State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Challa Srinivasulu Shetty has inaugurated the first phase of the Agri Robotics Laboratory (ARISA) at Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), Hyderabad. The facility has been established with financial support from the SBI Foundation, focusing on automation, precision agriculture, and intelligent farm machinery, aiming to link digital confidence to the need for innovation in farm systems.
The laboratory will serve as a hub for research, training, and field-level innovation across robotics, unmanned aerial systems, sensors, and data-driven farm management tools. By integrating these capabilities within a public agricultural university, PJTAU seeks to connect academic research with practical on-farm applications. The first phase will lay the groundwork for expansion as research outcomes evolve.
Advanced tools such as robotics and artificial intelligence-based drones can play a role in bringing young people back to farming.
The facility has been described as the first advanced agri-robotics laboratory to be established within an agricultural university in India, reflecting a broader institutional shift as robotics, artificial intelligence, automation, and agritech tools move beyond pilot initiatives into formal agricultural education and research ecosystems.
PJTAU Scaling Agritech
Speaking at the inauguration, SBI Chairman highlighted the role of advanced technologies in shaping productivity and engagement in agriculture. He noted that AI-enabled drones, robotics, and autonomous systems, could contribute to improved farm efficiency while also making the sector more attractive to younger participants, at a time when agriculture faces ageing farmer populations and persistent labour constraints.
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According to a PJTAU official, this is the first advanced Agri Robotics Laboratory has been established in an agricultural university in the country.
PJTAU Vice Chancellor Professor Aldas Janaiah stated that the future of agriculture is expected to be shaped increasingly by artificial intelligence-based technologies. He said that the state of Telangana could see wider use of robots, drones, unmanned tractors, and sensor-based systems across the farm sector.
The launch of the Agri Robotics Laboratory at PJTAU could mark a shift in how advanced agritech tools are being positioned within India’s public agricultural institutions. By embedding robotics, unmanned systems, sensors, and data-driven tools inside a state agricultural university, the initiative moves agritech pilots beyond projects into formal research and training ecosystems.
Between 2030 and 2035, robots, drones, unmanned tractors and sensor-based systems are expected to become common in farmers’ fields. Universities have to start building that capability now.
If sustained, the initiative could serve as an institutional bridge between academic research and on-farm application, reflecting a broader transition as robotics, artificial intelligence, and agritech tools become part of mainstream agricultural education and policy thinking in India.
Parallel Projects
Initiatives such as the newly launched agri-robotics laboratory at PJTAU align with a wider pattern of public-sector investment in agritech research and education across India.
In February 2024, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute advanced work on precision agriculture through collaborations by linking digital connectivity, sensors, and field-level experimentation, while throughout 2024-2025, ICAR expanded institutional focus on AI, automation, and sensor-based farming systems across its research network.
Parallel efforts have also emerged in engineering-led settings, including the Centre of Excellence in AI for Precision Agriculture at Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, which has been active since 2024. The institute uses machine learning to optimise crop yields and resource use, illustrating how engineering research is converging with agriculture science. Collaborations such as the one between Punjab Agricultural University and BITS Pilani launched in May 2025 focus on precision agriculture, IoT, AI, drones, and robotics to advance interdisciplinary agritech research and training.
