Agri Startups fast emerging as lucrative avenue of livelihood, says Dr Jitendra Singh

Addressing the "Natural and Organic Farmers Summit 2025" at Shankarpalli near here, the Minister lauded the efforts of grassroots innovators and farmer-entrepreneurs who are embracing science to scale up agriculture, enhance productivity, and ensure sustainable incomes.

"Agri StartUps are fast emerging as lucrative avenue of livelihood by intelligently blending traditional organic farming practices with cutting-edge scientific technologies," he said during his address.

"Startups in agriculture are not just about farming anymore," Dr. Jitendra Singh said. "They are applying science, using innovations developed by institutions like CSIR, and adopting tools like drones and soil health cards to make farming more productive and cost-effective. With this, they are cultivating more in less time while safeguarding health and the environment," he added.

Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised that organic agriculture, once considered difficult and niche, is now poised to become mainstream--driven by increasing health concerns and awareness about the harmful effects of chemical pesticides.

Highlighting the growing relevance of organic food in the context of rising lifestyle diseases, the Minister said, "Every third person today is either diabetic or has fatty liver. Cancer cases are rising. The possible role of chemically-laden produce cannot be ignored. Organic farming is not just a healthier choice, but a necessary one."

Dr. Jitendra Singh also pointed to the broader impact of agri-startups on employment generation and rural development, citing the success of initiatives like the Purple Revolution and the Aroma Mission. Lavender cultivation, once confined to Jammu and Kashmir, has spread across the country thanks to scientific inputs from CSIR's Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine and IICT Hyderabad.

"You don't need a PhD to be part of this movement. Many successful startups have been founded by those who haven't even completed graduation," he said, adding that agriculture, long neglected in the startup space, is finally getting its due.

The Minister shared how innovations like floriculture--especially tulip cultivation in Himachal Pradesh--are creating new sources of income. "The tulips offered at the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya were grown at our Palampur institute," he said, underlining the symbolic and economic potential of such initiatives.

Singh also spotlighted emerging technologies like the Pheromone Application Device (PAD) being developed by IIT Hyderabad to reduce pesticide usage through eco-friendly pest control methods.

The Minister urged the scientific community and agri-preneurs to participate in the upcoming National Startup Expo in Hyderabad on April 22 and 23. "Let this be a platform to showcase your innovations to the nation. The Government is fully supportive, whether it is financial aid, technical help, or marketing support," he said. He acknowledged the work of the Eklavya Grameen Foundation whose initiatives in organic farming have made it simpler, economical, and more widely adopted in rural India.

The Minister concluded by reinforcing that India's march to become a developed nation by 2047 would be incomplete without uplifting the rural economy and tapping into the vast, underexplored potential of agriculture. "The farmer of today is an agri-entrepreneur. And the field is no longer a place of hardship but a hub of opportunity," he said.