The UK and India share a long‑standing commitment to agricultural innovation. In 2025, this partnership took a major leap forward through the UK–India Agri‑Tech Accelerator Programme, designed to strengthen bilateral collaboration, drive sustainable agriculture and support cutting‑edge innovators. This involved the establishment of a collaborative partnership between the UK Agri-Tech Centre and the UK Government, including the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Business and Trade and the UK Science and Technology Network, to deliver the UK–India Agri-Tech Accelerator programme.
Through an open call, five innovative UK businesses travelled to India and explore collaboration opportunities across four key technology areas:
- Precision breeding
- Crop surveillance technologies
- Precision applications or controlled growth systems
- Information and decision management tools
Driving innovation for food security
India represents a significant opportunity for agricultural innovation and collaboration. With 220 million hectares of cropped land and agricultural exports worth $53 billion in 2023–24, India stands as one of the world’s most influential agricultural markets. However, persistent productivity challenges create a strong demand for cutting-edge agri-tech solutions and international partnerships to unlock its full potential.
The UK-India Agri-Tech Accelerator Programme aimed to connect UK agri-tech innovators with India’s rapidly evolving agricultural ecosystem to address shared challenges in food security, sustainability and climate resilience.
Building high-impact partnerships across India
Five pioneering UK companies — MUTUS, Linearworks, Green CropTech, AgriSound, and LettUs Grow — were selected to participate in an intensive week-long mission across Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Throughout the visit, the delegation engaged with:
- Leading research institutes
- Investors
- Start-ups
- Policymakers
Field visits and targeted workshops helped identify key challenges and explore future collaboration opportunities from R&D and demonstrator sites to manufacturing.
Key site visits included:
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)
- Agri Innovation Centre, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (UASB)
These interactions enabled participants to gather crucial insights and build meaningful relationships with Indian stakeholders.
Lasting impact
The accelerator delivered measurable impact for each of the participants and in strengthening UK-India relationships, including:
- Three innovation workshops engaging key stakeholders
- Pilot collaborations initiated for technology testing and market entry
- NDAs signed post-visit to advance partnerships
- Coverage in Indian Media featuring the visit’s visibility and impact
Participants also reported gaining valuable insights into the Indian market and established ongoing dialogues with Indian incubators and investors.
Participant reflections
Feedback from delegates confirmed the programme’s success, praising the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s coordination and the cross-government collaboration.
Charles Guy, Co-Founder and CEO of LettUsGrow: “The trade mission to India proved to be highly valuable, yielding several positive outcomes for LettUs Grow. Productive off-site visits to existing key customers, including a multinational seed-breeding company, allowed for valuable insights into their specific needs and challenges that I wouldn’t be able to gain without a UK Government sponsored in-person visit.”
Dr Navneeta Katyan, Co-Founder of Green Crop Tech: “The UK-India Agri-Tech Accelerator Programme has enabled us to explore collaborative opportunities, validate our product-market fit in India and make strategic adjustments to our business plan to support a ‘soft landing’ in the Indian market.”
Looking ahead
The UK Agri-Tech Centre will continue to support the connections fostered through this programme and explore future opportunities for UK agriculture businesses internationally, through market access and policy alignment.
Read the full mission report: https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=21920
