies is governing critical activities to ensure customers are supported through the transition.

SPACE 2021: NEW DATES AND A NEW FORMAT!

The year 2020 will go down in history as a year of cancellations! Fun was cancelled, socialising was cancelled, and of course SPACE was cancelled. In May 2020, due to the Covid 19 pandemic, we had to make the difficult but necessary and responsible decision to call off our in-person Expo. It was important to us to let our exhibitors and participants know as early and as clearly as possible, out of respect for their business. Thank you all for their support in the face of this difficult and unprecedented time in the history of the Expo.

This challenging year confirmed that SPACE is and will remain the key annual event for livestock

BIOMAR’S LARVIVA PROSTART, A REVOLUTIONARY FIRST FEEDING DIET, IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALMONIDS

LARVIVA ProStart creates value in terms of feed behaviour in the water and a more active start feeding response of the fry supporting a more robust, high-performing fry. BioMar’s first feeding diet LARVIVA ProStart has been thoroughly tested in multiple commercial trials on various salmonid species including Rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon. The feedback from hatchery managers has been very positive. The trials have proven that salmonid larvae fed on LARVIVA ProStart have improved prerequisites for the best start, which has a positive influence on the rest of their lives.

The benefits of LARVIVA ProStart at first feeding are multifaceted: LARVIVA ProStart is highly digestible and the particle size ranges are very much in control. LARVIVA ProStart has an extraordinary behaviour in water, providing an extremely slow sinking speed and a very high water stability.

According to Christina Frisk, Product Manager Fresh Water species for BioMar EMEA, all these make the particles easily available for the fry, increasing the intake of nutrients and enhancing an even feed intake for the whole batch of fry. As the first feeding response is more uniform across the batch, the growth of the fry becomes more homogenous. "Fry prefer to eat at the top of the water column and they simply cannot resist to LARVIVA ProStart, so to say, Christina Frisk explains, with a smile. She adds: - LARVIVA ProStart is highly palatable and increases the swim up effect in the fry."

Additionally, LARVIVA ProStart provides an improved growth (SGR) and feed conversion (FCR). The fry become more robust right from the start and the survival rate is higher. LARVIVA ProStart is produced with the very special microencapsulation technology. It is a cold production process that gives a very high digestible protein contribution from the carefully selected high quality raw materials used in the unique formulation of this feed.

This novel production technology safeguards the availability of all vitamins, minerals and probiotic ingredients. It also provides a second-to-none physical quality that makes the feed highly stable in the water and, therefore, reduces the impact on water quality.

The probiotic included in LARVIVA ProStart is Bactocell®, the only probiotic registered for use in feed in all aquatic species within the European Union. Bactocell® plays a crucial role in supporting the gut microflora, increasing the length of microvilli in the gut and thereby the absorption surface, which supports the immune response and enhances animal performance. Bactocell® is patented for its potential for reducing the rate of vertebral deformities across fish species.

Altogether, LARVIVA ProStart provides fry with best start in life, and farmers with better economy. The faster and stronger initial start is maintained by the fish later in their life when changed to subsequent feeding on extruded pellets. "The results of the extensive LARVIVA ProStart trials on salmonids go beyond expectations. We look forward to giving a best start in life to salmonid fry and a profitable feed option for our customers", Christina Frisk concludes.

professionals. The Expo is eagerly awaited and for many of its participants, it marks the beginning of a new year. In 2020 it was sorely missed. SPACE is a unique professional event, focusing on innovation, performance and socialising. Our large livestock family meets in Rennes in September, and the reunion is essential for business as well as for morale!

Like farmers who are able to adapt to new conditions, we accelerated our digital transition in 2020, and SPACE now offers you a full range of online services. We can now connect with each other on our website space.fr or via our mobile app all year long. Featuring the list of exhibitors, product descriptions, Innov'Space winners, webinars, podcasts and much more, in our fast-paced digital world, this online version of the Expo is the perfect place to continue meeting up all year round! Go see for yourself, you'll find the taste and flavour of SPACE, a sort of appetiser for our next edition in September 2021.

