Tech-driven value addition need of the hour for Indian agriculture: Shobha Karandlaje
Value addition with the help of modern technology is the need of the hour for Indian agriculture today and through value addition, the farmer community
Value addition with the help of modern technology is the need of the hour for Indian agriculture today and through value addition, the farmer community in the country will be equipped to cater to global markets, said Shobha Karandlage, Minister of State for MSME, Labour and Employment. She was speaking at the opening session of a two-day International Conference on Agri-Tech and Plantation 5.0: Innovation, Sustainability and Value-Driven Business Strategies at the Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM) where several industry leaders, global agro experts, scientists and heads of various commodity boards also spoke. The Minister stressed that value addition, branding, processing and global marketing are essential to enhance farmers’ income and strengthen India’s position in global markets.
“Just focusing on production of agricultural commodities is no longer enough today. Working towards value addition is the need of the hour. Through value-added products, farmers will be able to fetch better and higher returns for their agro produce.’’ Ms. Karandlaje emphasised. Delivering the keynote address, Somnath Chatterjee, executive vice-president and head of Procurement & Logistics, Food Division, ITC Limited, highlighted the growing need for stronger collaboration between academia and industry. “The future agricultural growth will depend on climate resilience, sustainability and market-oriented innovation with the help of Artificial Intelligence. AI should be a part of the curriculum. To counter the impacts of climate change on farming, we have to develop climate-resilient crop varieties,’’ he suggested.
K. Balachandra Hebbar, director, ICAR–Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, said innovation in quality planting material, climate-resilient technologies, waste-to-wealth initiatives and value-added products could significantly increase farmers’ income. He also highlighted the importance of affordable technologies. N. Bhavani Sri, secretary, Turmeric Board, stressed the need to promote technology-driven value addition in the turmeric sector. She observed that while India is the world’s largest producer and exporter of turmeric, much of the value addition currently takes place outside the country. She advocated the use of AI, precision agriculture and improved post-harvest technologies to improve quality, ensure export compliance and enhance farmers’ returns. She also called for stronger collaboration among government, research institutions, start-ups and industry to develop innovative solutions to address farm-level challenges.
The BriefWire