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Continental offers fleets new entry-level solution For digital tire management


Continental is now offering an entry-level solution to equip fleets even quicker and easier for digital tire management. A new sensor makes it possible to obtain data on the condition of the tires in a very timesaving, simple, and manufacturer-independent manner.

This allows them to run optimally adjusted, which leads to greater fuel efficiency and a longer tire life. The new sensor also contributes to Continental’s “Lowest Overall Driving Costs” (LODC) concept. In this way, the premium tire manufacturer supports fleet operators in running their fleets more safely, sustainably, and cost-efficiently.

The solution is simple: a valve cap sensor is screwed directly onto the tire valve of buses, trucks, or trailers. From there, it measures the tire pressure in real time. The sensor is compatible with commercial vehicle tires from all major brands and connects via plug-and-play to ContiConnect receiver units.

Deviations from the target conditions are recorded in the eponymous tire management platform accordingly and forwarded to the user. A QR code on the valve cap sensor is used to easily assign the sensor to the respective tire position. This means that no special reading tool is required to determine the position. It is done via a mobile device using the ContiConnect On-Site app.

“Our new solution with the valve cap sensor offers fleets a quick entry into the world of ContiConnect. For installation, the tires do not have to be removed. This reduces downtime to a minimum. The information processed in the tire management platform then enables fleet operators to optimize maintenance intervals and extend the operating times of their vehicles,” said Clarisa Doval, Head of Digital Solutions at Continental Tires.

There are two options for transmitting the data collected by the valve cap sensor: via a yard reader station or as a live version with a telematics unit. With the yard reader solution, a readout station is installed at busy points in the fleet, e.g., at car washes, refueling stations or other checkpoints within the depot.

It reads the data from the tire sensors as the vehicles drive past and sends it to the Continental IoT platform. The live solution requires a receiver unit to be installed in the tractor unit or trailer. These telematics units transmit the data to the Continental IoT platform in real time.

ContiConnect On-Site app and can be accessed in the web portal – via desktop app or mobile device. If a pressure loss is detected, for example, the system triggers corresponding alarms. Users are then notified by text message, email or via the app. The app can also be used to document tread depth measurements or tire damage recorded during a vehicle inspection.

Both small and large fleets benefit from Continental’s new entry-level solution. This is because equipping a vehicle with the valve cap sensor can be done in just a few minutes, and retrofitting an entire fleet only takes a few hours. After all, monitoring tires is one way of increasing vehicle efficiency and thus reducing fleet costs.

Although tires account for only about five percent of investment costs for a truck fleet, they can account for more than half of all operating costs. This is because if a tire loses air unnoticed or is driven with the wrong air pressure, the rolling resistance increases and with it the fuel consumption. In addition, in the event of a flat tire, the vehicle or trailer is no longer operational until it is repaired.

When a vehicle is due for a regular tire change, fleet operators can choose whether to opt for an intelligent tire with a factory-fitted sensor from Continental, and thus for a comprehensive package of digital-based tire services. Continental tires from the Commercial Specialty Tires division are already equipped with sensors at the factory.

The same applies to tires for bus fleets: Continental supplies the entire ContiUrban tire line with the latest generation of sensors. In addition, Continental offers to equip the third generation of truck tires – Conti Hybrid, Conti Efficient Pro, Conti CrossTrac – with sensors directly from the factory at customer’s request.

Continental Tires systematically develops new business models and is creating an entire ecosystem of smart digital solutions centered on its premium tires. By 2030, the tire manufacturer wants to be number one for service-based digital solutions. Already today, Continental offers fleet customers an extensive range of tire services whenever and wherever they are required.

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AfDB chief tells investors to consider Africa agribusiness sector

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Africa’s food and agribusiness will be worth an estimated US$1 trillion by 2030, African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina told participants of the World Food Prize Foundation’s Norman E. Borlaug Dialogue(link is external) in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday.

The annual event in America’s agricultural heartland, revolved around this year’s theme of “harnessing change,” with delegates and panellists exploring innovative ideas to shore up innovation, adaptation, and diversification, and mechanisms for improving resilience, recovery from shocks, and sustainable systems to feed the world.

