The Best of 5 Recommended Agritech Companies

1. of 5 VOL 03 | ISSUE 02 | 2021 The Best Agricultural Insights Overview of the Current Industrial Scenario of Agriculture in India Recommended Agritech COMPANIES Agri-tech Dynamics Technology and Agriculture - A Synergy to Yield Great Produce “ PRIORITY “ SERVING FARMERS IS OUR MAIN Om Prakash Sekwadiya CEO Sawariya Agritech Pvt. Ltd Sawariya Agritech

4. Editor’s Note A gritech has become an indispensable component of vegetable farming today. As per estimations, India will have to increase its vegetable production by 35% over the next five years. This shortfall can be dealt with by enhancing productivity through adoption of hybrid seeds in vegetable crops, and by embracing innovative and technology-based approaches. Vegetable farming can help in better economic returns for small famers, while providing better health and nutrition to the consumers. SCOUTING THE PIONEERS OF AGRITECH IN INDIA The pandemic has put further emphasis on the importance of digital technology in agriculture. With efficient digital tools, farmers are now ensuring sustainable production and timely delivery of essential produce. The Indian agricultural ecosystem has witnessed a massive facelift with the advent of the prominent agritech companies. They have taken a centre stage in maximizing productivity, increasing supply chain efficiency, and developing market linkages.

5. Darshan Parmar Managing Editor darshan@insightssuccess.com Research states that investments in agritech start- ups are expected to exceed $500 million in the next two years. The leading agritech companies are dedicated towards helping farmers connect with buyers, automate supply chains, and establish supply chain efficiency. They are expanding their presence and offering dedicated services to ensure last-mile delivery of seeds, fertilizers, machinery, and much more. management, cropping sequence methods, plant heath, alternative crops, and much more. These companies are using agritech solutions such as high- tech drones, IOT devices, and data analytics to deliver lasting customer experiences. Hence, in this issue, Insights Success presents to you The Best of 5 Recommended Agritech Companies, that are transforming the agriculture industry through their innovative and dedicated endeavours. The renowned names in the agritech industry are delivering efficient crop management solutions by combining geographical location devices and remote sensing advancements. They are using satellite images to gather images and information across farmlands, to analyse the collected information, and to provide useful information to the farmers. The prominent agritech companies emphasize on sustainable agricultural practices. They offer a wide variety of services such as integrated pest

6. CropIn Harnessing the Power of AI and Machine Learning in Agriculture 22 Greentatwa Agri Tech Leveraging Technology in Agriculture Promptly 34 Agricultural insights Overview of the Current Industrial Scenario of Agriculture in India 18 ARTICLES Agri-tech Dynamics Technology and Agriculture - A Synergy to Yield Great Produce 30 Agro Knowhow Top Trending Modern Agriculture Practices in India 36

7. CONTENTS 26 Nutrition Insights Pure Nutrition, Zero Chemicals CXO Sawariya Agritech Dedicated to Uplift the Indian Farmers’ Life 08 COVER STORY

8. Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Managing EditorDarshan Parmar Assisting Editor Ananda Kamal Das Contributing Writers Renuka, Ashish sales@insightssuccess.com MARCH, 2021 Corporate Offices: Chief Designer Asha Bange Designing Head Vivek Mane Co-designer Deepanjali Jena Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Off. No. 22, Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017 Phone - India: +91 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in Operations Head Megha Mishra Business Development Manager Nandan Deshpande Asst. Manager Ashwini Pahurkar Business Development Lead Tejswini Whaval Business Development Executive Kirti Vidhate Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com Technical Head Pratiksha Patil Technical Specialist Amar Sawant Digital Marketing Manager Amol Wadekar SME-SMO Executive Atul Dhoran Circulation Manager Tanaji Cover Price : RS. 150/- https://twitter.com/insightssuccess Follow us on : www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/ We are also available on Copyright © 2021 Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd., All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success. Printed and Published by Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. RNI NUMBER: MAHENG/2018/75953

9. The Best of5 Recommended Agritech Companies Management Company Name Brief CropIn has empowered women farmers with technology and knowledge about good agricultural practices Kunal Prasad Co-founder and COO CropIn Dhanuka Agritech Limited, considering the imperative role of research and development for quality products and services, from the very beginning took the initiative for strong R&D and has today perhaps one of the largest R & D team led by a highly acclaimed agri-scientist assisted by around 30 senior distinguished Scientists/Technocrats Mahendra Kumar Dhanuka Managing Director Dhanuka Agritech Limited Greentatwa is a company focused on farming, supplying, and distributing pesticide/residue-free grains and vegetables and in providing healthy and nutritious food to its consumers. Roopa Rammohan Maganti Co-founder Greentatwa Agri Tech The Sampat group is reckoned as one of the most credible Industrial house. It has a successful track record of over 25 years in serving its clients with quality product. SAMPAT AGRITECH PVT. LTD Hitesh Patel Director Sawariya Agritech Pvt. Ltd Sawariya Agritech has a team of dedicated, hard-working, result-oriented employees. Om Prakash Sekwadiya CEO

10. Sawariya Agritech We supply “ high-quality Agro-Inputs to farmers that help them grow better crops and enjoy the higher yield “ Om Prakash Sekwadiya, CEO

