With the diversity in its agricultural produce, Rajasthan is set to become a global hub for agro-based industries and value-added products, offering immense investment potential in food processing, cold chains, and spice parks, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has said. This would give a new impetus to job creation, Mr. Sharma said.

Mr. Sharma was addressing an investor meet in Hyderabad on Friday (May 8, 2026) ahead of the Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM)-2026 to be organised in Jaipur later this month. The State government was providing investors with a “favourable ecosystem” through transparent policies, advanced infrastructure, and an environment supporting industrial and agricultural growth, he said.

Representatives of the Rajasthani diaspora in Telangana, including leaders from the Hyderabad chapter of the Rajasthan Foundation, and a large number of startup entrepreneurs and investors, attended the event. GRAM-2026 is scheduled to be held here from May 23 to 25 with an expected participation of 75,000 farmers.

Mr. Sharma praised the “lab to land” model in Hyderabad, which focuses on translating scientific research into practical applications, and said his government was replicating it for dryland agriculture, climate resilience, and rural transformation. “We intend to execute this model with a greater vigour to bridge the gap between farm technology and field implementation,” he said.

The Chief Minister affirmed that Rajasthan was rapidly moving beyond traditional agriculture towards a technology-driven, innovation-led and investment-enabled agricultural economy. He invited investors to explore the opportunities available in agritech, food processing, dairy, digital agriculture, and agricultural infrastructure across the State.

“Rajasthan is establishing a strong identity among the country’s leading States in the fields of agriculture, industry, innovation and investment,” Mr. Sharma said. In an attempt to reduce electricity costs for farmers and increase agricultural production, over 65,000 solar pump sets had been installed and subsidies exceeding ₹1,000 crore given for them, he said.

Memorandums of Understanding worth ₹200 crore were exchanged at the investor meet for the development of food parks, seed processing facilities, and food processing units at various locations. The event also featured one-on-one business meetings and interactions involving investors, industry representatives, and agritech experts.

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Director-General Himanshu Pathak, FICCI National Agriculture Committee’s co-chairman Subroto Gees, Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Joraram Kumawat, and Minister of State for Cooperative Gautam Kumar Dak were among those present at the event.