FIRST OF ITS KIND ‘AGHUB’ MODEL IN TS
The Agri
Innovation Hub in Telangana
Vanam Jwala
Narasimha Rao
The Hans
India (29-01-2023)
(The vision of AgHub is to emerge as a world class centre
that promotes innovations and entrepreneurship in Agri-food systems through
mentoring, piloting, and facilitating access to market, research, and
investment. As part of this the incubator has been funded by National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and has been functioning since
October 2020-Editor’s Comment)
Agriculture is a way of life and
tradition that has shaped the culture and economic life of people of Telangana
and continues to be the focal point, to all the strategies for planned
socio-economic development of the Telangana state. The sector had undergone sea
change in the last century responding to everchanging technological
advancements as well as the expansion of the global market. This unorganized sector
was totally neglected due to poor agricultural reforms in the past, that led
Agriculture into a crisis. After formation of Telangana state, the situation
bettered and improved marvelously with Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao
taking special interest.
Until four-five decades ago, when
every village in our country functioned as a Republic in itself, agriculture
was not considered as a mere profitable vocation. It was then more a
profession, a passion, a way of life and a serving mechanism. With majority of
the population dependent directly or indirectly on agriculture, the entire
village economy flourished and thrived on a convenient barter system. Each
village produced mainly for its needs and nobody gave a thought for any surplus
production. Every farmer, big and small, had some sort of a storage mechanism
that included storage of seeds for the next year. There was no concept of
buying seeds. Gradually with the advent of market-based economy, agriculture
produce started moving out of the villages, to the nearby markets. Problems to
farmers to farmers commenced with middlemen, traders and agents entering the
system. This gave rise to commercialization and the producer of an agriculture
product became dependent on outside market even for his needs. After formation
of Telangana under the dynamic leadership of KCR the state government has made
several attempts to bring in a much desirable change in the farm sector.
The pro-farmer and pro-agriculture
schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bhima, Rythu Vedikas, Rythu Bandhu Samithis,
24-hour free power supply, increased irrigation facilities through projects,
and host of other schemes were initiated by KCR government. Area of irrigation
increased multifold as well as huge increase in production. Alternate cropping pattern
further helped the farmer. All this helped farmer to double and triple their
incomes. Thus emerged Telangana Model.
As part of several review meetings on
agriculture connected issues, in one meeting held during third week of August
2015, about 14 months after KCR sworn in as CM, he underscored the importance
of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agriculture University (PJTSAU). He said that the
University should play a vital role in evolving a strategy to bring back the
past glory of agriculture in Telangana by strengthening research activity in
the university. Every bit of land in the state has to be subjected to soil
testing and the details are to be computerized. Different places in Telangana
have to be divided in to particular crop colonies felt CM KCR.
Apart from this, the CM suggested
that, the agricultural university should also undertake extensive research on
mechanization aspects. Students of the university should be given free hand in
doing research. They should be on the move to interact with farmer on go
forward basis. The university should
have a clear idea of soil, technique, crops and others available in each and
every mandal of the state. Probably a control room kind of campaign center
should be set up in each mandal that addresses the problems of the farmers and
giving quick solution to make things easy.
CM KCR further said then that, there
was a time when the university played a crucial role in farming. The kind of
research, training camps and many were widely done in the university. Farmers
and officers were given special training to know about the latest methods in
agriculture. Farmers in batches used to go to Agricultural University to learn
about the advanced methods of farming. But over the period of time, in the
united AP, this practice has been ignored and barely any farmer reached
University to learn the new techniques in agriculture. CM further desired that,
it is also the responsibility of Agriculture University to restore the faith in
farmers and bring back the past glory.
