India’s agricultural college should help farmers become CEOs of their own farmland, says Anant Ambani

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, HRD Minister Nara Lokesh and Reliance Industries Managing Director Anant Ambani at the launch of the Global Horticulture Hub and foundation stone laying for the Indian College of Agriculture at Madanapalle in Annamayya district on Friday. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Reliance Industries CEO Anant Ambani on Friday emphasized the importance of a technology-driven transformation of Indian agriculture.

“Indian College of Agriculture (ISA) should help farmers become CEOs of their own farmland,” said Mr. Anant Ambani.

Sharing the dais with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Mr Anant Ambani said the ₹40,000 crore hub would modernize Rayalaseema’s agriculture after laying the foundation stone for ISA and unveiling the Global Horticulture Hub project here. “The buzzwords will be artificial intelligence, drones, robotics, cloud computing and precision agriculture,” he said.

“Son of Andhra”

A plea from the heart of Andhra Pradesh. 🙏

At the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Indian College of Agriculture at Madanapalle, Shri Anant Ambani, Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited, requests Hon’ble CM Shri Chandrababu Naidu not to see him as a… pic.twitter.com/0gYXqkBLOD

— Reliance Industries Limited (@RIL_Updates) October 2, 2026

“AI could alert farmers to pest attacks and help tomato farmers in Madanapalla decide when and where to sell produce, while greenhouse technology could enable year-round cultivation,” he said.

Mr. Anant Ambani said that Jio will work with ISA to digitize training programs for millions of farmers in Indian languages, with rural youth being trained as agricultural support workers. Reliance would also share its research capabilities, he added.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Reliance Industries Managing Director Anant Ambani at the laying of the stone for the Indian College of Agriculture at Madanapalle in Annamayya district on Friday. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

He said Reliance was exploring an investment of ₹1 lakh crore in a compressed biogas plant in Andhra Pradesh that could create more than three million jobs and generate ₹60,000 crore in revenue.

Addressing the Chief Minister, Mr. Anant Ambani said, “Consider me a son of Andhra Pradesh and guide me in what I can do for this beautiful state.”

Published – 02 Oct 2026 18:33 IST