11. Cover Story

12. A spending a lot of money with the expectation of increased production and overall growth. But due to lack of product knowledge and no skill sets to check the purity of the product, farmers are spending their money and time for the low-grade product available in the market under the title of the Bio-Products that are inversely affecting their crops. The farmers are getting the returns, but it is not proportionate to their actual investment. s far as the current agricultural industry scenario goes, the Indian farmers have been way to diagnose the crop’s disease in order to treat it in or under the budget. This can take place only when there is a bridge that creates a communication between the farmers and the product market that enables the farmer to get in touch with the technical and experienced personnel. Keeping this point and its vision in the mind Sawariya Agritech makes an approach and plan to bring all the farmers and agro-product companies under one roof (its centers) to create awareness and provide correct guidance to farmers about its wide range of quality products. Here, the company plans to educate the farmers on the proper and integrated utilization of these quality products so that they will achieve the best results to improve their productions on minimal cost. A professional who can guide them to the right channel for improving their agricultural yield. This is where Sawariya Agritech Private Limited comes into the picture to solve all these issues and create that bridge, which will resolve all types of technical and marketing flaws in today’s agriculture field. “Our vision is very simple and structured as all know India is an agriculture country, where growth and development of majority of the population depends on agriculture,” says the CEO of the company Om Prakash ji Sekwadiya. This will also help them and their family to increase their income and thus to improve their living standards. “We have a team of highly qualified and experienced employees who are extremely imperilled to the latest technologies and awareness of the product which makes the farmers really feel like that they are in safe hands with us,” states Om Prakash Ji. The Hence, there is an urgent need to create awareness among the farmers for the right product about their agriculture production. The awareness required is related to the product utilization as per the specific crop along with the right

13. The Best of 5 Recommended Agritech Companies “ We provide farmers the best budget-fitting agro-inputs and share farming skills and tips to the farmers which enables them to earn more profit c related to the increased growth of their crops. The company has an experienced sales and marketing team along with a team who is expert in packaging and warehousing activities. “ ompany has employed skilled personnel for giving right knowledge and advice to the farmers for their concerns and issues One-Stop-Shop for Farmers Sawariya Agritech was established in 2012. “We are a client-centric organization, and our primary focus is to achieve complete client satisfaction by offering them high yield, disease immunity, excellent quality seeds and the complete pest control for their crops and to rapidly built a strong presence in the Indian seeds industry and help farmers for improving their agriculture and society,” informs the team at Sawariya Agritech. The company has established many centers all over Madhya Pradesh in past 8 years and now it is dealing in domestic areas. The company’s main aim is to provide a complete range of good quality multi brand agro-inputs like pesticides, seeds, fertilizers, farm

14. “ What We Imbibe Our mission is to provide maximum benefits to our farmers and agriculture cooperatives by supplying organically certified vegetable and field crop seeds and naturally grown plants, and by committing to sharing our seed with groups that teach the importance and joy of farming and gardening “ Ÿ Quality assured product range Ÿ Reasonable prices Ÿ Proper guidance and utilization of right product for specific crop production Ÿ Online help to understand the product with its complete description along with its chemical based formula Ÿ Premium packaging Ÿ Timely delivery Ÿ Capacity to meet bulk demands Ÿ Ethical business policy mplements and tools along with irrigation items and i different locations in Madhya Pradesh. appointed at different sections to enable and maintain the best quality services to all the company’s clients. Its team is maintaining the best customer services in exporting and selling of high yielding products. The company leverages the know-how of its highly experienced and talented employees who are well experienced in the activities of seed restoration, cleaning, sorting, packaging, and sales and marketing of different types of seeds and all kind of pesticides. other key inputs at a very fair price through its retail chains of ‘Sawariya Kisan Bazaar.’ It is located in 13 “Though this is a small step, but it will help in bringing out a revolutionary change and will play a major role in contributing development of our country,” suggests Om Prakash Ji. As the leading seeds seller in India for hybrid vegetable seeds, fruit seeds, flower seeds, kitchen garden seeds, and field corps, Sawariya Agritech envisions to establish the brand by its professional culture, excellent quality seeds and through customer and employee satisfaction. In its endeavour to be a complete agricultural solution provider, the company has introduced its own retail chains for all kind of agricultural products under the brand name of ‘Sawariya Kisan Bazaar’. These chains serve the farmers by facilitating all their agricultural needs and provides free consultancy services for all the queries related to farming ranging from sowing to harvesting the crops. “These retail chains of our Agro centers acts as a one stop solution for all the farmers,” informs Om Prakash Ji. Sawariya Agritech has a team of dedicated, hard-working, result-oriented employees. Different set of employees are

