IIT Madras Partners With Tamil Nadu Govt To Boost Agriculture & Food Processing

Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras on Tuesday said it is partnering with the state government to boost Tamil Nadu's agriculture and food processing sector.

The collaboration will focus on sustainable rural development, agri-business innovation, and inclusive economic growth in Tamil Nadu.

"Towards this, IIT Madras signed a strategic MoU recently with Tamil Nadu Agri Business and Food Processing Export Corporation (TNAPEx), which acts as an apex body for the promotion of food processing and agri export," an IIT-Madras press release said.

The MoU was signed at the state secretariat in the presence of Additional Chief Secretary, Atul Anand, government of Tamil Nadu.

Atul Anand reaffirmed the state government's commitment to transforming rural supply chains, reducing post-harvest losses, and increasing farmer incomes through innovation and collaboration.

Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras emphasized the institute's multi-disciplinary strength in solving real-world challenges.

He laid out IIT Madras' plan to improve operational efficiency, marketability, and sustainability in Tamil Nadu's agri-business ecosystem through research, training, technological, and marketing interventions.

K Alagusundaram, Managing Director and CEO of TNAPEx, highlighted the strategic importance of connecting Tamil Nadu's rural micro-enterprises to global markets and leveraging academic collaboration to boost capacity and competitiveness in the food processing sector.

The MoU covers joint efforts in skilling rural youth in agribusiness optimising supply chains and reducing food wastage enhancing market access and export potential improving packaging, branding, and product marketing evaluating government schemes for greater impact.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)