Several world leaders are actively bolstering food production and food security in Africa. This includes coming together for a landmark global Feed Africa summit in Dakar (the Dakar 2 Summit) last January.

The continent, which is home to 65% of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land, ironically imports most of its food. African leaders are intent on ensuring that their countries are self-sufficient in food and become food exporters.

There is a realisation that by 2050, the global population will reach nine billion, creating a pressing need for Africa to increase agricultural productivity to meet rising demands for food.

The African Development Bank, which is leading the charge to feed Africa, played an active part in the Borlaug Dialogue. At a session titled “From Dakar 2 to Des Moines” on Thursday, Adesina highlighted the achievements of the Dakar 2 summit, which the Bank organised in conjunction with the Senegalese government and the African Union.

Adesina explained how 34 African leaders endorsed country food and agriculture delivery compacts that produced action- and outcome-driven plans to ensure food security and unlock the continent’s full agricultural potential within five years.

This is in line with the core of the Bank’s Feed Africa strategy, which it launched in 2016. Since then, he added, the strategy has supported more than 250 million people, who have benefitted from improved agriculture technologies.

Adesina said partners had committed over $70 billion to support the food compacts. The Bank is expected to provide $10 billion over the next five years.

The Bank head said Dakar 2 reflected the collective resolve of African leaders to ensure the continent feeds itself. One of the leaders, President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, who was at the Borlaug Dialogue, said: “As African leaders, we are all committed to self-sufficiency in food production. Today, Ethiopia, for the first time in its history, is self-sufficient in wheat production and is a wheat exporter to its neighbours.”

Zewde acknowledged that this groundbreaking achievement was helped by the African Development Bank’s Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative. TAAT has distributed more than 100,000 tons of certified seeds of heat-tolerant wheat varieties, increasing Ethiopia’s wheat production by 1.6 million metric tons in 2023.

Further underlining the high level of African participation at the Borlaug Dialogue, Vice President Kashim Shettima of Nigeria spoke about the importance of leadership, which he said was essential to feed Africa and develop the continent. “A nation falls or rises dependent on the quality of its leadership,” he emphasised.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Nigeria’s Plateau State—speaking at a World Food Prize side event on transforming African agriculture through Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs)—also emphasised the essence of good leadership. “The time has come to deal with the elephant in the room, and that is corruption,” he said.

“We are serious about this, and we want investors to know that investing in Plateau State is a win-win.” Governor Mutfwang also stressed the importance of incentivising investors by reducing unnecessary administrative bottlenecks.

The African Development Bank has already committed US$853 million to public-sector initiated SAPZs and successfully mobilised financing of $661 million alongside its co-financing partners.

Collectively, the partners are investing more than $1.5 billion to establish 25 agro-industrial zones and supporting ecosystems in 13 countries.

Adesina invited investors and other stakeholders to invest confidently in the African food and agribusiness sector. He said political will was strong and that results on the ground showed tremendous promise.

The African Development Bank is a regular contributor to the Borlaug Dialogue. Akinwumi Adesina who was the World Food Prize laureate in 2017, is recognised for his exceptional and innovative work in the African food system, including eliminating corruption in the fertiliser industry in Nigeria, leveraging resources for smallholder farmers, and increasing for crop and production efficiency, during his previous tenure as agriculture minister.

This year’s Borlaug laureate is Heidi Kuhn(link is external), recognised for her farmer-focused development model and work that revitalises farmlands, food security, livelihoods and resilience in conflicted affected regions around the world.

The African Development Bank’s initiatives to feed Africa drew strong commendation from Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President Emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation, and the Foundation’s President, Ambassador Terry Branstad.

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AfDB supports small livestock farmers in Zambia to adapt to climate change

AfDB supports small livestock farmers in Zambia to adapt to climate change


The Climate Resilient Livestock Management Project, implemented by the African Development Bank in Zambia between 2017 and 2022, has helped to equip small livestock farmers to adapt to climate change.

In particular, the percentage of targeted households with enough water for their animals to drink all year round has risen from 48% to 89% over the period, according to the Project Completion Report published on 2 November 2023.

With 96.7% of households adopting new production practices for milk, the nutritional benefits for adults and children have also improved. As a result, 122% of households can make hay by cutting pasture grown from seed in their fields after receiving pasture seeds and learning how to preserve animal feed.