15. Values at Our Core Be an ambassador: We are proud to be problem solvers. We like the people we work with – co-workers, managers, clients – and genuinely enjoy helping one another succeed. Ÿ Enjoy the journey: We make sure our team feels appreciated and valued. We organize lunches and quarterly show-and-tells are some of the ways we celebrate our people. We take the time to stop and acknowledge where we came from so that we do not miss how impressive the climb is. Ÿ Get it done: Clients trust us to build good rapport and deliver great customer service. It works and we take that seriously. Our team will overcome obstacles, find solutions, and deliver exceptional results. Ÿ Evolve and adapt: The people that work here are smart, and smart people know you can always get better. Mistakes are even ok as long as you learn something from them. We believe your time at Sawariya Agritech Private Limited should make you better. Ÿ The Man Behind Sawariya Agritech Shri Om Prakash Ji Sekwadiya was born in 1972 in a very small town named Khedawda (Badganwa), District – Ujjain (M.P). He has done his primary schooling at his native place only and completed his higher education from Tehsil – Khachrod, District – Ujjain (M.P). He is man of few words and believs in doing rather than uttering. He is down to earth person and always wanted to do something for his country people. Hence to his nature and beliefs, in the year 2012, he started this business from a very small shop, as in this area there was no place where a farmer can get good quality agricultural inputs in their budgets. With all his efforts and hard work, now he has around 14 such places from where Sawariya Agritech is operating and providing the best quality agricultural inputs to the farmers. Do the right thing: What do you do when no one else is looking? Our teams act with integrity and honesty and focus on putting ourselves in the shoes of others. Ÿ Flexibility: We empower our employees in a work environment that is conducive to creating the optimal work/life balance. Ÿ Customers first: Our company exists to help merchants sell more. We make every decision and measure every outcome based on how well it serves our customers. Ÿ Make a difference every day: We constantly push ourselves to be our best, we focus on solutions, and we arrive every day inspired to make an impact through our talents, passion, and hard work. Ÿ Shri Om Prakash Ji has learned the skills of good customer care services along with complete satisfaction to his customers. He always believes in getting to the depth of the problems of the farmers, for this most of the times he himself visited the farmers’ fields to see their problem from the ground level and tried giving them a complete solution. Adding this to his basic skill of the business, he is now appointed 20+ such field officers across Malwa Region (M.P) to follow his footsteps to check the ground reality for the problems of farmers. He is a man of vision and on a mission to improve farmers’ lives. Build Relationships / Deliver Results: Connect with customers, partners, consumers, and each other to drive success. Relationships deliver results because we cannot do our jobs without each other. Ÿ Start with the Consumer: The consumer is our top priority. Every day we are hyper-focused on making them love us. Someone who embraces this value makes every decision, no matter how big or small, with the consumer on top of their mind. They put themselves in the consumers’ shoes and make our customers’ experience better. Ÿ

16. Our Stores at a glance: Our Stores are well-equipped with all the Agro-inputs with proper guidance to the customers by our representatives sitting behind the desks, for the convenience of the farmers these representatives on monthly basis arranging farmer meetings with the company technical people, so that they can directly share their queries and issues with the them. They are also keeping the trending data of the farmers so that on priority they will give the complete guidance to the farmers along with the high quality agro-inputs. Now last but not the least, our second director of the firm, her contribution is as equal to Shri Om Prakash Ji Sekwadiya, better half of his Mrs. Leela Ji Sekwadiya. She is always a helping hand to Shri Om Praksah Ji Sekwadiya and the most important pillar of Sawariya Agritech.

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20. Overview of the Current AGRICULTURE INDUSTRIAL Scenario of 18 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

21. Agricultural insights INDUSTRIAL Scenario of AGRICULTURE IN INDIA MARCH 2021 | 19 www.insightssuccess.in

22. F traditional farming systems to get crop yield and complete the food requirement. Although, traditional techniques are not very sufficient in the new agricul- tural world hence farming is facing new challenges from biotic and abiotic factors. New techniques and systems are gaining popularity in the present farming scenario because of their key benefits which can decipher all challenges in farming. arming and agriculture are important factors for the economies of developing countries. For the last several years, farmers have brought in many According to the NCRB report data, “the number of farmer suicides in the country were 11,379 in 2016, 12,360 in 2014 and 12,602 in 2015”. India is the second-largest populated country account- ing for 18% of the total world population. The need for various agricultural products has increased significantly after the rise in population. This increase has pushed the farmers to adopt upgraded technologies and methods in fisheries, livestock and dairy, and in order to meet the diversified food needs of the people. Additionally, more than fifty percent of India’s population is dependent on agricultural products which is further encouraging the growth of the market. The agriculture industry in India reached new heights in 2020. A value of INR 63,506 Billion was generated by the agricultural industry alone in 2020. It represents an important component of the Indian economy both in terms of its contribution to the GDP as well as a source of employment to a lot of the country’s population. With India presently being one of the largest agricul- tural producers in the world, the agricultural sector is exhibiting vast opportunities. Various transformations have taken place in this sector over the past few decades. The agriculture becoming more mechanized, rising penetration of the organized sector, growth in contract farming, the rise of exports, easy loan facilities, use of agrochemicals and high yielding seeds, and an increasing role of the private sector in branding, marketing, processing, etc., are the various transforma- tions that are taking place. Over the past few years, India’s GDP has been growing at a slow pace which has resulted in an increase in the net incomes of the consumers. This increase has driven the agriculture market in terms of both, the producer and consumer. It has enabled farmers to invest more in advanced agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, quality seeds, warehousing, equipment, fertilizers, cold storage, etc. It has also given rise to the consumer's purchasing power, creating a positive influence on the domestic demand for agricultural products. Final Take India happens to be one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world. The country holds various types of climatic conditions and soil types suitable for cultivating a large number of cereals, fruits, vegetables, flowers, cash crops, etc. The Indo-Gangetic plain represents one of the most fertile lands across the globe. India also constitutes to be the second-largest fish-producing country in the world. The country has diverse resources pasturing from deep seas to lakes in the mountains and more than 10% of the global biodiversity in terms of fish and shellfish species. Dynamics of Indian Agriculture Though the Indian Agricultural Industry is reaching new levels, the Indian farmers are not being done justice. The Indian farmers are living icons, as they are the most hardworking humans around the world and are always busy working hard for their crops every day. India is called the land of farmers, as most of the people of the country are involved in the agriculture sector. It would be more than right to say that ‘Indian farmers’ are the backbone of the Indian economy and the farmers are indeed the beloved children of Mother India. Also, India has a diverse culture, with approximately 22 major languages and 720 homeland languages spoken just in India. People from all the religions like Hindu, Christian, Islam, and Sikh live in India & are engaged in various occupations, but agriculture is their primary occupa- tion. A concerted and systematic effort on the part of the government, the private sector, and farmers would be needed to genuinely make a difference in the plight of farmers. To recognise challenges and find solutions, participants will need to have trust in themselves and communicate with one another. This is the only way India can provide income security to its farmers while also maintaining its own nutritional security. - Ashish Chandgude 20 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