In order to meet the increasingly strong demand from our exhibitors, to keep pace with the growth in the number of visitors starting on the first day of the Expo, and to take into account the increasingly international nature of SPACE, we have decided to switch to a shorter, three-day in-person event from Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 September. This is the fourth time in the Expo's history that our dates have been changed to meet the expectations of our exhibitors and visitors or due to the national and global situation.

SARYA HOLDINGS ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR EXPANSION WITH NEW INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND ITS SOON-TO-LAUNCH IN-HOUSE BRAND: FIT FARM

Sarya Holdings, the parent company which recently launched the UAE’s latest hydroponic vertical farming concept, Smart Acres, announces its global expansion plans in 2021 and its allnew health-conscious food line, Fit Farm, set to hit the shelves in the first quarter of the new year. The recent news comes after the company experienced exponential growth in 2019/2020 with the launch of a new concept, a roll-out of partnerships, and alltime high sales, creating a drive to strategically expand beyond borders whilst continuing to build locally.

Launched in 2017 by two long-time friends and entrepreneurs, Abdulla Al Kaabi and Sean Lee, Sarya Holdings initially began as a general trading business with an emphasis on fastmoving consumer goods (FMCG) with the aim to bring quality foreign products to the GCC market. Sarya General Trading houses popular South Korean brands such as Gilim and Samyang Foods, the brand known for its viral ‘spicy noodle challenge’ that set the world and everyone’s mouths on fire. Currently, Sarya is partnered with over ten South Korean brands to strengthen the import and distribution of its products to the GCC. Throughout 2020, the company has successfully strategized to secure new key partnerships with several brands from Japan, India, Mexico and the Philippines in 2021. Ringing in the new year with a wider variety of new products, Sarya will also be increasing its imports and exports outside of the GCC to reach new international consumers. Adding to its local portfolio, their general trading division is now undergoing the creation of its very own brand ideal for the health-conscious community: Fit Farm.

Set to launch in Q1 of 2021, Fit Farm will become one of the few leading local providers to offer quick yet healthy and all-natural foods that can be prepared on the go. While the company plans to introduce a full range of healthy and nutritious food products, their initial food offering will include a wide selection of high-quality ready-toeat chicken with the quirky title of ‘Really Tasty Chicken Breast’. This unique concept will provide health-conscious consumers with a selection of ultra-tender, preservative-free, hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken which comes in five different flavors.

Commenting on the anticipated launch of Fit Farm, Abdulla Al Kaabi, CEO of Sarya Holdings, says, “Our mission with Fit Farm is to empower the people through accessible cuisine driven by healthy lifestyle choices and connecting them with readilyavailable healthy foods.''

CROPIN RAISES US$20 MILLION IN SERIES C FUNDING ROUND LED BY ABC WORLD ASIA

CropIn, a leading global artificial intelligence and dataled agri-tech organization empowering stakeholders to reimagine agriculture with data, has raised US$20 million in a Series C funding round led by ABC World Asia, an Asiafocused private equity fund dedicated to evidence-based impact investing.

Existing investors Chiratae Ventures, Invested Development and Ankur Capital also participated in this funding round. Other new investors in this round include CDC Group and Kris Gopalakrishnan’s family office Pratithi Investment Trust.

CropIn will use this capital infusion to focus on its global expansion, while continuing to innovate on its machine learning-based predictive analytics platform, SmartRisk to further strengthen its artificial intelligence capabilities. CropIn is also investing to penetrate deeper in its target markets globally. Recently, CropIn opened an Amsterdam office, and will be hiring local leaders to drive growth in the European market.

CropIn’s data-driven farming solutions enable agri-enterprises and growers to ‘maximize peracre value’. Its farm data and agronomy management platform, SmartFarm, empowers stakeholders to improve efficiency, productivity, predictability, and sustainability of their crop value-chains. SmartFarm enables agrienterprises to adhere to food safety standards thereby ensuring farm-to-fork traceability. The platform helps growers adopt sustainable farming practices to build long term economic viability and

COBB CONTINUES COMMITMENT TO PROGRESS AND QUALITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, COMPLETING FIRST SHIPMENT TO JORDAN

After building a strong relationship with Saudi distributor Al-Watania Poultry, Cobb made history by completing its first shipment to Jordan. The companies worked together to successfully navigate new logistical challenges and deliver the first Cobb500™ shipment to the country.