Against
this background and realising the importance of research and innovation in
university and as an important and vital step, aiming at making new frontiers
in the Food and Agribusiness Innovation landscape in Telangana, four years ago,
a first of its kind initiative of Agri Innovation Hub was
conceived by PJTSAU. It has taken an ideal shape now. The vision of AgHub
is to emerge as a world class centre that promotes innovations and
entrepreneurship in Agri-food systems through mentoring, piloting, and facilitating
access to market, research, and investment. As part of this the incubator has
been funded by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and
has been functioning since October 2020.
AgHub is structured in Hub and Spoke model
of the Agri Innovation Centre, where the Innovation Hub is housed in the
PJTSAU campus at Hyderabad and caters to the promotion of innovation and
entrepreneurship among the Agri Tech start-ups and student entrepreneurs. The
initiatives of the Hub among others include, four specially designed programmes
namely: Incubation Program, Agri Tech Innovation Pilots (AIP), Co-Innovation
and Enterprise Acceleration Program (EAP). As part of Incubation Program, start-up entrepreneurs who are venturing with ideas are offered product
development support, customized scientific, business mentoring, advisory on
regulatory issues, go to market assistance and fund-raising assistance.
Agri Tech Innovation Pilots, the first of its kind program, validates the
start-up technology through a soft-landing platform at real farm
situation. Agri Tech start-ups can deploy their solutions on ground and avail
scientific validation. The Co-Innovation, also the first of its kind program,
offers early and growth stage start-ups to collaborate and co-create and
co-develop technology offering jointly between a start-up team and
agricultural scientists. Enterprise
Acceleration Program is a distinct platform for the acceleration of
growth stage enterprises and Small and Medium Enterprises in Agribusiness. Currently
40+ Food and Agri tech start-ups are being nurtured for the benefit of farming
community in Telangana and India.
In accordance
with the National Educational Policy Agri Hub is building student
entrepreneurship for young agricultural graduates in PJTSAU to inculcate the
culture of innovation. This is probably the first ever program in any
agricultural university in India with a three-month curriculum through
‘Design Thinking’ approaches and modules on entrepreneurship and translational
research. Post ‘Design Thinking Program’ the pool of student design thinkers
builds their ideas under the Ideation Platform named ‘Idea Sprout’. Till date 5
Design Thinking Programs, 1500+ Design Thinkers Pool and 400+ Ideas have been
built through student innovator pool.
The
Rural Innovation Spokes across the State, upcoming in Jagtial, Warangal and Tandoor
would cater to the promotion of entrepreneurship and agribusinesses among rural
youth, women, farmers, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Grass roots
Innovators. As a first initiative,
series of awareness programs to promote rural entrepreneurship among rural
youth, women, grassroots innovators, farmers and FPOs in Telangana are
currently being undertaken. Agri Innovation Hub is determined to move
fast to bring a new paradigm shift in Agricultural research, extension, and
education through its wide network and vibrant, converging platform. It seeks
to build a two-way bridge between urban-to-rural and rural-to-urban
entrepreneurial pathways.
On
hearing the great work that is being taken up in PJTSAU, a USA based researcher
and Director Corporate Development at Rain
Oncology, California, Sri Ranga
Yarlagadda during his recent trip to Hyderabad visited the university and had a
‘deep and engaging discussion’ with
CEO, AgHub Vijay Nadiminti. His instant impression was that the vision of AgHub
was inspiring and game changer in the ecosystem. Sri Ranga had a special praise
for the AgHub’s commitment to help the entire ecosystem of start-up
founders, student entrepreneurs, rural entrepreneurs, grass root innovators,
farmers, agribusiness ecosystem through personalized attention and handholding.
He said that having been
exposed to other incubators in Silicon Valley and the USA, he can truly say
that what the Telangana government is building here is truly world-class! He was all praise for CM KCR,
Principal Secretary Agriculture, VC PJTSAU and Chairman, AgHub M Raghu Nandan
Rao, Director, AgHub Dr V Praveen Rao, and MD Agri Hub Dr R Kalpana Sastry.
(Writer
is CPRO to Chief Minister, Telangana).
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