Tamil Nadu Agricultural University's Business Planning and Development (BPD) unit has bagged the Best Agri-Business Incubator award this year. The award, given away by the Network of Indian Agri-Business Incubators (NIABI), was in recognition of the BPD unit's overall contribution in fostering and nurturing agri-business ventures (start-ups).
The TNAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr P Murugesa Boopathi, Dr P Sivasubramanian, Director, Agri-Business Development, and Mr R Bhubesh Kumar, Business Manager, BPD Unit, received the award from Mr N Raghuveera Reddy, AP Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation.
After receiving the award, the Vice-Chancellor said the BPD unit at TNAU was currently supporting 22 entrepreneurs, successfully commercialised five technologies such as solar crop drier, banana pseudostem processing technology, herbal insect repellent, etc, and introduced four products. (Ten BPD units have been established in five ICAR research institutes and five State Agricultural Universities across the country to promote entrepreneurship in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, agri-biotech, farm machinery, food processing and other allied sectors).