“This is a significant step as we continue to bring quality products and expertise to this emerging market,” said Pelayo Casanovas, vice president of Cobb-Vantress EMEA and AsiaPacific. “Supporting the Middle East is a priority for Cobb, and we expect this shipment will be the first of many from Cobb and Al-Watania Poultry into Jordan.”

Al-Watania Poultry, one of the leading poultry producers in the Middle East, signed a distributor agreement with Cobb in 2018 for the territories of Saudi Arabia and the surrounding Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries. Since then, the companies have focused on expanding the daily production of broilers to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s initiative to increase local chicken meat production.

Al-Watania Poultry is reaching new heights with the wide-ranging technical support from Cobb. The world-leading experts at Cobb advise on all aspects of production to help Al-Watania Poultry optimize flock performances.

“We are very happy to deliver our high-quality expertise to all of our customers in the region,” said Mohammed Chail, business development manager at Cobb. “Al-Watania Poultry is a strong company that customers trust. We look forward to continuing to fulfill the growing demand in this region with premium and affordable products.”

Cobb continues to enhance services to customers in the Middle East to help reduce transportation time, provide security of supply, and more. Meanwhile, Al-Watania Poultry is investing in quality facilities and personnel to help ensure a reliable, local supply.

“This is a great achievement for Cobb, Al-Watania Poultry, and our customers,” said Mohammad Hamed Al-Shayea, vice president of production for Al-Watania Poultry. “We are like one family, and we will continue to serve the industry together.”

resiliency for local farming communities. CropIn has partnered with several global players in agriculture, including development finance institutions and government entities in 52 countries, to drive their digital and sustainability goals.

FIRA 2020 : AN INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS FOR THE EXPERT MEETING ON AGRICULTURAL ROBOTICS

The 5th edition of FIRA was organized entirely in virtual format this December from 8 to 10. Far more than a simple webinar, the immersive platform of FIRA 2020 enabled 1500 participants, connected from over 70 countries, to meet around an enriched exhibition area, three conference rooms and a networking tool to facilitate exchanges. The participants can access the platform until June 2021, which makes FIRA 2020 the longest agricultural event of the year.

While most trade shows have been forced to postpone their 2020 or even 2021 editions, FIRA had to stand firm given the impossibility of organizing an on-site event.

Agricultural robotics experts and aficionados could not miss the opportunity to meet and exchange in a forum that is unique in the world, at a time when the sector is exponentially growing. This is why the teams of GOFAR, the organizing association of FIRA, decided to set up a virtual edition offering services similar to a face-to-face edition.

Far from being a back-up plan, FIRA 2020, on the contrary, has opened the doors of Agricultural Robotics even more to a resolutely

KUBOTA INVESTS IN TEVEL, A LEADER IN FLYING, AUTONOMOUS FRUIT-PICKING ROBOTS

Kubota is looking to the future by investing $20 million in Tevel Aerobotics Technologies, an industry leader in the flying, autonomous fruitpicking robot harvesting segment.

Founded in 2017 in Israel, Tevel is developing autonomous flying robots for fruit picking and is combining artificial intelligence with computer vision, advanced robotics, aeronautical engineering, state-of-the-art flight control and data fusion and perception.

Every year, over 800 million tonnes of fruit are produced in an area of 70 million hectares worldwide, representing an annual market value of $1 trillion. Every year, growers spend $100 billion on fruit picking, and recruit over 10 million seasonal workers to pick their fruit. These temporary workers are increasingly harder to find, recruit, train, employ and house.

It is a task further compounded by their ability to harvest fruit within a short and competitive time-frame, alongside the complexity of crossing borders during the Covid-19 crisis – aspects which have further contributed to labour shortages. Therefore, Tevel’s solution seeks to increase global food security by providing an available and reliable supply chain.

