Kerala Agriculture Minister T.Siddique disburse financial assistance to agri startups at Kerala Agricultural University.
Kerala has immense potential to strengthen its presence in the global agricultural market through value addition, scientific processing, quality assurance and branding of agricultural produce, State Agriculture Minister T Siddique has said.He stressed that export-oriented agribusiness ventures are essential for enhancing farmers’ income, creating employment opportunities and improving the global competitiveness of Kerala’s agricultural products.Siddique urged young entrepreneurs to develop innovative products with export potential and assured the State government’s continued support for technology-driven agribusiness enterprises.The Minister was speaking after disbursing the first instalment of financial assistance to selected agri-startups under the PM RKVY-RAFTAAR Scheme at Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) through its Agri Business Incubator (ABI).The Centre has sanctioned a grant of ₹2 crore for 19 selected startups under the scheme. The first instalment of grant assistance was released to 10 eligible startups in the first phase of financial support aimed at promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector.He also launched a one-month Entrepreneurship Development Training Programme for aspiring agripreneurs.KAU Vice-Chancellor T. Sajitha Rani said the university is creating an enabling ecosystem that encourages students to transform innovative ideas and research outcomes into successful enterprises through incubation support, mentoring and financial assistance.K.P. Sudheer, Head of the Agri Business Incubator, highlighted the diversity of innovations emerging from the supported startups. The seed-stage startups have developed products and technologies such as frozen fruit and vegetable cubes, collagen honey peanut butter, a dragon fruit smart care system, a pepper threshing machine and a multipurpose organic waste processing machine.The pre-seed startups are working on innovations including millet-based products, soil pH boosters, leaf nitrogen testing devices, electric brush cutters and bio-encapsulation technology, reflecting the growing strength of Kerala’s agri-startup ecosystem, he said.The one-month Entrepreneurship Development Training Programme is designed to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with practical knowledge in enterprise creation, business planning, value addition, financial management, branding, market access and commercialisation of agricultural technologies. The initiative is expected to nurture a new generation of innovation-driven entrepreneurs capable of building sustainable and globally competitive agribusiness ventures.Published on July 23, 2026
