IIT Madras, TN Govt Partner to Strengthen Agri-Food Ecosystem

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (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.

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.

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.

Looking forward to this collaboration, 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.

The MoU covers joint efforts in:

• Skilling rural youth in agribusiness
• Optimising supply chains and reducing food wastage
• Enhancing market access and export potential
• Improving packaging, branding, and product marketing
• Evaluating government schemes for greater impact

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.

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, IIT Madras 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.