Cisco along with govt launches competition to attract Agri-tech startups

IT firm Cisco India announced a challenge with a sponsorship money of Rs. 2 crore (US$ 271.88 thousand) on Friday to recognise Agri-tech start-ups with innovative ideas.

It said in a statement, the 'Cisco Agri Challenge' is co-hosted by Mr. K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, while the 'The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation' is conceptualised and operated by NGOs.

The competition will run over 12 months in phases, with a prize fund of Rs. 2 crore (US$ 271.88 thousand). This sum assists stakeholders in designing, testing, and scaling solutions to help mitigate the challenge faced by low-income and lower profits farmers in India.

Such multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder cooperation will play a catalytic role in the implementation of agricultural science and technology initiatives, thereby improving the productivity of farmers and doubling the income of farmers.

Mr. Harish Krishnan, Managing Director (Public Relations and Strategic Engagements) of Cisco India and SAARC, said the organisation aims to drive digital transformation through the 'Cisco Agri Challenge' platform in the agriculture sector.

Not only are we incubating Agri-tech start-ups, but we put together a broad ecosystem of investors, domain experts, and government stakeholders to push action and bring scalable solutions to the market that can increase the income of farmers and enhance decision-making,

Cisco stated that it will have a policy network, allowing access for pilots to administrative units and communities.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.