BENGALURU: To provide tangible solutions to horticulture farmers incurring food loss while transporting the harvest from farm to market, Government of Karnataka along with the Association of Business Women in Commerce and Industry (ABWCI) and Global Alliance for Improve Nutrition (GAIN) announced the Sampurna Grand Challenge 2026 on Saturday.
Secretary of Department of Horticulture Girish R said, “Currently, the state incurs around 1.5 lakh crores of loss of food in terms of fruits and vegetables in the process of harvesting, storage and transportation. It is a loss to the farmer, government and the sellers. Any individuals, start-ups, or colleges can participate in this grand challenge to recognise the problem, identify and analyse it to provide a solution to the farmers. It can be implemented to reduce the loss of food.”
Girish added, “The applications will be available between March 20 and May 18. Government shall provide financial support to the candidates for effective implementation of solutions to real world problems. The candidates who participate in the challenge will be mentored by the experts. There will be visibility and recognition for their work in addition to experience and networking.”
Candidates shall work on efficient logistics optimisation solution, community-led aggregation and entrepreneurial innovations, sustainable packaging and other problems. Girish said, “Horticulture farming in Karnataka was limited to only 15 lakh hectares, which has now expanded to 25 lakh hectares after farmers converted it from agriculture to horticulture. We will have to expand the size of horticulture farming, but it is possible only through viable solutions post harvest period.”