With a $6.21 million grant funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the Bank, the project has complemented and climate-proofed the ADF-financed $18 million Livestock Infrastructure Support Project. It has also enabled communities to undertake various activities to promote investment in livestock and build farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change. These included purchasing additional fodder seeds to develop and restore degraded meadows covering 3,763 hectares in Northern and Muchinga provinces and distributing 5,640 livestock units to farmers through the livestock pass-on-a-gift restocking programme.

In addition, 617 hectares of sustainable pasture for livestock have been created, 112 kilometres of fire-break roads constructed, 258 community village land-use plans developed, and 45 solar-powered boreholes dug to provide livestock farmers with access to water. Consultants have also developed 10 good practice manuals for indigenous livestock management and created a livestock early warning system. The project also equipped six livestock farms with biogas digesters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Capacity-building activities and various awareness campaigns on adapting to climate change were implemented to support the project. Activities included training farmers in building biogas digesters, building capacity for adapting to sustainable land-use management, conserving fodder for livestock during the dry season, and assessing climate risk and adaptation skills for livestock farmers.

Local artisans were also trained in manufacturing equipment related to livestock farming as a source of income diversification. Various knowledge adaptation products were produced, including documentary videos from the National Agricultural Information Services on the livestock pass-on scheme and the effects of climate change on animal production.

“The project team also participated in various events organized by adaptation practitioners, such as national and annual agricultural and trade shows and study visits by farmers in the Southern province.

The project has strengthened other sub-sectors, such as plant production, which is essential for improving the livelihoods of small farmers, along with integrated farming.

Raubil Durowoju, African Development Bank Country Manager for Zambia, highlighted gender mainstreaming in all project activities.

“Among other things, women’s groups benefited from training and climate-resilient livestock restocking programmes through the pass-on scheme. Women represented over 40% of the target beneficiaries,” Durowoju,” he said.

Mr. Gethings Chisule, the Government Provincial Coordinator for Northern Province, noted that the project had improved the income levels of smallholder livestock farmers through improved livestock production and productivity.

He also underscored the project’s contribution to climate resilience and adaptation among farmers. The Project also built the capacity of the Government staff and smallholder farmers. He thanked the stakeholders, including the Global Environment Facility and the African Development Bank, for their support during the implementation period.

Ms Naboth Zulu, a Musa Dairy Cooperative (Kasama District) member, indicated that he was given two heifer-dairy animals on condition that he should pass on the offspring to the next beneficiaries to increase the number of recipients. The animals produce an average of 18 litres daily, which has helped him earn income to educate his children and provide food for his family, thus improving their livelihoods.

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Ensuring nutrition is at the heart of climate smart agriculture

 

Ensuring nutrition is at the heart of climate smart agriculture


Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa need to diversify away from growing maize and switch to crops that are resilient to climate change and supply key micronutrients for the population, say researchers.

Maize is a staple crop across the region where it is grown and consumed in vast quantities.

Led by Dr Stewart Jennings from the University of Leeds, the study argues that diversification towards fruits, vegetables and crops such as cassava, millet and sorghum will improve nutrition security in the country, with people getting sufficient micronutrients essential for good health.

The study also says the quantity of food produced must increase – and unless yields are boosted to an unprecedented level, more land will have to be brought into agricultural production.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to around 1.2 billion people, and according to figures from the World Bank, the population will grow by an additional 740 million people by 2050.

Farmers will have to boost the amount of food grown at a time when climate change will result in increasingly extreme conditions, affecting what crops can be grown.

The researchers say the population is at risk of “food and nutrition insecurity” unless effective ways of adapting to climate change are identified. Integral to any decisions is a requirement that crops need to be nutritious and provide sufficient energy for the population.

Professor Jennie Macdiarmid, from the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen and one of the authors of the paper, said: “The study has highlighted the need to place nutrition at the heart of agricultural policy to avoid the long-term unintended consequence of failing to produce food that can deliver the nutritional needs of the population.

“If policy solutions focus only on increasing production of calories and adapting to be climate smart, it is likely there will be negative consequences for health through nutritionally poor diets.”

