May- June 2018 edition of Gulf Agriculture Magazine

M AY

ISSN 1751-8407

JUNE

2018 TM

YOUR GATEWAY TO THE MIDDLE EAST AGRIBUSINESS

INDUSTRY LEADERS FROM FEED TO FOOD

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PARTNERSHIPS TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY

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THE CROSSBREEDING SPECIALIST BREED

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CASE IH'S PATRIOT 250 EXTREME SPRAYER

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NEW IMPORTANT FEATURES FOR MDFX

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‫ﺣﻣﻠﺔ ﺍﻟﻣﻣﻭﻟﺔ ﻣﻥ ﺍﻟﻣﺳﺎﻋﺩﺍﺕ ﻣﻥ ﺍﻻﺗﺣﺎﺩ ﺍﻷﻭﺭﻭﺑﻲ ﻭﺟﻣﻬﻭﺭﻳﺔ ﺑﻠﻐﺎﺭﻳﺎ‬

CONTENTS

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30 Cover photo: FlowerTrials®

NEWS UPDATE

PAGE 04

DEFINE YOUR 2019 ASSORTMENT AT THE FLOWERTRIALS

PAGE 21

DÉSIALIS' OFFER TO ANIMAL NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS IN FRANCE AND ABROAD

PAGE 27

AGCO'S BRANDS WIN RED DOT DESIGN AWARD 2018

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EASYFILLTM PLANTER BAGS: EMPOWERING YOUR PLANTS AND TREES TO GROW BETTER

PAGE 34

SENNINGER RELEASES THE I-WOB2: THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOBBLER TECHNOLOGY

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Editor in Chief Mohammed Nasser | Editor Megha Marie Matt | Associate Editor Jessie Jorge Graphic Designer Elizabeth John | Production Manager Abdul Shareef Contributors Neville J. Chandler, Douglas Bott, Shakeeb Kolakadan, Dr. Hansel Geo Thomas Registered Office: Matt Media International Ltd. 12 Gateway Mews, London N11 2UT, UK E-mail: gulfag@emirates.net.ae Web site: www.gulfagriculture.com

Middle East Office: Al Saad Advertising & Publishing L.L.C., P O Box 25694, Sharjah, UAE, Tel:+971 6 5639494 Gulf Agriculture is read by agri professionals, farm managers & owners, landscape consultants, contractors, agri-equipment suppliers, horticultural engineers, greenhouse managers, agronomists, veterinary surgeons, ministries, poultry & dairy breeders, importers, distributors, manufacturers and whole salers of food and agri inputs.

Printed and published by Matt Media© Intl. Ltd.(U.K.) 2018 All rights reserved. The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are requested to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstance. The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for any error or omissions contained in this publication.

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NEWS UPDATE

The third edition of GreenTech Amsterdam: larger than ever and almost sold out GreenTech Amsterdam will open its doors for the third time from 12 to 14 June this year. At the time of publication in late March, some 97% of all

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available stand space had been booked by exhibitors, even though the event is 20% larger than its predecessor in 2016.

These impressive figures demonstrate that GreenTech Amsterdam is now firmly on the map as the platform for the international horticulture sector.

Visitors to this year's GreenTech Amsterdam will have the opportunity to meet at least 450 exhibitors, many of whom are global market leaders and innovators in the field of horticulture technology. A wide variety of greenhouse builders, horticultural suppliers, machine companies, soil and substrate producers, lighting partners and seed suppliers will be in attendance.

GreenTech 2018 will feature a wide-ranging knowledge programme with more than 80 sessions in three theatres (Food & Flower Crops; Climate, Water & Energy; and Trends & Innovation). It will also expand the Vertical Farming Pavilion with the new Precision Horticulture Pavilion (focused on sensors, cameras, robotics and digitisation) and the Medicinal Crops Pavilion (hosting technologies for medical cannabis production, among others).

Another new segment this year will be The Organic Farmers Fair (TOFF), which will shine a light on expertise and innovation in the field of organic farming over three days. Together with IFOAM, FiBL and their five partners Bejo, DCM, Steketee, Koppert Biological Systems and Delphy, plus Wageningen University and Research as a supporting partner, GreenTech will arrange a high-level knowledge programme that will discuss in detail the key issues of the day.

TOFF will be the international meeting place of choice for organic growers as well as conventional farmers who are considering a switch to organic.

The GreenTech Summit will take place a day before the exhibition, on 11 June 2018. It will bring together some 750 MAY JUNE 2018

NEWS UPDATE

investors, breeders and farmers within a unique networking setting while also treating them to a first-rate programme of content. Under the motto 'The future of horticulture - insights for the next decade', visionaries and experts will share their views on how the world of horticulture will look in 10 years.

Gardening: the first quarter freezes purchases The prolonged winter weather in Italy in the first quarter of 2018 reduced the demand for machinery and equipment for gardening and the maintenance of greenery. Comagarden, the manufacturers association, expects to see the recovery of sales over the year thanks to bonus tax breaks for

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restructuring gardens and green areas. In the meantime, preparations are moving ahead for EIMA Green, the salon on gardening scheduled for next November 7 to 11 in Bologna for 270 specialized industries.

The weather trend had a negative impact on the market of machinery and equipment for gardening and groundskeeping.

Following exceptionally high temperatures in 2017 and a sharp drop in rainfall lowered the growth of the vegetation of plants to hold the machinery market down to 2016 levels and led on to a decline of sales in the first quarter of 2018. In this case, the cause was not due to prolonged dry spells hindering the development of vegetation in gardens, parks and stands of trees but to a lengthy run of

winter weather with bouts of freezing weather and snow as late as March which retarded flowering and put off the purchase of specific machinery and equipment. The 2017 balance sheet for sales, based on data elaborated by the Comagarden manufacturers association and statistics compiled by Morgan, reported in Milan at a Comagarden press conference, disclosed a 0.6% decline under the previous year with 1,220,632 units sold in all categories, from self-propelled machines to simple gardening tools.

Nutriad promoting feed additive solutions in Asia Nutriad a global leader in feed additives solutions, was an active participant at the recent

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NEWS UPDATE

VICTAM Asia 2018, a trade show focused on feed processing, additives; ingredients and aquafeed in Asia. The event, along with various conferences, took place in Bangkok, allowing industry professionals and academics from across the region to participate and discuss on the latest developments in the dynamic feed market.

BK Chew, APAC Director Nutriad, explained that it was the first time Nutriad participated at VICTAM and highlighted the efficient set up as it allowed to participate in three major conferences Aqua Feed Horizon, FIAAP and GRAPAS at the same time.

DR. Glenn Alfred Ferriol, Area Manager for the Philippines, Indonesia &

Malaysia presented on “Mycotoxin Management in Stored Grains” at GRAPAS, analyzing the difference between controlling mold growth and managing the risk of mycotoxin contamination in grains. He emphasized that raw materials such as corn, are already contaminated with mycotoxins right at plantations and upon harvest, as was shown by the annual mycotoxin survey.

Depending on how long grains are stored silos, an appropriate anti-mold program needs to be applied to control the mold growth, which in turn will help minimize the increase in the level of storage mycotoxins. The next step is to do a confirmatory testing using a more accurate method

(GC/LC-MS/MS) in testing the finished feeds or end products.

Nutriad's app MYCOMAN® allows producers to determine and apply the right mycotoxin deactivators and dosage.

Nutriad offers an effective anti-mold product range (MOLD-NIL®); a complete range of mycotoxin deactivators (UNIKE®, TOXYNIL PLUS® & TOXY-NIL®); and services like raw material screening to help asses and address the risk of mycotoxin contamination.

Daniel Ramirez, Business Development Manager Digestive Performance, presented on gut health at FIAAP. “Nutriad's ADIMIX® product range exploit the proven health benefits of butyrate and provides a cost-

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Nutriad delivers products and services to over 80 countries through a network of own sales offices and distributors. Supported by 4 application laboratories and 5 manufacturing facilities on 3 continents. Find out more at www.nutriad.com

Fruit Attraction expects the 10th anniversary edition to be 16% bigger, with more than 1,600 exhibitor companies from around the world Fruit Attraction, the International Trade Show for the Fruit and Vegetable Industry, organised by FEPEX and IFEMA, is expecting even more exhibitors to occupy 16% more exhibition space at its 10th edition, which is scheduled to take place from 23 to 25 October.

Before choosing the spaces, the Organisers' and Advisory Committee of Fruit Attraction met to discuss the excellent prospects in terms of participation in the next edition.

So far, at the end of the first subscription period, the floor space has already grown by 10% compared to the same period last year, totalling more than 45,000 square metres, with an expected increase of 16%.

