IIT Tirupati Offers To Incubate Food Processing Startups
Addressing the gathering, IIT Tirupati director Prof. K.N. Satyanarayana explained that the centre is designed to serve the specific needs of rural entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses in the food sector.
TIRUPATI: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Tirupati on Thursday opened its newly established Common Incubation Centre (CIC) to strengthen entrepreneurship in the food processing sector, particularly in the Chittoor and Tirupati regions. Union Food Processing minister Chirag Paswan inaugurated the centre virtually.
The centre will primarily focus on adding value to regional crops, such as tomatoes, lemon, and mangoes, including processing them into food products, like mango pulp.
Addressing the gathering, IIT Tirupati director Prof. K.N. Satyanarayana explained that the centre is designed to serve the specific needs of rural entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses in the food sector. He said the total cost incurred so far stands on the incubation centre is ₹3.95 crore, with ₹2.75 crore provided by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. ₹1.20 crore from IIT Tirupati’s internal funds.
Prof. Satyanarayana said an additional ₹60 lakh is required to complete the facility and make it fully functional. He sought the government’s continued support to ensure that the centre is fully equipped and accessible to aspiring entrepreneurs. He pointed out that Chittoor and Tirupati districts have high agricultural output, particularly of tomatoes and mangoes. Food processing startups can focus on these raw materials.
Speaking on the occasion, union minister Chirag Paswan underlined that Government of India is committed to building infrastructure and capacity in the food processing sector. The CIC in Tirupati aligns with the national objectives of improving food value chains and supporting self-reliance. He referred to the project as a step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat, which would double farmers’ income.
Srikalahasti MLA Bojjala Venkata Sudheer Reddy said the facility is a significant step forward for both young entrepreneurs and the farming community in the region. He recommended the formation of a government advisory committee to assess how horticulture and food processing could develop in Chittoor and Tirupati districts.
Those who attended the ceremony included Tirupati collector Dr. S. Venkateswar, Food Processing ministry’s joint secretary Devesh Deval and AP Food Processing secretary Chiranjiv Choudhary.
