UkkoAgro
AgriInnovate has announced funding up to $875,000 to Ukko Agro Inc. for development of new technology aimed at better controlling diseases and insects in crops.
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau says the new platform would provide decision makers up to seven days heads up on field-level spray recommendations to proactively manage risks to crops, improve food production sustainability, and increase yield.
“Canadian farmers rely on cutting-edge science and research to ensure the sustainable development of their businesses,” said Bibeau.
“Our commitment to funding the latest agricultural technologies helps them not only feed a growing population and protect the environment, but also grow.”
The AgriInnovate program, part of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, offers repayable funding to accelerate adoption of new technologies.
Ukko Agro’s CEO Ketan Kaushish says this investment will help advance cutting-edge technology that modern farm operations need to enhance efficiency and yields.
“The team at Ukko Agro is very thankful to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for supporting us in commercializing our predictive analytics platform, ForeSite,” said Kaushish.
“In addition to the government support, Ukko is actively working with other agri-businesses to integrate its predictive analytics capability with their farm management systems to help farmers make proactive agronomic and operational decisions.
“We look forward to working with our partners and the government to advance data-based decision making in agriculture.”
The funding is part of approximately $3 billion set aside by the federal, provincial and territorial governments in Canada for agricultural investments, between 2018 and 2023.
Bibeau says investing in agricultural technology companies such as Ukko Agro helps ensure Canada remains a leader in the precision agriculture market.