The number of exhibitors has also grown by 16%. The Organisers' and Advisory Committee also confirmed an increase in international participation by EU countries 8

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like the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Poland and Greece, with particularly strong growth from France, as well as non-EU countries like Chile, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina and South Africa, so much so that the Southern Hemisphere has now been assigned its own area of the exhibition in Hall 10.

Dr. Thomas Zeigler honored with Lifetime Achievement Award from US Aquaculture Society Dr. Thomas Zeigler was presented with the US Aquaculture Society's Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony of Aquaculture America 2018 in Las Vegas. With a vision for the future, Dr. Zeigler has been a leader in the development of nutritional technologies for aquaculture for over 50 years.

Obtaining his Ph.D. from Cornell University in Animal Nutrition and Veterinary Pathology in the 1960's, he has since led the family business from a local manufacturer of farm animal feeds to an internationally recognized producer of aquaculture feeds.

Dr. Zeigler has authored or co-authored 19 scientific publications, and has served as officer or director of 8 scientific and/or trade associations, including President of the US Aquaculture Suppliers Association. In the 1980's, he led the development of ascorbyl-2-tripolyphosphate (Stay-C), a new patented stable form of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). The commercialization of stable vitamin C technology had a highly significant impact on the industry, helping to significantly improve the

performance and stability of aquafeeds.

In recent years, Dr. Zeigler has focused efforts on the development of high performance feeds and precision feeding strategies that have helped to positively impact operational profitability.

He has also been instrumental in the effort to improve biosecurity through the development of feeds that replace or reduce the dependence on live or fresh frozen feeds for aquaculture.

Through his continued vision, Zeigler Bros. continues to support a rigorous R&D program to advance nutritional technologies and solutions.

Opifol®, the new watersoluble foliar fertilizer line borne of Valagro's research, for the specific and efficient nutrition of row crops Valagro, a leader in the production and commercialisation of biostimulants and specialty nutrients, will be presenting Opifol®, the innovative line of water-soluble foliar fertilizers specifically designed for row crops nutrition. The line launched on the occasion of 'Tecnoshow' (9-13 April, in Rio Verde), one of the main events in the Brazilian agricultural market which sees the participation of thousands of operators in the cereal sector every year.

Following on from the exclusive GeaPower technology platform, the Opifol® line contains a unique combination of macro and micronutrients characterised by rapid uptake into plant leaves. This guarantees balanced, effective and MAY JUNE 2018

NEWS UPDATE

specific nutrition for the main row crops, such as soybean, wheat, corn, oilseedrape, cotton, rice and sunflowers.

Effectively supporting the different stages of the vegetative and productive growth of the crop, Opifol promotes better crop yield and quality. The use of Opifol in fact boosts carbohydrate breakdown which supplies energy for plant growth, good grain setting, nutritional value, resulting in better milling properties of the grains.

Thanks to these characteristics, the Opifol line, together with the biostimulant YieldOn, form an integral part of an effective and complete solution with which Valagro

responds effectively to the need of farmers to improve the productivity and quality of row crops in a sustainable manner.

Interpoma China: the program for 'China and the apple in the world' and Interpoma China Tours has now been finalized The international congress on the apple sector returns to China and will be held, as last year, during Interpoma China, from 28 to 29 June 2018, at the Weihai International Exhibition & Conference Center in the Shandong Province of China.

On this occasion, Interpoma China Tours will be held on 29th and 30th June 2018, pointing out the future trends in

China's booming apple sector.

Interpoma China Congress offers an international program featuring renowned speakers from all over the world, organized with the help of numerous partners such as the Fruit Tree and Tea Leaf Workstation of Weihai, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the China Chamber of International Commerce, the Weihai government and the Apple Industry Association of Weihai.

During these two days the focus is placed on the possibility to introduce new machineries, equipment and tools in China's cultivation of apples. The main themes on Thursday June 28 will look at

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“Low Loss Spray Application and Mechanisation in Fruit Production”, “Analysis of technological approaches to reduce chemical fertilizer application in apple orchard in China”, “Targeted Fertilization based on Soil- and Leaf Analyses” and “Technique and facility introduction from Companies”. In the afternoon the main themes are “Maturity Tests, Harvest Window and Storage Systems”, “Market status and developing strategy of apple producing and marketing docking in China”, “Japanese Fuji Cultivation changing from bagged to nonbagged” and “Technique and facility introduction from Companies”.

On Friday June 29, the

second and final day, the focus will be “Chemical Thinning and Growth Regulators on Fuji”, “The current situation, problems and solution of apple pest management in China”, “The Knip-Boom Production in Nursery” and “Technique and facility introduction from Companies”.

Anpario Launches New Orego-Stim Campaign Anpario's “Naturally More Profitable” campaign has been launched to convey the company's commitment to using natural, high quality ingredients in their flagship Eubiotic product, Orego-Stim.

Orego-Stim is an oregano essential oil based product that works in the gastrointestinal

tract to support animal health, leading to more productive and hence more profitable livestock.

The “Naturally More Profitable” campaign involves a series of print and online adverts, which will be seen across all continents of the world. The campaign will also be carried across exhibition stands and conferences. The focus is a strong visual of an oregano leaf with an animal gut worked into the veins.

The campaign has been launched to raise the profile of Anpario's quality product.

Orego-Stim was one of the first phytogenic products of its kind.

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and subjected to numerous rigorous quality checks.

Anpario is proud of its British manufacturing and OregoStim is preserved in unique foil packaging to ensure consistent high quality, in every batch. Orego-Stim has been demonstrated around the world to improve an animal's overall health and production, by promoting optimum gut health in food producing animals.

Anpario have collaborated with a new design agency, celebrating Anpario's commitment to animal health and supporting farmers.

The campaign has a feel of authenticity, as Helen Houghton (Corporate Development Director) explains; “We wanted something that would demonstrate Anpario's commitment to farmers.

Acadian Seaplants Limited Opens a Factory in India Acadian Seaplants Limited, the parent company of Acadian Plant Health™ (APH™), is proud to announce a major milestone in the company's geographical expansion. Early in the year, Acadian Seaplants Limited established a wholly owned subsidiary company in India, Acadian Seaplants India Private Limited, and opened a processing facility in collaboration with a local partner Standard Pesticides, at Vadodara, Gujarat, in the western part of India.

This event had been preceded by APH™ forming new business partnerships and the launch of their biostimulant products and Acadian BioSwitch™ MAY JUNE 2018

technology in India last year, during the National Round Table of CEOs on Eco Agriculture and Bio Products.

Vadodara is known for Kirti Mandir - the mausoleum of the princely Gaekwad dynasty, which ruled the Maratha Confederacy from its formation in 1721 until 1949, when it acceded to the newly formed Union of India.

The Acadian Seaplants Pvt. Ltd. facility will repackage Acadian Plant Health™'s brands such as Stimplex®, Toggle® Plus and PromOcean™ for the Indian market as well as manufacture several of Acadian Plant Health™'s newest products within its soil health solutions - the SoliGro™ line of products.

The products made at this facility will have a very positive effect on increasing Indian farms' productivity in a sustainable way and will support the Indian government's initiative of doubling farmers' income by 2022 and improving soil health. In celebration, the India Post issued a commemorative postal stamp that features Perry Bevin, Acadian Seaplants' Chief Financial Officer, who had the honour of cutting the ribbon during the factory's opening ceremony.

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ASPERELLO™ T34 Biocontrol® delivers root disease prevention Containing the antagonistic fungus Trichoderma asperellum strain T34, ASPERELLO™ T34 Biocontrol® has multiple modes of action. On colonized plant roots, it forms a barrier against pathogens

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and supports healthy root growth. Furthermore, it triggers the plant’s natural defence mechanisms. Finally, it parasitises and actively kills pathogens. The product can be used preventatively to protect ornamentals against major root diseases, including Fusarium, Pythium, Phytophthora and Rhizoctonia.

The trial was carried out with Jim Ellefson, of Woodburn Nursery, in Oregon - on the West Coast of the USA. Owned by the Fessler family since the 1960’s, this 500 acre nursery grows florist grade azaleas and potted nursery stock.

The nursery consists of 120 acres of covered production, of which 56 acres are devoted to florist grade Azaleas. The nursery stock production includes 65 acres of can yard, and 225 acres of pot-n-pot production. In addition, the large farming operation produces wide variety of crops such as Blueberries, Hazelnuts, Grass seed, and various row crops.

The species selected for inclusion in the trial were Blue Star Junipers, notoriously difficult to root, and Siberian Cypress that are particularly prone to Phytophthora and Pythium.

