India must transition from fragmented agricultural innovation to a unified agri-tech ecosystem if it hopes to reach the 86% of farmers still untouched by technology, according to a new ASSOCHAM report released on Tuesday.
The industry body urged the government to create state-level testing platforms and integrated agricultural data frameworks to streamline innovation, validation, and deployment of technologies across the country. “India’s journey toward a future-ready agricultural system will depend on how effectively it integrates technology with inclusion, data with decision-making, and innovation with impact,” the report stated.
Despite the presence of over 90 ICAR institutes, 60 State Agricultural Universities, and 700-plus Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), India lacks a coordinated system to test and validate emerging Agri-technologies. The report noted that this fragmented approach has slowed innovation and limited its reach to smallholder farmers.
ASSOCHAM proposed establishing state-level Agri-tech sandboxes — collaborative testbeds where startups, research institutions, and government agencies can pilot technologies under real-world conditions. Each sandbox would be anchored within state agriculture departments with participation from ICAR, State Agricultural Universities, and NABARD, while a national steering committee co-chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and NITI Aayog would oversee governance and funding.
The report also highlighted the fragmentation of agricultural data, which currently exists in separate silos — research trials with ICAR and SAUs, market data with state marketing boards, and farm-level data with private Agri-tech startups. This, it said, restricts the development of data-driven innovations.
To bridge this gap, ASSOCHAM recommended creating an Agricultural Data Commons based on the FAO’s FAIR principles — making data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. It cited Telangana’s Agricultural Data Exchange (ADeX), developed with the World Economic Forum, as a model for secure and standards-based data sharing.
The report also called for a shift in agri-startup strategies — from product-centric models to context-fit approaches that align with farmer affordability and capability. It suggested differentiated business models: direct-to-farmer retail for low-cost solutions, and community-led or collaborative ownership models for high-cost, complex technologies.
To scale technology adoption sustainably, ASSOCHAM proposed access-based services, outcome-linked commercialization, and innovative financing tools such as credit-linked adoption loans and crop-cycle-based repayments.
The report further urged policymakers to expand blended-finance mechanisms like the AgriSURE Fund, offer tax incentives for agri-tech investment, and strengthen rural infrastructure — including cold chains, storage, and logistics networks.
Additionally, it emphasized digital literacy and AI-enabled advisory training for farmers and Farmer-Producer Organizations (FPOs) to ensure on-ground impact.
“By embracing new frontiers of agri-tech, India can transform its agriculture into a digitally intelligent, sustainable, and inclusive ecosystem — where innovation evolves into integration, and integration drives impact,” the report concluded.