Govt. of Karnataka announces support for C-CAMP Agriculture Grand Challenges programme edition 3

New Delhi: The Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society, (KITS), the Department of IT, BT & S&T and the Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Karnataka have announced a partnership with the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) to support the third edition of the C-CAMP Agriculture Grand Challenge programme under the C-CAMP K-Tech Centre for Agri Innovation.

C-CAMP is India’s premier biotechnology research and innovation hub and one of the country’s leading deep tech agri innovation ecosystems.

Need for agri innovation

India is largely an agrarian economy. Agri and allied sectors contribute 18.2% percentage of GDP to Indian economy as of 2024 which is the primary livelihood for about 42.3 per cent of the population representing a significant portion of the national income*. But critical gaps remain.

The GDP contribution has been stagnating in the last decade, farmer suicides are on the rise, climate change has drastically impacted crop productivity and thus farmer income, we lose 30-40% of our fruits and vegetables post-harvest and pest infestations are severe. Cumulatively these factors indicate the immediate need for disruptive agri innovation to transform this sector.

Agri Grand Challenge III

C-CAMP K-tech Agri Centre of Excellence set up in 2019 is an effort in mitigating this. By nurturing cutting-edge agriculture solutions, it aims to usher in India’s next agri revolution through scientific solutions for problems at the grassroots. One of its initiatives is a Grand Challenge call for science-based solutions to address specific problem statements across agri and allied sectors. These problems are selected through thorough deep-dive field immersion programmes and vetted by a national and globally represented expert core committee convened by the CoE.

On Feb 20, Minister of IT, BT & Rural Development, Priyank Kharge; Minister of Agriculture, N. Chaluvarayaswamy; Principal Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT & BT, Govt. of Karnataka, Dr Ekroop Caur, IAS, and Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Karnataka, Dr. Ravishankar J. IAS together launched the Agri Grand Challenge III with problem statements relevant in plastic mulching; pest and disease mitigation in valuable cash crops such as Arecanut and Sandalwood; farm mechanisation for better scalability; detection of contamination and adulteration in perishables for safer food; real-time disease monitoring in aquaculture and poultry; drought-resistant and disease-resistant crop varieties; and precision nutrient and water management for paddy and red gram cultivation.

C-CAMP Director-CEO Dr Taslimarif Saiyed said, “Agri Grand Challenge has established itself as a programme that has year on year identified and supported deep science solutions that address the root causes of gaps in agriculture. We have now broadened the scope of the call to include other allied sectors too such as dairy, poultry, fisheries etc which all contribute to food security and sustainability. With support from Govt. of Karnataka, we will provide investment funding of up to ₹50 lakhs and more importantly, help with field trials through our vast network in agricultural sciences ecosystem.

Agri-startup meet

As a part of the meeting, C-CAMP’s agri-startups presented their pioneering work to the ministers and other policymakers. The discussions spanned a range of transformative solutions, from sustainable farming to bio-fertilisers and alternative proteins, aimed at strengthening Karnataka’s agri and animal husbandry ecosystem.

The startups—Sea6 Energy, String Bio, Capsber Agro, ClimateCrop/Vitacrop, Adis Tech, Loopworm, Ultranutri, Faunatech, Klonec, Satyukt, Kheyti, and Dehaat interacted with the ministers and explored possible collaboration and on ground deployment strategies.

Minister of IT, BT & Rural Development, Priyank Kharge said on Twitter: “We heard solutions focused on boosting agricultural yield, enhancing drought tolerance and climate resilience, improving animal husbandry and advancing soil testing and nutrient monitoring. Startups also showcased precision farming tools that leverage weather data and disease detection, along with AI-driven technologies to improve supply chains and farm production efficiency. Beyond exploring opportunities to pilot these innovations with the government, we also discussed hosting regional agritech summits to connect these startups directly with farmers, enabling quicker adoption of technologies that can make a meaningful difference on the ground.”

Minister of Agriculture, N. Chaluvarayaswamy tweeted that the discussion held in anticipation of the Karnataka State Budget 2025-26, with agri-startup entrepreneurs to explore new policy frameworks, technological advancements, and innovations will help revitalise the agricultural sector. He added that the insights gathered from this discussion will play a crucial role in shaping forward-looking policies for the state’s agricultural ecosystem.