Alongside ASPERELLO™ T34 Biocontrol®, the trial featured three other competing biological products.

Smart horticultural technology for premier league soccer club in Rotterdam An underground water buffer will be installed under Spartaplein, the square around the Kasteel stadium, home to Dutch soccer club Sparta. This buffer will collect, filter and 12

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store rainwater deep underground. The rainwater harvested in this way will be used to irrigate the soccer field in the stadium.

Rainwater in the local neighborhood of Spangen was difficult to effectively drain as the area is low-lying and highly built-up with very few green spaces. A new, 1000m3 large buffer constructed using crates and plastic sheeting installed underneath a Cruyff sports court will collect runoff rainwater from a paved area covering three hectares (the stadium and surrounding square) and reduce flooding in the Spangen district during heavy rainfall. A biofilter comprising plants and filter sand then purifies the rainwater, before it is stored via infiltration drains in an underground aquifer. Sparta can use the filtered rainwater to irrigate the synthetic turf in the soccer stadium and utilize less mains water.

Interpoma 2018 heralds the first year of the “Technology Award” Technology will be the true protagonist at Interpoma 2018, the international apple-growing trade show scheduled to take place in Bolzano from November 15-17, 2018. For the very first time, trade show organizer Fiera Bolzano, in partnership with the Science and Technology Faculty of the Free University of Bolzano and Italian horticultural science society SOI, will introduce the Interpoma Technology Award.

“The award,” explains Thomas Mur, Director of Fiera Bolzano, “aims at highlighting the technologies and equipment exhibited at the show that are the most innovative and have

the greatest impact on applegrowing and crop protection techniques and the post-harvest phase. With the technical and scientific support of our partners in this initiative, we aim at rewarding the technological innovation that will improve farm profitability, apple quality, worker safety and the environmental sustainability of the production process.”

There are two award categories in the first edition: “Field”, which includes the subcategories “orchard management”, “plant protection” and “fruit harvest”; and “Post Harvest”, with three subcategories: “fruit sorting and grading”, “fruit storage” and “fruit processing”.

Levity MD honoured as a United Nations judge in their inaugural Sustainable Development Awards Co-Managing Director of Levity CropScience, David Marks, has been invited to be a judge in the Zero Hunger category at the inaugural Global SDG Awards.

The Global Sustainable Development Goal Awards, which will take place later in 2018, are an international sustainability initiative, designed to increase private sector engagement with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework, through competition. In total, there are 17 SDGs, including Good Health and Well-being, Climate Action, and Zero Hunger.

Levity CropScience, based in Bilsborrow, Lancashire, takes an innovative approach to agronomy and their experts are recognised as leaders in increasing yields and crop problem solving. Offering MAY JUNE 2018

NEWS UPDATE

tailored troubleshooting agronomy advice for growers, their specialist scientists understand the problems of growers and create market leading fertiliser products to solve their issues.

At the awards, Levity CropScience will join representatives of global brands such as Google, Cisco and HSBC on the judging panel, to evaluate the nominated private sector organisations and choose which organisation has best implemented SDG programmes into their activities.

Judges for the Zero Hunger category will specifically evaluate how private organisations have tackled hunger and malnutrition around the world.

MAY JUNE 2018

David commented: “I'm proud to have been chosen, alongside some of the world's biggest companies, to judge the Zero Hunger category. As a judge, I will assess the positive impact, potential for scalability and impact of SDG programmes.

“Eliminating global hunger is arguably the most important challenge the world faces and the UN's global goal to end hunger is one close to the hearts of everyone at Levity.”

Biogas mixing pump sets new standards thanks to maximum maintainability Higher gas yield and efficient use of substrates - these are the advantages offered to biogas plant operators using

NETZSCH's NEMO® B.Max® mixing pump. As the core element of a biogas plant, substrate feeding is decisive in terms of achieving a biologically stable methane production process. The NEMO® B.Max® mixing pump is setting new standards with its maximum homogenisation and continuous pressure-stable, smooth and low-pulsation conveyance of biosubstrates - and all this with a high commitment to customer friendliness and maintainability too.

The NEMO® B.Max® progressing cavity pump made

by NETZSCH presents itself as the feeding technology which is perfectly tailored to biogas applications. Solids from the

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NEWS UPDATE

dosing unit are mixed with recirculated substances in the mixing pump. The homogeneous mixture with a dry matter content of up to 25% is then conveyed to the fermenter. The NEMO® B.Max® provides twofold assurance of optimum product feed into the conveying chamber: its pump housing is fitted with a large, rectangular feed hopper and removable, conically shaped compression chamber, as well as a coupling rod with patented, horizontally positioned conveying screw.

This conveys quantities of up to 75m3/h at pressures of up to 48 bar. Ideal feeding and mixing of the substrates into the biomass are ensured by the spiral lobes of the mixing and screw conveyor, which have been strengthened and offset. This not only prevents bridging, but also leads to optimum mixing of the liquid phase and dry substrate in the hopper chamber. At the same time, the feed tube, installed on the hopper housing contra to the flow direction of the pump, also ensures improved substrate mixing - which means a higher gas yield as well.

Priva appoints Bram Koppert as General Manager Asia On 16 April 2018, Priva announced the appointment of Bram Koppert as General Manager Asia. This news confirms that the company is taking a next step in building its growing Asian market.

In Bram's previous role as Manager Asia Pacific at Koppert Biological Systems, he was responsible for the management of the Asia sales and development teams. His experience and credentials prove 14

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that Priva's decision to appoint Bram Koppert is a logical one.

Bram Koppert about his choice to accept the position: “It's an incredible opportunity to work in China and wider Asia's horticulture sector. I am passionate about sustainable agriculture and horticulture, and the opportunities Asia has to offer.

The continuing development of the economies, people, incomes, living standards, and urban centers are just stunning to watch, and it has a huge influence on our business.

Working for Priva enables me to contribute to the sustainable growth of horticulture, that is exciting, and an honor to me.

Therefore, I am happy with the opportunity to lead Priva's business in Asia.”

Finland is the partner country of the Green Week 2019 In 2019 Finland will be the partner country of the International Green Week Berlin (IGW), marking the first time that a Scandinavian country will hold this title. A corresponding agreement was signed by Dr. Juha Marttila, president of the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), and Dr. Christian Göke, chief executive officer of Berlin GmbH. The 'Land of a Thousand Lakes' has been at world's largest consumer exhibition for agriculture, the food industry and horticulture since 1980 and next year will celebrate its twenty-fifth participation in the fair. The IGW 2019 will take place on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds (Berlin ExpoCenter) from 18 to 27 January 2019.

Finland specialises in arctic agriculture and has succeeded in

breeding strains that thrive in the bright sunlight of cool summers.

Thus, there is worldwide demand for Finnish oats due to their special quality and properties.

Finland is currently one of the world's largest producers and exporters of oats. Where cattle farming is concerned, Finland has made great efforts to ensure the protection of health and livestock.

Finland is the EU's northernmost agricultural state.

Its farming areas extend from the 60th parallel in the country's south to the lakelands of Central and Eastern Finland, and to the wilderness of Lapland above the Arctic Circle. Clean air, water and soil along with dark, cold winters and summers when the sun never sets make Finland a country of unique and pure flavours from the fields, stables, forests and lakes.

Finland's food sector specialises in innovative food and drink products whose high quality can be attributed to the country's clean water, air and soil. Finland is known as the 'Land of a Thousand Lakes'.

However, 70 per cent of its land surface is covered in sustainably managed forests.

These are a source of innovative and sustainable products as well as outstanding seasonal products from the wild, while acting as a carbon sink and offering excellent recreational opportunities.

New CFO at Unibio Unibio strengthens its organization with the appointment of Jakob Brix Christensen as Group CFO in Unibio Group. Jakob Brix Christensen took up the position as Group CFO on 1 May 2018, and his key tasks will be to strengthen the finance function MAY JUNE 2018

NEWS UPDATE

sh

FR

to ipp EE U in A g E

for Unibio's further expansion as well as strategic sparring with Henrik Busch-Larsen, CEO and the largest shareholder in Unibio.

Jakob Brix Christensen will be part of top management in a modern biotech company experiencing rapid development.

Unibio has developed a fermentation technology for the production of bacterial protein, the U-Loop® fermentor, converting methane into granules of highly concentrated protein, Uniprotein®, which can be used as a sustainable alternative to for instance fishmeal in animal feed. Unibio is now only weeks away from launching production at its first large-scale plant in cooperation with a customer investing a two-digit million amount in the project.

