Anant Ambani promotes technology-led farming at Andhra agriculture hub launch

Reliance Industries Executive Director Anant Ambani has called for the proposed Indian School of Agriculture to help farmers become business leaders on their own farms. Ambani made the remarks in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, during the launch of a Global Horticulture Hub and the laying of the foundation stone for the school. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.

Chandrababu Naidu and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the event. He said the ₹40,000-crore horticulture hub would help modernise farming in Rayalaseema. Artificial intelligence, drones, robotics, cloud computing and precision agriculture would be central to the proposed transformation, he said.

Ambani said artificial intelligence could alert farmers to pest attacks and help tomato growers in Madanapalle decide when and where to sell their produce. He also pointed to greenhouse technology as a way to support cultivation throughout the year. He said Jio would work with the Indian School of Agriculture to deliver training programmes digitally in Indian languages to millions of farmers.

Rural young people, he added, could be trained as agricultural extension workers, while Reliance would share its research capabilities. Ambani also said Reliance was exploring a potential ₹1 lakh-crore investment in compressed biogas plants in Andhra Pradesh. He said the investment could create more than three lakh jobs and generate ₹60,000 crore in revenue.

Addressing the chief minister, Ambani asked to be treated as a son of Andhra Pradesh and requested guidance on how he could contribute to the state. The source material did not specify a final investment decision or a timetable for the possible biogas projects. The event combined the launch of the horticulture hub with the foundation-stone ceremony for the agricultural school.

Its stated focus was the use of technology, training and infrastructure to improve farming practices and economic opportunities in the state.