"Precision agriculture and data-driven technologies such as satellite imagery are key to reducing costs and wastage"

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), has developed the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP), for agricultural and agribusiness industries. AIP offers a nurturing and empowering atmosphere through its network of experienced mentors, investors, and stakeholders. In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Dr Dinesh Kumar Chauhan, the recentlyappointed CEO of ICRISAT's Agribusiness and Innovation Platform, discusses recent advancements in the AIP programme and how it can strengthen the agri-ecosystem. Edited excerpts:

- Nitin Konde

DR DINESH KUMAR CHAUHAN, CEO, Agribusiness and Innovation Platform, ICRISAT

As the new CEO of the Agribusiness & Innovation Platform (AIP) at ICRISAT, what are your plans for this platform in the coming years?

The role of AIP in the broader scheme of things, is to create, leverage, and aggregate programmes and services to promote agribusiness and enhance partnerships through entrepreneurship development, innovation, and value addition for accelerated agricultural growth in the drylands. AIP operates in three modules, namely Agribusiness Incubator (ABI), Innovation and Partnership (INP) and NutriPlus Knowledge (NPK).

ABI supports startups and SMEs to successfully enter markets, by providing technical, research and infrastructural support services and also help scale-up agri-businesses with global connect through soft-landing services.

INP develops collaborative partnerships with public, private, and allied sectors for agribusiness and entrepreneurship development across value chains. The aim is to improve the livelihoods of small-farmers, with special focus on women to help them thrive as independent, self-sufficient and valuable members of their communities.

NPK focuses on value addition, post-harvest management, nutritional study interventions, nutritional and health claim validations along with food safety awareness in the agrifood sector through innovative processing, product/ technology development and capacity development. The Intellectual Property Facilitation Cell (IPFC) provides IP protection, advisory, and technology transfer services for SMEs to enhance their competitiveness.