Tevel has solved numerous technological challenges and is expected to implement commercial roll-out of its fruit-picking robots in 2021. Its solution delivers the highest performance at the lowest cost, along with high levels of flexibility that enable the harvest of multiple fruit types, including apples, pears and avocado.

With this investment in Tevel, Kubota has taken steps to accelerate its innovation philosophy with the objective of creating new business opportunities, products and services for the farming industry.

The strategic positioning of Kubota as a leader in global agriculture and equipment manufacturing, together with Tevel, will reinforce the company’s development of automation technology for fruit-picking. It will also enable the launch of a solutions business utilising these technologies,that will contribute to labour-saving and efficiency gains in farming.

Throughout its history, Kubota has shown its commitment to solving society’s challenges time and time again. As Kubota moves forward, the company will continue with its endeavours to contribute in the critical areas of food, water and the environment. An example of these endeavours were exemplified in 2019, as Kubota founded Innovation Centres in Japan and Europe, as divisions for the creation of new business ventures, products and services.

Kubota’s Innovation Centres help to produce an environment that fosters and promotes innovation through partnerships with external businesses, such as agricultural technology start-ups, food producers, research institutes, and universities.

international audience. This year, FIRA was able to gather during 3 days more than 1500 participants, connected from 71 different countries (compared to 850 participants from 42 countries in 2019).

This year also marks a turning point, with an increased participation of farmers and producers. Indeed 30% were connected against 15% in 2019, proof, if any, that the robotization of production methods is of interest to these men and women in the field.

Based on the success of this virtual edition, the FIRA organizers have decided to propose a new formula for its 6th edition (December 7 to 9, 2021). FIRA, resolutely international, will therefore choose a hybrid format, combining face-to-face participation with plenary sessions, an exhibition space and business meetings, associated with a virtual format, as in 2020, to allow as many people as possible to take part in the debate and present their innovations in agricultural robotics.

AEROFARMS RECEIVES BIG INNOVATION AWARD HONOR

AeroFarms is awarded this honor in the Technology category and is the only agtech/agriculture company to make this distinguished list of awardees.

The BIG Innovation Awards recognize those organizations and people who bring new ideas to life. Whether that idea is big or small, these ideas change the way we experience

THE SUSTAINABLE HUMAN PROJECT: 365 DAYS OF ONLY EATING FOOD SOURCED IN THE SUSTAINABLE CITY, DUBAI

A resident of The Sustainable City (TSC), Dubai - the Middle East’s first fully-operational sustainable community, has vowed to sustain himself fully on food sourced exclusively inside the community for a full year.

Phil Dunn, a Canadian landscape architect, conceived this project during the time of lockdown restrictions, when issues of food security were brought to the fore. Mr. Dunn was responsible for the design and construction of the urban landscape in The Sustainable City, and he decided to put this landscape to the test over the course of one year to ascertain what it takes to eat produce solely sourced from within his neighbourhood urban environment with support from other residents.

There are several simple rules in place for The Sustainable Human Project: Mr. Dunn will grow fruits and vegetables such as onions, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs in community garden plots. Free-range chickens will provide him with eggs, and he will eat fish from a small fish farm inside one of the community biodomes. The missing elements in the food basket will come from a circular economic philosophy for which Mr. Dunn will repurpose scrap wood from construction into urban farming tools to be used in bartering with residents in exchange for other items such as grains, rice, proteins and oils.

When Mr. Dunn travels or is invited out for dinner, he will use the opportunity to spread the word about the amazing cultural diversity of over 80 different nationalities living in TSC.

Mr. Dunn said: “The Sustainable Human Project was conceived as a mixture of a personal challenge and an outward commitment to explore, educate, and engage with the important concepts of food security in the time of a pandemic, and a social sustainability ideal of how growing food together might also "grow" a community. The challenge of 365 days of eating only food grown in The Sustainable City (TSC) was one that I thought was crazy enough to keep me wilfully striving, and just possible enough to perhaps, be completed.”

