M. Manickam (third left), chairman and managing director, Sakthi Sugars Limited, at a stall after inauguration of Agri Intex 2026 at CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan
Expressing concern over the El Nino phenomena, agricultural experts, while addressing the inaugural session of Agri Intex 2026, advocated for precision farming to minimise requirement of water and other inputs to make farming sustainable. They cautioned that there will be up to 35% shortage in rainfall till March 2027.M. Manickam, chairman and managing director, Sakthi Sugars, Coimbatore; N. Felix, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University; and P. Jayakumar, Registrar (In-Charge) and Director, Directorate of Planning and Monitoring, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), also expressed their views on entrepreneurship, at the inaugural of the five-day event organised by Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) at the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex.Mr. Manickam said Indian farmers were capable of competing globally but faced structural and policy-related challenges. Policy decisions ought to be guided by scientific evidence and economic considerations. A common administrative structure for agriculture and food sectors would ensure greater efficiency in agricultural production and marketing.While senior academicians favoured entrepreneurship for graduating students right after studies, Mr. Manickam opined that startups ought to be managed only after a duration of real-time exposure in industries.Referring to the rise in temperature and climate change, Mr. Felix said integrated farming and zero-water-exchange aquaculture practices offered opportunities to strengthen fisheries development in Tamil Nadu.While fisheries productivity at 6.8 lakh tonnes per annum was the highest in Tamil Nadu, inland fisheries, which was only 2.77 lakh tonnes, has to be scaled up, he said. Tamil Nadu could catch up with Andhra Pradesh, which registered an annual productivity of 47 lakh tonnes. There was a need to switch to recirculation and aquaponics aquaculture to increase yield with lesser water requirement.Mr. Jayakumar said the TNAU was developing and promoting climate-resilient agricultural technologies to help farmers address the challenges posed by increasing temperatures and changing climatic conditions. He called for higher adaptation to automated micro-irrigation with renewable energy. Referring to labour shortage, he stressed on mechanisation as solution for sustaining agriculture, a commitment towards producing pesticide-free food, and cutting down post-harvest losses from the present 30% to 40%.The 24th edition of Agri Intex 2026 features 660 stalls showcasing farm machinery, planting equipment, irrigation technologies and products related to agriculture and allied sectors.CODISSIA president V. Rangaswamy said agricultural machinery, food processing equipment and other technological innovations would enable farmers to step up productivity while cutting costs. Published - July 09, 2026 07:49 pm IST
