India’s agricultural sector plays a pivotal role on the global stage, with 220 million hectares of cropped land and nearly half of the nation’s workforce employed in agriculture. Between 2023–2024 alone, the country’s agri-exports reached $53 billion, emphasising the importance of food security and economic resilience. Yet, as India strives to modernise and boost productivity, there are clear opportunities for innovative agri-tech solutions.
The UK Agri-Tech Centre recently delivered a high-impact UK–India Agri-Tech Accelerator, designed to deepen collaboration between these two nations at the forefront of agricultural innovation. In collaboration with the UK Government, the accelerator was developed to foster links between UK and India’s agri-tech ecosystems, to support sustainable agriculture, strengthen trade and R&D links, and facilitate the commercialisation of cutting-edge technologies tailored to India’s needs.
The programme identified key areas of opportunity within the agricultural landscape, with a strategic focus on precision technologies to support climate-resilient crop production. Four key themes were prioritised:
- Precision breeding
- Crop surveillance technologies
- Controlled environment agriculture and precision application systems
- Data-driven decision-making tools
Five pioneering UK agri-tech businesses – Mutus-Tech, Green CropTech, AgriSound, LinearWorks, LettUs Grow – were selected to take part in the accelerator, each offering innovative solutions aligned with India’s agricultural priorities.
Dr Jenna Ross OBE, Senior International Business Development Manager at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, said: “The aim of the UK–India Agri-Tech Accelerator programme was to establish a network of agri-technology experts, innovators and end users from the UK and India, to create on-going opportunities for agri-tech exchange and partnership, boosting food security and unlocking growth for UK and India based agri-tech businesses.”