Jakob Brix Christensen has almost 15 years of experience from international life science companies as well as ten years of experience as a financial adviser and accountant from Handelsbanken Capital Markets and Ernst & Young. Jakob comes from a position as CFO in the listed biotech company BioPorto A/S. Before that Jakob was part of the management team of Novozymes Biopharma (now Albumedix A/S) and investor relations manager and US CFO at Origio A/S. “I see Unibio as a very exciting company with a unique technology allowing a bacterial fermentation process to convert methane into a natural protein product with a high biological

value which can at first be used for animal feed. In a world where many megatrends point to a growing lack of protein-rich animal feed, I am convinced that Unibio will play a decisive role going forward. I look forward to becoming part of Unibio and contributing to the continued development and value creation in the company”, Jakob says.

Evonik opens new NIR lab for animal nutrition in Nairobi Evonik inaugurated its first laboratory for its animal nutrition business in Nairobi (Kenya). Equipped with stateof-the-art NIR technology, the facility helps feed producers evaluate their raw materials through accurate analysis of a

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very wide range of nutrients.

Furthermore, analysis of poultry feeds is also covered by this unique service.

The new Evonik laboratory brings vital technical support to the local and regional feed markets. “We hope to extend the best levels of support to our partners not only in Kenya but in the entire East African region including countries like Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda”, said John Owaga, Technical Service Manager for Animal Nutrition in East Africa at Evonik.

Animal nutrition has become a more exact science over the past decades. To formulate feed according to a certain specification requires knowledge about the nutrient contents of all relevant raw materials. Since these vary considerably, it is important to analyse the raw materials on an ongoing basis with latest NIR technology (near-infrared spectroscopy). This ensures high feed quality and keeps feed costs under control.

Kenya's floral trade fair IFTEX to incorporate fresh produce in 2018 This year's edition of Kenya's flower and fresh produce exhibition IFTEX (6-8, June 2018) is going to extend its products profile by adding fresh produce through the launch of a new trade fair that will be held simultaneously with IFTEX. About 50 companies have signed up until now for this new exhibition.

“Fresh Produce Africa” or FPA will be a platform for the fresh vegetables and fruits sector of Kenya and other African countries. It is totally new for two reasons: never before a trade fair with this profile has been organized in 16

GULF AGRICULTURE

Africa and never before this concept has been implemented in Africa, a concept where international buyers are being invited to the continent where the product is being grown, as it is custom that producers go to the countries where the product is being sold, according to the organizers.

The extension is a logical result of the developments in the international distribution channels of flowers. More and more flowers are being also sold through big retail chain stores, supermarkets and other mass market channels where also fresh produce is being sold and it is therefore beneficial for exhibitors and visitors of IFTEX to enlarge and diversify the exhibiting product profile in order to attract more international buyers.

The 1st edition of International Asparagus Days to be held at Cesena Fiera There are more than 300,000 hits on Google for “asparagus”.

It is a ridiculous amount, although not particularly surprising if we consider that 210,000 hectares of asparagus are grown worldwide. Yet, despite the increasing appeal, for some time now there has not been an international event specifically dedicated to this crop. The first edition of the International Asparagus Days, to be held from 16 to 18 October 2018 at Cesena Fiera, is set to fill this “gap”.

The three-day trade fair is the result of a partnership between Cesena Fiera, the organiser of Macfrut, and Christian Befve, one of the world's leading experts on asparagus, in cooperation with

Luciano Trentini, who is also an asparagus and fruit and vegetable specialist. This highly specialised event follows in the footsteps of a previous event promoted by Befve five years ago in Bordeaux.

Christian Befve is an agronomy and sales consultant to many companies in 30 different countries with three decades of experience. Luciano Trentini, instead, has focused on developing a number of new techniques in Italy, such as mechanical transplantation, weed control and the fight against crop diseases using heat.

The Role of LEDs in Speed Breeding Some of the most important crops for feeding the everincreasing global population include wheat and barley. In order to meet the future demand, scientists have a task of finding ways to improve efficiencies in breeding these and other, similar plant species.

Typically, more than 10 years are needed to develop novel cultivars with an advanced agronomic performance. On one hand it is because several generation cycles are required to obtain genetically stable lines from selected parent material and on the other hand it is because we are limited in how many generation cycles we can carry out annually.

John Innes Centre scientists have found a way to reduce the amount of time needed for new cultivar development. They call it speed breeding and with it the time needed for one generation cycle is cut in half. They ran tests on wheat (Triticum aestivum), durum wheat (Triticum durum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), pea (Pisum MAY JUNE 2018

NEWS UPDATE

sativum) and canola (Brassica napus). The findings show that it is possible to have up to 6 generations annually for the first five species listed and up to 4 for canola, as opposed to the 2-3 generations annually under normal greenhouse conditions.

To achieve this, they used a controlled environment set-up with a light/dark period of 22/2 hours as opposed to the plants grown in greenhouses with no supplementary light. The plants subjected to the speed breeding conditions progressed to the flowering stage in approximately half the time of those in the greenhouse conditions. The 22-hour daily photoperiod was achieved by using LED illumination as a supplementary source of light. The spectrum in question is Valoya's NS1, a patented

wide spectrum that is a close replica of the wavelengths produced by the Sun on a clear sky day.

Additionally, a Far-Red spectrum was used in combination with the NS1 so as to induce flowering. This is because a low R:FR (red : far red) ratio has been found to reduce the time to flowering in plant species such as wheat, barley, grain legumes and many others.

Blackmer® Featuring Pumps and Compressors for Liquid Terminal Applications at ILTA 2018 Blackmer®, part of PSG®, a Dover company and a global leader in positive displacement, regenerative turbine and centrifugal pump, and reciprocating compressor technologies, is pleased to

HOW TO ELIMINATE MYCOTOXINS?

announce that it will be exhibiting at the International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) International Operating Conference and Trade Show on June 11-13 in Houston, TX, USA. Exhibiting in booth 741, Blackmer will be featuring STX Series pumps. STX Series transport pumps are ideal for loading and unloading corrosive and non-corrosive liquids sulfonic acids, specialty chemicals, solvents, latex paints, liquid sugars and vegetable oils that are not compatible for use with cast iron pumps. These pumps offer the best combined characteristics of sustained highlevel performance, energy efficiency, trouble-free operation and low maintenance costs.

When mycotoxins hit your animals, they can seriously impair their health and productivity. The performance of your farm is at risk.

Now you have the solution: ELITOX® by Impextraco.

For a complete protection, ELITOX® combines in one single product different strategies to eliminate the maximum number of mycotoxins. In other words ELITOX® unites in one single product different ways to counteract a wide range of mycotoxins.

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MAY JUNE 2018

GULF AGRICULTURE

17

NEWS UPDATE

Abu Dhabi Farmers' Services Centre supplying fresh local produce to Elite Agro The Abu Dhabi Farmers Services Centre (ADFSC) announced that they will be supplying fresh local produce to Elite Agro, a leading Abu Dhabi producer and distributor of fresh vegetables and fruits in an agreement that will see both consumers and farmers benefit from the buying power of a strengthened domestic supply chain. At the recently concluded Global Forum for Innovation in Agriculture (GFIA) exhibition held at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi, an agreement was signed between Nasser Mohammed Al Junaibi, ADFSC acting Chief Executive Officer and Dr Abdulmonem Al Marzooqi, CEO of Elite Agro LLC for the distribution of ADFSC produce through Elite Agro's retail partnerships.

“ADFSC is proud to partner with Elite Agro as it shares the vision of producing high-quality produce that can compete with the high levels maintained by imported produce” Both customers and consumers will benefit from this venture as the exposure to high-quality produce grown in the UAE will increase in direct competition with imported produce Al Junaibi said.

“We aim to increase the farmers' income through the marketing of their products to consumers in an attractive way.

Prior to this stage, we strive to improve these products whether agricultural or animal so that not only the consumer approves of them, but they also meet and surpass the highest international standards. In addition, it is a move to enhance the competitiveness of domestic 18

GULF AGRICULTURE

produce being a high-quality fresh product.” He added.

ADFSC will supply a range of produce including tomatoes, capsicum and cucumbers and Elite Agro will ensure this reaches key retailers and consumers. In doing so, customers and consumers will receive fresh produce as opposed to the imported produce that can be up to one week old. The demand for fresh food continues to increase in the UAE as consumer attitudes towards local produce changed significantly over the last year. Consumers now perceive local produce as equal, if not better in quality than imported produce and are aware of the low carbon foot print for local products compared with imported products.

According to Euromonitor, UAE consumers ate 3.3 million tonnes of fresh food in 2017 and the market is predicted to grow in the high single digits.

