S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras is partnering with the State Government to boost Tamil Nadu’s agriculture and food processing sector.
The collaboration will focus on sustainable rural development, agri-business innovation, and inclusive economic growth in Tamil Nadu.
IIT Madras and TNAPEx MoU
Towards this, IIT Madras signed a Strategic MoU recently with Tamil Nadu Agri Business and Food Processing Export Corporation (TNAPEx), which acts as an apex body for the promotion of Food Processing and Agri Export.
The signing took place at the TN Secretariat in the presence of Dr. Atul Anand, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, say sources from IIT Madras.
Expertise of IIT Madras
Welcoming the expertise brought in by IIT Madras, Dr. Atul Anand, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to transforming rural supply chains, reducing post-harvest losses, and increasing farmer incomes through innovation and collaboration.
Director of IIT Madras
Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, emphasized 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.
Joint effort
The MoU covers joint efforts in:
Ø Skilling rural youth in agribusiness
Ø Optimising supply chains and reducing food wastage
Ø Enhancing market access and export potential
Ø Improving packaging, branding, and product marketing
Ø Evaluating government schemes for greater impact
Strategic importance
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.
Faculty of IIT Madaras
Other IIT Madras Faculty present on the occasion include Prof. Manu Santhanam, Dean (IC&SR) and Dr. Saji Mathew, Head, Department of Management Studies.
Prof. Arshinder Kaur, along with Prof. G. Arun Kumar and Prof. Vaibhav Chawla from the Department of Management Studies, IITM will lead the research, training, and consulting efforts in collaboration with TNAPEx for the food processing and agri-based MSMEs in Tamil Nadu.
Prof. V. Palanimuthu, Director, National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management – Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T), Dr. N. Felix, Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU) and Dr. K. N. Selvakumar, Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) were also present.
About IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’
The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 18 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres.
The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations.
IITM is a residential institute with more than 650 faculty and 10,000 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here.
IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.
Recognized as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) in 2019, IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’ Category for the sixth consecutive year in India Ranking 2024 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.
The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the ‘Engineering Institutions’ category in the same Rankings for nine consecutive years – from 2016 to 2024.
In 2023, IIT Madras became the first IIT to establish an international Campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania called ‘IIT Madras Zanzibar.
The departments and centres of the Institute are responsible for the academic activities which include Teaching, Research and Industrial Consultancy.
The Institute strongly believes that talent and good ideas can come from anywhere and has a remarkably diverse community, drawing students from across all Indian states and from various countries.
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