This entire process is monitored by The Chiron Clinic, located in TSC, who completed baseline medical tests before the challenge and will be tracking Mr. Dunn’s health throughout the year at regular intervals to ensure any nutritional issues are identified and addressed.

the world. Unlike other programs, nominations are judged by recognizable leaders, not editors or writers with limited business experience. Nominations are individually scored by a panel of experts, hand selected their advisory panel and employees:

“Innovation is now critical for our civilization to progress,” said Maria Jimenez, chief nominations officer of the Business Intelligence Group. “We are honored to award so many executives, companies and products the BIG Innovation award this year. Each person, company, and product has made tremendous strides at improving the lives of their community.”

FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE AT WEF'S VIRTUAL DAVOS EVENT REFLECTS GROWING CRITICALITY OF FOOD SECURITY, SAYS SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION DAKE RECHSAND

The World Economic Forum's Davos event - the annual meeting of global political leaders and business elite, which shapes policies and partnerships for a more inclusive, cohesive and sustainable future - was held virtually this year, due to the continuing global pandemic. In a departure from previous editions, Davos 2021 featured an increased focus on agriculture and food production, along with their knock-on effects on climate change, water scarcity and deforestation. "These developments reflect how the pandemic has reset our attention, on to pressing issues that are nearing an irreversible tipping point and can no longer be ignored," said Chandra Dake, CEO and Founder of Dake Rechsand, a Dubai-based company offering sustainable solutions in agriculture. "Access to food is a basic human right, but last year, 690 million people were chronically undernourished, while three billion couldn't afford a nutritious diet. At the same time, more than a billion tonnes of food continues to be wasted every year. The WEF’s deliberations on this issue could not be more timely", Chandra added.

The pandemic has served as a harsh reminder of the need for concerted proactive action, to create a more food secure and sustainable world. But it has also shown that the world is capable of decisive action, when faced with extreme adversity. This new-found zeal could be channelled to meet the goals set out by the Paris Agreement, while achieving global food security and restoring ecological balance. In this context, the Davos Agenda's special emphasis on agriculture - which remains a major driver of water consumption, climate change and deforestation – signals a significant change.

The event's panelists have brought diverse ideas and initiatives to the table, with specific attention given to transforming food production and improving farmer livelihoods. This primarily includes funding, with multistakeholder participation, to ensure strong capital and tech flow to developing countries, so that they can strengthen regional food value chains and gain access to global markets.

This is a vision that Dake Rechsand's sustainability solutions complement very well. Especially the company’s breathable sand, which enables optimal agricultural productivity in deserts and arid regions, while reducing water consumption by nearly 80%. "We are leveraging technology to empower sustainable agriculture and hoping to drive food security in the MENA region, through inclusive and eco-friendly solutions. Agriculture, currently an activity that comes at a high ecological cost, can become the first carbon-neutral sector. At Dake Rechsand, we are committed to this cause, and see it as one of the critical elements of a sustainable world" said Chandra, in closing.

FPT INDUSTRIAL POWERS THE “SUSTAINABLE TRACTOR OF THE YEAR 2021”

FPT Industrial powers the “Sustainable Tractor of the Year 2021”, the CLAAS AXION 960 CEMOS. The winning tractor is fitted with the latest generation of FPT’s Cursor 9 Stage V engine. This 6-cylinder engine delivers maximum power of 327 kW /460 hp at 1,800 rpm and maximum torque of 1,860 Nm at 1,400 rpm.

It’s also worth remembering that out of 18 candidates for the Tractor of Year 2021 awards, seven were powered by FPT Industrial engines: Class Axion 960 CEMOS – Cursor 9, CASE IH Quadtrac 620 – Cursor 13, Landini Serie 7 V Shift – N67, New Holland T6.160 – N67, STEYR 6240 Absolut CVT – N67, CASE IH Vestrum 130 CVX Drive – N45, Valtra F105 – F34. This is the second time the “Sustainable Tractor of the Year” has been

awarded, and it is intended to honor tractors that stand out for their particularly sustainable technology. The first edition of this category awarded the New Holland Methane Power tractor concept powered by the FPT Industrial N67 Natural Gas.

