On 03rd September 2024, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Hon’ble Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, launched the AgriSURE Fund in C Subramaniam Hall, New Auditorium, NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi. The event was attended by Shri Bhagirath Choudhary and Shri Ram Nath Thakur, Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, along with Shri Shaji K. V., Chairman of NABARD. Key participants also included officials from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (DA&FW), NABARD, NABVENTURES, Incubation Centres, start-ups, fund managers, banks, financial institutions, and industry experts.

Shri Shaji K.V., Chairman, delivered a keynote address stressing the importance of digitalization in transforming the agricultural value chain. He pointed out that technology & innovations are vital for enhancing agriculture productivity which is currently almost half of the global average. He emphasized that supporting farmers with effective solutions goes beyond providing merely credit; it involves fostering collaborative innovations between public and private sectors. AgriSURE aims to support early-stage innovators in developing sustainable and impactful technological solutions for the agricultural community.

In his address, Hon’ble Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan highlighted the government’s commitment to empowering farmers and boosting agricultural productivity. He underscored the pivotal role of technology and innovation in driving the growth of agriculture. He emphasized that agriculture forms the backbone of the nation, with farmers being integral to its success and the dream of Viksit Bharat can be realised only if the agriculture is developed. Shri Chouhan encouraged start-ups to leverage the AgriSURE Fund and assured that there would be no financial constraints for agri-tech enterprises, which are crucial for growth of Indian Agriculture.

The event also featured the AgriSURE Greenathon Awards, celebrating the most innovative agri-tech Ideas. The AgriSURE Greenathon which was launched on 12th July 2024, saw more than 3200 registrations and final submission of more than 500 prototypes/ideas. After a rigorous screening & selection, the final top 10 teams participated in the grand finale of AgriSURE Greenathon which was held in forenoon. Greensapio, Krushikanti, and Ambronics emerged as the top three winners from a pool of top ten finalists, sharing a prize fund of ?6 lakhs. The Greenathon offered a platform for Agri Startups to showcase their solutions to a broad network of stakeholders.

There were 20 stalls in the event out of which 10 stalls were put up by NABARD supported startups for exhibition of their products. On this occasion, DA&FW, GoI launched the Krishi Nivesh Portal also and felicitated the best performer under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund scheme during 2022-23 & 2023-24.

The event concluded with a ‘Vote of Thanks’ delivered by Joint Director, DA&FW.