AgriUdaan 2.0 Launched

“AGRI UDAAN”–the Food and Agribusiness Accelerator 2.0 has been launched by Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member NITI Aayog, Govt. of India and Dr T. Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR. In the presence of Shri H. K Mittal, Advisor, Secretary, NSTEDB, DST, Govt. of India; Shri S. Viswanatha Prasad, Managing Director, Caspian Impact Investments Pvt. Ltd.; Dr Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-NAARM; Dr R. Kalpana Satry, Joint Director, ICAR-NAARM; and other dignitaries from different ICAR institutes, partners, entrepreneurs, corporate, students and media persons. The programme has been launched with an aim to catalyse the entrepreneurial journey of prospective agri-entrepreneurs to scale up their business by helping them through the various layers of process. Through this launch of AGRI UDAAN, the applications for accelerator programme is now available for the agri entrepreneurs/startups to apply through the website http://aidea.naarm.org.in/.

Welcoming the well-attended launch event Dr Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR – NAARM detailed the journey of Technology Business Incubator, a-IDEA, National Academy of Agriculture Research Management, since its inception in 2014 along with the objectives of “AGRI UDAAN” and the flow of process during the next six months of AgriUdaan.

Shri H. K. Mittal Advisor, Secretary, NSTEDB, DST, Govt. of India in his remarks focused on the importance of knowledge and conversion of knowledge into action by narrating two inspiring stories of entrepreneurs. Citing the creation of a-IDEA, NAARM as one of the much needed initiative, he called for more such initiatives in this ecosystem.

Shri Ashwin Joshi, VP, Ecosystem Development, IIMA – CIIE has taken the audience into the chronicles of CIIE’S journey in the ecosystem of entrepreneurship and also the association with a-IDEA, NAARM and future prospects in long term association. Presenting views from investment sector, Shri S. Viswanatha Prasad, Managing Director, Caspian Impact Investments Pvt. Ltd. the Platinum Partner for the event indicated the growing interest of this sector towards the Agri-entrepreneurs

The Chief Guest, Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member NITI Aayog, Government of India in his inaugural address emphasized the need to demystify He also encouraged the entrepreneurs to identify the key problems of agriculture and find the disruptive solutions to revolutionize Indian agriculture with special reference to the three different verticals like i) Procurement and distribution of agri inputs ii) production and quality issue and iii) marketing of outputs. He stressed the need for transition and disruptive changes for which Indian agriculture is craving.

Dr T. Mohapatra in his presidential remarks focused on the different initiatives carried out by ICAR Institutes in transforming technologies into business. Dr Mohapatra also acknowledged the presence of 25 Agribusiness Incubators in ICAR including NAARM’s TBI in India that are supporting the agri-entrepreneurs/innovators and emphasized to pursue the objectives in more effective manner.
The programme also witnessed the release of two books first “An Enchiridion on Agri-Startups in India” which is a brief sketch of forty (40) entrepreneurs who have licensed the technologies of ICAR institutions and successfully created the business around that technology and scaled up. The other is a “Startup Profile” that gives a brief introduction of the present vibrant, motivated and enthusiastic entrepreneurs of NAARM’s TBI, a-IDEA.

The programme was concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr R. Kalpana Sastry, Joint Director, ICAR–NAARM to all the dignitaries, partners, the participants and team a-IDEA.

NAARM’s TBI a-IDEA and IIMA’s – CIIE jointly rolled out the “AGRI UDAAN”Food and Agribusiness Accelerator 2.0 with the support of NSTEDB, DST including Caspian Impact Investments Pvt. Ltd. as Platinum Partner, Yes Bank as Banking Partner, NeML and Marico Innovation Foundation as Silver Partners, Agrinnovate and NRDC as Tech Transfer Partners, FICCI as Outreach Partner, TiE-Hyderabad, TiE Delhi-NCR, INNOV8, ISB-Mohali, Calcutta Angels, Eureka Ltd, Unitus Seed Fund, TiE Kolkata, British Deputy High Commission (Kolkata), SCEI as Ecosystem Partner. This launch programme is being followed by roadshows in six cities starting with Chandigarh on 8 Aug 2017.