The “Agri Startup Thiruvizha 3.0”, a conference on agricultural entrepreneurship organised by Sadhguru’s Save Soil movement, was held today at G.T.N. Arts College, Dindigul. The event highlighted the wide-ranging business opportunities in agriculture, from the use of modern technologies in farming to value addition and marketing of agricultural produce.
The event brought together more than 3,000 participants, including farmers, youth, women, and agri and food entrepreneurs. More than 100 agricultural exhibition stalls were also set up at the venue, showcasing modern technologies and value-added products.
Speaking at the conference, Swami Srimukha, Programme Coordinator, Save Soil Movement, said, “Agriculture is largely confined to being a production-oriented activity. As a result, farmers are unable to receive the full profit that they deserve. To change this situation, farmers need to become entrepreneurs by adding value to their produce and selling it.”
The event sought to encourage participants to explore entrepreneurship and create greater value from agriculture. As part of this effort, the “Best Agri Entrepreneur Award” was presented to Kalaichelvi, Founder, Aruvi Eco Ventures, in recognition of her success through value addition and marketing. The “Agri Innovator Awards” were presented to Dr. Rahul Paramasivam, Founder, Kymer Tech; Padmini Sampath, Founder, Green Collar Agritech Solutions; Dr. Selvavinayagam, Founder, Crop Engine; and Gautham Das, Founder, Myco Matrix, for their innovative practices and use of modern technologies in agriculture.
Dr. Ravindran, Vice-Chancellor-in-Charge, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, highlighted the challenges facing agriculture, including declining soil fertility, water scarcity, labour shortages and climate-related risks, and the need for innovative practices, modern technologies and machinery to address them.
“Businesses manufacturing agricultural machinery should grow across all regions, much like cottage industries. Start-ups can be launched to develop precision agriculture tools such as mobile applications that effectively deliver information on climate change to farmers, sensors that measure the depletion of micronutrients in soil due to continuous fertiliser application, and sensors related to irrigation,” he said.
Dr. Ravindran also pointed to the scope for entrepreneurship in value addition and marketing of agricultural produce, particularly in spices, fruits and vegetables, where there is currently limited involvement. He noted that startups could also help address issues such as pesticide residues and create greater opportunities for farmers to access export markets.
Ajayraja, Founder, Agaveli Organics, spoke about the growing demand for healthier food products and the business opportunities in traditional rice varieties and millets. He pointed out that the declining nutritional value of agricultural produce has increased the need for nutrient-rich food options, prompting his venture to produce food products using pesticide-free traditional rice varieties and millets.
“The use of chemical crop varieties and fertilisers has resulted in a 42% decline in nutritional value in agricultural produce. So we started producing food products using pesticide-free traditional rice varieties and millets. Initially, we began giving them to people we knew. Through them, our products spread, and today we have 6,000 customers. There is a strong desire among people to have good-quality snacks and healthy food. This offers a huge business opportunity,” he said.
Sindhuja Vetriselvan, Founder, Perishgo Foods, shared insights on earning a monthly income of ₹3 lakh through the production of foxtail millet chocolate spread. Deepa, Founder, Oormanam Foods, spoke about earning a monthly income of ₹2 lakh through a traditional food business. Dr. Somasundaram, Director, Agri-Business Development Division, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, spoke about market opportunities for organic agricultural products and government incentives.
A special panel discussion titled “To Prevent Disease... Protect the Crop... Know the Quality... Increase the Profit!” was moderated by Vasanthan Selvam, CEO of EDII-Periyakulam Horti-Business Incubation Forum. Agri-innovators Dr. Rahul Paramasivam, Padmini Sampath, Dr. Selvavinayagam, and Gautham Das participated in the discussion.
This was followed by a panel titled “Digital Technology to Grow Your Business at Low Cost... with Confidence!”, moderated by Archana Stalin, Founder of My Harvest Farms. Kamala Kannan, Co-Founder of Zhar Tech and Raji’s Kitchen, and Vivek Paramasivam, Head of Digital Media, Save Soil Movement, shared insights on leveraging digital technology to grow agricultural businesses.