DOJ Reaches Settlement With Blackstone’s LivCor Over Alleged Rent Price-Fixing 
Saks Global Weighs Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Debt Pressures and Luxury Retail Slowdown 
Japan Approves Record ¥122.3 Trillion Budget as Takaichi Seeks Fiscal Balance 
Warner Bros Discovery Weighs Amended Paramount Skydance Bid as Netflix Takeover Battle Intensifies 
ByteDance Plans Massive AI Investment in 2026 to Close Gap With U.S. Tech Giants 
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk Battle for India’s Fast-Growing Obesity Drug Market 
Boeing Wins $2.04B U.S. Air Force Contract for B-52 Engine Replacement Program 
South Korean Court Clears Korea Zinc’s $7.4 Billion U.S. Smelter Project, Shares Surge 
Lebanon Cabinet Approves Financial Gap Law to Tackle Ongoing Economic Crisis 
Sanofi to Acquire Dynavax in $2.2 Billion Deal to Strengthen Vaccines Portfolio 
Russian Stocks End Lower as Energy and Mining Shares Weigh on MOEX Index 
Sanofi to Acquire Dynavax in $2.2 Billion Deal to Strengthen Vaccine Portfolio 
U.S. Stocks Rally to Record Highs as AI Rebound Fuels Holiday-Shortened Session 
Argentina Congress Approves 2026 Budget Under Milei, Marking First Legislative Passage Since 2023 
John Carreyrou Sues Major AI Firms Over Alleged Copyrighted Book Use in AI Training 
BOJ Minutes Reveal Growing Debate Over Interest Rate Hikes and Inflation Risks 
Japan Plans $189 Billion Bond Issuance as Record Budget Signals Expansionary Fiscal Policy 
PepsiCo India and Cropin Technologies join forces, launching a revolutionary crop intelligence platform that enhances potato yield management. The initiative, targeting small-scale Indian farmers, deploys satellite imagery and remote sensing to optimize resource use and mitigate crop diseases.
The new platform combines satellite imagery and remote sensing data to offer a simple solution for monitoring the optimum use of resources such as water and fertilizers and evaluating pesticide use.
The pilot was launched at demo farms in Gujarat involving 51 farmers and in Madhya Pradesh with 11 farmers. Among the crop diseases that it tackles are blight disease, which can cause up to 80 percent potato crop damage, and ground frost, which is common in North India.
The platform, developed by Pepsico and Cropin, allows farmers to avail themselves of up to 10-day advance forecasts to monitor the health of the crops. PepsiCo works directly and indirectly with nearly 27,000 farmers in 14 states of India, and all of the potatoes used in producing its "Lay's" brand come from domestic producers.
Farmers participating in the pilot stage receive the appropriate training and support from the field agronomists who are helping them use the insights and the dashboard. The concept is currently being tested on 62 farms, 51 in Gujarat and 11 in Madhya Pradesh.
With the digitalization of agricultural activities, which were converted to SAP systems under the Smart Agro Program, PepsiCo in India began investigating agricultural technologies in 2018. The primary objective of the program was to increase value by boosting productivity and water safety using accessible technologies.
According to Anukool Joshi, Director of Agro at PepsiCo India, the rollout aims to empower PepsiCo farmers to maximize crop quality and yield. Cropin CEO Krishna Kumar noted that their solution reduces business risk while boosting efficiency by providing crop health indicators.
Photo: Eric Prouzet/Unsplash
