
Transforming Indian agriculture through innovation
Bangalore: AgriplastTech India Pvt Ltd and Agriplast Protected Cultivation Pvt Ltd proudly announce the third edition of Technology Vision 2030, India's premier agritech conference scheduled for 24 September 2025 in Bengaluru.
With the theme 'Empowering Indian Agriculture: Innovation, Sustainability, and Growth,' this one-day event will gather over 300 industry leaders, policymakers, innovators, researchers, and visionary entrepreneurs committed to shaping the future of Indian agriculture. The conference includes expert pTransforming Indian agriculture through innovation
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New Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Packaging breakthrough offers fresh hope to litchi farmers in Bihar, boosts India's export potential
Bihar's litchi growers may soon find new markets at home and abroad, thanks to a breakthrough in packaging technology that significantly extends the fruit's shelf life. Litchis, typically highly perishable with a shelf life of just five days, pose serious distribution challenges—especially from Bihar, India's largest litchi-producing state, to southern parts of the country. However, a new innovation using Modified Atmospheric Packaging (MAP) now promises to extend the shelf life by at least 15 days, with the potential to keep the fruit fresh for up to 30 days. The technology recently made headlines when India successfully shipped its first consignment of litchis from Pathankot to Qatar using MAP, allowing shoppers in Qatar to purchase fresh Indian litchis—a milestone that showcases the technology's potential. 'Litchi farmers from Bihar couldn't even send their fruits to South India,' said Dr. Sudhansu, Secretary of the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). 'Now, this MAP technology, developed by our scientists at the UFlex lab in Noida, is set to revolutionise the industry.' Building on this success, India is now developing a 'Sea Protocol' for litchis to further boost exports by enabling cost-effective sea shipments. Sea transport is not only cheaper but also attracts lower GST compared to air cargo. The Sea Protocol involves specific harvesting timelines, maturity standards, temperature controls during shipping, and ripening guidelines at the destination to maintain fruit quality. 'We are collaborating with Madagascar, a leading global exporter of litchis, to develop the Sea Protocol,' said Dr. Sudhansu. India has already implemented the protocol successfully for bananas exported to the Netherlands and Russia, and is now working to develop similar procedures for pomegranates and mangoes. Bihar alone accounts for nearly 40% of India's litchi production, followed by West Bengal (12%) and Jharkhand (10%). India is the world's second-largest litchi producer after China, with other major producers including Thailand, Australia, South Africa, Madagascar, and the United States. Efforts to enhance litchi preservation have drawn political attention as well. During his recent Yatra, Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed concern over the fruit's short shelf life and urged ICAR scientists to develop solutions to extend it. With these new technological advancements and international collaborations, India is positioning itself to compete strongly in the global litchi market.


Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
Manoj Bhat: Why Sustainability is Essential in the Hospitality Industry, ET HospitalityWorld
Sustainability is no longer a buzzword—it is a defining business imperative for the hospitality industry. As the effects of climate change grow more visible and travellers become more conscious of their environmental and social footprint, the hospitality sector stands at a critical inflection point. Today, delivering memorable experiences means going beyond conventional definitions of service—it means aligning with purpose, transparency, and impact. Why sustainability is taking centre stage A new wave of travellers is reshaping the industry. According to a recent report, 96 percent of Indian travellers consider sustainable travel important, while 99% want to make greener choices. Importantly, 63 percent want to leave the destinations they visit better than they found them. These figures are not just statistics—they represent a powerful shift in traveller expectations and behaviour. Advt Advt For hospitality brands, the message is clear: sustainability is a core value that must be embedded into every part of the hospitality is not only behind the scenes—it is increasingly part of the guest experience. Guests today want to be active participants in sustainability. Immersive activities like coral reef restoration, eco-tours, and tree planting not only minimize impact but deepen the guest's connection with the thoughtful gestures matter too—reusable toiletries, towel reuse programs, or digital check-in processes all contribute to a larger narrative of shared responsibility. Forward-thinking brands are involving guests in shaping sustainability programs through real-time feedback and sustainability agenda combines the twin themes of doing less harm—and doing more good. This calls for regenerative practices like biodiversity conservation, circular waste systems, and inclusive community brands are demonstrating how environmental stewardship can go hand-in-hand with business efficiency through various initiatives like rainwater harvesting systems, and creating zero waste is playing a pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable hospitality industry—streamlining operations, enhancing infrastructure, and reducing environmental impact It starts with energy-efficient upgrades like LED lighting, modern HVAC systems, and IoT-based monitoring that enable real-time tracking of resource use. AI-powered predictive maintenance helps prevent waste, while smart room controls optimize energy consumption based on guest tools—from contactless check-ins to paperless billing—further reduce material usage while improving guest buildings integrate these technologies seamlessly. Solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, and smart automation come together to create eco-efficient spaces. When combined with locally sourced materials and indigenous design, these properties offer both cultural authenticity and environmental intelligent operations and green infrastructure are helping hospitality brands minimize their footprint while delivering meaningful, future-ready guest the heart of any transformation are people. Employees are not just implementers—they are ambassadors of sustainability. By training staff in eco-conscious practices and rewarding sustainable behavior, brands can foster a culture where every team member becomes a change frontline employees explain initiatives to guests or suggest environmentally friendly choices, they build deeper connections and amplify impact. The result is not only greener operations but also higher engagement and future of hospitality will belong to brands that marry purpose with performance. Those who view sustainability as a core part of their business strategy will not only attract today's conscious traveler—they will future-proof their Mahindra Holidays, we believe that the places we operate in, the people we engage with, and the planet we depend on must all thrive together. Our journey—from zero-waste resorts to community-driven programs and IGBC platinum certifications—has shown us that when sustainability is core, impact must lead by example. The choices we make today—how we build, how we operate, how we connect—will shape not just our business, but the world we leave behind. Sustainability isn't a trade-off; it's a time to act is now. The path forward is clear. And it's author, Manoj Bhat is managing director & CEO, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited . The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of ET HospitalityWorld. By , ETHospitalityWorld Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. All about ETHospitalityWorld industry right on your smartphone! Download the ETHospitalityWorld App and get the Realtime updates and Save your favourite articles.


