(Right) The press and participants during the inaugural of the NIABI 2013 Conference.
Photo: S Sharma, ICRISAT
Since its inception in 2009, the Network of Indian Agri-business Incubators (NIABI) has marked its presence by impacting innovations, entrepreneurs, and institutions. In the third edition of its annual conference, “Indian Agri-Business Incubation Conference: NIABI 2013” held on 26 April at the HITEX Exhibition Center in Hyderabad, the focus was on agro-technology commercialization with emphasis on business meetings (B2B) and deal finalization between entrepreneurs/industries and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Conducted by ICRISAT through its Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) program along with ICAR, NIABI 2013 was hosted as part of AGRITEX 2013, which brought together the farming community, agri-specialists and agri-service providers.
Describing the role incubators play in nurturing start-ups, Chief Guest Dr PS Pandey, National Coordinator, NAIP (ICAR) said, “Incubators play a crucial role in bringing different stakeholders together. By helping nurture innovations and entrepreneurship in agriculture, ABI is fulfilling ICRISAT’s mission of eliminating poverty and improving livelihoods.”
Dr Kiran K Sharma, CEO, AIP-ICRISAT in his welcome address, spoke about how growing global agri-business ventures are exploring new markets to achieve growth and develop their businesses. He stressed the need to create competitive agri-business enterprises through technology development and commercialization to benefit farmers in the semi-arid tropics.
remarks during the NAIBI 2013 conference.
Photo: S Sharma, ICRISAT
NIABI 2013 also served as a platform for 52 ready-to-commercialize agro-technologies from six sectors – crops, horticulture, food technology, animal husbandry, cotton and jute fiber products and fisheries. Agri-business incubators from NIABI presented their technologies, explained the process of technology transfer and listed the incubator services used in ensuring that the venture succeeds.
As part of the conference, 85 B2B meetings were conducted between incubator teams and industrialists and agri-business entrepreneurs for technology commercialization. Thirty-one technologies were commercialized from a pool of 82 shortlisted, high-impact technologies.
The estimated value of the technology transfer is 3 crore ($0.56 million).
Over 120 participants took part in this event which provided innovators with an opportunity to explore and incubate their ideas through NIABI.
