The Business Planning and Development Unit of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has received the Best Agri-Business Incubator award from the Network of Indian Agri-Business Incubators.
The Network at International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) selected the University's unit in recognition of the excellence and contribution in fostering the spirit of agri-entrepreneurship by nurturing agri-business start-ups.
Under the National Agricultural Innovation Project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), 10 Business Planning and Development Units were established in five ICAR research institutes and as many State agricultural universities for promoting entrepreneurship in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, agri-biotech, farm machinery, food processing and other allied sectors.
Out of the 10, TNAU's unit has been selected as the best.
P. Murugesa Boopathi, Vice-Chancellor of TNAU, received the award from N. Raghuveera Reddy, Minister for Revenue, Relief, Rehabilitation, Urban Land Ceiling, Government of Andhra Pradesh, at a function held at ICRISAT recently.
Accepting the award, Mr. Boopathi said the unit was supporting 22 entrepreneurs. It had so far commercialised five technologies.
