Sustainable development of the national cotton sector through smart farming: Workshop on the future of the sector The technological developments that are coming at the service of the primary sector, as well as the benefits of smart farming especially for cotton production, were presented and discussed during a workshop on “Sustainable development of the national cotton sector: the contribution of smart farming” held on Wednesday, 31 May 2023. The meeting was co-organized by NEUROPUBLIC and GAIA EPICHEIREIN at the newly built gaiasense HUB building in Piraeus, in cooperation with the President Antonis Siarkos and the members of the Panhellenic Union of Cotton Ginners and Exporters (PUCGE). On the part of PUCGE, the meeting was attended not only by the President, Mr. Siarkos, but also by the Vice President of the Association, Mr. Prodromos Ousultzoglou and Mr. Euripides Dontas, Mr. Nikolaos and Charalambos Karagiorgos, Mr. Stamataios Kouroudis, Ms. Maria Pavlidou, Mr. Vasilios Petsas, Mr. Vasilios Polychronos, Mr. Klearhos Sarantidis and Mr. Georgios Siarkos. The delegation of PUCGE initially met with the Board of Directors and the President of NEUROPUBLIC, Mr. Christodoulos Antoniadis and toured the company’s facilities in Piraeus, where they saw the excellent technological infrastructure and asked relevant questions to the specialized executives. Afterwards, the members of PUCGE visited the ultra-modern gaiasense HUB, the second privately owned building of NEUROPUBLIC, where they were welcomed by the CEO of GAIA EPICHEIREIN, Elli Tsiforou. This was followed by a tour of the fully automated production line, the warehouse and NEUROPUBLIC’s second data center, while they were given the opportunity to talk to the agronomists of the integrated, innovative gaiasense by NEUROPUBLIC smart farming system and learn about the advanced technologies supported by the HUB. Opening the meeting, President Antoniadis stressed that “the sustainable development of Greek agriculture is equivalent to the development of ambitious and visionary sectoral strategies, especially for sectors of national importance and significant export profile such as cotton. Technological innovation provides a guarantee of sustainability and a passport to the future development of the sector for the benefit of all: producers, ginners and the national economy”. Shortly afterwards, Ms. Tsiforou took the floor, and spoke about the “Political and institutional framework for the sustainable development of the cotton sector”, noting that “the European Green Deal sets the tone for the way we will produce in the EU in the coming decades, with important legislative initiatives outside the CAP framework shaping the new, green and digital profile of European and Greek agriculture”. Mr. Ioannis Mavroudis, founding member and Executive Director of NEUROPUBLIC, explained that the application of the gaiasense smart agriculture system has already significantly helped cotton farmers to reduce production costs and the environmental footprint of the production process. “Effective fertilization, utilization of irrigation needs and targeted spraying, i.e. rational use of inputs, lead not only to the production of higher quality products but also to lower carbon footprint,” said Mr. Mavroudis, to conclude that “NEUROPUBLIC provides new digital tools that promote pro-environmental standards in cotton.” In particular, to date, gaiasense has been applied to 28.490 hectares of cotton in 6 regions of the country and has proven to help reduce up to 14% in irrigation water costs per hectare and up to 28% in crop protection costs by avoiding unnecessary spraying. In addition, it can reduce fertilization costs by up to 33% per hectare. A path is therefore opening up for a sustainable digital passport for cotton products with high added value for all stakeholders in the sector. The workshop concluded with statements by representatives of the Union and a discussion on the need to formulate a sectoral strategy in relation to the digital transition of the cotton sector, a bet for the sustainable future development of our national product.
Dynamic presence of gaiasense at the 3rd Panhellenic Congress for Cotton With significant participation from the world of cotton farming and not only completed on Wednesday 15 February 2023 in Komotini the 3rd Panhellenic Congress for Cotton organized by the Interprofessional Organization of Cotton in cooperation with ELGO Demetra and under the auspices of the Ministry of Rural Development & Food and the support of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the Municipality of Komotini. With a rich agenda that highlighted issues such as the competitiveness of farms, the EU Green Deal and the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), climate change and its impact on cotton farming, the prospects of the ginned cotton market, and the role of digitalization and smart farming in the present and future of the sector, the Congress was once again a great forum for the promotion of the Greek primary sector and the challenges it faces. NEUROPUBLIC was also present at the Congress, with the presence of Ioannis Mavroudis, Business Strategy & Extroversion Consultant of the company, who participated in the session “Precision Agriculture, Quality and Product Identity – IOB Educational and Research Program”. Specifically, Mr. Mavroudis presented the gaiasense system and analyzed the advantages of applying smart farming on cotton, with particular emphasis on the results it brings to producers in terms of fertilization, irrigation and plant protection. He also discussed how the technology of gaiasense can help the farmer to effectively address the risks that threaten his crop, improve his production both in quantity and quality, minimize the impact of cotton farming on natural resources and, ultimately, add value to his products, both within and outside the national borders. “The deviation from the advice provided by the gaiasense smart farming system imposes an average burden of +4.21€ per acre on producers. For example, cotton farmers spend 21% more money on fertilization than they would have spent if they had followed the advice,” concluded Mr. Mavroudis, demonstrating the urgent need for the immediate implementation of smart farming in the field, especially in the face of the challenge of climate change and the ever-increasing costs affecting the primary sector. The 3rd Panhellenic Congress on Cotton was also attended by representatives of the political leadership, institutional bodies, entrepreneurs and the majority of the cotton growing and processing industry.
gaiasense meets cotton farmers at the 3rd Panhellenic Congress for Cotton The 3rd Panhellenic Congress for Cotton will be held on Wednesday 15 February in Komotini, organized by the Interprofessional Organization of Cotton – IOC in cooperation with ELGO DEMETRA. The aim of the conference is to provide a platform for dialogue and reflection to all those involved in cotton, as well as to inform about the prospects of the sector, the challenges it faces, with the most basic being climate change and its impact on cotton cultivation, the competitiveness of Greek farms, and the need for the digital transformation of cotton production as a guarantee for its future. During the conference, representatives of the political leadership, institutional bodies, representatives of institutions and agricultural cooperatives, producers and executives of the business world will exchange ideas and proposals, approach key issues that concern Greek cotton cultivation and analyse its dynamics, with the ultimate aim of developing a specific strategic planning for the product. In this context, Ioannis Mavroudis, Business Strategy & Extroversion Consultant of NEUROPUBLIC will participate in the section “Precision Agriculture, Quality and Product Identity – IOC Educational and Research Programme” of the Conference, where he will speak about ” Smart Farming in Cotton”. In particular, Mr. Mavroudis will analyse the advantages of the gaiasense system and explain how it utilises modern technologies and scientific knowledge in such a way that it helps farmers to make better and timely decisions about their crops and production, creating significant economic and environmental benefits. It is worth noting that the Congress is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and with the support of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the Municipality of Komotini. Register your participation, HERE