Kerala Agricultural University launches entrepreneurship programme, releases startup grants
Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), through its Agri Business Incubator (ABI), has disbursed the first instalment of financial assistance to selected agri startups under the PM
Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), through its Agri Business Incubator (ABI), has disbursed the first instalment of financial assistance to selected agri startups under the PM RKVY-RAFTAAR scheme. The grant distribution was inaugurated on Saturday (July 25, 2026) by T. Siddique, Minister for Agriculture, who also launched the one-month Entrepreneurship Development Training Programme for aspiring agripreneurs. The Centre has sanctioned a grant of ₹2 crore for 19 selected startups under the scheme.
The first instalment of grant assistance was released to 10 eligible startups, marking the first phase of financial support to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Siddique said that Kerala has immense potential to strengthen its presence in the global agricultural market through value addition, scientific processing, quality assurance, and branding of agricultural produce. Export-oriented ventures He stressed that export-oriented agribusiness ventures are essential for enhancing farmers’ income, creating employment opportunities, and improving the global competitiveness of Kerala’s agricultural products.
Presiding over the function, Dr. T. Sajitha Rani, Vice-Chancellor, KAU, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship alongside academic excellence. She stated that KAU is creating an enabling ecosystem where students are encouraged to transform innovative ideas and research outcomes into successful enterprises through incubation support, mentoring, and financial assistance. Programme objectives The one-month Entrepreneurship Development Training Programme is designed to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with practical knowledge and hands-on exposure in enterprise creation, business planning, value addition, financial management, branding, market access, and the commercialisation of agricultural technologies.
“The programme aims to nurture a new generation of innovation-driven entrepreneurs capable of transforming novel ideas into sustainable, scalable, and globally competitive agribusiness ventures,” Dr. K.P. Sudheer, professor and head, Agri Business Incubator, said.
The BriefWire