PUNE, 7 June 2025: India’s first International Agri Hackathon concluded in Pune with the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Chief Minister Fadnavis emphasized the urgent need for modern technology to tackle challenges posed by climate change in agriculture. He urged the incubation of useful technologies from the hackathon and direct implementation for farmers, believing this could boost agricultural productivity.
Union Minister Chouhan praised the innovation displayed by participants and highlighted Maharashtra’s achievements in horticulture, citing record production of grapes, pomegranates, oranges, chickpeas, and vegetables. He announced the launch of the ‘Clean Plant’ program to ensure disease-free plants, with nine projects nationwide—three in Maharashtra (Pune, Nagpur, Solapur) costing Rs 300 crore. These will be supported by modern nurseries supplying 8 crore disease-free seedlings annually.
The Minister reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India, which depends on prosperous farmers and modern agriculture. To bridge the gap between research and farmers, a ‘Lab to Land’ initiative will see 16,000 scientists working directly with farmers nationwide.
Addressing youth engagement, Chouhan encouraged young people to enter agriculture using their skills and start agri-businesses. He also emphasized developing climate-resilient seed varieties to protect crops.
Chouhan expressed India’s ambition to become a global food bank and encouraged Maharashtra to lead in agricultural exports. The event concluded with awards to startups and innovators in categories such as AI in agriculture, soil and irrigation management, pest control, mechanization, and market linkages.