The study – Stakeholder-driven transformative adaptation is needed for climate-smart nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa - is published in the scientific journal Nature Food.

More than 50 researchers contributed to the investigation, which involved talking to policymakers and other stakeholders in the food and agriculture sectors in four countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

‘Agriculture and nutrition policies can sit in siloes’

The researchers used the iFEED assessment framework to investigate policy options to create an agricultural system that is resilient to climate change and would supply enough nutritionally-adequate food to meet the food and nutritional needs of the population.

“Too often food, agriculture and nutrition policies sit in siloes across different government departments,” said Dr Jennings, a Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds.

“This study provides holistic evidence that combines information on environmental impacts of food system changes and the changes needed for population level nutrition security. The research shows that action can be taken to adapt to climate change and improve nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Stakeholders in each country identified key uncertainties in the future of the food system. iFEED explores these uncertain futures and identifies key policy issues that decision makers working in the agriculture and food sectors need to consider.

The scientists say there needs to be a fundamental shift - or “transformative approach” - in agriculture to incorporate nutritional needs.

Diversifying into soybean production is one option. Soybean crops are more likely to withstand the impacts of climate change compared to maize. Dr Ndashe Kapulu, from the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute and contributing author to the study has been involved in studies to assess how soybean could improve the income of commercial and small-scale farmers.

He said: “Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa will be better able to handle climate change and other stresses if they have more diverse food systems, such as the transition to soybean production in Zambia.

“As scientists, we need to generate enough evidence in our research to help make changes that support and guide actions to make the agrifood system more resilient.”

Increasing the production and consumption of animal-based products in sub-Saharan Africa could also improve nutritional quality of diets but the scientists warn that it should not reach the unsustainable production levels seen in some higher income countries.

More animal-based products would cause a rise in greenhouse gas emissions, although the researchers say that this could be tolerable given sub-Saharan Africa’s need to reduce the risk of nutritionally-inadequate diets – and that its greenhouse gas emissions are relatively low.

The study involved researchers from a number of organisation including the University of Leeds, University of Aberdeen, the Met Office, Chatham House and FANRPAN.

iFEED is a database - developed in part by the University of Leeds under the GCRF AFRICAP programme and the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience – to help decision makers deliver food system policies which are resilient to climate change and deliver nutritious food – reducing the risk of food and nutrition insecurity.

Stakeholder-driven transformative adaptation is needed for climate-smart nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa

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African farmers get insurance cover against severe impacts of climate change

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The African Development Bank Group has presented its planned $1 billion facility to provide insurance to more than 40 million farmers across the continent against severe impacts of climate change.

The facility was widely praised by the World Food Programme (WFP), development agencies, insurance companies and the private sector during a side event at COP28 in Dubai.

African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina said the Africa Climate Risk Insurance Facility for Adaptation (ACRIFA) aims to mobilise $1 billion of concessionary financing, high-risk capital and grants to support the African insurance industry.

The Facility is designed to protect farmers and countries against catastrophic weather-related events and to stimulate private sector investment in agriculture by mitigating risks.

“We have to support farmers, not abandon them, in the face of rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like drought, floods and pest infestation… We need to ensure that farmers and actors along the agricultural value chain are covered by insurance at scale,” the Bank President said.

Adesina said over 97% of farmers in Africa do not have agricultural insurance. “Their only insurance is to pray… when they plant that it will rain. Pray when they harvest that there will not be rains or pest devastation and pray when they market their crops that prices will not collapse.”

“The eyes of more than 40 million smallholder farmers in Africa are on us. Let us make ACRIFA the answer to their prayers,” the Bank President said.

Adesina said ACRIFA “will systematically support the African insurance industry to unlock financing for investments in climate-smart and green technologies.”

“It will strengthen local insurers and foster integration with national and international reinsurers,” he added.

Unveiled at the Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in September, ACRIFA brings together governments, development agencies, the insurance sector and the private sector.

The successful roll out of the facility will depend largely on partnerships such as the World Food Programme to deliver services to clients.

“The climate crisis is affecting agricultural communities across Africa. This programme will play an important role in protecting smallholder [farmers], pastoralists and small businesses from climate shocks,” said Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme.