24. Harnessing the Power of AI and Machine Learning in Agriculture T globe have caused delays and backlogs in supply chains. Currently, for instance, around half a million tonnes of Indian rice is locked up in the supply chains, while perishable crops are not being transported at all for fear of deterioration in delayed transit. he current scenario of the agri-tech industry around the world due to the Covid-19 virus is extremely volatile. Lockdowns in major economies across the CropIn also has turned to account management online, to provide training assistance to agri-extension teams online. The company also is tracking farmer health by keeping a connection with its clients regularly. These are crucial steps that CropIn is taking to ensure the betterment for farmers. CropIn has empowered women farmers with technology and knowledge about good agricultural practises. CropIn believes that during these difficult times, efficient methods of farming will save resources and give the right and quick results for the farmer and save livelihoods. Let us dive deep into the dynamics of CropIn through the given below interview by Kunal: Global exports are facing transport and logistics problems, more stringent customs restrictions, as well as a shortage of containers and shipping vessels. India’s agricultural exports of nearly $40 billion are being severely affected in this scenario. The labour sector has taken a wide hit owing to contact based spreading of the pandemic. Please brief our readers about your organisation, its mission and vision. These are difficult times, especially for the workers who depend on a daily wage or are self-employed. Farmers are one of the most affected in these times. CropIn understands this and has made various advancements in its solutions by introducing new and adaptive features in its innovations. CropIn Technology is a leading AI and data-led agritech organization that provides SaaS-based solutions to agribusinesses globally. With the mission to ‘maximize per acre value’ and the vision to ‘make every farm traceable’ , CropIn adds value by increasing efficiency, scaling productivity, and strengthening sustainability across the board. CropIn utilizes cutting-edge technologies like Big Data analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Remote Sensing, to enable client partners to analyse and interpret data to derive real-time actionable insights on standing crops. The benefits of such platforms are realized when it directly connects the business strategy to the field operation through detailed analytics using field data and other data sources like IoT or drones. Usage of digital farming solutions will ensure less inaccuracies in data collection, ensure productivity is not compromised due to lack of manpower, act as a knowledge repository that farmers can refer to, and take timely action in times of unexpected agriculture-based distress. Under the leadership of Kunal Prasad – Co-founder and COO of CropIn, the company is engaging with its clients to send climate smart advisories to farmers and engage with them through bulk SMS to be aware of the difficulties the farmers are facing. 22 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

25. 3The Best of 5 Recommended Agritech Companies with the farmers.““ Our solutions impact farmers indirectly through clients who manage large scales of land and farmers under them and we have little direct contact Kunal Prasad Co-founder, COO The Crop-Star Ÿ Kunal as the Co-founder and COO at CropIn has over 13 years of experience in the technical and management arena with substantial work in sales and business development, project management, product, and customer experience. Kunal’s strengths lie in his strong team management skills and his tenacious attitude that has helped CropIn reach out to over 4 million farmers in 52 countries. C ropIn was established with the vision of improving farmer livelihoods by harnessing the power of AI and Machine Learning through predictive analytics and modelling into agriculture. CropIn is today helping the agro-ecosystem to adopt and drive digital strategy and farm to fork traceability across their operations along with farmers. He is passionate about working on improving farm productivity, climate resilience, sustainability, and food security. He has extensive experience in working with Government bodies, Development Agencies, Co-operatives, and farmer groups globally. He believes that farming should be data-driven and collaborative, and so he is on a mission to digitize 20 million farmers by 2023. Ÿ It was observed that Agri-businesses used primitive technological methods in their fields and there was an opportunity to make effective and well-informed data- driven decisions. The usage of modern technology in farming was minimal at most of these businesses. There were information gaps at different levels of the agro- ecosystem, leading to information asymmetry throughout the chain. Also, with consumers keen to know about the origin of their food and how it was produced and processed, there was a need for transparency along the end-to-end agribusiness supply chain. Kunal holds an MBA degree with a specialization in Marketing from the Great Lakes Institute of Management. He received a B.E degree in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Jharkhand in 2006. He has completed schooling at St. Xavier's School, Hazaribagh. In 2006, Kunal started his career in TATA Motors as a Sales and Marketing Executive. Until 2010, he served at TATA Motors as Sales and Marketing Manager by optimizing the sales and lead generation activities before Co-Founding CropIn. Ÿ CropIn was established as an organisation that provides platform solutions that address the varied requirements of farmers and helps them improve their agricultural productivity for a better income. In a few years, CropIn has expanded to providing agribusinesses with a comprehensive digital solution that manages a large and diverse set of farmers locally and/or globally on a single platform and ensures predictability, visibility, and control of their supply chain, which is currently very broken and distributed when it comes to smallholder aggregation model. MARCH 2021 | 23 www.insightssuccess.in

