#AgFE – The KGP Chronicle

Agri Business Incubation Foundation at IIT Kharagpur conducts Start-up EXPO 2024 incubating 115 Start-ups

A total of 115 start-ups are currently being incubated, accelerated and graduated from across the country by the Agri Business Incubation Foundation (ABIF) at IIT Kharagpur. Out of 115, 37 Start-ups successfully participated in the ABIF Start-up EXPO 2024 organized from 24^th – 25^th October, 2024. Shri Partho Saha, CGM OFDD, NABARD, Mumbai attended the EXPO as the Chief Guest in the presence of Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Deputy Director, IIT Kharagpur; Shri P.K Bhardwaj CGM NABARD WBRO; Prof. Madan Kumar Jha, HOD, Agriculture and Food Engineering Department and Shri K.V Iyer, Director ABIF along with other senior professors.

Shri Partho Saha, CGM OFDD, NABARD & Chief Guest of the event in his keynote address, emphasized the critical role that start-ups and entrepreneurs play in creating employment opportunities and driving the economy forward. He emphasized on strengthening the rural SME sector, increasing efficiency of rural value chains and how agri-tech start-ups play a vital role in fulfilling these mandates.

“Just like a successful movie or a symphony is a culmination of various efforts, the Start-up EXPO 2024 is a convergence initiative of IIT Kharagpur and NABARD with participation of investors, FPOs and students envisaged to make it a successful event for the ABIF supported start-ups,” remarked the Guest of Honour Shri P.K Bhardwaj, CGM West Bengal Regional Office, NABARD.

Over two days, ABIF start-ups displayed their products and services to a wide audience comprising of investors, fund managers, professors, farmers, students etc. Product based start-ups displayed their products whereas machinery and service based start-ups were displayed through audio visual. Start-ups participated in Pitch Presentation Competitions in front of an expert panel comprising of investors, professors and fund managers to acquire seed money assistance from ABIF along with expert sessions.

The host and Chief Convener of the EXPO, Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Acting Director, IIT Kharagpur highlighted the activities by IIT Kharagpur to foster entrepreneurship and the start-up ecosystem through convergence among its various incubators like ABIF, AI4ICPS, SATHI, STEP and Research Park.

“What you are doing or what you are going to do will have a great impact in making India the 3rd largest economy in the world, therefore have patience and simply remember that farmers’ prosperity is the utmost priority,” said Mr. K V Iyer, Director ABIF to the participating start-up community.

Notable winners in the graduation stage were Syangbos Living Food and Beverages Pvt Ltd, Rural Rise Agrinery LLP and Tender Buds Tea & Crafts Pvt Ltd who won the seed grant of Rs 5 lakhs. Rudranjali Innovative Agritech Pvt Ltd, Aati Pual Mushroom Pvt Ltd and Rhodotion International Pvt Ltd, were awarded with a seed grant of Rs. 1 lakh each. In the acceleration stage, Bisuddha Enterprises, Savrog Udyog Pvt Ltd, Farm Genesis Technology Pvt Ltd, Shri Charbhuja Jaivik Farm, Aqua Doctor Solutions and PR Linseed Based Products were awarded Rs. 2 lakhs each as seed money. The 1st prize of Rs 2 lakhs for the best stall went to Kaffa Kuwwa Innovations Pvt Ltd with Ramanjali Organics winning the second runner up prize of Rs 1 lakh and Anwesha Jena from Makkai with the third runner up prize of Rs. 50000.

About ABIF:

Agri Business Incubation Foundation (ABIF) is a section-8 company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 at IIT Kharagpur. Funded by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and hosted by Agricultural and Food Engineering (AgFE) Department, IIT Kharagpur, ABIF is mandated to incubate, accelerate and graduate innovative ideas in agriculture, rural development, and allied domain for creating entrepreneurs and start-ups. ABIF is dedicated to execute the graduation of 125 Incubatees over the span of 5 years in Agriculture and allied activities; transfer low cost technologies at AgFE to small and marginal farmers; transfer action oriented climate smart and low cost technologies to rural community; Direct/Indirect employment generation to 1250 rural people and disseminate technologies developed through ABICs to benefit 25,000 farmers. The initiatives by ABIF at IIT Kharagpur manifests its commitment to the service of the nation and is expected to have a lasting positive impact on the start-up ecosystem across the country.

Media Coverage :

Dainik Bhaskar	Prabhat Khabar	Career 360
Fast News	Kolkata Hindi News	Coalfield Mirror
Dainik Jagran	Times of India	Statesman

Times of India The Statesman

Prabhat Khabar Dainik Bhaskar Coalfield Mirror

Inputs by: Mr. Manu Prem, CEO, ABIF, IIT Kharagpur
Email : ceoabif@iitkgp.ac.in

By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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Researchers at IIT Kharagpur use Diffused Reflectance Spectroscopy based Rapid Soil Testing method for Agri-small holder farms

In a recent study by IIT Kharagpur in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute of Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, has developed and validated the efficiency of Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) models for high throughput soil analysis for impact at scale in small-holder systems.