The turn towards healthy living may also be contributing to the increase in consumption. Fresh and healthy foods are a part of burgeoning change in lifestyle in the UAE. In recent years, the incidence of Diabetes and heartrelated diseases have surged, mainly due to sedentary lifestyles and high-caloric intake.

However, as consumers become more aware of the choices available in the market, and turn to fitness and health consciousness, fresh highquality foods are seen as an important resource.

Both Elite Agro and ADFSC are passionate about high-quality and sustainable agricultural practices, and this collaboration combines ADFSC's best farming practices with Elite Agro's distribution and retail relationship power. “GLOBALG.A.P. Certification is a pre-requisite for

crops and without it we would not have a market and this will encourage the local farmer to be certified by GLOBALG.A.P” said Dr Abdulmonem after signing the agreement.

Middle East's only organic trade event doubles in size The Middle East Organic and Natural Products Expo, the region's only trade show focused exclusively on the organic sector is doubling in size in 2018. According to the organizers the flourishing organic and natural market in the MENA (Middle East and Northern Africa) and its successful 2017 edition are the reasons for this growth.

A talk with the event's Exhibition Director, Shinu Pillai, casts light on the show's success.

“The new online to offline strategy O2O Connect' that we initiated last year was hugely successful and delivered over 865 pre-arranged meetings with qualified buyers. Our Hosted Buyer and VIP programs delivered business on the floor which amounted to approximately $317 Million being generated in those 3 days. Another first for 2017 was the launch of organic247 (the Middle East's only online b2b platform for bulk organic and natural trade), which connected suppliers and buyers throughout the year and not just 3 days of the event. I think it proved an effective combination for our exhibitors, because 22% of last year's exhibitors confirmed their attendance for 2018 on the spot.”

Dubai hosted the 15th edition in 2017 under the patronage of UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and supported

by The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) that featured exhibitors MAY JUNE 2018

NEWS UPDATE

from 50 countries including 10 country pavilions and over 7000 trade buyers from the Middle East, North Africa and the surrounding countries.

The growth in the organic market in the Middle East has been nothing short of exponential during the past couple of years. The demand for all-natural products has been insatiable; so much so that the past four years have shown a 60% increase in the shelf space devoted to them in outlets across the UAE, with the surrounding countries following suit. Following the surge in popularity that organic goods have been enjoying, several retail giants have taken to private labelling products extensively over the last two

years. Dubai's powerful presence as a trade hub will only be further strengthened by the completion of Dubai Food Park, the Middle East's first wholesale trade city.

Report sounds alarm on soil pollution Soil pollution poses a worrisome threat to agricultural productivity, food safety, and human health, but far too little is known about the scale and severity of that threat, warns a new FAO report released recently at the start of a global symposium.

Industrialization, war, mining and the intensification of agriculture have all left a legacy of soil contamination across the planet, while the growth of cities has seen soil used as a sink for

ever greater amounts of municipal waste, says Soil Pollution: A Hidden Reality.

"Soil pollution affects the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the health of our ecosystems," said FAO Deputy DirectorGeneral Maria Helena Semedo at the start of the symposium.

"The potential of soils to cope with pollution is limited; the prevention of soil pollution should be a top priority worldwide," she added.

But even though agricultural intensification, industrial output, and urbanization continue at a rapid pace, no systematic assessment of the status of soil pollution at global level has ever been undertaken, FAO's new report notes.

Clean water, great results

E

TER DIS WA IN N CTIO FE

LORINE-FR CH E

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A sustainable way to secure your growth The perfect partner to keep your crops healthy and safe from all kinds of pathogenic microorganisms. Huwa-San is a chlorine-free and biodegradable technology that ensures stable and pure water provision, enabling your crops to grow in an optimal environment.

Huwa-San TR50 (397B, 12677N) is a recognized biocidal product. Use biocides safely. Before use, read the label and product information.

More information: www.huwasan.com • info@roamtechnology.com • T. +32(0)89-440042

MAY JUNE 2018

GULF AGRICULTURE

19

FLOWERTRIALS

DEFINE YOUR 2019 ASSORTMENT AT THE FLOWERTRIALS

G

rab your calendar and block week 24 now!

From 12th to 15th June, no less than 60 breeding companies in the Westland and Aalsmeer (The Netherlands) and Rheinland Westfalen (Germany) area will open their doors to show their latest assortment in pot and bedding plants to growers, exporters and buyers from across the world.

Joint visit FlowerTrials is the key event at which to choose next season's assortment. From Petunia over Phalaenopsis to Pelargonium and Primula, the latest breeding achievements in major crops as well as niche products are MAY JUNE 2018

presented at the 32 locations.

FlowerTrials can also be the moment to share business plans for next season.

Gill Corless, Chairwoman of the FlowerTrials Foundation: “How about inviting your supplier or client to visit the show with you? Growers, exporters and retailers can make the most of this event by visiting the FlowerTrials together. A grower will examine the production process, an exporter the logistics and retailers knows consumer choice at point of sale. Having all the relevant information at hand makes planning for the following season much easier and faster.”

Preview all innovations online The main new varieties of each breeder can be previewed online on www.flowertrials.com. Preregistered visitors receive the FlowerTrials newsletters presenting the latest breeding achievements while social media channels cover all the major highlights. Next to the popular Facebook and Twitter accounts, FlowerTrials also has an Instagram page with inspirational photography.

Videos showing new introductions from many of the breeders with the main USPs can meanwhile be viewed on the FlowerTrials' extensive Vimeo channel.

FLOWERTRIALS IS THE KEY EVENT AT WHICH TO CHOOSE NEXT SEASON'S ASSORTMENT. FROM PETUNIA OVER PHALAENOPSIS TO PELARGONIUM AND PRIMULA, THE LATEST BREEDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN MAJOR CROPS AS WELL AS NICHE PRODUCTS ARE PRESENTED AT THE 32 LOCATIONS

GULF AGRICULTURE

21

VIV MEA REVIEW

VIV MEA CONFIRMS ITS STATUS FOR INDUSTRY LEADERS FROM FEED TO FOOD

G

ood reviews from exhibitors and visitors has set the seal on a successful second edition of regional feed-to-food trade show VIV MEA. Their comments about the February 2018 event confirmed the value of having a truly professional and international show in the region that extends from the Middle East and Africa to Iran and the countries of the Indian sub-continent.

Bigger show welcomed highquality visitors Held in the United Arab Emirates between 5th-7th February, VIV MEA 2018 was already going to be bigger than

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the 2016 edition because the show had spread into a fourth hall at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) to satisfy the extra demand for stands.

Final statistics for the 2018 show confirm that it was also bigger on attendance figures. Its 3-day total of 6,660 visits represented a 6.7% increase compared with the first edition.

Evidently the expanded exhibition this time was a factor in attracting more visitors, even if it impacted on traffic density around the stands at times by spreading the attendance across more square metres of space.

But the key point about the attendees was their quality.

A survey conducted during the three weeks after the show has found a satisfaction score of 7.3 out of 10 from exhibitors and an even higher rating of 8.3 from visitors. Many exhibitors commented on the high quality of the VIV MEA visitors in 2018, confirming the evidence from registration details for visitor job title, function and decision-making power.

Exhibitor views Among the exhibitors this time was Milan Tyller, geneticist and owner of Dominant CZ from the Czech Republic, who said: “VIV MEA has been for me an excellent opportunity to meet our primary target group, the poultry MAY JUNE 2018

VIV MEA REVIEW

producers who are interested in dual-purpose chickens. People from Russia to Tanzania and from North Africa to Bangladesh have visited our booth. We see a growing interest in our product from all over the region and we will be happy to be present at the next VIV shows.�

Conference attractions People attending VIV MEA 2018 could meet a total of 368 direct and indirect exhibitors from 46 countries in the trade fair, join the on-site networking events and discover the information on offer at a series of conferences and seminars held over the three days.

Conference themes included respiratory viruses in poultry, modern ways to market eggs, how dairies thrive in hot and dry climates, extruding feeds for aquaculture, fly control on farms and actions against mould toxins MAY JUNE 2018

in feed grains. Knowledge in a professional and relaxed setting, was how one delegate described the special atmosphere that VIV MEA created around the conferences.

Underlining the fact that the VIV MEA 2018 attracted a quality audience, almost 300 top-level professionals from the Middle East/Africa region were invited and hosted by the show's organizer via the dedicated Industry Leader program. These leaders, representing the animal protein sectors of poultry meat, eggs, fish, milk or beef, are the owners or main directors of production companies together with important animal feed manufacturers and livestock product traders.

