A two-day national symposium on the theme ‘Strategies for promotion of incubatee in Agriculture and Allied Sectors in the Northeastern Region of India’ was inaugurated today ICAR Research Complex Umiam.
The chief guest was Ch Srinivasa Rao, Director of ICAR Hyderabad.
The event is meant to help to provide better awareness among key stakeholders, industries and investors about the agricultural potential of the state, business opportunities available and the scope for investment. It also aims to provide a platform to national organisations in food, agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, agribusiness and rural development for linkages and partnerships and come up with comprehensive policy recommendations.
The guest of honour, AK Mohanty, Director of ATARI Umiam, said that farmers need to have the perspective of a businessman in today’s era. He also said that research should be done in a collaborative manner according to the requirements of industry.
In his address chief guest, Rao said that this two-day meet will help to bring together all the stakeholders covering researchers, incubators, policy makers, agripreneurs, startups, agro-industries, corporate bodies, investors, extension functionaries, students and other partners from around the country to present and share their innovations, views, expertise and experience on agribusiness and agripreneurship.
He further stressed that the young farmers of the present generation should not be job seekers but job providers. He emphasised that now the time has come when we should try to capture international markets. In this regard he firmly believes that it is a big opportunity for the North East, as it is a biodiversity hotspot that has many unique marketable products.
Rao also released a souvenir-cum-book of abstracts and inaugurated an exhibition in which agripreneurs from different states took part.
