86 % Indian Farmers Beyond Agri-Tech solutions; Need State-level Sandboxes: ASSOCHAM Report

New Delhi, Nov 12 (KNN) Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) released a report stating that India must shift from fragmented agricultural innovation to a more coordinated, system-driven approach through state-level testing platforms and unified data frameworks.

The report highlighted that 86 per cent of Indian farmers remain beyond the reach of agri-tech solutions, calling the need to redesign how technologies are validated, commercialised, and delivered to smallholders.

“India’s journey toward a future-ready agricultural system will depend on how effectively it integrates technology with inclusion, data with decision-making, and innovation with impact,” the report stated, reported PTI.

ASSOCHAM recommended setting up state-level agri-tech sandboxes as joint platforms involving agriculture departments, research institutions, rural development banks, and private partners to test new technologies under real-world conditions. 

A national steering committee, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and NITI Aayog, would oversee their coordination and implementation.

The report noted that even with India’s wide network of 90 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, 60 agricultural universities, and over 700 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), the process of validating new agricultural technologies remains slow and fragmented.

To address this, it called for a national Agricultural Data Commons built on FAO’s FAIR principles i.e. findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable, to unify research, market, and farm-level data. 

The report also urged agri-startups to adopt scalable, farmer-centric business models such as access-based services, community-led distribution, and credit-linked financing. 

Policy focus, it said, should extend to blended finance, tax incentives for agri-tech, and stronger rural logistics and storage infrastructure.

ASSOCHAM emphasised the need to upskill farmers and FPOs in digital tools to translate innovation into adoption.

The report concluded that institutional coordination and data integration will be critical to expanding agri-tech access across India’s smallholder ecosystem.

(KNN Bureau)