26. W CropIn caters to the entire agri value chain through its unique suite of products whose details are given below: hat are the prominent services, products, or solutions that make your company a preferred choice among the competition? Processors, and Retailers to analyse and interpret data to derive real-time actionable insights on standing crops. CropIn has so far digitized 13 million acres of farmland and enriched the lives of nearly 4 million farmers, while gathering data on 388 crops and 9,500 crop varieties in over 52 countries. The SaaS solutions offered by CropIn are crop and location agnostic and are available on the web and for mobile devices. SmartFarm - SmartFarm is an end-to-end farm and agronomy data management solution that monitors all processes leading up to harvest. The solution leverages ground-truth data, weather advisory, and accurate insights based on satellite monitoring to enable data-driven farm and business operations. By tracking, managing, and monitoring every step — from input to execution: all in one place, SmartFarm helps achieve efficiency and improves traceability and output predictability. SmartRisk - SmartRisk is a Predictive and Prescriptive Solution for Risk Monitoring, Mitigation, and Forecasting Intelligence. The AI and Machine-learning based platform detects cropping patterns and predicts the future of the crop, thus highlighting the associated risk and opportunity for agri-stakeholders. Where do you envision your organisation to be in the long run and what are your future goals? CropIn’s focus area is to expand globally and to continue to innovate on our machine learning-based predictive analytics platform, SmartRisk, to further strengthen its artificial intelligence capabilities. We also have our newest technological brainchild launching this year, ready to take over the AgTech space. We are also working on integrating every kind of technology implemented on the farmland be it drones, sensors, IoT devices, and machines into a single, unified system and push our boundaries to newer fields of AgTech. Our European presence is set to expand with a new establishment and a strong team at Amsterdam. SmartWare - SmartWare is a packhouse solution offered by CropIn that enables transparency and ensures adherence to quality compliance and certification. The platform empowers businesses to adhere to food safety standards, thus ensuring farm-to-fork traceability. RootTrace - RootTrace is the Seed-to-Shelf traceability solution to preserve global food integrity. For agri-food producers seeking to preserve food integrity and authenticity, RootTrace provides a tamper-proof, anti- counterfeit traceability solution that increases the transparency of processes along the supply chain so that customers can be assured of the product’s origin, quality, and safety, and build unwavering brand loyalty. CropIn plans to establish verticals such as Customer Success, Sales and Data Science at the new Amsterdam office, opening a plethora of opportunities in the European market. Along with the existing segments, CropIn aims to venture into newer pastures such as Telecom, Machinery, Plantations to strengthen AI and ML capabilities in those segments as well. AcreSquare - A two-way communication channel that empowers farmers with real-time advisory and information about agri-inputs, schemes and offers, and enables agribusinesses to receive updates and alerts from the farmers. Using cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and remote sensing, CropIn creates an interconnected network of all the agri-stakeholders by enabling customers like Banks, Insurance Companies, Government, Development Agencies, Farming Companies, Agri-input companies, Farm Equipment Companies, Food 24 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

28. Nutrition Insights Pure Nutrition, Zero Chemicals D medicinal science to modern day medicinal science. India fused it, perfectly. “COVAXIN” & “COVID SHIELD” vaccines, made in India, are the best gift to humanity as per the UN Chief. uring this pandemic, India showed the way of managing, giving full support to the scientists, and making best practices from centuries old X5 AgroTech FPC Limited has taken this initiative. In the Himalayan region, North-East in India. Where the soil itself is pious, where the soil has never, never ever been exposed to any kind of chemical fertilizers, where the agriculture practices are still centuries old, and where purity in food produce is guaranteed. Everything that you consume, is pure nutrition and includes no chemicals at all. The pandemic also showed that healthy eating habits, from our rich agricultural resources has become the best preventive medicinal therapy. Maintaining healthy food habits and making the best use of our century-old agriculture practices (without usage of any chemical based fertilizers / pesticides) has become the need of the hour. With large farmer groups, multiple FPOs in the region, growing multiple crops that are part of daily food intake & also for medicinal use, the company offers the best B2B arrangements. From supermarkets, retailers, wholesalers, on-line selling platforms, to horeca, food processing industry, nutraceutical and formulation companies, X5 AgroTech FPC Ltd caters to all. Its services are confined not just to the domestic market, but overseas markets as well. Being natural produce, free from any chemical residues, it becomes natural business partners to all. The daily food intake that we’ve in our lives- turmeric, ginger, mustard oil, etc. The fruits that we consume for the purpose of flavor, fragrance, nutrition…our centuries old agriculture practices are going to lead. Lead by miles. 100% natural farming. 100% natural farm produce. Agro produce & processed food–all from 100% naturally grown farm produce. Turmeric, ginger mustard with these practices have much higher medicinal content (for the reason they are part of our daily food). Fruits grown 100% naturally, have pure nutrition, zero chemicals, and that too, at no extra cost. X5 AgroTech is vendor-partner to many retailers & wholesalers already and supplies high quality, chemical- free turmeric (powder), ginger, mustard (oil), pineapples, mandarins, kiwis, passion fruit, dragon fruit, etc. and a host of spices. All this at the same market price. A consumer does not need to spend a single extra penny. 26 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

