Odisha Govt Launches ‘Odisha AgTech Challenge 2022'

The Government of Odisha, with funding from the World Bank and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of UK, has launched the ‘Odisha AgTech Challenge 2022’ at the 3rd Make in Odisha Conclave 2022.

The challenge aims to solve critical issues in key agriculture value chains and increase farmer profitability in Odisha. The challenge was launched under the guidance of Pradeep Kumar Jena, IAS, Agriculture Production Commissioner -cum- Additional Chief Secretary, Arabinda K Padhee, Principal Secretary, DA&FE, Asit Tripathy, IAS (Retd.), Principal Advisor to Chief Minister, Prem Chandra Chaudhary, IAS, Director of Agriculture & Food Production, Sanjeev Kumar Chadha, IFS, Special Secretary, Dept. of Agriculture & Farmers Empowerment, and Rohit Kumar Lenka, IFS, Director of Horticulture, Govt of Odisha. GDi Partners and Intellecap, a global impact advisory firm, is supporting the execution of the challenge.

This Challenge is presently seeking applications from AgTech Enterprises that are working in key agriculture value chains to test or scale their product through a pilot project in the state, as well as providing farmers with access to affordable, modern-age solutions to the challenges they face. Selected AgTech Enterprises will receive financial support through grants to scale-up their operations, as well as outreach, incubation and mentorship support, and on-ground network support to conduct pilots in Odisha.

The Odisha AgTech Challenge is part of the ‘Modernizing Agriculture and Allied Sector’ or MAAS-O programme, where GDi Partners along with the World Bank are leading the creation of a strategy for the State Government to align with the “One Nation, One Market” initiative of the Union Government, for enhancing state capacity, improving coordination among the various departments working for farmers’ welfare and leveraging innovative agriculture technologies to fast-track an increase in farmers’ income.

Speaking at the launch, Arabinda K Padhee, Principal Secretary, DA&FE said, “The Government of Odisha is committed to catalyzing an increase in farmer incomes across the state by partnering with the private sector in Odisha to improve the efficiency of agricultural supply chains, financing facilities and marketing. We are excited to launch the Odisha AgTech Challenge 2022 to promote innovation & technology while improving state-wide agricultural productivity and efficiency”.

The agricultural sector in Odisha engages ~60% of the total workforce and accounts for ~18% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). While there has been a positive trend in farmers’ income in the state, this is a pivotal opportunity to leverage technology to bolster this trend further. The Challenge, led by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE), has partnered with the Department of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (F&ARD), the Odisha Millets Mission and Startup Odisha to further this initiative.

Dr. Oliver Braedt, Practice Manager, Agriculture and Food Global Practice (South Asia) for the World Bank, said, “The Odisha AgTech Challenge addresses a critical challenge of harnessing the innovation and dynamism happening in the digital agriculture space to improve outcomes for farmers in Odisha through supporting selected Enterprises to conduct pilot projects. This Challenge has the potential to demonstrate innovative solutions that can be scaled up across the country.”

The Odisha AgTech Challenge 2022 is seeking applications across 6 themes: Market Linkage Solutions, Satellite-based Services, Crop Advisory, Access to Agriculture Inputs and Fodder, Access to Finance, and Post-Harvest Processing and Storage. AgTech Enterprises with a specific focus on agriculture, especially millets, fisheries, animal husbandry, and horticulture, are welcome to apply.

According to Pravanjan Mohapatra, AVP at Intellecap, “The Odisha AgTech Challenge is a novel way for AgTech Enterprises to test and validate their minimum viable product in a supportive ecosystem, the underlying impact and knowledge of which will be very significant for the agriculture sector in Odisha as well as for the whole country. We are excited to work with the Govt. of Odisha, the World Bank and other key partners in finding Enterprises who will be joining us in this journey to help transform Odisha through their innovative solutions, which in turn will enable farmers, address critical challenges across the value chain, and improve agricultural productivity”.