Years of research at the Agricultural and Food Engineering (AgFE) Department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur shows that Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) may be used safely for rapid soil assessment. Conventional soil testing laboratories use wet chemistry-based soil testing methods that are time consuming and can become expensive when a large number of samples to be analysed. On the other hand, spectral reflectance of a soil sample can be rapidly measured in a non-contact mode and the results can be transformed to multiple soil parameters using calibrated spectral algorithms. Once the Diffused Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) algorithms are developed for a region, the algorithms may be used for analyzing soil samples collected from different fields and at different time of sampling. The technology is rapid, non-invasive and involves no chemical use, for estimating multiple soil parameters.

The DRS approach was shown to be effective for estimating 8 out of 17 soil parameters with as high as 80% accuracy. Specifically, the soil test crop response (STCR) ratings estimated through the DRS approach matched the wet chemistry-based STCR ratings to the tune of 43 to 100%. “This is a great opportunity because most nutrient management strategies are based on STCR ratings and these ratings may be safely estimated using the DRS approach in a very rapid manner,” says Professor B. S. Das from IIT Kharagpur. More than 60% of the new samples estimated with more than 70% accuracy indicates a huge opportunity to apply the DRS technique at different spatial and temporal scales. The partnership with ICRISAT has been very productive in developing these innovative methods for rapid soil health assessment, Prof Das further added.

“ICRISAT has been at the forefront of global efforts to advance sensor-based technologies,” says Dr. Jacqueline Hughes, Director General of ICRISAT. “Our recent work with NIRS-based spectroscopy for soil nutrient analysis, along with this pioneering research towards DRS models for soil analysis, ensures our commitment to deliver rapid and cost-effective alternatives to resource-poor agriculture systems.”

This is a step forward in making soil testing a feasibility through remote sensing. As the IEEE Standards Association embarks on standardizing soil spectroscopy as a standard method of soil testing (P4005 – Standards and protocols for soil spectroscopy), the efforts at IIT Kharagpur is a step forward in making soil testing through reflectance spectroscopy a reality. Developing methods for rapid soil testing for the benefit of millions of smallholder farmers of our country resonates well with IIT Kharagpur’s long commitment for low cost soil analysis for improved agricultural practices.

Media Coverage:

PTI	UNI	Statesman
News 18 (Bengali)	The Week	Agrospectrum India
The Bengal Post	GNE Bangla	MSN.com

ETV Bharat

By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us on: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp; Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
For news visit: https://kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in/

IIT Kharagpur inked a MoU with Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth in Digital Farming Solutions

IIT Kharagpur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani, Maharashtra on 03 May 2022 under the World Bank and ICAR sponsored project named “NAHEP-CAAST-DFSRDA” in the presence of Dr. Ashoke Dhawan, Vice Chancellor, VNMKV. The National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) – Centre of Excellence for Digital Farming Solutions enhances productivity by Agri – Bots, Agri – Drones and Agri – AGVs.

This institutional collaboration in various spheres of education will enable the students to acquire industry relevant education, training and skills. Both the institutions will indulge in the scope of cooperation in the field of curriculum development, student-intern programs, consultancy projects, faculty exchange programs, knowledge sharing, student mentoring, pilot and proof of concept programs. Further this association also aims at enhancing the technological, social and cultural relations through faculty and student exchange programmes, joint research projects, coordinated graduate degree programme and joint academic activities and events. Dr. Gopal U. Shinde, Principal Investigator, NAHEP-CAAST-DFSRDA, VNMKV, Parbhani will be the coordinator from VNMKV. This cooperation also aims at enhancing the technological, social and cultural relations of both the institutions.

Prof V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “Agriculture is the mainstay of the Indian economy contributing about 18% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Rural India is now drastically moving towards digitization and technology. Today India has the potential economic value of $50-65 billion through digital agriculture by 2025, translating to 23% addition to the current value of agricultural produce. There are many pro-farmers apps that are helping the farmers with this transition of modernization. It’s time that we focus on Digital Agriculture with E-Utptadana.”

Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV) is one of four Agricultural Universities in the State of Maharashtra established in May 18, 1972 to fulfill the regional aspirations of agrarian growth. It is entrusted with the responsibilities to provide education in agriculture, allied fields, humanities with research base to improve the productivity of important agri-horticulture, livestock, fisheries and agri-allied activities to undertake research and facilitate technology transfer in Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

Dr. Ashoke Dhawan, Vice Chancellor, VNMKV stated, “I am looking forward to this association with IIT Kharagpur where we can contribute effectively in creating Digital Farming Solutions.”

The NAHEP supports the Country Partnership Strategy and addresses the three engagement areas of integration, transformation and inclusion. These engagement areas foresee increased agricultural productivity and support quality improvements of higher education to create a more skilled workforce that continuously improves the productivity of key sectors, including agriculture. The proposed project is a Multi-Global Practice Collaboration between Agriculture and Education to support activities and results directly related to cross-cutting strategic areas of climate change, jobs and gender. The proposed NAHEP would contribute to the achievement of four Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; equal access to affordable vocational training; greater gender and wealth equity through universal access to quality higher education; support financial interventions that increase the supply of qualified technicians and teachers; promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth & employment; seeking higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgradation and innovation.

Content Writer:- Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007