Press Release

EY–ASSOCHAM Knowledge Report Calls for Integrated Agri-Tech Ecosystem to Build Future-Ready Agriculture in India

EY and ASSOCHAM unveiled their joint Knowledge Paper, “The New Agri-Tech Paradigm: From Innovation to Integration for a Future-Ready Agriculture in India”

EY and ASSOCHAM unveiled their joint Knowledge Paper, “The New Agri-Tech Paradigm: From Innovation to Integration for a Future-Ready Agriculture in India” at AgriTech 3.0: Smart Agriculture for Viksit Bharat, outlining a decisive shift India must undertake to unlock scalable and inclusive agri-tech adoption.

The report emphasises that India must move beyond fragmented agri-tech innovation and build a unified national ecosystem. With nearly 86% of small and marginal farmers lacking access to existing technologies, the paper highlights that system-level integration, rather than isolated solutions, is essential for inclusion, measurable outcomes and long-term impact.

A key recommendation is the creation of state-level agri-tech sandboxes as structured innovation environments. These sandboxes would allow governments, startups, ICAR institutions, SAUs and KVKs to jointly test and validate technologies under real-world conditions, replacing the current slow, siloed and inconsistent validation frameworks.

The paper also notes that agricultural data remains fragmented across institutional silos. This limits research, innovation and AI-driven advisory systems. It recommends establishing a national Agricultural Data Commons, grounded in FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. Telangana’s Agricultural Data Exchange (ADeX) developed with the World Economic Forum is presented as a benchmark for secure and standards-based data-sharing infrastructure.

To drive adoption at the last mile, the report calls for context-fit and affordability-aligned business models, particularly for smallholders. It highlights models such as community-led distribution, access-based service models, outcome-linked commercialisation and innovative financing mechanisms to ensure equitable access to technology.

Mr. Manish Singhal Secretary General ASSOCHAM said, Globally the agriculture sector is witnessing a paradigm shift driven by digital transformation, data-centric decision-making and a growing emphasis on sustainability. Nations are increasingly leveraging agri-tech innovations to address challenges of climate change, resource scarcity and food security while ensuring economic inclusivity and environmental resilience.

Mr. Prakash Jayaram, Partner, Technology Consulting, EY, said “Digital Public Infrastructure anchored in the Agri Stack as the potential to transform farmer service delivery at scale. By creating a unified and verifiable data ecosystem that encompasses farmer identity and land records to crop surveys and advisories, the system enables targeted schemes, transparent services and data-driven innovation. Alongside initiatives such as ONDC, Krishi DSS and VISTAAR, the Agri Stack forms a robust digital backbone empowering governments, startups, FPOs and market players to co-create solutions and enhance trust across India’s Agri ecosystem.”

Moderating the session “Tech Smart Agriculture for a Self-Reliant Bharat” Mr. Amit Bajaj, Partner, Business Consulting, EY, noted, “Enhancing public investment in Agri-tech, strengthening institutional and farm-level infrastructure, enabling access to tailored financial models, and incentivizing wide-scale technology adoption will be central to scaling Agri-tech across India. These enablers will shape a future-ready agricultural economy.”

The EY–ASSOCHAM Knowledge Paper reinforces the need for a coordinated, innovation-driven and farmer-centric Agri-tech framework to strengthen productivity, resilience and sustainability in India’s agricultural landscape.