Overview

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled the programme at the Pune Agri Hackathon, announcing nine horticultural centres nationwide and earmarking facilities in Pune, Nagpur and Solapur.
• Each large nursery will receive Rs3 crore and medium nurseries Rs1.5 crore in funding to produce an estimated eight crore virus-free seedlings annually.
• Technical guidance from Israel alongside Dutch collaboration will underpin the initiative’s advanced plant propagation methods and modern nursery operations.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged adoption of AI, blockchain and machine-learning solutions showcased at the hackathon to boost productivity and tackle rising input costs.
• The state will leverage its Rs120 crore startup Fund of Funds and signed MoUs with commerce bodies to incubate and scale agri-tech innovations from the event.