Over 3000 Agritech Startups Revolutionizing Indian Agriculture: Kailash Chaudhary

New Delhi, Dec 22 (KNN) Mr Kailash Chaudhary, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare highlighted the burgeoning role of agritech startups in revolutionising Indian agriculture.

Addressing the National Smart Irrigation Summit 2023, organised by FICCI and the Irrigation Association of India, the minister said, currently, over 3000 startups are engaged in introducing innovative technologies and adopting new methodologies to enhance agricultural productivity. 

He expressed the need for collective action, urging every stakeholder in the agricultural ecosystem to join hands in tackling water scarcity issues. 

The Minister emphasised, the PMKSY aims to enhance water use efficiency at the farm level, has covered about 1.5 crore hectares of farmland since its inception in 2005. This substantial increase in coverage reflects the Government's commitment to sustainable agriculture and efficient water management. The minister underscored that 75 lakh hectares brought under micro-irrigation since 2016 alone.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Franklin L. Khobung, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, emphasized that 86% of India's water is used for agriculture; 50% of 140 million hectares of irrigated land consumes most water, underscoring an urgent need for efficient water management.

He pointed out that micro-irrigation can cover an additional 69 million hectares in India. Emphasising the importance of industry collaboration, he noted that micro-irrigation is an industry-driven scheme, reliant on the support and innovation of the private sector. 

Mr Kaushal Jaiswal, Co-Chairman, FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Sr. Vice President, Irrigation Association of India & MD, Rivulis Irrigation India, highlighted the challenge of water management in agriculture, comparing India's water usage with China's. He noted that India uses approximately 560 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water to produce 320 million tons of food grains, significantly higher than China, which uses 385 BCM and produces 571 million tons of food grains.  

Jaiswal emphasized India's drastic per capita water decline, from 5,000 cubic meters at independence to 1,500 today, stressing challenges of population growth, groundwater dependence, and advocating transformative solutions for sustainable farming.

(KNN Bureau)