“We are excited about our growing partnership with the African Development Bank, which is allowing us to offer more support to governments, as they respond to the climate crisis,” she added.

During the presentation, the United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Director General of the African Risk Capacity Group, Ibrahima Diong and Bogolo Kenewendo, the Special Advisor to the United Nations Climate Change High-Level Champion, said ACRIFA will boost investment and resilience in the continent’s agri-food systems.

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion on how large-scale deployment and use of quality, climate risk-related insurance solutions can boost Africa’s food security, and open business opportunities for the global insurance sector. It was moderated by Dr Victor Oladokun the Senior Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Advisor to the Bank President.

The Head of Government Relations at the One Acre Fund Michelle Kigari said, “Insurance is absolutely critical in building resilience, meaningful resilience, for Africa’s farmers,” and added, “Farmers are not able to bounce back from some shocks if they don’t have a safety net, and insurance helps build that safety net.”

The Founder of Takaful Insurance Group of Africa and ACRIFA Senior Advisor Hassan Bashir urged insurance companies to consider taking on large-scale group clusters of farmers for insurance cover. “Africa is fed and employed by the agriculture sector, yet we define it as a risky business. Agriculture is not risky—life depends on it,” said Bashir.

“Once you have data, you have transparency, and transparency creates trust. If you are able to bring that transparency across the entire value chain, transparency, then you will be able to bring trust and better investors, better support for the farmers,” said Kate Kallot, CEO of Amini AI, an artificial intelligence startup focusing on Africa’s environmental data scarcity.

Quality, accurate and reliable data remains a big challenge to many investors across sectors in Africa, an issue that Hope Murera, Managing Director and CEO of Insurer Training Centre Zep-Re Academy and Board member of Acre Fund raised: “We are doing our bit as the Zep-Re Academy, but it is not enough. We talked about data. How do we get data so that we price correctly?”

“We are better together,” said Bridget Gainer, Global Head of Public Affairs and Policy for Aon, one of the world’s largest risk management companies.

“The market for insurance in Africa is massive. This Facility will bring the key players together to make it easier for scale to be achieved, to make connections between players, and for insurance to reach more of the continent’s most vulnerable,” said Dr Beth Dunford, Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.

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Topcon launches transplanting guidance and control technology for specialty farmers

Topcon launches transplanting guidance and control technology for specialty farmers


Topcon Agriculture has introduced Transplanting Control, a new solution for specialty farmers.

Designed to reduce labor, boost efficiency and increase production, this turnkey solution provides global navigation satellite system (GNSS) based guidance, autosteering and control, benefitting producers of permanent and perennial trees, fruits and vegetable crops.

“Manual measurement is still common practice in areas where specialty and permanent crops are grown,” said Michael Stone, vice president of product development at Topcon Agriculture.

“Our precision GNSS-based guidance and control allows for more elaborate planting patterns, and has been proven through countless industries and applications. This now-affordable transplanting technology can help growers increase crop production by up to 15 percent, if not more.”

The solution eliminates manual labor required to physically outline fields and provides streamlined setup through an easy-to-use task planning interface. Farmers can also expect reductions in fuel and other inputs through the reliability of GNSS, resulting in fewer mistakes and corrections.

“Crops placed in an optimized space maximize available resources like soil nutrients, water, sunlight; this also allows more accessible angles for maintenance, like cleaning and weeding, which will further improve output,” Stone said.

“More uniform transplanting executed through GNSS generates a healthier crop for increased production and quality. This technology can even improve efficiencies with tasks like soil sampling and post hole digging.”

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Construction begins on agri-food training centre in Burundi

Construction begins on agri-food training centre in Burundi

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On 26 October 2023 in Gitega, the East African Community, the Burundian government and the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) Country Office in Burundi officially launched the Agropastoral Entrepreneurship and Professional Development Project for Youth and Women.

The initiative will involve the construction of a regional polytechnic and vocational training centre in Rusi, in Karuzi Province, located approximately 50 kilometres from Gitega, the political capital of Burundi. The African Development Bank Group’s $20 million funding for the project represents 87% of its total cost.