They came from a range of countries regionally, but the largest individual contingents were from Morocco, India and Saudi Arabia.

International show wins support from throughout the region Overall, visitors to VIV MEA 2018 were animal protein industry leaders from 88 countries. The Middle East and Africa accounted for 74% of attendees.

Almost 69% of the people visiting the event came from outside host country UAE, demonstrating further that VIV MEA has already become a truly international hub.

Following the UAE that came top for the size of its contingent, as might be expected with the show taking place in its capital Abu Dhabi, Iran moved into second place on visitor attendance numbers.

Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India each contributed over 5% of the attendees. The other countries in the Top 10 were Jordan, Iraq, Oman and Sudan.

That total of 6,660 visits did not count the many industry professionals who took the opportunity of also visiting VIV MEA in addition to attending the Global Forum on Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) event that was colocated at ADNEC on the same dates. Including GFIA would in fact have taken the visits total to 7,901.

VIV MEA is held every two years and Abu Dhabi in the UAE will again be the location when it returns on 9-11 March 2020, show manager Renate Wiendels confirms. Planning has started already on an enriched programme to reinforce the event's position as the premier regional hub for knowledge and networking in animal protein production and processing, from feed to food.

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23

AGRAME REVIEW

LEADING AGRICULTURE PLAYERS ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIPS TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

O

INDUSTRY HAILS 15TH EDITION OF AGRAME AS 'PERFECT PLATFORM' FOR AMPLIFYING THEIR PRODUCTS, SOLUTIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

24

fficially inaugurated by His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Majid Sultan Al Qassimi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Food Diversity Sector and Director of Animal Development & Health Department at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, AgraME, the region's only event dedicated to the full value chain of agribusiness, aquaculture and animal health, recently concluded its latest edition at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Government Ministers, CLevel industry professionals, investors, farmers, veterinarians and suppliers spanning 90 countries, assembled over three days to network, trade, share knowledge and set the agenda for the future of the agriculture sector. A key theme that ran throughout the event this year was a number of trade announcements made from regional investment body AAAID, Agthia Group and global heavy machinery player, Massey Ferguson.

AgraME, for the first time ever, hosted 40 businesses of the 'AAAID's Affiliate Company Programme' who attended the conference - in addition to AAAID's strategic partners. Business meetings were held between companies

GULF AGRICULTURE

that discovered ongoing areas of cooperation between in the field of Agriculture Business.

To kick off day two's conference agenda, a total of six agreements and Memorandum of Understandings were signed in the presence AAAID Chairman H.E Mohammed Bin Obaid Al Mazrooei, and H.E Mariam AlMheiri, Minister of State who is responsible for future food security and other key industry figures.

Some of the companies to sign MoU's onsite included the Arab Company for Drugs Ltd, Emirates Modern Poultry Co. and Al Rawabi Dairy Company.

Agthia, one of the UAE's leading food and beverage companies in the UAE, also announced that it had entered an innovation and technology partnership agreement with Trouw Nutrition Hifeed, a Nutreco Company and global leader in animal nutrition and aquafeed. The deal aims to develop a portfolio of products and services for optimised nutrition, enhanced animal performance and improved economic efficiency in poultry and ruminants.

The partnership decision was signed on the opening day of AgraME, and was attended by H.E Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al

Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Mr. Otto Seijler, Managing Director of Trouw Nutrition Hifeed and Eng. Tariq Ahmed Al Wahedi, CEO Agthia Group, among others.

Samantha Bleasby, Exhibition Director for AgraME, said: “AgraME continues to evolve and grow year-on-year and this year's edition was no different. It was MAY JUNE 2018

AGRAME REVIEW

a great indicator of how rapidly the region's agriculture industry is growing and developing, and the high level of partnership announcements from exhibitors, governments and national organisations further strengthens the show's reputation as the place to be for anyone connected with the agriculture, aquaculture and animal health industries.”

Kanoo Machinery, a member MAY JUNE 2018

of The Kanoo Group and one of the exclusive dealers of worldclass brands in the Middle East, was a key exhibitor of the newly revamped Crop Farming show vertical at this year's event and was showcasing brands and technologies such as Massey Ferguson, Bobcat, and Snorkel.

Graeme de Villiers, acting country manager for Kanoo Machinery in the UAE,

commented; “Gatherings such as AgraME provides us with an environment and opportunity to highlight our cutting-edge products and services that offer the most efficient and dependable operation for wideranging farming needs.”

“We represent global brands associated with constant innovation and related to technology, highly engineered for precision,” he added.

GULF AGRICULTURE

25

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ANIMAL NUTRITION

DÉSIALIS' OFFER TO ANIMAL NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS IN FRANCE AND ABROAD

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ounded in 2004, Désialis is the largest European operator of dehydrated products for animal nutrition.

Our bales and pellets are from GMO-free alfalfa and sugar beet pulp grown and transformed in France.

Désialis' supplies most major european players in animal nutrition, and has a strong operational and logistical expertise for international trade.

Modern and efficient production facilities, all part of a sustainable development approach, control the technologies and processes, and allow Désialis to offer safe

products that comply with standards, suited to the increasing requirements of animal nutrition.

From the agronomic pathway of the plants through to factory processing and sale of the products, each stage is defined and strictly controlled.

Storage, formulation and blending silos ensure the availability of our products, safety of supply and a perfect match between production and the needs of our customers.

Désialis has developed a strong product segmentation policy in order to be able to anticipate and meet the requirements of various animal

sectors. A strategy that is consistent with our market approach: constantly adapting our products to the demands of our markets. 50% of our sales are now exported, the result of a globalised geographical positioning of our markets that we will pursue and develop to meet these new needs.

Désialis markets the production of 25 dehydration plants, either agricultural cooperatives or industrial groups; they represent the planters, the leading players in our sector. The production sites are all in France, mostly in the North-East of the country.

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MAY JUNE 2018

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27

LIVESTOCK

THE BELGIAN BLUE: THE CROSSBREEDING SPECIALIST BREED

T

he Belgian blue (BB) is a breed which is exported today in more than 50 countries. Every year, the demand increases all over the world. You can find it everywhere in Europe, but also

in Russia, in Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon or Mexico‌ Thanks to the calving ease and the famous beef quality, the Belgian Blue Breed is now recognized as the best breed for terminal crossbreeding.

The breed: The specificity of the Belgian Blue is the DOUBLE MUSCLE gene which you can find in a homozygous way in 100% of the BB herd. So, males and females automatically pass on to their progeny one of the allele, what explains the superior conformation of the crossbred calves.

Thus, the BB is the best beef producer within the beef breeds thanks to:

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The extraordinary muscle

development: the Belgian blue is the first breed for: conformation, carcass yield (until 70%) and beef yield (until 80%) in pure breed.

The feed efficiency: the BB valorises very well high energy level diets. They need on average, 5 kg of concentrate to produce 1 kg of growth.

Docility: BB are very calm and easy to manipulate. You can find also this behaviour in the crossbred calves, who don't waste energy in moving too much!

The quality of the meat: the BB meat doesn't contain more cholesterol than chicken! It is a low fat meat, MAY JUNE 2018

LIVESTOCK

and the fineness of its fibres makes it extremely tender.

So it is a healthy tender meat! You can find partly of these qualities in the crossbred meat.

Crossbreeding use of the Belgian Blue: The use of the BB for terminal crossbreeding on dairy cows especially, has grown strongly the last 10 years. This grow is due to a combination of facts: the decline of the milk price, the price of the crossbred calves which is higher than dairy pure breeds, and also the development of the females sexed semen in dairy herds.

We observed in a national scientific study (between Belgium and France), that the use of a BB bull on Holstein cow doesn't generate a significative increase of the quantity of caesareans. Indeed, only 3.5% of the calving need one, when it is around 2.5% in pure breed Holstein. So, what we should remember is that more than 96% of the births are easy: without any assistance or a small one.

The ease of birth is allowed by the fact that calves are not too heavy (45 kg in average), their body is long and their bones very thin!

The crossbred calves had been compared with pure breed Holstein calves during the fattening period (last period before the slaughterhouse) for 139 days. And we noticed that the BB crossbred have a better carcass yield: +5.8 %, which provides 44 kg carcass more after the same fattening period.

Conformation is also better (in accordance with the European classification: EUROP). Which means you have more beef on the back and MAY JUNE 2018

on the hind quarters of the animals, the best ones! The beef yield is 7% higher for the crossbred calves (68% vs 61% for the Holstein calves).

