Karnataka government committed to fostering technology-driven agricultural growth, says Minister

N. Cheluvarayaswamy
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The State government has released ₹14 crore for agricultural start-ups and more new schemes will be implemented in the Budget. This will help increase farmers’ production and add value to their products, said Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Thursday.

He was speaking at the 2025-2026 pre-Budget meeting with agri entrepreneurs organised by the departments of Agriculture and Information Technology and Biotechnology.

Pointing out that it is a promising development that new businesses are adopting the latest technologies in the agricultural sector, the Minister said his department had established agricultural start-ups in 19 districts. While the government has spent ₹808 lakh on the start-ups, ₹678 lakh had been provided through bank loans, he said.

Emphasising the government’s commitment to fostering technology-driven agricultural growth, the Minister said the Agriculture Department aimed to increase entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector by starting new industries with the adoption of innovative technologies. This would also help agriculture graduates, educated youth, and progressive farmers start new industries in agriculture and create jobs in rural areas, he said.

“We are also initiating measures to promote the commercialisation of new innovations and technologies developed in agricultural universities and other institutions. Agricultural innovators should take advantage of this and pass on the benefits to farmers,” the Agriculture Minister said.

Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy, along with Minister for RDPR, Electronics, IT, and BT, Priyank M. Kharge and IT/BT, Science and Technology Secretary Ekroop Caur interacted with leading agriculture-based start-ups from the State during the meeting.

The session focused on understanding the challenges faced by agri-tech start-ups and how innovative solutions from Karnataka’s entrepreneurial ecosystem are transforming the sector. Start-ups highlighted key issues such as market access, funding, regulatory hurdles, digital adoption by farmers, and supply chain inefficiencies.

C-CAMP Agriculture Grand Challenge programme was launched at the session, which helps farmers in making significant contributions to the agricultural landscape by providing them with access to quality inputs, real-time data, and market linkages.