29. About the Author Pradeep Singh Shekhawat is the Founder and CEO of X5 AgroTech FPC Limited. He has worked with some of the best global brands like Puma, Speedo, Wilson, Converse, etc. in India and Nike in Vietnam. Mr. Pradeep then moved to Moscow as Retail Director for SPRANDI and then IntiModa in Russia. Back in India, in 2013, Pradip successfully set-up a marketplace in modern malls & metro stations for all the crafts of the country. With the astounding success of X5 RETAIL, the founding team started working towards bridging farming with marketplace. As a result, X5 Agrotech Farmer Producer Company Limited came into being. With contract farming, contract manufacturing, the company is working on all natural, chemical free farm produce in North-Eastern India and bridging markets with farmers, directly. MARCH 2021 | 27 www.insightssuccess.in

32. Agri-tech Dynamics Technology and Agriculture 30 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

33. Technology and Agriculture A Synergy to Yield Great Produce M advancements in technology, which include robots, temperature and moisture sensors, machines, AI, and IT. Sophisticated technology allows farmers to take aerial images and take advantage of GPS and motion sensors. The Green Revolution of the 1960s enabled India to achieve excellent agricultural output. This age witnessed the use of better quality of seeds, proper irrigation, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and so on. odern farms and agriculture have witnessed a paradigm shift in the current age. This massive development has happened mainly because of With the passage of time, agriculture witnessed the emergence of new technologies such as tillage and harvesting equipment, irrigation and air seeding technology, and a lot more. This resulted in higher yields and better produce in terms of food and fibre. The advanced devices and technology have enabled farmers and businesses to earn more profits, and deliver safe, efficient, and more environment friendly produce. They can use cutting- edge data and technology to improve crop yield and learn more tech-enabled farming methods. MARCH 2021 | 31 www.insightssuccess.in

34. T The incorporation of agriculture technology has numerous advantages and is very important for better crop produce. Nowadays, farmers do not have to solely rely on watering the crops or adding fertilizers and pesticides uniformly across fields. Rather, with the usage of modern equipment, they can take care of specific areas or even pay individual attention to each crop. he Importance of Agriculture Technology sophisticated ultrasound technology, it is easy to check the health condition of baby animals in the womb. It further helps to discover the quality of meat found in an animal before it is despatched to the market. DNA testing further helps producers to identify which animals have good pedigrees and other required qualities. With this information, farmers can improve the quality of their herds. • Mobile Technology and Camera are Game Changers: There are several farming apps which help farmers to keep tabs on all the equipment, produces, and so on. Many farmers install cameras around the farm to keep an eye on the animals. They are fitting cameras in the barns, that send images and feed back to a central location such as an office or home device. This way, farmers can keep a closer eye on animals when they are away. • Installing Crop Sensors: With crop sensors, farmers can apply fertilizers very effectively, while maximizing uptake. These sensors record the condition of the crop and reduce the potential leaking and overflow into ground water. Some of the various advantages of implementing technology in agriculture are as follows: • Cutting-Edge technology ensures higher crop productivity • It enables less usage of water, fertilizers, and pesticides, while results in lower food prices • By using agriculture technology, farmers are reducing the impact on natural ecosystems • Moreover, there is less dispersion of chemicals into rivers and groundwater • Agriculture technology ensures safety of the farmers and workers Crop sensors automatically inform the application equipment how much fertilizer to apply in real time. This helps the farmers to avoid making prescription fertilizer maps. Optical sensors detect the amount of light reflected back to the sensor. This gives an indication of how much fertilizer a plant may need. Advanced robotic technologies help in reliable monitoring and management of natural resources, including air and water quality. As a result, producers can control plant and animal production, processing, distribution, and storage in a better way. This results in producing output efficiently at lower prices. Embracing Modern Agriculture Agriculture technology further enables safer growing conditions and safer foods, along with reduced environmental and ecological impact. Marching ahead, every individual is focused on enhancing agricultural efficiency. Various technologies can assist in the transition into the modern agricultural era. Some technologies need to be developed specifically for agriculture, while there are other technologies in other industries that can be readily used in agriculture. These include autonomous vehicles, AI, and machine vision. Applying Modern Technology in Agriculture for Excellent Results The combination of agriculture and advanced technology is excellent and can bear multifarious results. Modern technology can be used to enhance agriculture in the following ways: • Controlling Crop Irrigation Systems through Smartphones: Mobile technology can help in remotely controlling and monitoring crop irrigation systems. This helps the farmers to control their irrigation fields right from their homes. Moisture sensors in the ground provide information about moisture levels present in certain depths of soil. • Implementing Ultrasound for Livestock: With The application of modern technology in agriculture will help the farmers to benefit from the acquisition of real-time farm information. They will not have to spend time on acquiring farm data and will also receive disaster warnings and weather information during any natural calamity. The future of agriculture is bright and there is tremendous scope of various promising amalgamation of agriculture and technology, which will - Ananda Kamal Das 32 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