As a result, the high quality of BB crossbred carcasses is recognized by the beef sector and has a repercussion on the price of the calves: in Western Europe, crossbred calves (generally bought between 15 days and 3 weeks to the farmer) are payed 3 until 4 times more than a pure dairy breed one at the same age.

By this way, profitability of the milk farm is improved by the sale of the crossbred calves.

The crossbreeding selection scheme of BBG: Belgian Blue Group BBG has been created in 2003 and is the leader on the market for the Belgian blue genetic for crossing. Since the beginning, BBG is working on a special selection scheme, dedicated to

crossing. And they are the only one in the world to emit official indexes (thanks to the participation of the AWE: Walloon Breeders Association).

BBG works especially on 4 significative characters for the use of the breed in crossing: Birth weight: to obtain a not to heavy calf, Ease at birth: to reassure the breeder that the birth of the calf will be easy, Gestation length: to help the breeder in having one calf per year per cow, Conformation at birth: to get a better price for the crossbred calf So, if you use Belgian blue bulls selected by BBG in your dairy herd, you will obtain better incomes, without any negative impacts on your milk production! — Carol Deloume BBG Export Manager cdeloume@netbbg.com GULF AGRICULTURE

29

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY

AGCO'S BRANDS WIN RED DOT DESIGN AWARD 2018

A

GCO (NYSE: AGCO), a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and solutions, has been awarded two Red Dot Design Awards for its IDEAL Combine and the Valtra A4 Series Tractors. The Red Dot Design competition is one of the largest and most respected design competitions in the world.

More than 6,300 submissions from 59 countries entered this year's contest and were evaluated by a jury consisting of 40 independent design experts from around the globe.

The purpose-built and durable Valtra A4 Series with a modern styling is truly a versatile tool designed to boost the efficiency of farmers, contractors and municipalities alike.

“We are very honored to receive the Red Dot Design Award,” said Martin Richenhagen, Chairman, President & CEO, AGCO Corporation. “This recognition underlines our commitment to design, innovation and quality.”

The IDEAL combine and the Valtra A4 Series were both recognized in the category 'Commercial Vehicles.' IDEAL is a newly developed combine that unites brand-new designs and cutting-edge technologies to empower farmers across the world to be more productive and to feed a growing world population. The jury recognized

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IDEAL COMBINE AND VALTRA A4 SERIES TRACTORS RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING DESIGN this new generation of combine harvesters with a 'Red Dot: Best of the Best' Award for top design quality and groundbreaking design acknowledging IDEAL's innovative features and its unique, elegant graphite livery. IDEAL's benefits include ease of use and optimization of complex harvesting operations.

It provides the efficiency, visibility and the comfort farmers need on the field. It is also the first high capacity combine with a narrow body.

What is more, IDEAL offers full connectivity, a complete and automated adjustment, and real-time crop flow visualization.

Valtra's 4th generation A Series is a completely newly designed tractor featuring a new technical design, a brand-new cab design and multiple chassis options. The new A Series also offers farmers further

customization options to tailor to their specific needs and wishes. The Red Dot Design Award recognizes the highdesign quality of the A4 Series tractor. Valtra has been inspired by the basic principles of Scandinavian design which is reflected in the clear lines of the exterior of its tractors. In addition, Valtra's design work puts a strong emphasis on usability, ergonomics, safety, durability, serviceability and productivity of the tractor. This is not the first time for Valtra to be recognized at the Red Dot Design Awards: the successful AGCO brand was already recognized for its designs in 2016 and in 2017.

Martin Richenhagen continued, “AGCO's strong research and development backbone enables our global brands to create new designs, functions and concepts that appeal to our global customer base. Winning the Red Dot Design Awards highlights AGCO's commitment to be at the forefront of innovation. Hightech solutions like IDEAL and the Valtra A4 Series are shaping the future of agriculture.”

The Red Dot Design Competition was launched in the 1950s and awards are given in three categories: Product Design, Communication Design and Design Concept. This year's Red Dot Design Award will be presented on July 9 at the Aalto Theatre in Essen, Germany.

MAY JUNE 2018

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY

GREEN HOUSE EDX - EDX M

Disc harrow for mixing the soil Specialists for 40 years in innovative equipment for minimum tillage and conservative agriculture and for 10 years specialists also in seeding

ESQ CH

26011 Casalbuttano (Cremona) - ITALIA Via Giovanni Paolo II, 12 Tel. +39 0374 362680 - Fax +39 0374 362280

Medium-heavy grubber

SEAC COMBI

Combined equipment for the double layer working: deep tillage and surface crumbling

www.ma-ag.com - info@ma-ag.com MAY JUNE 2018

GULF AGRICULTURE

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AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY

C CASE IH'S NEW, ENTRY-LEVEL PATRIOT 250 EXTREME SPRAYER IS NOW AVAILABLE IN AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

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GULF AGRICULTURE

ase IH, the global agricultural equipment leader, has introduced its new Patriot 250 Extreme sprayer to the African and Middle East markets. The 250 becomes the entry-level option in the four-model Patriot range, offering an easier step-up to self-propelled spraying for farmers who previously had to rely on tractor-pulled sprayers.

Daniel Bordabossana, Marketing Manager for Case IH Middle East and Africa, commented: “For farmers who want to maximise crop yield with self-propelled spraying that's fast, accurate, and easy to apply, the Patriot 250 Extreme offers a new option. Larger Patriot sprayers have gained an excellent reputation in Africa, and the Patriot 250 Extreme shares their proven technologies and capabilities. We expect the Patriot 250 Extreme to be popular because of its low running costs, ease of use, and ease of maintenance.�

All models in the Patriot range have the most advanced

spray technology on the market, to help farmers maximise yield potential by keeping fields clean and plants healthy. Patriots are also distinguished by their cabforward, rear-engine layout, which contributes to best-inclass performance.

Greater spray area and bestin-class crop adaptability for high yields The Patriot's cab-forward, rearengine layout places the static weight of the cab and engine over the front and rear axles, with the dynamic weight of the chemical tank located in the centre of the machine. This means there's more equal weight distribution between the axles when the tank is full and the booms are out. As a result, the Patriot has exceptionally good stability, which improves safety and comfort, and a light footprint, which reduces rutting and soil compaction. The rearengine also allows for a small hood, which improves out-ofcab visibility.

Another feature which aids

MAY JUNE 2018

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY

the Patriot's stability, as well as giving a smooth ride across fields, is the aircraft-style trailing link suspension. This absorbs both vertical and lateral shock loads in ways no other suspension package can.

Additional protection from field loads is provided by the machine's heavy-duty, lowdeflection frame, made of rigid one-piece rectangular steel tubing, which also provides a stable attachment point for the sprayer's booms.

The Patriot's booms are constructed of rectangular tube in a truss-style design, with few but large support-members for strength and durability. Right and left booms are independent, with a total span of 27 metres.

This long reach allows for fewer passes and a greater sprayed area, resulting in higher crop yield, reduced component wear, and lower fuel consumption. In the Patriot 250 Extreme, boom height can be varied from 60 to 220 cm. The AutoBoom automatic boom height control maintains

MAY JUNE 2018

optimum spray height for better coverage and the AccuGuide automated guidance system helps reduce skips and overlaps. The booms are fed by a 2,500-litre solution tank and a 280-litre rinse tank, with a 36.5-litre chemical eductor.

The Patriot 250's 1.7 metrehigh chassis affords best-inclass ground clearance of 1.6 metres, making it possible to work in taller crops. For the flexibility needed when spraying different crops, the Patriot 250's wheel track can be varied from 250 to 305 cm, with hydraulic adjustment made easily via a control in the cab.

Optionally-available crop shields can easily be installed to split crops in fields that don't have true rows to make passes in, or in fields of row crops that have canopied-over.

The Patriot 250 Extreme is powered by a strong and proven FPT 4.5-litre in-line four-cylinder engine. With common rail injection and a turbo intercooler, this makes 165 horsepower. To put all of

this power to good use, traction assist for the 4x4 hydraulic transmission is standard. The other, larger Patriot models have engines displacing 6.7and 8.7-litres and produce 220 to 325 hp. Additionally, the Sprayers comes as standard with full AFS AccuGuide for controlled traffic.

To minimise downtime with the Patriot 250 Extreme, and to encourage normal maintenance precautions even when working to tight deadlines, essential routine maintenance items are located on one side of the machine. There is easy access to components under the sprayer frame and there are ladders, walkways and platforms to make it easy to reach service points higher up.

The Patriot 250 Extreme sprayer is shipped to Africa from Case IH's factory in Piracicaba, Brazil. This worldclass, 12,000 square-metre facility also produces planters, coffee harvesters, and sugarcane harvesters, and exports to five continents.

