The 3 day AP AgTech Summit 2017 held in  Vizag, India came to a close on the evening of November 17, 2017 with Bill Gates addressing the gathering at the valedictory function.

Hosted by the government of Andhra Pradesh, with the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation as knowledge partners, CII as the organising partner and Dalberg Advisors as the content partner, the event brought together global leaders, business heads, founders, policy makers and also technology experts. It saw the participation of many farmer delegates, government officials and others. The event showcased agricultural technologies and support systems ranging from drones to drip irrigation systems and virtual learning technologies, put forth by various participants. With various sessions conducted over the three days, today’s event ended with the valedictory address that saw participation of Bill Gates, Co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation and Shri. Nara Chandrababu Naidu, CM Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing the gathering in AgTech Hackathon – Vizag, Hon’ble Chief Minister lauded Bill Gates as a leader who dedicates himself to large causes and is committed towards social causes. He stated that today was a wonderful day for the state and agricultural community, thanks to this first of its kind event in India. He added that the state is taking the challenges of bifurcation as opportunities and giving focus on technologies for agriculture especially.

Talking about the focus on agricultural innovations, Bill Gates stressed that the future of Andhra Pradesh is dependent on the future of the farmers.

Lauding the bold steps the state is taking to transform the agriculture sector, he said that this would surely lead to sustained double digit economic growth which was much needed. He also added that the need of the hour for the agriculture sector is to shift to be a business model, that is both sustainable and profitable.

The event ended with announcing winners for the #Smartfarming4AP competition that received 250 entries. Kisan Network was announced as the winner, while Infinium Solutionz Pvt. Ltd. were the runners up.