36. GREENTATWA AGRI TECH Leveraging Technology in Agriculture Promptly I operations to thousands of acres of lands. For example, Greentatwa Agri Tech LLP have partnered with a company called ‘Agribridge’ that adds a lot of value to its farming operations. “Agribridge geo tagged all our farmers’ lands just using a mobile app and all our farmers’ lands are now captured by satellite,” says the team of Greentatwa. Agribridge has provided Greentatwa with the images of exact acreage of farming along with boundaries of each field and it also provides the health report of each field on a regular basis which helps the company to alert the farmers. Similarly, platforms like UDAAN give access to agri- market at large. nternet of Things (IoT) has come handy these days and a lot of technological tools are invented across the globe which help companies to expand their farming technologies. She worked closely with former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, during 2017 to 2019 and played a critical role in various strategic initiatives. During 2014 to 2019, she extensively travelled across Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, which is supposed to be the ‘rice bowl’ of the state. There she realised that agriculture has completely turned into a chemical-based activity and its adverse effects on health and environment are going to be adverse in the long run. It prompted her to start this organic agri-start up as a social enterprise. What is Greentatwa? Greentatwa is a company focused on farming, supplying, and distributing pesticide/residue-free grains and vegetables and in providing healthy and nutritious food to its consumers. The objective of the company is to ‘empower farmers, nature and people’. The firm has established its operations in August 2019 and in the very first year, Greentatwa has cultivated organic ponni rice in Pondicherry. “Since, we have entered into retail market, now we are working with nutritionists in developing protein-based value-added products, super foods and ready-to-cook products from rice and millets which are palatable and digestible for the consumers,” explains Roopa Rammohan Maganti, the Co-founder of Greentatwa. Ponni rice is a staple variety of rice consumed primarily in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Karnataka and this variety of rice is high in fibre, gluten free and low glycaemic index with many health benefits. The lands have been certified organic by Agriculture University of Tamil Nadu. The produce was harvested in February 2020 and the paddy is being milled/processed to rice, broken rice, and other value- added products. Leading Greentatwa Dynamically The firm, Greentatwa Agri Tech LLP is promoted by Roopa Maganti and Dr. Rama Rao Peddi. Roopa Maganti has graduated from Anna University, Chennai and she is a certified trainer in Training and Capacity Building from International Labour Organization ILO Turin, Italy. Dynamics of Greentatwa “Based on the success in the first year of our operations, we have extended our operations into 2000 acres of farming in Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during the peak of COVID-19 in the month of June 2020,” shares Dr.Peddi, the cofounder of Greentatwa. She was the Program Director for the prestigious national projects for rural development Prajashakti and Navashakti at Sri Lanka. She had two decades of varied work exposure in corporate, social, and developmental projects spread across Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and India. Over the past two decades, Roopa worked in various capacities in a wide range of socially relevant initiatives that are transformational in nature. These initiatives were focused on the empowerment of women, youth, and children. Apart from producing organic rice, the company has started cultivating millets at Anantapur region of Andhra Pradesh and grains at Telangana. The firm has also forayed into procurement of pesticide and residue-free millets which they process into one of the finest quality products. The company is achieving this with almost 99.8% whole grains and less than 0.2% of brokens and foreign material and the products meet international standards. All these efforts were put in to bring them into socio-economic mainstream using ICT and associated 34 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

37. 3The Best of 5 Recommended Agritech Companies I which is being patented. Greentatwa currently has a warehousing facility to store 5000 tons of grains and a processing and packaging facility is underway for commissioning. t has been established that processing of millets is one of the major challenges and Greentatwa’s products are processed/milled with a state-of-art unique technology Talking about the impact of Covid-19, the team of Greentatwa declares that its effect on the agricultural sector was relatively low as most of the crops were harvested by the end of the March month. Pandemic was at its peak during the summer season which was off season for most of the crops. “The only difficulty that we have seen in the field was with transport and processing,” states Roopa. As far as the market for organic food products go, it has observed a hike globally during the pandemic and people have started to realise the importance of healthy food. Competitive Edge “We should talk more about opportunities rather than any competition since the opportunities in agriculture sector are abundant and there is a lot of gap that has to be filled by several other farmer friendly companies like us,” informs the team of Greentatwa. Since the segment of ‘organic farming’ is still in its early stages, lot of procedures, traceability, testing, and fair pricing must be addressed in a scientific methodology. Roopa Rammohan Maganti Co-founder Futuretatwa (Greentatwa in the Future) • Scale up primary farming operations in rice, grains and millets to 10,000 acres in next two years and creating a ‘progressive farmers’ community with at least 1000 farmers across Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. • Creating a consumer’s community with at least 10,000 families in each metro city. • Set up a rice milling and processing unit to produce rice and value-added products • Acquire /set up own millet processing unit • Tie up with nancial institutions to provide micro credit and insurance to its farmers • Tie up with farm input companies to provide best quality of inputs (seed/bio-fertilizer etc.) • Setting up custom hiring centres for farm machinery to assist the farmers in providing best technology and enhance the productivity. • Hire industry reputed resources across the value chain from farming/processing to retailing. • Strategic tie ups with institutions/companies. Educating both the farmers and consumers must go hand in hand to increase the market size. The company’s farming methodologies like geo tagging of every farm and traceability make it very distinctive. In the last one and half year, Greentatwa was successful in creating a ‘community of farmers’ who can produce chemical-free rice and grains following its systematic procedures of organic cultivation. Apart from focusing on B2B, the company has just started creating a ‘community of consumers’ who would be willing to buy its products on regular basis through Greentatwa’s e-commerce brand Sudhanya. “We are aiming to become a farmers’ collective and sharing 20% of the profits from ‘Sudhanya’ brand with all our farmers and that make us feel very proud,” opines Roopa. Currently, it has a very small basket of products like rice, millets, cold pressed oil and a few grains and the team of Greentatwa is very confident that its basket is going to be big as large number of farmers are joining hands with Greentatwa in its crusade for chemical-free farming. MARCH 2021 | 35 www.insightssuccess.in

