Next Year Onwards, ‘Pune Agricultural Innovation Competition’ to Go Statewide; First

 

Next Year Onwards, ‘Pune Agricultural Innovation Competition’ to Go Statewide; First Prize to Be Instituted in the Name of Late Ajit Pawar

— Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Winners of Pune Agricultural Innovation Competition Honoured by the Chief Minister

            Pune, May 17: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that modern research and innovation are essential to make agriculture more sustainable, technology-driven, and productive, and initiatives such as the Agricultural Innovation Competition are providing a new direction to the future of farming. He announced that from next year onwards, the ‘Pune Agricultural Innovation Competition’ will be organised on a statewide scale, and the first prize in the competition will be instituted in the name of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

            He was speaking at the closing and prize distribution ceremony of the second ‘Pune Agricultural Innovation Competition-2026’ organised by the Agriculture Department at the Agricultural College campus.

            Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane, Member of Parliament Medha Kulkarni, MLAs Yogesh Tilekar and Hemant Rasane, Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth Dr. Vilas Kharche, Vice-Chancellor of Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth Dr. Indramani, Agriculture Commissioner Suraj Mandhare, Director General of the Maharashtra Agricultural Education and Research Council Rahul Mahiwal, District Collector Jitendra Dudi, and Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Gajanan Patil were present on the occasion.

            The Chief Minister said that this initiative jointly implemented by the State Government’s Agriculture Department and the district administration is highly commendable and that late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar made a special contribution to it. A total of 1,290 applications were received for this year’s competition, and innovative projects from various sectors attracted widespread attention. Four research projects from last year’s competition have already entered production, while 12 more products are expected to enter the market soon.

            He added that the competition is not merely a platform for ideas, but one that has the potential to convert innovations into actual products capable of transforming farmers’ lives. Eighteen selected innovations from this year’s competition will receive special support and guidance in the next phase, and the government will make efforts to ensure that at least 12 of these projects reach the market.

            The exhibition showcased several useful innovations demonstrating effective use of technology in agriculture. The Chief Minister particularly appreciated concepts such as satellite mapping and soil-testing-based precise land analysis systems, moisture-management mechanisms that optimise irrigation according to farm structure, and technology capable of identifying weeds and crops separately for targeted spraying.

            He further said that artificial intelligence has the potential to reduce production costs and increase productivity, and its accuracy will continue to improve in the future. Technologies such as drones and satellite mapping for preparing accurate reports can also bring greater transparency to crop insurance processes.