Business EconomyPosted at: Nov 8 2025 3:02AM


Hyd: Agri Udaan® 8.0 launched to empower Agri and Food Startups across India

Hyderabad, Nov 7 (UNI) Agri Udaan 8.0, the flagship Food and Agribusiness Accelerator Program of a-IDEA—the Technology Business Incubator of ICAR–NAARM, Hyderabad—was launched here.
The program aims to identify and nurture promising food and agribusiness startups across India by offering mentorship, industry networking, investor linkages, and access to funding support.
Speaking after launching the programme here, Dr. Raji Reddy Danda, Vice Chancellor, SKLTSHU, Siddipet, called for stronger collaboration among KVKs, startups, and research institutions to reduce post-harvest losses, optimize resources, and strengthen market linkages for sustainable, profitable agriculture.
In his Presidential address, Dr. Gopal Lal, President, a-IDEA and Acting Director, ICAR–NAARM, acknowledged the joint efforts of NABARD, DST, and ICAR institutes in fostering agricultural entrepreneurship.
He emphasized the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in bridging the gap between production costs and consumer prices and appreciated mentors, investors, and KVK personnel for strengthening the agri-startup ecosystem.
R. Ganapathy, General Manager, NABARD, TSRO, Telangana, urged startups to focus on improving farmers’ income, productivity, and livelihood stability through smart and digital agricultural innovations. He highlighted the need to reduce cultivation costs, enhance product quality, and boost the agri and food processing sectors for inclusive rural development.
Dr. Shaik N. Meera, Director, ICAR–ATARI, Hyderabad, stressed the importance of building integrated networks connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and KVKs to transform India’s agri-food systems.
He underlined that collaborative platforms like Agri Udaan® are crucial for scaling innovations and addressing value chain challenges.
The event also featured reflections from startup founders, mentors, investors, and other stakeholders who shared their success stories and experiences with a-IDEA’s ecosystem.
The evening concluded with a networking dinner attended by over 150 participants from government bodies, agritech startups, venture capital firms, industries, bankers, scientists, NGOs, Incubators, FPOs and academia. Agri Udaan® 8.0 will accelerate high-potential agri and food startups through mentorship and investor linkage support, enabling them to scale sustainably and strengthen India’s agricultural innovation landscape.
Earlierr in his welcvome address, Dr. S. Senthil Vinayagam, CEO, a-IDEA & Head, ESM, ICAR-NAARM , highlighted the organization’s contribution to nurturing over 380 agri-startups through programs such as Agri Udaan, BIRAC–BIG, NIDHI PRAYAS, NABARD CCF, and Agri Gati-Vardhan, among others.
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