About the Programme

INTRODUCTION

AgriTalks India Brazil (Virtual) 2021 aims to strengthen India-Brazil bilateral cooperation in the agriculture sector by facilitating dialogue on cross-border Agri-Tech Innovations. The virtual program will bring together key stakeholders from both countries to discuss current technologies, innovations & bilateral partnership opportunities in the agriculture sector in order to make the sector globally competitive & sustainable.

This virtual knowledge exchange session will bring together key stakeholders of the agriculture & food processing ecosystem from both countries on a common platform to discuss emerging Technologies & Innovations in agriculture, with an aim to develop sustainable & competitive agriculture practices.

BACKGROUND

In 2018, the Brazilian Embassy in New Delhi started an Innovation Diplomacy program- an initiative to promote Agriculture startups for agriculture solutions in India. Under the program, four Brazilian startups participated at the ‘AgriTech Fair 2018’ in Bangalore. The same year, a delegation from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, with leaders of FAMATO (Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of the State of Mato Grosso), Senar (National Rural Learning Service), Aprosoja (Association of Soybean and Corn Producers of The State of Mato Grosso), Brazilian Council of Beans and Pulses, Free Soy Project, and AgriHub went to India to gain insight into Indian Agritech innovation environment.

In 2019, the Embassy’s AgriTech program was expanded and renamed ‘MAITRI-Indo Brazil Agri-tech Cross Border Incubation Program’, organized in partnership with PUSA-Krishi- A special-purpose initiative by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to encourage and support agriculture-focused startups.  Pusa Krishi is working to transform and create a deep impact across the agriculture ecosystem through innovation awareness and adoption.

Under the program, in December 2019, five Brazilian startups viz. TNS Nanotechnology, Decoy Smart Control, 4milk, DigiFarmz, and TauFlow were selected to undergo an incubation program in New Delhi and Hyderabad, India. The program generated unprecedented interest in the Indian agricultural market for Brazilian AgriTech start-up technologies and opened new opportunities for collaborations between Brazilian & Indian AgriTech and corporations.

The program had to be temporarily suspended due to the Covid pandemic in 2020 when five Indian startups were to go to Brazil for an incubation process in partnership with Supera incubators in Piracicaba and tecnoParq in Viçosa. The program will be resumed at the earliest available opportunity.

INDIAN MARKET CONTEXT

India has a very vibrant innovation environment with nearly four thousand startups operating in agriculture and livestock, which have tied up with numerous incubators & working in close synergy with research centers and universities.

Agritech startups & innovations in India are crucial for the country to overcome its barriers of low productivity owing to the prevalence of small & fragmented farm holdings, by developing low cost, scalable, and financially viable technologies.

BILATERAL COOPERATION

Brazil and India have vibrant ​​AgriTech startup & innovation cultures. There is the great potential between both countries to further strengthen their bilateral partnerships in the areas of start-ups, technology transfers, scientific exchanges, bilateral investments, and trade opportunities in the agricultural & food industry.

Brazilian Agriculture Corporation, EMBRAPA has two MoUs in India, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Ministry of Livestock respectively, and is in the process of preparing Work Plans for greater partnership.  India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare sees digital technology as a significant pillar in its vision of doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022. Thus fine-tuning Brazilian AgriTech solutions for India’s low-cost agricultural innovations would not only compliment the Indian Government’s vision but would also open up a very large market for Brazilian Agritechs.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVE

India Brazil Agri Talks intends to expand international dialogue by promoting the strength of Brazilian agriculture, which accounts for approximately 25% of the National GDP, and present new agriculture opportunities based on science, technology, and innovation. The program will highlight how Brazil was able to create a sustainable and competitive model of tropical agriculture in the last four decades, unparalleled in the world and, how in the last five years, it has consolidated a vibrant ecosystem of digital agriculture, with more than twenty hubs distributed throughout the country, and more than two thousand Agritechs.

The program also aims to open a space for international dialogue showcasing innovations, technologies & sustainability to create a food secure world.