Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University Vice-Chancellor J.V. Ramana, SV Agricultural College Associate Dean M.V. Ramana, Regional Agricultural Research Station Associate Director of Research V. Sumathi and Principal Investigator Kadiri Mohan at the launch of seventh cohort of ANGRAU’s PoSHAN Incubator in Tirupati on Monday. | Photo Credit: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

Agri-entrepreneurship holds key to bridging developmental gap in rural areas: SVVU Vice-Chancellor

ANGRAU’s PoSHAN Incubator launches seventh cohort training in Tirupati; J.V. Ramana urges aspiring businessmen to utilise their entrepreneurial prowess to benefit end-user farmers

by · The Hindu

Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU) Vice-Chancellor J.V. Ramana emphasised the importance of entrepreneurship in agriculture and veterinary fields to bridge the developmental gaps in rural areas.

Speaking after inaugurating the training programme for the seventh cohort (batch of startups) initiated by Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU)’s PoSHAN Incubator at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) at Tirupati on Monday, he urged aspiring businessmen to utilise their entrepreneurial prowess to benefit the end-user farmers.

On the evolution of innovation in the agricultural domain, Sri Venkateswara Agricultural College (SVAC) Associate Dean M.V. Ramana traced the ‘Lab to Land’ phrase as having transformed and further extended to ‘Land to Market’, explaining the inclusion of groundbreaking ideas in agri-engineering.

RARS Associate Director of Research V. Sumathi took pride in the impact created by the PoSHAN Incubator, which had funded startups with over ₹6.5 crore to foster growth in agri-based businesses and initiate fresh business ventures.

Principal Investigator Kadiri Mohan and Co-Principal Investigator K. Vishwanath explained that the project underscored ANGRAU’s commitment to advancing agricultural and allied innovation by supporting budding entrepreneurs through funding, training and mentorship.

Eighth cohort

Further, Mr. Ramana released a poster to invite proposals for the eighth cohort of startups with innovative ideas under the PoSHAN Incubator’s training programme.

The three unique funding schemes unveiled to support budding entrepreneurs included ‘YOCH’ (offering idea funding of up to ₹5 lakh to encourage innovative concepts), ‘Agri-Inno’ (funding up to ₹25 lakh for an elaborate agri-based innovation) and ‘Meristems’ (to support student-led startups with funding up to ₹4 lakh).

The last date for submitting applications is December 4. For details, visit the official website https://www.angraurabitpt.org/.

Published - November 04, 2024 07:42 pm IST