The Knowledge to Decide

Post-harvest losses amount to 10% in India – where the percentage might be higher for fruits and vegetables. To help, US-based impact investment firm, Creation Investments Capital Management led a USD15 million investment through private equity in Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM), an Indian agricultural logistics firm in September 2015. SLCM’s technology platform known as Agri Reach offers protection and storage services for agricultural commodities to farmers, stakeholders, traders as well as importers and exporters involved in the trade. This is achieved through a vast network spread across 17 cold storages and 760 warehouses in India. It further claims to reduce post-harvest losses down to 0.5% with this technology. With global expansion on the line, SLCM offered procurement solutions and warehouse management in Myanmar (in 2014). The African market is also under their radar. Is agricultural infrastructure set to improve in India? https://www.spireresearc

Would you care to pop a pill instead of applying sunscreen? British researchers have discovered a new formula to shield humans from harmful ultraviolet sunrays – the same formula used by marine coral. The mutually dependent relationship between coral – an underwater animal – and algae is the key to their protection from sun. Researchers are focusing on extracting the secret behind that mechanism to develop a sunscreen pill for humans. Scientists have discovered the sunscreen-manufacturing mechanism at work by collecting coral in the dark and then exposing it to the sun. If research progresses as hoped, a synthetic anti-sun compound could become a reality in the next five years. Will this discovery boost the agricultural sector due to the rise of sun-tolerant crops and plants? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/a-sunscreen-pill-to-end-sunburn/

Water scarcity is a pressing issue in emerging markets. Droughts have affected parts of India and Australia in recent years, wreacking havoc on people’s lives and the economy. Can science help plants become more drought-tolerant? California’s drought story is not new. So much so that this US state has become synonymous with droughts. Water shortage means tough times for plants. This is where scientist Sean Cutler – from the University of California – brings a glimmer of hope. His unique technology – protein engineering – could help plants survive droughts. His team found that Abscisic Acid (ABA) – a hormone produced by plants during water shortage – causes the plant to consume less water as well as minimize water loss. Moreover, they suggest using an existing agrochemical to modify the ABA receptor of the plant to control water consumption as well as use water judiciously. Drought-prone countries such as Brazil, China, India and Pakistan should take lessons from Cali

Nepal – one of the poorest countries in the world – had a rude awakening when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on 25 April 2015. The impact was tragic. Casualties continue to rise, with immense damage to infrastructure. Will the nation be able to pick up the shattered pieces of its economy? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. With the estimated cost of rehabilitation set to hit USD5 billion – a quarter of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD20 billion in 2014 – the economic impact of the earthquake is massive. According to United Nation’s data, 8 million people are directly in the line of fire. Both agriculture – with well over 70% of the population employed in this sector – and tourism have been badly afflicted. Perera opined that the disaster will also impact the nation’s ability to grow and transport fresh food – the agricultural sector alone accounts for 38% of GDP. Moreover,

As drone technology matures, the business applications continue to multiply – from logistics to security to agriculture. It is only a matter of time before drones overcome the remaining technical and legal barriers and become assimilated into most industries. It is estimated that the drone industry would be worth USD10 billion by the year 2025. It is set to transform the operational landscape of many industries. For instance, a Singapore restaurant is experimenting with trials of drones to serve customers their food. With over 7,000 staff needed to keep Singapore’s booming restaurant industry ticking, drones could raise productivity. Several companies (including Amazon.com) are experimenting with the use of drones for document and small parcel delivery in big cities, as well as surveillance of crops to monitor crop health in large plantations. Drones are being used for entertainment purposes as well. The world’s first drone circus, known as “Air”, is coming to the Net

India’s emerging cranberry market has caught the eye of The Cranberry Marketing Association,  USA . Spire Research and Consulting was commissioned by the Cranberry Marketing Committee (CMC) to explore the potential of the Indian consumer market. The findings were shared on Fresh Plaza’s website, including measures taken to create a niche market for US-grown cranberry and related products. The Cranberry Marketing Association USA recently received grant support under the Emerging Markets Program (EMP) from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service to commence a technical and educational program in  India . Spire Research and Consulting was then tasked by the CMC to explore the potential of U.S.-grown cranberry and related products in India’s market. Spire’s research clearly indicated that the market for cranberry products clustered around major Tier-1 cities in India; namely Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. This was primarily due to the presence of gourmet food stores and co

Imagine a 25,000 square foot factory farm that produces 10,000 heads of lettuce per day. Shigeharu Shimamura’s indoor farm in Japan boasts of being the largest of its kind in the world. Indoor farms consume less water than outdoor farms as they do not lose water by percolation into the soil. This cuts  food  waste as well. Nor are indoor crops threatened by pests or inclement weather. The indoor farm uses vertically-stacked racks in a pest-free environment using LED lights. A conventional agricultural setting results in more than 30% of lettuce being wasted whereas Shimamura boasts of only 3% wastage. That’s a big deal, with over 1.4 billion tons of global  food  wastage every year. Shimamura and his Mira Company plan to set up indoor farming factories in Hong Kong and Russia to support  food  production on a global scale. In early 2014, a unit of Japan’s famous Panasonic Corp started growing ten types of vegetables in one of its factory buildings in Singapore. It curre

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/spirethoughtsbrazil-bounces-back-with-agriculture/ Agriculture in Brazil has been an lucrative industry over the years. The current production is between 80 million and 160 million tons, and this figure could double in the coming years. Other than exporting sugar, orange juice and coffee globally, it also competes with the US to be the largest soya bean exporter. Besides, devaluation of its currency against the dollar will further stimulate this sector through reducing the rise in costs. Crop yield this year has registered a 15 percent increase, whereas exports has amounted to USD100 million. US, being one of Brazil’s stiff competitors, only exported 18.58 million tons in comparison to Brazil’s 22 million tons for the 2012-13 crop year. However, US is poised to stage a comeback later this year as the top corn exporter. With the government recently allocating USD68 billion to this sector, it remains to be seen whether Brazil’s

Rural farming in India could benefit immensely from solar energy, as farmers can use water pumps that are powered by solar panels to irrigate farms; balancing out the electricity provided for urban dwellers in the process. This is crucial as approximately 18 million of the country’s 25 million water pump sets are linked to the national electric grid. To address the nation’s power shortage, a joint-venture will be formed between six state-owned companies in Mumbai, including Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, to build a 4-gigawatt solar photovoltaic farm by the end of 2016. The price would be INR10 cheaper than the lowest power bid in India. Once the government grant has been received, this would change the way clean energy is generated; providing light through solar energy to 70 percent of the population residing in the urban areas. Is solar energy becoming a transformative resource for rural farmers? http://www.spireresearch.com/ne