CM proposes Agri-Innovation Centre

The Karnataka government has proposed to set up an Agri Innovation Centre in the state in an effort to increase  the contribution of agriculture in the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

Presenting budget for 2018-19 on Friday, chief minister Siddaramaiah said the Agri Innovation Centre will be established in  association with the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP),  a premier biotechnology and agriculture incubation centre under the the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.

The central government's nodal funding agency for the biotech industry, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), last year, decided to house its regional entrepreneurship centre at C-CAMP.

Commenting on the development,  C-CAMP Director  Taslimarif Saiyed said the Agri Innovation Centre mooted by the state government will identify gap areas across the value chain in agriculture.  

"We want scientific and academia to address those gaps by coming up with innovative solution so that the entire cycle of agriculture value chain will be taken care of with more value addition," he said.