“With the Claas AXION 960, and thanks to the CEMOS system, a big step towards more sustainable farming has been achieved. All the technology available on this tractor is easier to use than ever. The optimization of all the technology and all the electronics, including the optimization of tyre pressures, allows to this tractor to achieve remarkable fuel savings and a much more efficient in-field performance in all working condition”, explains the international jury of 26 specialist journalists.

Normally, the winners are awarded every year at either the EIMA or Agritechnica tradeshows. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time the award ceremony took place virtually and was streamed as a live broadcast.

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 2021

The FAO has just launched the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. Throughout 2021, several activities and events will be organized all over the world to raise awareness for the vital role of fruits and vegetables in healthy nutrition and food security, together with the importance of reducing food loss and waste, and promoting sustainable production of fruits and vegetables.

Moving towards healthier diets while making our food production more sustainable is an objective that the growing media sector already contributes to. More and more fruits and vegetables are grown in growing media since it helps reaching this objective and several others: • Growing media contributes to answer the

MOBA LAUNCHES THE CRONO9 LOADER

Since its introduction, the state-ofthe-art Crono loader family has been the standard in the egg processing industry — the perfect answer for your egg loading needs. The Crono loaders are designed to guarantee maximum performance and continuous operation during the process and dramatically reduce egg loss. And now Moba introduces the latest member of the family, the Crono9, the loader with the highest capacity (225,000 eggs per hour) available on the market.

Egg loading has always been a critical factor in the egg breaking process. Most production’s dead times in egg breaking is due to loader stops. All kinds of eggs of different qualities, ages, sizes and shapes must be loaded properly and quickly. A loader must adapt to all of this mutable raw egg intake in a fast and effective way to keep up with the high capacity. The handling of these fragile eggs needs to be performed at a constant speed, smoothly and gently, to guarantee a constant egg supply to high-capacity egg breaking and separating systems.

With an innovative design concept, the Crono9 will do just that, while even matching the capacity of the Synchro626, the largest egg breaker/ separator in the world. The key is the revolutionary Crono loading system that surpasses commonly used loading technology, which is based on suction heads mounted on rotation arms. The Crono series uses innovative Multilink servo-assisted auto-adjusting technology, which combines maximum efficiency and performance with gentle egg handling. Due to the revolutionary Multilink system, the Crono loader can be easily adapted to different types of eggs and trays, which reduces the downtime of your machine.

With the Crono9, you can expect everything the Crono series has to offer, such as a fully washable stainless steel design and Cleaning in Place, with some additional upgrades. The Crono9 no longer has an empty return movement that limits the capacity. Thanks to its new feature, the dual feeding arm, the return path is eliminated, which improves productivity. This is just one of the many advantages that the Crono9 has to offer: • The equipment is fully servo driven to drastically reduce maintenance time • Better accessibility for quick and easy cleaning to meet the highest hygiene standards • Capable of handling the most challenging eggs and trays • Multizone automatic foaming cleaning system

The Crono9 is fully compatible with egg breaking systems. And due to its compact design, the Crono9 has a small footprint and can be easily configured according to your plant and room layout.

increasing worldwide demand for fruits and vegetables, guaranteeing food security and reducing food loss and waste. • When growing media are used in protected cultivation systems, weather conditions have less impact. • The necessary input of fertilisers, plant protection products and water per amount of harvested produce is much lower than in open field agriculture. Growing media can often circumvent the perils of many soil-borne diseases typically developing under high pressure growing methods in the open field. • The reduced land-use footprint is yet another advantage of soilless growing. • While the working conditions are more favourable, less labour is required compared to growing the same crops in the ground. • The use of growing media also enables horticulture in areas where conventional open field growing is climatewise impossible or economically not viable.

