Tap Potential of Rural Sector for Building Social Enterprises: Experts at RIBC 3.0

KASARGOD:
The Third Rural India Business Conclave (RIBC 3.0), a flagship progarmme of Kalpa AgriBusiness Incubator, brought into sharp focus the need to explore the transformative potential of rural India and leverage rural possibilities keeping in view the huge impact of modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence on traditional businesses.

In his keynote address at the December 14-15 conclave held at ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) CEO Anoop P Ambika said the rural sector provides huge potential to build social enterprises for addressing critical challenges in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, education, technology, and rural livelihoods.

It is important to foster rural entrepreneurship, and incubators have a vital role to play in this regard, he added.

Inbasekar K, District Collector, Kasaragod, while inaugurating the conclave, said abundance of plantation crops, presence of national research and academic institutions and motivated entrepreneurs make Kasaragod a hub for rural innovations in line with the vision of Rural India Business Conclave.

He also appreciated the collaboration between ICAR-CPCRI, Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and CUK along with other agencies for conducting an event of high impact on the rural sector.

Dr. George Ninan, Director, ICAR-CIFT mentioned different technologies available with different ICAR institutes suitable for the rural sector that can be accessed through the network of agribusiness incubators.

Dr. B Dayakar Rao, ICAR-IIPR, Hyderabad inaugurated the conference on ‘Role of incubators on fostering rural entrepreneurship.’

An important deliberation of the event, which brought together a diverse array of stakeholders, including innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and industry experts, was an insightful session focused on the impact of AI on traditional businesses. Umer Abdussalam, co-founder, Edapt was the key speaker.

Another highlight of the event was a session highlighting the emergence of Malabar as an ed-tech hub, disrupting formal education in rural areas. Ajas Mohammad Janshar, co-founder, Eduport Academy, and Ramees Ali, co-founder, Interval, led the discussions.

The multiple events of the conclave included conferences, panel discussions, women entrepreneurship development programme, founder development programme, VC boot camp, investor-innovator interface and the rural agri-tech hackathon.

Experts also explored new perspectives on value addition in the food industry, fostering sustainable and innovative practices. Fariq Naushad, former CEO, Greenikk, and Najeeb Bin Haneef, founder-CEO, Zaara Biotech, were the panelists and Sayyid Sawad, co-founder, 1trepreneur, was the moderator.

The growing trend of direct-to-consumer (D2C) models was explored by startup founders, empowering rural producers to reach global markets. The Startup Mission showcased several startups unveiling their latest products and services having immense potential of rural innovation.

Dr. Rajendran, Dean, CUK, and Surya Thankam, Manager, KSUM, offered felicitations. Dr. K. Muralidharan, Principal Scientist, CPCRI welcomed the gathering and Dr. Deepu Krishnan KSUM, proposed a vote of thanks.

The 30-hour rural agritech hackathon was held at CUK. The team Coco-bot from Kozhikode, which presented an improved prototype of robotic palm climber for coconut harvesting, was adjudged the winner and awarded a cash prize of Rs.50,000. The other three teams — MITS Kochi, SCET Thrissur and LBS Kasaragod — were adjudged runners-up.

The prize money was sponsored by NABARD. Sharonvas K S, District Development. Manager, NABARD, handed over the cheque to the winning teams.