Construction work on the centre was initiated by François Havyarimana, Minister of National Education and Scientific Research, and his colleague Gervais Abayeho, Minister for Youth, as well as Hendrina Chalwe Doroba, the Bank’s Education and Skills Development Division Manager for East Africa, and Pascal Yembiline, the Bank’s Country Office Manager in Burundi.

The centre will be built on a 156-hectare area of land, of which around 142 hectares will be set aside for agropastoral production. At least 2,000 students (30% of whom will be girls) will be trained there, and 3,000 cooperatives with 15,000 members (50% women) will benefit from capacity-building sessions held there. The project will also ensure that 10 digital centres spread across the country are connected to the Rusi centre, providing greater access to technical education.

“We’d like to pay tribute to the African Development Bank’s regular involvement in Burundi generally, and its investment in human capital in particular,” said Mr Havyarimana. “We’re delighted that the project aligns well with the ‘Burundi Vision Emerging Country 2040, Developed Country 2060’ document and with the National Technical Education Policy and Strategy (2022-2027).”

Minister for Youth Abayeho said: “the project is in keeping with the Burundian government’s priorities and responds to its vision of improving agricultural productivity and introducing new agri-food processing techniques. These steps will enable us to move towards a structural transformation of the economy and a diversification of sectors offering opportunities for Burundi’s young people, who make up 60% of the country’s population.”

Mr Yembiline of the African Development Bank thanked Burundi for involving the Bank in this large-scale vocational retraining programme, which aims to equip young people and women with the technical skills required for the country’s economy.

“This project comes at a time when the Bank has recently launched its Skills for Employability and Productivity in Africa Action Plan (2022-2025),” he said. “The goal of the plan is to bridge the skills gap within the scope of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the digital transformation towards the labour market.”

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Agrotop’s vertical integration poultry solutions for extreme weather conditions

Agrotop’s vertical integration poultry solutions for extreme weather conditions


Agrotop, a leading global player in poultry and livestock turnkey projects, Presented its full range of innovative vertical integration poultry solutions designed for extreme weather conditions at VIV Asia 2023.

The event, which took place on March 8–10, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, saw Agrotop showcase its advanced and adaptive poultry solutions specifically designed to cope with severe heat and varying humidity conditions intensified by global warming.

Agrotop displayed its tailor-made solutions, which integrate engineering, construction, and technological disciplines at Booth 2483. The poultry projects on display demonstrated how the company’s chicken houses can withstand extreme weather conditions and provide the ideal environment for birds to thrive in even the most tropical climates.

“The harsh impact of climate change has a direct impact on all aspects of poultry farming,” said Gavriel Pelleg, President and Founder of Agrotop. “We have gained specific expertise in addressing the challenges arising from growing birds in hot and tropical climates, and our solutions have been designed specifically for extreme weather conditions.”

VIV Asia 2023 provides a perfect opportunity for the poultry industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors interested in large-scale poultry projects to witness Agrotop’s unique solutions.

By integrating the entire production chain, from seed to final product, a full vertical integration poultry project can reduce operational costs, self-supply a certain product that is unavailable, or achieve a higher quality final product for a competitive edge.

Using sophisticated ventilation systems and advanced features, Agrotop has successfully completed complicated projects in difficult climate zones worldwide.

The company has acquired extensive experience in building poultry solutions for extreme weather conditions that ensure food security and generate new sources of income.

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Nokian Tyres’ VF tractor tire and VF flotation tire for efficient farming

Nokian Tyres’ VF tractor tire and VF flotation tire for efficient farming

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Nokian Tyres Flexforce® VF is a unique new tire technology that enables more efficient agricultural work by creating an XXL-sized ground contact and by reducing loss of power.

The first tractor tire utilizing this technology is Nokian Tyres Soil King VF, which has already proven to be ahead of competition in third-party tests. A new flotation tire for high-capacity tankers and trailers, Nokian Tyres Float King VF, complements the Flexforce VF range. Nokian Tyres is proud to present the new tires as well as the existing range of special tires at the agricultural trade fair Agritechnica 2023 in Hanover, 12–18 November.

To make the most out of long working days, farmers today need power and scale. With high power and high capacity comes the challenge of improving productivity and reducing cost, which is also the sustainable way to go.