Mint
25 minutes ago
- Mint
Indian stock market: 5 key triggers that could drive Nifty 50 to 26,000 in the short term
The Nifty 50, the benchmark of the Indian stock market, is hovering near 25,600, eyeing a reclaim of the 26,000 mark. The index is now about 3 per cent down from its all-time high of 26,277.35, which it scaled on September 27 last year. Amid global turmoil, tariff-related concerns and weak earnings, the domestic market has performed well in the first half of the calendar year 2025 (H1CY25). On a monthly scale, the Nifty 50 has been in the green since March this year. "Nifty has managed to absorb most of the negative news in the last two months, from wars and geopolitics to the tariffs. While that was happening, global liquidity was rising. Whether you consider US M2 (measure of the money supply) going higher or the rate cuts in Europe and India. This has kept markets elevated and hopeful that the earnings slowdown will revive into the year-end," Rohit Srivastava, the founder and market strategist at observed. The index is expected to scale fresh record highs in the second half of the year, as the medium-term outlook for the market remains positive, supported by the country's healthy macroeconomic fundamentals and expectations that tariff-related uncertainties will recede. Let's take a look at five key factors that could drive the Nifty 50 to 26,000 or even to uncharted territories in the short term: Investors are focusing on the India-US trade negotiations as the 9 July deadline approaches. So far, only two countries—China and the UK—have signed trade deals with the US. India and Japan are expected to be the next countries that could strike trade deals with the US. On Friday, Trump said that the White House was looking into an agreement with India that would give it the 'right to go in and trade' with the country. Meanwhile, a PTI report, quoting sources, suggested that India-US trade negotiations for an interim trade agreement are progressing well. A favourable trade deal could boost market sentiment, propelling the Nifty 50 to fresh highs. "One big kicker for the market is the long-awaited US-India trade deal. A lot is expected, and more than anything else, expect the uncertainty to die. Business will be back to normal," said Arun Kejriwal, Founder of Kejriwal Research and Investment Services. Q1FY26 earnings are expected to be better due to lower inflation, three successive rate cuts by the RBI and healthy macroeconomic growth. "The larger section of companies is expected to benefit from three successive rate cuts by the RBI. The impact of the first two cuts will be felt on corporations' bottom lines, which should help in better earnings," said Kejriwal. Healthy earnings of Indian corporates will ease the concerns over elevated valuations and drive the market to the 26,000 mark or even beyond. The IMD has predicted an above-normal monsoon this year, which is expected to keep food inflation under control. Lower inflation would raise the prospects of further rate cuts by the RBI and reduce input costs for corporates, thereby augmenting their profitability. A healthy and evenly spread monsoon will also underpin market sentiment. G Chokkalingam, the founder and head of research of Equinomics Research Private Limited, pointed out that cumulative rainfall is also in surplus so far. "As of this morning, cumulative rainfall as of yesterday in June is 8 per cent above the long-term average rainfall. This is a highly positive development for the markets. It can help the output of the agricultural sector to grow significantly and thereby help the overall GDP to grow faster," said Chokkalingam. "A successful monsoon helps in moderating or keeping in check crop prices, and therefore inflation rates tend to remain modest. Already, both retail and wholesale inflation rates are at record low levels. Therefore, a good monsoon would help in the continuation of the reversal of the interest rate cycle in the economy. The same would help both the economy and corporate world to gain from improvements in aggregate demand in the system," said Chokkalingam. The dollar index is hovering near its 52-week low. If it remains in this lower range for an extended period, it could potentially trigger healthy foreign capital inflows into the Indian market, driving it to new highs. "We are looking at 28,000 by the year-end with the potential of upward revisions as markets price in a move to a dovish Fed in 2026. The falling dollar will drive better inflows into emerging markets, and India stands out as a winner there as well. A good monsoon and lower interest rates should create the growth momentum for this year," said Srivastava. Experts say if the index holds above 25,700 decisively, it may reclaim the 26,000 mark soon. According to Jigar S. Patel, Senior Manager of Equity Research at Anand Rathi Share and Stock Brokers, the 25,700–25,900 zone is likely to act as immediate resistance. "A convincing breakout above this range could pave the way for a new leg higher. However, any close below 25,300 would signal a failed breakout," said Patel. Kejriwal said that the Nifty 50 index won't climb to the 26,000 mark quickly without supportive news flow. On the support side, Kejriwal said the 25,200 mark would act as strong support. Read all market-related news here A convincing breakout above this range could pave the way for a new leg higher. Read more stories by Nishant Kumar Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions, as market conditions can change rapidly, and circumstances may vary.