Kerala Agriculture Dept to Train Aspiring Entrepreneurs as Part of VAIGA 2023

The State Agriculture Department will host a 'agri hackathon' as part of the sixth edition of the VAIGA agricultural expo, which will be held from February 25 to March 2 at the Putharikandam Maidan in Thiruvananthapuram.

VAIGA, which stands for "Value Addition for Income Generation in Agriculture," is intended to highlight national and international advances in agricultural technology.

Agriculture Minister P Prasad recently launched the DPR clinic project. In 2016, VAIGA, an exhibition programme for agricultural entrepreneurs and industries, was launched. It focuses on current and emerging technological trends in agricultural development, such as product diversification, processing, value addition, and marketing.

It also connects local and national agencies, entrepreneurs, and agri-value addition and processing experts. The exhibition and business-to-business meetings are the highlights of the programme.

Prasad recently stated at the launch of the first DPR clinic that several agri-business projects fail to materialise due to a lack of a proper blueprint. The clinic, according to the minister, will take place every two months.

The hackathon's goal is to find solutions to problems in the agricultural sector, particularly those of a technological and administrative nature. There will be hardware and software categories at the 36-hour event. Competitions will be held in three categories: students in higher education, start-ups, and the general public (farmers and professionals).

The event can be applied for by teams of three to five people. Teams must apply by registering on the portal www.vaigaagrihack.in before February 12. The 30 shortlisted teams will be allowed to attend the agri hackathon at the Vellayani College of Agriculture from February 25 to 27.