Pune Agri Hackathon 2025: Union minister Chouhan announces 9 clean plant facilities, state gets 3 worth Rs 300 cr

Indian Express

2 days ago

Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony of India's first Agri Hackathon in Pune on Tuesday, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the launch of 'Clean Plant Programme' to establish nine horticultural facilities across the country. Chouhan revealed that three of these facilities will be located in Maharashtra, for grapes in Pune, oranges in Nagpur, and pomegranates in Solapur, with an investment of Rs 300 crore.
Addressing the gathering that included Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Minister of Higher & Technical Education Chandrakant Patil, State Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, Horticulture Minister Bharat Gogawale, and others, Chouhan highlighted Maharashtra's leadership in agriculture production, particularly in horticulture. 'There have been persistent challenges, such as a lack of healthy horticultural plants in nurseries. One cannot predict the disease beforehand, and later, when the plant grows fully, it is found with multiple diseases. So the Government of India is launching a 'Clean Plant Programme' to provide virus-free, disease-free plants through dedicated nurseries.'
The clean plant initiative will get expert technical guidance from Israel and the Netherlands, while this initiative will complement advanced nurseries, with investments of Rs 3 crore for large nurseries and Rs 1.5 crore for mid-sized nurseries. These nurseries are expected to provide 8 crore disease-free plants.
Chouhan emphasised that PM Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat can only be possible through Viksit Kheti and farmer welfare. 'We have over 16,000 scientists inventing in 113 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) centres, but their research solutions haven't reached the farms yet. We are working on Lab-Land synthesis that will end this disconnect,' he stated.
Devendra Fadnavis thanked Chouhan for launching the 'Clean Plant Initiative' from Pune and praised the allocation of 20 lakh homes through the Rural Development Ministry. 'With Maharashtra being the horticulture basket of the country, this initiative will help grow horticulture exports,' he said.
Fadnavis highlighted the urgent need for technological intervention in agriculture to combat climate change, rising input costs, and declining productivity. Despite agriculture engaging 45 per cent of the state's population, an increasing farm labour shortage poses significant challenges. 'Technological innovation like AI, blockchain, machine learning and others is the only way to address farmers' growing concerns,' he noted.
The hackathon showcased various innovative solutions, including an AI-based chatbot providing scientific solutions to farmers in Marathi, a cotton harvester with AI-led complete crop management, crop protection modules against wild animals, and wireless fertigation systems based on Israeli practices for precise nutrient delivery and water conservation.
Fadnavis announced plans to utilise the state government's Rs 120 crore startup dedicated Fund of Funds along with a similar Central government fund, to provide incubation and financial support for converting participant ideas into scalable start-ups. 'Maharashtra leads in agri startups in the country, and by empowering startups from tier 2, tier 3 cities, we will make them commercially marketable, keeping farmer welfare in mind,' he added.
The Chief Minister also emphasised bringing a crop cover scheme with the central government's support to protect farmers from extreme weather-related crop losses.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that Pune's agricultural foundation was laid by Rajmata Jijau Maasaheb four centuries ago through Bal Shivaji Maharaj. 'Though we see AI-led developments today, the prosperity of drought-prone agriculture and poor farmers started then, which helped Maharashtra grow as a leading state in agri-production,' Pawar said.
Pawar highlighted agriculture's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic when other sectors stagnated. 'Maximum produce in minimum inputs, sustainable income, introducing technology-led farming method is the need today and Pune Agri Hackathon has worked well in these sectors,' he said, encouraging eliminated participants to continue consistent work on innovative solutions.
'The three-day Pune Agri Hackathon, held from June 1 to 3, was part of the five-year agricultural development plan for Pune, featuring cluster-based farming for climate-suitable crops. The initiative aims to empower over 1 lakh farmers who can use technology to increase agricultural production,' said Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi.
'The first-ever agri-hackathon received 551 entries across categories, including AI applications, fertigation, farm mechanisation, water and soil management, post-harvest technology, agri-economics and others. The jury panel selected 140 participants for the exhibition, with first-place winners receiving Rs 25 lakh and runner-up getting Rs 15 lakh. However, 50 per cent of the prize money will be given after analysing on-farm implementation outcomes,' added Dudi.
Several MoUs were signed with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Bombay Chamber of Commerce, Nature Growth and others to provide incubation support to budding entrepreneurs, ensuring the hackathon's ideas translate into practical solutions.