“Considering the significant technological progress that agritech startups have brought to farming in India, it is encouraging to see the Union Budget 2023 be a pro-farmer budget, placing focus on technology’s role in farming. The newly announced ‘Agriculture Accelerator Fund’ will further encourage the rise of agritech startups to find innovative solutions to the farmer challenges, as well as nurture entrepreneurial spirit among rural Indians. We welcome the introduction of the ‘Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture’ as it empowers and democratises the Indian agri ecosystem (startups, businesses, farmers, etc) to work more collaboratively and find farmer-centric solutions together. We are excited about the government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Clean Plant’ Programme which can help boost the production of horticulture crops. The push to set up labs to develop apps using 5G for precision farming and other applications can help bring predictability to farming operations. We are confident that this Union Budget 2023 lends an impetus for a greater adoption of technology & data in Indian farming.” – Shailendra Tiwari, Founder, Fasal