Source: AIBC
“Agriculture is an important pillar of the Australian and Indian economies with shared opportunities and challenges. Bilateral cooperation in Agriculture and water resources management were included in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) agreements between Australia and India following the virtual meeting of the Prime Ministers of Australia and India held in June this year.
The good news is the Agribusiness sector continues to emerge as a growth sector in both Australia and India in 2021 and beyond despite the Covid 19 impact in both countries. Innovation, Agri Research, and technological advancements in Biosecurity, Food processing, storage, and supply chain logistics are enabling and will result in greater collaborations in business-to-business engagements between the two countries.
Keeping this in view, on 26 November 2020, the Agribusiness Chapter of Australia India Business Council (AIBC) organized a high profile webinar on “Shaping the Future of Agribusiness through Innovation” with eminent speakers from Australia and India including Mr. Richard Katter – Ernst & Young – Agribusiness Lead Oceania, Dr. K.S. Subramanian – Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) (India) – Professor, Dr S.D Sivakumar – Agribusiness Tamil Nadu Agricultural University – Director, Dr Peter Cull – ICT International Pty Ltd – Director, Mr Constantine Tsounis – SwitcH2 Engineering – Co-Founder, Mr Khusal Plepalle and Bijil Subhash of SwitcH2, Mr. Sachin Zagade -Margadarshak Centre for Agribusiness Development (MCABD) (India) – Managing Director & CEO.
Mr. Jim Varghese AM – AIBC National Chair in his opening remarks stated that “growth in agriculture is contributing to bilateral trade. AIBC has organized the webinar to showcase the innovative research and development happening in many segments of Agriculture in both Australia and India.”
Mr. Con Livissianis – AIBC Agribusiness Chapter Chair welcomes the panel of distinguished keynote speakers and presenting an overview of the webinar said “Enormous opportunities exist for Australian agribusinesses engaging with India. Technological developments, research and innovation are key drivers to such opportunities and collaborations in the years to come.”
Mr. Richard Katter – Ernst & Young – Agribusiness Lead Oceania spoke on Sustainable Agriculture and Better Decision Making and stated “Climatic change, market change, and consumer change are having a huge impact in Agribusiness both in Australia and India. There is a relationship between environmental sustainability and long-term economic sustainability. I recommend further research by students in this area. A lot of opportunities exist for collaboration in Agritech and Research.”
Dr. K.S. Subramanian – Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) (India) – Professor, presented Research Accomplishments and activities of the University including crop management techniques, high-density planting, innovative pest management, farm mechanization, and application of nanotechnology in Agriculture. Dr. Subramaniam elaborated on a number of collaborative opportunities with Australian Institutions.
Dr. S.D. Sivakumar – Tamil Nadu Agricultural University – Director Agribusiness elaborated the Agribusiness activities and programs including innovation through incubators, new product developments, Hybrid technologies as well as commercialization of such technologies for export markets.
Dr. Peter Cull – ICT International Pty Ltd – Director presented an overview of Plant, Soil & Environmental Monitoring Solutions & Agribusiness Supply Chains. Dr. Cull elaborated on the “power” of the Internet of Things (IoT) in Agriculture and the huge opportunities in the IoT.
Mr. Constantine Tsounis – switcH2 Engineering – Co-Founder, along with his team members Mr. Khusal Plepalle and Mr. Bijil Subhash presented on the Switch2 Engineering – Start-up converting wastewater to hydrogen and its application in agriculture. Mr. Tsounis highlighted the value proposition of wastewater in Agriculture.
Sachin Zagade – Margadarshak Centre for Agribusiness Development (MCABD) (India) – Managing Director & CEO presented on how the center supports the young entrepreneurs in Agribusiness Development and opportunities of B2B development.
There was a brief Q&A Interactive session with queries moderated by Mr. Jim Varghese AM.
Vish Viswanathan – Make in India Chapter Chair, presented a Vote of Thanks to all keynote speakers. He also acknowledged and thanked the sponsorship and support of Ernst & Young for this important webinar.
Mr. Jim Varghese AM – AIBC National Chair, concluded the successful Agribusiness event with each speaker quoting the three key words as takeaways to progress on bilateral Agri trade.
AIBC will continue to work with the Australian and Indian Industries to provide platforms to promote agricultural services, consulting, and technologies.
The AIBC is a not-for-profit organization facilitating and linking businesses, exporters, and investors in Australia and India.”