38. Top Trending MODERN AGRICULTURE PRACTICES IN INDIA 36 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in

39. Agro Knowhow T tion. The absence and insufficiency of knowledge in technologies and techniques that can be incorporated in farming have deteriorated the production and potential of the Indian agriculture sector. With 150 million farmers who are entirely dependent upon agriculture as their primary source of income either by farming on their land or renting it for a longer-term were the worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Although globalization, that is steadily transforming the outlook of our country and agriculture sector – different communities are amalgamated now in developing and empowering the agribusiness with advanced techniques and agricultural science for crop management. It is believed that the received support and modern devices for farming may soon change the face of agriculture with less effort and more production. he agriculture sector has always remained the backbone of our economy, yet it is the most adversely affected sector in terms of modernism and innova- MODERN AGRICULTURE MARCH 2021 | 37 www.insightssuccess.in

40. A Smart Technology With the launch of GNSS and GPS, agriculture took an immense jump for humankind. This utilized innovation is more promising in manners that reformed the whole situation and got practical to measure the development on a numerical scale. gritech companies are now coming forward to boost the community of farmers with modern technologies – AI, Data Analytics, Remote Sensing, and IoT devices to improve farming methods and keep the supply chain operations. Here is a list of modern practices that have transformed the traditional procedure of farming with technology and modern machines. Aeroponics Systems Aeroponic word is derived from Greek methodology which means – air and personification of hardship. This modern farming method involves growing plants in the mist environment harnessing any aggregate medium where the roots of the plants are hanged in the air and nutrients water were sprinkled on them. The method is maneuvered to control the level of water on plants which most of the time are not utilized adequately while growing plants. The procedure of Aeroponics is different from that of hydroponics, in- viro growing, and aquaponics; as it involves nutrient water as a medium for growth and maintains the plants with essential minerals leaving out soil and fish waste as a growing medium to transmit nutrients. Compared to other techniques which used daily nutrients system with an excess volume of solution and water, Aeroponic systems are more cost-efficient due to its limited use of soil, water, and fewer nutrients. Its restricted resources and elimination of irrelevant wastage of supplies, and disease-free cultivation makes aeroponics unique and applicable for modern agricul- ture practice. Drone Mode Drone Technology or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is operated remotely by a human to monitor the growth of crops and production. In order to enhance crop efficiency and civilizing crop yields, this technique has come into practice to assist farmers with a better picture of their farms through sensors and digital response. This technology has been in use for decades to search, explore an area, and collect scientific information. Introducing this technology in farming is accelerating agricultural practice to a greater extent. Over the coming years, the technology of UAV is estimated to take around eighty percent of the market with incorporating its new innovative and effective technology. Drone in the agriculture industry; possess the feasibility to turn the landscape of farming well- attainable. Utilization of information for exact planting, knowledge of different soil, geological aspect, and clarity makes this practice of farming an achievement of humans. It made it simple to anticipate the most ideal conditions for a crop to harvest and to encourage more prominent traceability harvests, smart technology has become a blessing for the agriculture sector. Improved dynamic and upgraded advertising angles, accuracy, or savvy agribusiness advanced in the field of Indian farming. It opened new ways to bridge the gap of human needs. This modern practice made it possible to screen crop needs, boost resoluteness and decrease the impressions of cultivating. The practice has become feasible because the modern technology Big Data got merged with traditional agriculture. Researchers in the sphere of farming were the first to utilize this practice as a feature of their ventures in cultivating crops. It is gradually acquiring importance other than in the research projects as the expenses of such cycle drops. New-age Machinery Farm trucks and tractors were only the starts in agriculture; but today, haulers, harvesters, drones, and such advanced machinery have contributed into forming the essence of Indian farming. These pieces of machinery are now used to dig potatoes and other roots vegetables from the soil and separate them quickly from the roots to eliminate the delayed work of harvesting. Agrotech-based companies are now turning towards the agro machine producers focusing to transform the machine with customizations and implementing new designs for convenient and faster use. For instance, rotavators that are utilized in culturing decrease the intricacy of laborious work into a job of few hours. Limited human exertion in a particularly creative and optimistic manner prepared for machines in agriculture forever has made India a reformist country in terms of efficiency and output in farming. - Renuka Singh 38 | MARCH 2021 www.insightssuccess.in