ANIMAL FEED ENZYMES MARKET WORTH $1.88 BILLION BY 2026 | CAGR 7.3%

The global animal feed enzymes market size is expected to reach USD 1.88 billion by 2026 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.3 % from 2018 to 2026. The market is anticipated to grow significantly over the forecast period owing to factors such as rising cost of feedstock, increasing meat consumption and rising pressure to increase the overall animal yield. The market is also anticipated to grow due to the rising awareness regarding the benefits of animal feed enzymes particularly in emerging regions such as Asia Pacific. These additives result in the maintenance of proper overall health of animals. They result in the improvement of digestion of essential nutrients such as proteins as well as increase in the availability of amino acids. They also offset the negative effects of undigested nutrients in the gut health. Such trends are benefitting the overall market growth.

There has been a rapid growth in the overall world population thus putting strain on the available food resources. This has put pressure on the animal husbandry participants to maximize output while reducing the usage of resources. Enzymes aid in these efforts as they help in proper absorption as well as digestion of nutrients.

Grains which are normally utilized in the production of animal feed such as barley, corn and wheat have hard

NUCROP – NUFARM AND CROP.ZONE LAUNCH NEW BRAND FOR ALTERNATIVE WEED CONTROL

Australian crop protection and specialty seed company Nufarm and German ag-tech start-up crop.zone are announcing the launch of NUCROP – Hybrid Electric Crop Protection. Through its Early Adopters Program, the competitive and sustainable alternative for weed management is now available to Farmers and Contractors in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The NUCROP solution combines chemical and physical processes to create a compelling and sustainable method of weed control. By pretreating plants with conductive liquid, acceptable for organic use, and then applying electrical charge, the solution can control weeds with a very high degree of efficiency and lower energy consumption than conventional weeding technologies.

In the Early Adopters program, Nufarm and crop.zone team up with selected channel partners in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands and offer farmers and contractors access to NUCROP technology. The Early Adopters Program will focus on several crops and applications, with a strong focus on potato desiccation in 2021. Other uses are in trailing phase and will be available to farmers shortly. The NUCROP technology offers farmers and contractors a real alternative to chemical solutions at competitive prices, especially for those crops where chemical weed control options have been reduced and where alternative technologies are required.

coating which does not completely break even during the milling process. The coating is indigestible. However, these additives result in the degradation of these cover molecules thus aiding the overall digestive process of animals as well as the proper maintenance of gut health.

Meat is considered as an essential part of the diet as it incorporates many valuable nutrients that are highly beneficial for health. Meat and meat products contain protein, micronutrients, and minerals that are beneficial for growth and development. Moreover, meat processing offers improved food safety, reduced price, and extended shelf life. Rising demand of meat across the globe is expected to favorably benefit the market growth. Asia Pacific is the most lucrative regional market, where the latest demand has been supported by rising demand of the developing countries, primarily of Southeast Asian region and Indian Subcontinent. China, Japan, Western Europe, and the United States are some of the countries contributing significantly for the industry growth.

“CORN WARRIOR” CORY ATLEY LAUNCHES ADVANCED YIELD SELECT CROP INPUTS

Cory Atley, Ohio’s four-time crop production yield winner, announced a new brand – Advanced Yield Select Crop Inputs – for the purpose of helping growers “make the most of every dollar they spend on crop inputs on every acre they farm.”

Atley, who farms more than 8,000 acres of leased and family ground, is known by many for his high yields and appearance in the reality show “Corn Warriors.” In addition to farming, he and his team at Advanced Yield work with dozens of farmers from Ohio to Kansas to coax more bushels from the ground every year. After a family meeting with his wife Stephanie, children Aubrey and Austen and the Advanced Yield crew, Advanced Yield Select Crop Inputs got the green light.

“We’re bringing out our own branded products because we’ve found a way to source high-quality products for much lower cost,” he explains. “We’ve proven the value of these formulations in our own operation and we can bring these same products to growers in a way that will save them money.”

Advanced Yield Select Crop

IMPATIENS BEACON GROWS STRONGER, SHINES LONGER

Last year PanAmerican Seeds introduced the Impatiens Beacon series which offers high resistance to Impatiens downy mildew (IDM). IDM is a disease caused by an Impatiens hostspecific water mold, Plasmopara obducens. The series also offers similar plant structure, flowering time, flower size and crop culture to Impatiens Super Elfin® and DeZire®, so they are easy to include in production.

