Monthly Archives: December 2014

“Our mission at ICRISAT is to make smallholder farmers in the drylands prosperous, not just self-sufficient. That is why we are engaged in promoting an inclusive and technology-based entrepreneurship and agribusiness program,” said ICRISAT Director General William D. Dar in his address during the inaugural program of the Agribusiness Fair held at the ICRISAT headquarters on 17 January.

A one-day Agribusiness Fair organized by ICRISAT proved to be a major success, attracting more than 300 agribusiness innovators and entrepreneurs. The activity gave participating agribusiness ventures a chance to explore numerous opportunities within

the sector and avail of the technology upscaling and commercialization services of the Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program under ICRISAT’s Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP).

Welcoming the participants, Dr Kiran Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, ICRISAT-AIP, stressed that events such as these contribute to the sustainable transformation of the agricultural sector. “Entrepreneurship at the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) level is one of the most efficient ways of taking products of research for development to the farmers,” he added.

Seeking further active participation from potential entrepreneurs present at the gathering, Dr Sharma assured them of effective business incubation support to help take their agribusiness ideas and ventures forward.

Dr AS Rao, Former Advisor, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, in his special address to the participants, emphasized on the growing prospects in the agribusiness sector for innovators and entrepreneurs and shared valuable business insights.

Mr SM Karuppanchetty, Chief Operating Officer (COO), ABI Program, briefed the participants of the day’s activities which included parallel sessions focusing on agro-tech business opportunities, innovation, new ventures, food business, seed and farm business, and fund facilitation for potential agribusiness entrepreneurs.

Dr Saikat Datta Mazumdar, COO, NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK) Program spoke on business opportunities in the food sector while Mr S Aravazhi, COO, Innovation and Partnership (INP) Program, elaborated on funding opportunities to potential entrepreneurs through the Technopreneur Promotion Programme and the Technology Development Board.

Seventy-six potential entrepreneurs submitted business proposals to a selection committee, of which 10 were picked as potential clients for seed business incubation, 9 for entrepreneurial support, 21 for food business incubation support, and 36 for farm venture support. Fifteen proposals were screened for innovative ideas, three of which were recommended for funding.

“The event proved to be a highly valuable initiative to guide and mentor individuals interested in agribusiness. I can now link my big ideas with the available support systems to nurture my interests. The Fair helped me interact with several entrepreneurs in the sector and has given me insights on various funding schemes, incubation support, and market information,” said Dr Janaki Srinath, a participant at the Agribusiness Fair.

To promote the participation of youth in agribusiness, the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) of ICRISAT participated in a one-day, state-level seminar on ‘Sustainable Agriculture and Food Processing’ organized by the Ratnapuri Institute of Technology – College of Polytechnic, Medak district, Andhra Pradesh on 6 January.

The seminar was conducted as part of ICRISAT’s partnership program with Vennela Educational Society, (VES), in which AIP is facilitating technical support in the production and cultivation of vegetables; and hybrid seed production of pigeonpea and other crops.

Speaking at the event as Chief Guest, Mr S Aravazhi, Chief Operating Officer of the Innovation and Partnership program explained how ICRISAT’s Inclusive Market-Oriented Development (IMOD) strategy is supporting young entrepreneurs in the areas of food processing and sustainable agriculture. “Food processing is one of the most important links in the agricultural value chain that enables value addition and reduction of post-harvest losses of agricultural produce. Enabling farmers to become part of this link by engaging them as entrepreneurs and through small- and medium-term enterprises (SMEs) can help in the development of a vibrant agrarian and rural economy,” Mr Aravazhi said.

Discussions at the event focused on the need to tap existing and emerging agribusiness opportunities and on linking youth to technology and funding avenues, enabling them to promote farming as a business, and learning how to use this partnership for trading, agribusiness information and agribusiness link platform.

More than 210 students from Vennela Education Society, Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University and other colleges attended the seminar.

To promote entrepreneurship in the agri-business sector, ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) Program showcased agro-technologies that were ready for commercialization at the farmer platform, KISAN 2013, held on 12-18 December at Pune, India.

KISAN 2013 is a platform for farmers to come face-to-face with advanced technologies and innovations in the agricultural sector. This year saw over 100,000 visitors and 303 agro-companies from India and abroad showcasing their technologies on farm mechanization, pre- and post-harvest management of food crops, food processing, marketing and retailing.

The National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) is set up for handholding and mentoring of Business Planning & Development BPD Units of national agricultural research organizations. ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation Program represented the Network of Indian Agri-Business Incubators (NIABI) highlighting the roles played by business incubators. From NIABI, the Business Planning & Development (BPD) Units of Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) and Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) also utilized this platform for promoting their incubation activities and technologies.

ICRISAT’s ABI client Spectrum Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd (on bio-fertilizer from sugarcane waste/bi-products) was able to create awareness, generate sales and prospects for new dealers.

About 500 people visited the ABI stall. About 50 potential leads were generated for technology commercialization support from NIABI. Some of the key leads were on food processing, farm ventures, agri-biotech ventures, seed production, institutional collaboration, apart from availing of incubation services from NIABI. Mr Suneel Vemu and Mr Harshvardhan Mane from the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP) took part in the event.