{
  "id": 1957507,
  "title": "Kerala Agricultural University Agri Business Incubator honours academic achievers, award-winning entrepreneurs and FPOs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/kerala-agricultural-university-agri-business-incubator-honours",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-19T14:49:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kerala-agricultural-university-agri-business-incubator-honours-academic-achievers-award-winning-entrepreneurs-and-fpos/article71365568.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Agri Business Incubator (ABI) of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) recently organised a 'merit day' to honour academic achievers, award-winning entrepreneurs, and farmer producer organisations (FPOs) for their outstanding contributions in the agriculture and food sector. The event was presided over by T. Sajitha Rani, the Vice-Chancellor of KAU, who praised the incubator's role in supporting farmers' transition to value addition, entrepreneurship, and market development. Dr. Sajitha Rani highlighted the incubator's provision of training, technical support, entrepreneurial guidance, incubation, and mentoring, along with facilitating market opportunities for products domestically and internationally. Binoo P. Bonny, Director of Extension at KAU, outlined initiatives aimed at strengthening FPOs, such as the FPO Linkage Programme, which connects FPOs with markets and institutions. K. P. Sudheer, Professor and Head of the ABI, noted that State-level recognitions received by supported enterprises and FPOs attest to the effectiveness of the incubator's interventions. He cited Juz Crush, a fruit and vegetable processing enterprise, as an example of successful value addition, leading to enhanced income opportunities and export to various countries. Another recipient, PALA Santhom Factory FPO, received the State-level award for the best FPO and benefited from ABI's training, capacity-building, and entrepreneurship support. Two rank-holders, Devika K. R. and Nandana P. M., were honoured for their academic excellence in the PG Diploma in Food Industry Management and Quality Control.",
  "summary": "KAU V-C appreciates the significant role played by the Agri Business Incubator in supporting farmers in their transition from agricultural production to value addition, entrepreneurship and market development",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}