Extension Education Institute (EEI), Hyderabad organized an online on campus training program titled ECHO - Start-ups and Agri Business enterprises in Agri and allied sectors from 06th – 10th January, 2025.

According to Census (2011), more than 50% of India’s total workforce is engaged in agriculture and allied sector activities and the sector itself accounts for 18.8% (First Advance Estimates) of country's Gross Value Added (GVA) for the year 2023-24 (at current prices). India holds the record for second-largest agricultural land in the world, with around 60% rural Indian households making their living from agriculture. Startups bring new ideas and innovations to the market place. They can help to solve problems and meet needs that traditional business has not been able to address. In addition, startups often create jobs. They develop products and/or services to improve efficiency at various stages of the value chain in terms of infrastructure (storage & warehousing), farm automation (digital farming, advisory services), precision agriculture, input delivery and advisory, market linkages, agrifinance and insurance, agri-biotech etc., In recent years, there has been a surge of agritech startups, which are being termed as the “ray of hope” in Indian agriculture. Additionally, it is becoming more and more evident that agritech startups can provide relevant and innovative solutions to the challenges faced across the agricultural value chain. Countries like Israel, China and US can be taken for understanding the transformational impact using technology can have on revolutionising agricultural practices and subsequently, the lives of people associated with the agricultural industry. The use of AI, IoT, Big Data Analytics, drones for farm mapping, ICT applications, technology for weather forecasting, amongst numerous other technological applications prove to show the potential Indian agritech startups in transforming the country’s agriculture industry. In view of the above, the Extension Education Institute (EEI), Hyderabad organized an online on campus training program titled "ECHO - Start-ups and Agri Business enterprises in Agri and allied sectors" from 06th – 10th January, 2025. Contents covered in the programme were - Agri Startup Eco System Analysis – An Overview, Waste to wealth start-up: Sharing of experience, Paradigm Shift of Extension from ToT to Startups, Startups in agri business: Sharing of experience, Start-ups – a reliable platform to unleash the creativity in Agri and Allied sectors, Business opportunities & business plan preparation for the beginners of start-ups in agri and allied sectors, Sustaining the start up culture in Agri and allied sectors, Promotion of Agro Innovations through Incubators, Government Initiatives and Schemes for Promotion of Agri Incubators, Institutional support to start-ups and unicorns, Diffusion of innovation and technology commercialization, Promotion of livelihood opportunities through Rural agripreneurship, Gender mainstreaming for gender budgeting in Agri and allied sectors, Case presentations by the participants. Dr. M. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Director, EEI graced the inaugural session and mentioned that Agri-business startups in India work in various areas of agriculture and allied sectors, such as animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, and organic farming. They use data analytics, emerging technologies, and sustainable practices to address challenges in traditional farming. The agricultural sector, including crops, livestock, and fisheries, has witnessed several startups, commonly named “agri-startups”. These agri-startups are further classified based on their focus like agri-tech, animal husbandry, dairy farming, fisheries, food processing, organic agriculture, etc. Agri. startups and agribusiness enterprises are important because they can help increase productivity, improve market access, and promote sustainability. Hence informed all the trainees to attend all the sessions thoroughly as the sessions were well planned with the eminent speakers. During the valediction Dr.M.Jagan Mohan Reddy, Director, EEI expressed that Startups can help farmers increase yields by using data analysis and sensors to optimize resource use, can also connect farmers directly with consumers, retailers, and processors, which can help farmers get better prices. And also indicated that Startups can provide training and market linkages to women farmers, which can help promote their participation in the sector and help solve problems in agriculture, which can help increase a country's economic growth. In this regard he asked the trainees to apply the learnings of the training in their concerned state for the holistic empowerment of farming community. Participants were very much impressed with the content and conduct of the training programme. they expressed their satisfaction towards all the sessions of the training especially they were very much impressed with the sessions like Waste to wealth start-up: Sharing of experience, Promotion of livelihood opportunities through Rural agripreneurship, Institutional support and Government schemes for Agri startups and unicorns, and Business opportunities & business plan preparation for the beginners of start-ups in agri and allied sectors etc. A total of twenty (20) trainees participated from the departments of Agriculture marketing and business management, Agriculture and Animal husbandry sectors representing Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states. The program was coordinated by Dr. D. Shireesha, Asst. Professor, EEI, Hyderabad.