GULF AGRICULTURE

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Easy-Fill™ Planter Bags: Empowering Your Plants and Trees to Grow Better

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Easy-Fill ™ planter bags are made from top quality prime virgin materials. Our planter bags have been tested in the harshest climates from the sub-zero climates of the European winter to the extreme temperatures of the Middle East.

All components including sewing thread are UV stabilized for strength and durability and all bags are subject to strict quality controls.

Easy-Fill ™ planter bags have a round bottom design which makes for easy filling and stability.

Easy-Fill ™ planter bags are manufactured with additional side drainage holes which assist in air root pruning, promoting superior plant growth and preventing root circling within the bag.

Substrates in the Easy-Fill ™ planter bags can be controlled and kept free from ground contaminants.

Growing with Easy-Fill ™ planter bags will save water and can be used with drip systems, overheads and hydroponic flood trays.

Easy-Fill ™ planter bags are heavy duty with extra strength handles for easy maneuverability, thereby reducing the risk of back injuries.

Easy-Fill ™ planter bags can be made to any size or shape to suit any requirements and can also be printed with a personal company logo or trademark.

WHS Australia PO Box 1656, Wangara WA 6947, Australia General Enquiries Ph: +61 8 9287 0500 Fax: +61 8 9387 5962 Email: info@whsaustralia.com.au

whsaustralia.com.au

WANGARA HORTICULTURAL SUPPLIES: AN INDUSTRY LEADER

EASY-FILL™

WHS AUSTRALIA

The Trusted Name In The Middle East

EASY-FILL

™

Controlled environment agriculture

Recyclable Healthy roots without spiraling Direct control of soil and plant health Save water Climate-smart product

UV stabilized including handle stitching

to Trusted suppliearst the Middle E rs for over 20 yea

Heavy duty and long lasting Easy to move and relocate plants Increased return on investment Organic friendly agriculture

WHS Australia

Postal Address

General Enquiries

Unit 2 65 Prestige Parade, Wangara WA 6065 Australia

PO Box 1656 Wangara 6947 WA 6947 Australia

Ph: +61 8 9287 0500 Fax: +61 8 9387 5962 Email: info@whsaustralia.com.au

whsaustralia.com.au

IRRIGATION

SENNINGER RELEASES THE I-WOB2: THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOBBLER TECHNOLOGY

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enninger is pleased to announce the release of the i-Wob2, Senninger's longest lasting pivot Wobbler.

The i-Wob2 is designed to last longer in the field, which means growers will not need to invest in sprinkler package replacement as often. Its new protective shroud guards the iWob2 and protects the sprinkler's wear surface from the splashing of adjacent sprinklers, grit, and direct UV damage. Plus, the wear surface itself has been enhanced. These improvements enhance the iWob2's longevity and make it capable of better withstanding harsh operating conditions. The i-Wob2 is backed by an

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unprecedented three-year warranty on materials, workmanship and performance.

The protective shroud also doubles as a nozzle carrier, making it quick and easy for growers to renozzle during the season. Growers who need an extra nozzle to irrigate winter crops or prefer to tailormanage their resources won't need to carry tools or parts into the field.

With four different models that produce multiple droplet sizes and trajectories, the iWob2 is suitable for virtually any field or situation, including windy conditions, difficult soils, high profile crops, and more.

The i-Wob2 provides the

same unmatched uniformity that defines Senninger's Wobbler technology. Wobbler technology utilizes grooved deflectors to divide a flow into numerous streams of water but keeps them in a constant wobbling motion to further divide each stream into consistently sized droplets. This consistent droplet size is what helps maintain a sprinkler's pattern integrity against wind-drift and evaporation. The technology was introduced by Senninger Irrigation in 1978 and became an industry standard, making the original i-Wob the most imitated sprinkler on the market.

MAY JUNE 2018

Do you have plans to invest in building new stalls within 1 to 2 years?

Do you have plans to invest in building new greenhouses within 1 to 2 years?

Go to www.livestockhousing.com and order the FREE magazine International Livestockhousing Guide filled with innovations and product information.

Go to www.int-greenhouse.com and order the FREE magazine International Greenhouse Guide filled with innovations and product information.

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Livestockhousing.com

THE MANUAL FOR BUILDERS AND ORGANISATIONS ACTIVE IN LIVESTOCKHOUS ING BUILDING WO RLDWIDE

www.livestockhousing.com

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Int-Greenhouse.com

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WWW.PDINL.COM

YEARS THE MAN UAL FOR GROWER S, BUILDERS AND ORG ANISATIONS ACT IVE IN GREENHOUSE BUILDING WORLD WIDE

www.int-greenhouse.com

CLIMATE CONTROL

PRODUCT UPGRADE: NEW IMPORTANT FEATURES FOR MDFX

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DFX - our metal frame system for evaporative cooling pads with tank-gutter -was presented on the market in 2016, arising much positive feedback from our customers.

Today, less than two years after the first launch, our engineers introduce an interesting upgrade that will make the product even better.

Mr Luca Piana (Product manager) explains how MDFX was born. “MDFX is the concrete result of a close collaboration between the Sales and R&D departments. This product completes the offer of our traditional gutter frame system in order to meet the

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GULF AGRICULTURE

new customers' needs over the years.

MDFX keeps the traditional metal structure, as in the MF system, but only in stainless steel. This choice makes the structure more robust and resistant, comparing both the PVC products available in the market or the Pluvimag version of the MF. From a pure technical point of view, this is a better product in terms of mechanical resistance and

durability (resistant to chemical attack, high and low temperatures, etc.).

The distinctive feature is its special lower gutter, which serves as a tank. This improved new system is easy to install, permits to avoid all costs related to external tank with additional pipes.

The New Features of MDFX Nowadays we have anyway realized that there was still room for improvement: MDFX MAY JUNE 2018

CLIMATE CONTROL

could adapt even better to the customers' needs and, in April 2018, was released a product upgrade.

The first aspect that the company wanted to improve was its size.

Our technical team has redesigned the pipes system that humidifies the evaporative panels in order to significantly reduce the overall dimensions.

MAY JUNE 2018

Less encumbrance, which turns into greater product versatility. MDFX is now able to adapt itself even in environments with reduced spaces and in every type of installation.

The second upgrade is the launch of GIK - Gutter Inspection Kit - to be installed in the lower gutter of MDFX at the water intake. This new feature undoubtedly makes the

inspection of the floating valve simpler and consequently the maintenance and cleaning of the product.

From April, all these new features will be included in all the incoming orders but GIK can be installed also on MDFX already purchased in the past upon request Termotecnica Pericoli offers a special retrofit kit.

LESS ENCUMBRANCE, WHICH TURNS INTO GREATER PRODUCT VERSATILITY. MDFX IS NOW ABLE TO ADAPT ITSELF EVEN IN ENVIRONMENTS WITH REDUCED SPACES AND IN EVERY TYPE OF INSTALLATION

GULF AGRICULTURE

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MARTEX® PLANTING BAGS AND CONTAINERS THE COMPANY FROM POLAND OFFERING PRODUCTS FOR NURSERY SECTOR, AND FOR ORNAMENTAL, FRUIT, FOREST PLANT RAISING OR RECULTIVATION

Parking and transportation of planting bags, other types of containers, mulch mats and rings

Mulch mats for weed protection

Small mulch mats

Elastic mulch mat

Packing and transportation

Arrangement and transportation

Arrangement and transportation

Packing and transportation

Metal trunk shaping rings

ARBO®-STRONG

ARBO®-SAUNA

100% jute container in 270-360 g/m2 density

MARTEX® - TEXTILE PRODUCTS FOR RAISING OF ORNAMENTAL, FRUIT, AND FOREST SEEDLINGS, OR FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECULTIVATION Products commonly applied at nurseries, both in temperate and hot climate Used for raising trees in the forest, idle land, semi-desert area, steppe …….

Excellent for tree planting by the road and highway, useful for the purpose of general cleaning works, composting, and in any similar applications…….

Our representatives: D-Hermann Meyer KG: e-mail: mail@hermann-meyer.de NL/GB-B&P Co., www.b-en-p.nl Scandinavia: OY Urban natural Ab, www.natural.fi Russia: Landscape Design Ltd., www.garden-center.ru Ukraine: Demetra Ltd., e-mail: demetra@com.ua Bulgaria-Romania: Hermann-Meyer, www.meyer-shop.com Abu Dhabi: Arid Land Co., LLC., www.aridlanddevelopment.com e-mail: aridland@emirates.net.ae

Ingred ient

6-8 November 2018

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