At Agritechnica, the highlight of the Nokian Tyres stand are the two tire models utilizing Nokian Tyres Flexforce VF– a brand-new tire technology that combines strength with high flexibility for the most efficient XXL-size ground contact with improved energy efficiency.

“The Flexforce VF technology brings the advanced design and premium features that the farmers have been asking for to agricultural tires,” says Tero Saari, Product Manager at Nokian Tyres.

Introducing two new tires for efficient farming

Nokian Tyres Soil King VF is the first tire for high-powered tractors utilizing the new Flexforce VF tire technology. It has been tested by the highly regarded DLG, or Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft. The comparison against other premium agricultural tires proved its best-in-class performance in field and transport work with lower wheel slip and fuel consumption as well as a larger treated area per hour.

Nokian Tyres Float King VF is a new tire for high-capacity trailers and tankers utilizing the Flexforce tire technology. It has proven exceptional efficiency with flotation and grip in challenging soil conditions.

“The results are clear: Nokian Tyres VF tires save fuel and increase working efficiency,” Saari says. “It is great to go public with cutting-edge tire technology that makes the difference where it matters most: in the daily work of farmers.”

Step into the world of Nokian Heavy Tyres

The Agritechnica trade fair brings professionals together and gives a glimpse into the future of agriculture. In a crowded trade fair, it’s not just about the products – it’s about the experience.

For Agritechnica, Nokian Tyres has built a hybrid booth that gets you as close to the real-life experience of farming work as you can get in an exhibition hall. And there is a lot more to experience than just the new Flexforce VF products with a whole range of agricultural tractor, trailer and tanker tires as well as complete wheels.

“Tires, complete wheels and Nokian Tyres IntuituTMsmart tire connectivity – they all complement each other, and some new features of Intuitu will be presented at our stand!” reveals Matthew Crocker,Product Manager at Nokian Tyres.

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Tractors sales continue to plummet in Australia


The market for tractor sales in Australia has seen further declines in October and now sit 24% behind the same time last year.

Whilst the level of decline appears high, there has been around 12,000 tractors sold already in 2023 which is in line with what has traditionally been regarded as a strong year for sales.

For some months now we have been reporting a slowdown in demand due to the predicted onset of drier weather along with the ongoing increases in interest rates, clearly there is still solid demand for new machinery in the market as recent rains have brought some encouragement to farmers in the near term.

Dealers continue to report solid inventory levels across the board with the biggest challenge being able to supply the precise machine being requested. Supply chain bottlenecks appear to be easing due mainly to the lower volumes of machines coming into the country. This is particularly the case for containerised freight which is moving smoothly.

Ro-Ro (Roll On Roll Off) freight continues to present the odd challenge due mainly to the stringent quarantine regulations in place which can have the effect of sidelining entire shipments if a single problem is detected. This can be particularly stressful for time sensitive deliveries such as those required for harvest.

Looking around the nation, all states have experienced significant drops in the month, beginning with Queensland, down 26% against the same month last year to be 21% behind year to date. NSW was down 34% to be 25% off YTD, Victoria was off 27% and is now 28% behind year to date.

Sales in Western Australia were in line with last year and remains 19% behind last year. South Australia recorded another big decline, off 45% and now sits 20% behind YTD and Tasmania was off 17% for the month, 21% down YTD with sales in the NT finishing 8% down, remaining 13% down YTD.

Falls were experienced in all machine categories where we find that the small under 40 hp (30kw) category was down by 41% for the month and is now 25% behind year to date. The 40 to 100hp (30-75kw) range was also down 32% and is now 25% behind year to date, the 100 to 200hp (75-150 kw) category was down, this time by 19% and remains 25% behind YTD and finally the 200 hp (150kw) PLUS range slipped, down 8% remaining 16% behind last year.

Sales of Combine Harvesters have stalled somewhat and are now in line with last year with just under 800 units sold so far in 2023. Baler sales enjoyed another healthy rise and are now 15% ahead on a year-to-date basis and sales of Out – Front Mowers are down by around 4% compared with the same time last year.

In summary, there has been a noticeable pullback in machinery sales and whilst the current sales volumes can be described as good, we remain cautious about the outlook for 2024 where the full impact of climate conditions, commodity prices, machinery price rises, and higher interest rates have a fuller effect.

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