KSUM’s Agritech Hackathon Commences

KASARGOD:
The Agritech Hackathon, jointly organised by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod with the aim of strengthening the country’s rural economies by accelerating their growth rates, started at CPCRI campus here on Saturday.

Central University of Kerala Pro Vice Chancellor Dr Jayaprasad. K inaugurated the programme where KSUM Business Development Manager Ashok Panjikkaran, Business Development Coordinator Syed Sawad and CPCRI Social Science Head Dr K Muraleedharan spoke.Around 80 students from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka attended the event.

Agritech Hackathon will explore the areas of technology that can aid farming in India. This segment will explore subjects such as total technological reliance to measure the growth of a coconut, robot-assisted grafting; a mobile app that will monitor and regulate drip irrigation for different crops; an e-commerce platform that facilitates farmers to sell their products in the international market; and a facility that coordinates collection and disposal of waste.

The Hackathon will be a 30-hour segment during February 29-March 1, where contestants need to develop prototypes for the above-mentioned needs. The prototypes judged the best will get a prize of Rs 50,000 and a clutch of privileges offered by the KSUM and CPCRI.