Netafim Launches the World's Most Innovative Digital Irrigation System in India

NetBeat™ is an irrigation and fertigation management system that integrates monitoring, analysis and automation into a single mobile platform, enabling farmers to maximize productivity any time, anywhere.

Following the launch of NetBeat™ insIsrael at Agritech 2018, NetBeat™ is launched in Pune, India. NetBeat™ is the world's first and most advanced digital irrigation and fertigation management system. The official launch of ‘NetBeat™ ’ in India has been done in the esteemed presence of Mr. Randhir Chauhan, Managing Director of Netafim India, Mr. Lior Doron, Director, Head of Digital Farming product management and Mr. Izhar Gilad, Head of Commercial & Business Development, Digital Farming, both from Netafim, Israel.  

Netafim, which led the world’s first revolution in precision agriculture more than 50 years ago with its pioneering drip irrigation, today brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of agronomy and hydraulics to lead the digital farming revolution.

NetBeat™ provides farmers with real-time recommendations based on data pertaining to plant, soil and weather conditions obtained from both the field and external sources. This data is analyzed in the cloud, according to proprietary Dynamic Crop Models, based on 50 years of Netafim’s unique experience and research in the field of agronomy and hydraulics. NetBeat™ is the greatest innovation and the first irrigation system with a brain for Indian farmers, where they can easily monitor, analyze, get decision support and automate their irrigation operation by smartphone, wherever they are.

Based entirely on Israeli technology, NetBeat™ was developed in collaboration with mPrest, developers of the Command & Control platform used in the Iron Dome air-defense system. NetBeat™ is the first platform of its kind to integrate monitoring, analysis and automation in one system, controlled by the farmer through a friendly and simple user interface, that provides optimization and smart recommendations throughout all stages of the crop lifecycle, saving water, fertilizer and other inputs, and improving profitability.

As part of the Indian launch of NetBeat™, Netafim unveiled NetBeat™One, an innovative solution tailored for small farmers who need better control over their farms.

"Netafim is an innovative company that’s constantly looking for creative technology solutions that help the world grow more food with less resources. NetBeat™ offers a sustainable and innovative platform for both big and small farmers to ensure higher returns with minimum resources in agriculture,” says Randhir Chauhan, MD, Netafim India. "From companies cultivating large areas of land or community irrigation projects to an individual smallholder, NetBeat™ makes it easy to organize irrigation for the field and provides every stakeholder a way to maximize their results and peace of mind” he adds.

Mr. Lior Doron said, “NetBeat™ is the first irrigation management system with a brain. It combines a full solution of irrigation and fertigation control, monitoring and management together with smart Decision Support System crop models, interfaces to weather forecast and many other services and remote cloud access to the field from anywhere, anytime.”

“In light of today’s ever-increasing food and water security challenges, including dwindling precious resources and inefficient water usage, Netafim is proud to present NetBeat™ – the 1st irrigation system with a brain.” said Mr. Izhar Gilad

About Netafim

Netafim is the global leader in precision irrigation for a sustainable future. With 29 subsidiaries and 17 manufacturing plants worldwide, Netafim delivers innovative, tailor-made irrigation and fertigation solutions to millions of farmers, allowing smallholders to large-scale agricultural producers in over 110 countries to grow more with less. Founded in 1965, Netafim pioneered the drip revolution, creating a paradigm shift toward precision irrigation. Today, specializing in end-to-end solutions from the water source to the root zone, Netafim delivers turnkey irrigation and greenhouse projects, supported by engineering, project management and financing services. Netafim is also leading the way in digital farming, integrating real-time monitoring, analysis and automated control into one state-of-the-art system. Established in 1997, Netafim India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Netafim emerged as a leader in precision irrigation  solutions in the subcontinent. With 3 manufacturing plants in India, Netafim India brings sustainable prosperity to over 850,000 farming families.  See how Netafim’s solutions are changing the economics of agriculture and helping the world grow more with less at www.netafim.com.

Media Contact: Aspire PR & Strategies Pvt. Ltd, Shekhar Wagh – 9967348414/ 020 24488778

Atul and Rahul Kirloskar under SEBI Scanner for Insider Trading

Eight years ago, on 6 October 2010, some members of the Kirloskar family including Atul Kirloskar and Rahul Kirloskar had sold 13.5% of Kirloskar Brothers Limited shares worth about ₹275 crore before financial results were reported on 8 October 2010. In 2012, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) sent a letter to the company seeking transaction details.

Following this, Kirloskar Brothers Limited hired law firm AZB and Partners to conduct a forensic audit to verify allegations of insider trading. The audit found that few members of the Kirloskar Family, including the two brothers, mis-stated in a regulatory disclosure that they were not in possession of unpublished price-sensitive financial information while seeking clearance to sell Kirloskar Brothers shares. The code of conduct for promoters and other key management personnel requires them to take the board’s clearance before transacting in the company’s shares.

“The financial performance of Kirloskar Brothers was discussed collectively by the promoter group individuals on a regular basis,” the AZB report said.

When AZB went through the pre-share sale clearance declaration, it found that the promoters had declared they did not possess any unpublished price-sensitive information at the time of share sale.

“However, while examining records of Kirloskar Group-Management Operating Board (KG-MOB), annual operating plan (AOP) and other relevant financial information circulated or discussed with the promoters or board of directors in meetings, it was found that financial performance of the company was discussed collectively by the promoter group on a regular/periodic basis. Contrary to the disclosure made by the promoter group individuals, the information could be constituted as price sensitive,” AZB said in its report.

Sebi norms for insider trading mandate that a share sale cannot be done while in possession of unpublished price-sensitive information or UPSI.

The audit report added that the relevant AOP providing forecasts for fiscal 2010-11 was circulated to the directors by the finance department of Kirloskar Brothers on 31 March 2010.

In response to media queries, a spokesperson for Atul and Rahul Kirloskar said: “As far as we are aware, no investigation is pending in respect of the said transaction undertaken in 2010.” The person added that they reserve legal rights on factually incorrect statements.

Sandeep Phadnis, associate vice president and head secretarial at Kirloskar Brothers declined to comment on the forensic audit, but added that they were unable to comment on any query at this stage as the issues are sub judice.