Govt promises seed traceability software by 2020
Identifying seeds as a key factor in ensuring sustainability for farmers, the Union Government is developing a software to let the farmers trace the origin of the seeds they buy. Using technologies such as barcode and QR code, the software solution will allow the farmers to cross-check whether they are buying the seed that intend to. “We are going to introduce it by June 2020. It goes a long way in ensuring quality of seeds,” Sanjay Agarwal, Union Agriculture Secretary, said. Addressing the inaugural session of the 32nd ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) Congress 2019 here on Wednesday, he said the country could achieve productivity levels and production of seeds above what was needed. “But quality of seeds is the key to ensure better incomes and sustainability to farmers,” he added. More info:  click here
CAG raises concerns over Printing Press inside Jail
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has underlined the fact that the printing press, operating since 1962, has become a security concern for the Nagpur central jail, but has not been shifted despite the approval of the proposal in 2016. The CAG report, tabled before the state legislative assembly last week, also pointed out that the press has posed serious threats to the safety of the inmates and also compromised with the security of the place. Nagpur Central Jail houses several top Maoist cadres and convicts of highly sensitive cases, including Mumbai and Pune bomb blasts, carrying capital punishment. CAG’s report, prepared using records in the home department and with jail authorities till March 2018, stated that the press had been functioning despite the then inspector general of police (IGP) intimating ‘security concerns’ about it to the principal secretary (Appeals and Security) twice in 2015. The IGP had proposed the press to be shifted elsewhere. The then principal secretary had also directed in June 2015 to shift the press out of the central prison premises before March 2016, but it has not been followed till date. More info:  click here
Global Food Traceability Market will be $ 22 billion by 2025
Zion Market Research has published a new report titled “Food Traceability Market by Technology (RFID, GPS, Barcodes, Infrared, and Biometric), by End-User (Food Manufacturers, Warehouse Food Retailers, Government Departments, and Others), and by Application (Fresh Food, Meat & Poultry, Seafood, Spices & Condiments, Beverages, and Others): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2018–2025”. According to the report, the global  food traceability market  was approximately USD 11.64 billion in 2018 and is expected to generate around USD 21.84 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of around 9% between 2019 and 2025. More info:  click here
Nestle partners with blockchain platform OpenSC on traceability
Nestlé  is partnering with blockchain technology platform OpenSC claiming to offer traceability "right back to the farm", starting with milk. OpenSC is a supply-chain tool founded by World Wildlife Fund-Australia and California-based venture capital firm The Boston Consulting Group Digital Ventures. Zurich-listed Nestlé, the world's largest food manufacturer, said in a statement today (2 July) it "becomes the first major food and beverage company to announce that it will pilot open blockchain technology in this way".  More info:  click here
Bulgaria to enforce stricter controls on traceability of fruit and veg imports
Bulgaria is planning to create a register of fruit and vegetable traders and will track the importers' goods from the border to the counter. It will be checked whether the importer has a stock and whether the imports are sold at a fair or low price. This was announced in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Chavdar Marinov. The database will be linked to the National Revenue Agency, the Customs Agency and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency. "The goal is to know more about what we consume and about the origin of those commodities. I have been informed by producers from Petrich and Sandanski about imports at low prices from Greece," said the Deputy Minister. "In Greece, this same model is applied, so no Bulgarian producer can sell freely in Thessaloniki. We are planning the same for our country," he said. As a result of these measures, Marinov predicts that only regulated imports will remain on the market. "The goal is not to ban fruit and vegetable trade, but to regulate, so we can better know what we consume. It's a form of protection for domestic fruit and vegetables. The objective is for trade to be carried out with clear rules and traceability," said the Deputy Minister.
More info:  click here
Newzealand: New egg traceability scheme has support from industry
Egg producers are getting behind a scheme that allows consumers to trace eggs back to the farm they come from. The Egg Producers Federation has brought in the traceability programme that will stamp a code on each egg. And although the stamping programme is voluntary, more than 70 percent of those involved in egg production have signed up. Egg Producers Federation executive director Michael Brooks told Mike Hosking the stamps will identify the farming system. More info: click here
other leading news...
Tyre Association trial traceability technology
United Kingdom: The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) announced the successful completion of a digital tyre tracking trial. Conducted with TRA member, Fraser Evans & Sons Ltd , and technology partner PragmatIC , the trial used Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The tags are fixed to the tyre by the collector, who assigns them to their future use, for example retreading or reprocessing. For more click here
FDA to launch pilot blockchain network with IBM, KPMG, Walmart and Merck for drugs traceability
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this month selected IBM, Merck, KPMG and Walmart to participate in a pilot programme to create a proof-of-concept blockchain network to enhance the security of drugs supply chain, as per a joint release by the companies. The pilot has been authorised under the US Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), which aims to establish a regulatory oversight framework to regulate counterfeit, stolen, contaminated, or otherwise harmful drugs. For more click here
NextFlex Launches $10.5M Funding Round for Anti-Counterfeiting, Flex Batteries and Hypersonics Innovation
 NextFlex, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, released Project Call 5.0 (PC 5.0) — the latest call for proposals to fund projects that seek to further the development and adoption of FHE. Project Call 5.0 focuses on challenges related to scalable manufacturing and application-driven manufacturing gaps that have been prioritized by the community across a wide range of application areas — from anti-counterfeiting to structural health monitoring to hypersonics. These areas cover the spectrum from design tools to fabrication processes to materials data generation. For more click here
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