Before and after the introduction of the Impatiens Beacon series, our breeders and Cultural Research department did a lot of research. Next to our internal trials, the Beacon series was also included in customer trials, grower trials and University trials, and overall the results were very positive. These trials confirm what we see in our own trials: Impatiens Beacon does not collapse under the pressure of downy mildew, and it has been confirmed by the growers that the series is very uniform between the colours.

Beacon Impatiens exhibits high genetic resistance to Plasmopara obducens, not to other Impatiens diseases. High resistance means that Beacon may exhibit some symptoms or damage under heavy disease pressure, like some leaf discolouration, but the plant will continue to live.

Inputs will be available to any farmer who is interested in increasing their ROI, whether they are currently a member of the Advanced Yield consulting client group or not. “This is just an extension of our work to help any farmer make the most of what they spend on inputs.”

Atley says the products offered have been selected after “rigorous, applied on-farm agronomic research” designed to drive total on-farm performance. Out of that experience has come a line of nutritionals, adjuvants and biologicals designed to enhance yield and improve return on investment (ROI). The line will initially include BIG BREAK™ seed treatments, PRIME STABLE™ nitrogen stabilizers, AGSTREME™ specialty starters, nutritionals and micronutrients; UNLEASHED™ plant growth regulators, biologicals and other yield enhancement technologies; and FRONT- RUNNER™ spray tank additives.

AGDIA ADDS TO DIAGNOSTIC SUITE FOR ToBRFV WITH RELEASE OF A RAPID, RNA-BASED ISOTHERMAL MOLECULAR KIT

Agdia, Inc. (Elkhart, IN) has added another test kit to their Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) diagnostic suite. AmplifyRP® XRT for ToBRFV is the second of three ToBRFV diagnostic assays to be launched by Agdia in the first half of 2021. Their highspecificity ELISA assay for ToBRFV was released on January 7. An ImmunoStrip® lateral flow device for ToBRFV is expected to be released in the coming months (Q1 or Q2 of 2021.)

Agdia’s AmplifyRP® XRT for ToBRFV has been validated for use with tomato and pepper seeds and leaf. As a rapid, field-deployable molecular method requiring far less training than traditional PCR methods, this assay provides users with greater flexibility to deploy detection capabilities where they need it, when they need it. Use cases for this assay include: • Laboratory-based molecular diagnosis with crude or purified extracts with faster time-to-result than traditional PCR or qPCR methods. This assay can be used with Agdia's AmpliFire® isothermal fluorometer or with most commonly-used realtime PCR machines. • In-field monitoring at remote production sites as a stand-alone assay. • Directly test ELISA extracts for molecular confirmation of serological screening results, allowing you to act immediately to address production issues.

ADVANCED BIOCONTROL OF SPIDER MITE WITH SPIDEX VITAL

Koppert Biological Systems has improved its top selling Spidex biological solution making it even more effective for growers worldwide. Predatory mites in more different stages of development prolong and dramatically increase their effect on spider mite infestations. Spidex Vital gives better control of spider mite hotspots by building populations with improved egglaying capacity. Trials conducted with the new composition showed the searching capacity of the predatory mites covered a greater distance over a longer period as adults were followed up by growing nymphs in an evergrowing population.

The new formulation and better nutrition ensure an energetic population of Phytoseiulus persimilis that gives infested plants the best start for fighting hotspots. Spidex Vital includes several phases of mite development including eggs, juveniles, growing nymphs, and adults, for prolonged and continuous activity in the crop. Trials showed a greater cumulative presence of predatory mites on infested leaves and proof of predation by Spidex Vital mites. Thanks to Koppert’s continuous R&D drive and upgraded production process, both quality and supply have now been enhanced and secured. Predatory mites in Spidex Vital have an energetic start ’ says Koppert Product Manager Tim Bossinga. 'The females already have enough energy to develop their eggs and can immediately start laying their eggs on release. Formerly, they first needed to feed in the field in order to develop their eggs. Because they start depositing their eggs directly, they have an improved ability to lay more eggs in the same time frame, hugely enhancing the biocontrol process and efficacy.'