The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Tamil Nadu to drive sustainable rural development and boost agricultural business innovation by skilling rural youth in agri-entrepreneurship.
The MoU was signed recently between IIT-M and the Tamil Nadu Agri Business and Food Processing Export Corporation (TNAPEx), the apex government body responsible for promoting food processing and agricultural exports in the state.
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
Looking forward to this collaboration, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, emphasised 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.
Dr K Alagusundaram, Managing Director and CEO, 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.