Assam Skill University Opens Hands-On Phase of Digital Agri Course in Guwahati

Assam Skill University (ASU) will run the practical phase of its 30-day Certificate Course in Digital Agri-Entrepreneurship (CCDAE) in Guwahati from 2 to 4 November 2026, giving farm-sector trainees a field-and-lab look at technology-led agribusiness. The university is delivering the course with Farmutd Ecosystem Private Limited.

The course began on 28 September with 40 trainees drawn from 20 Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) across Assam. The ARIAS Society, Government of Assam, has sponsored the cohort and is bearing the full training cost, so participants are not paying their own way.

Day one, 2 November, moves from theory to the ground. Trainees will collect soil samples at Ulubari Nursery and then learn soil testing at Octopus Lab in Ulubari. The day ends with a revision session on the FarmOptima application at the ASU campus.

On 3 November, the focus shifts to screens and spreadsheets. Participants will work with the Farm United Dashboard in the university's computer laboratory, while programme coordinator Dr. Utpal Barman demonstrates how AI and Generative AI tools can be used in agriculture. The group will also review Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) prepared to seek support under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), with help from the AIF Cell of the Department of Agriculture, and will interact with AIF bank officials.

The course closes on 4 November with a written examination run by ASU's Controller of Examinations. Trainees will then meet Aruna Rajoria, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and APC, Government of Assam, along with university officials.

Why it matters: FPCs are meant to give small farmers collective bargaining power, but their growth often depends on practical know-how, from reading soil data to presenting a bankable project report. Pairing soil testing, digital farm management tools and exposure to AIF financing in a single short module targets exactly those gaps. If the cohort carries these skills back to their companies, it could help turn more of Assam's farmer groups into investable agri-enterprises.

Source: The Pioneer

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