BharatAgri provides farmers with technological support to increase their productivity | Startup Stories

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At the Innovation Center, IIT-Madras, a student laboratory at the Institute of Engineering of India, Siddart Diallani and Sai Gole, decided to develop new ways to increase farmers’ productivity while developing technology-based solutions to real-world problems.

To get the point back, Gole said her family, who work on farms, had not made a profit for more than a decade due to low production.

The couple spent seven months in a village near Pune-1 town in western Maharashtra. He contacted about 400 farmers to find out why they were blocking the fields. The farmers realized that they did not have the scientific knowledge to plant crops based on crop counting and soil type.

A.D. In 2017, Dilani and Gole co-founded Liangrin, later known as Bharat Agri, to provide personal advice and guidance to farmers.

Dilani, co-founder and CEO of Bharat Agri, said. CASIA The company first collects information from farmers about the size of their land, the crop they produce, the type of soil, the fertilizer they use, and other related items. These farmers then use the BharatAgri app to protect their farmland.

Read this: Hydroponics launch is gaining momentum among Indian consumers.

BharatAgri sends these GPS coordinates to third-party satellite imaging companies to purchase satellite images of these farms. These images provide methods for identifying the soil type of the company, Dilanie said. Startup uses this information to provide a calendar for crop rotation and fertilization. BharatAgri advises when to sow seeds, how much fertilizer to use, and planning irrigation schemes. The startup works with experts – soil scientist, botanical pathologist, botanical oncologist and plant physiologist – to provide these practical insights to farmers.

“Surveying farms using satellite imagery and finding a personal consultant can only be done by large companies such as Pepsi, Mahindra and other agricultural contractors. This service has not yet been available to individual farmers,” said Dianni.

Farmers following the Bahraini agrin system have been able to increase their production by 30-40 percent, reduce production costs by 10 percent and avoid crop waste, he said.

Most of the interaction between the company and the farmers is done through the BharatAgri app. The company has carefully chosen which farmers to work with, because smart phones and applications should be convenient to use.

Bharat Agri team from the co-founder Sidhart Dialini (second from left) on a farm in Maharashtra, India. Photo by BharatAgri.

India has three types of farmers. They are not our clients because they are vulnerable to consultants who visit their farms and do what we do.

The second type of farmer is the traditional farmer who produces paddy, wheat, pulses and other grains, according to the CEO. About 60% of India’s total farmers are farmers and are mostly poor. Bharat Agri does not attract this group of farmers as customers.

“With the remaining 37% of India’s agricultural population, we have found a sweet spot in the cash crops and traditional aspirations. An added benefit to us is the convenience of using a smart phone and the fact that they do not allow their consultants to visit their farm for personalized advice.

The company says it has 45,000 paid monthly subscribers to the consulting service. “We aim to get 100,000 paid users on stage in July 2021,” Dialani said. Six months ago, BharatAgri launched the app for advertisers. Companies that sell fertilizers, farm machinery, and insurance services can market their products on the platform. So far, more than a dozen brands have been signed.

The company recently raised $ 2 million from 021 Capital and Quartet India. It is also in talks with several online grocery companies to connect online sales channel farmers with multiple customers.

However, Dialini, Bahraini Agri’s main revenue model and focus remains in the position of consultant and consultant. “Over the past three years, we have been convinced by the knowledge we give farmers how to grow their produce. We will continue to work on this and improve it,” he said.

This article is part of KrASIA’s “Startup Stories” series, where KrASIA writers talk to the founders of technology companies in South and Southeast Asia.



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