“Agritech And How It Is Helping Serve The Social Cause”

1. “Agritech And How It Is Helping Serve The Social Cause”

2. India, a South-East Asian country, is known for its rich culture and heritage, also known as "Krishi Pradhan Desh." The Hindi phrase "Krishi Pradhan Desh" means "country whose large population relies on agriculture for a living." Agriculture in India is thought to be an heirloom of the Indus Valley Civilization. Indian agriculture began around 9000 BCE as a result of early plant cultivation and domestication of crops and animals. Farmers are known as “Annadata” in the Indian context, which means “food provider,” but the irony is that they still face numerous challenges. From an agricultural standpoint, India is a one-of-a-kind country due to its vast expanse of level land, rich and fertile soil, wide climatic variations suitable for a variety of crops, and abundant sunshine.

4. Table 1: India: Growth of GDP and major sector (in Percentage)

5. Agriculture is the backbone of India's economy, but its share of GDP and employment has declined since 1951. Agriculture's contribution to the national economy can be explained by the fact that agriculture accounts for 23 percent of India's GDP and employs 67 pecent of the Indian population. It provides raw materials to numerous industries and ensures the country's food security.

6. STATS OF INDIAN AGRITECH SECTOR AS PER NASSCOM REPORT According to NASSCOM statistics, India currently has 450+ Agri-Tech Startups, and according to a survey, 48 percent of Agri-Tech CEOs believe that the next Agri-Tech Unicorn will emerge within the next three years. A nationwide lockdown was imposed in March 2020. It halts almost all activities in every industry. The Agriculture Sector, on the other hand, is unaffected by this lockdown. Despite the fact that farmers faced numerous challenges, this sector was performing well.

7. CHALLENGES FACED: 1.NO TRANSPORTATION Due to the lack of transportation, there is a gap in the Demand-Supply Chain. Farmers had a plethora of products, but no means of selling them.

8. 2.UNAVAILABILITY OF LABOURS The Indian Farmer does not want his son to be a farmer today. Farmers have been dealing with a slew of issues, and agricultural land is shrinking. Heavy indebtedness, crop failure, insecure life, very high agricultural costs, and uncertainty in regular income are some of the reasons. One of the major concerns was the unavailability of labourers because workers migrated to their native country after the lockdown was imposed.

9. As previously stated, "modern problems necessitate modern solutions." Startups have demonstrated that technological advancements can solve any problem. NinjaCart, AgriCart, Cropin, AgriNext, and other leading Agri-tech startups are attempting to solve all of these problems.

10. NINJACART NinjaCart is a business-to-business (B2B) company that aims to improve the supply chain. They connect food producers directly with retailers, restaurants, and service providers, and they have in-house applications that drive end-to-end operations. Thiukumaran Nagaranjan, Vasudevan Chinnathambi, Ashutosh Vikram, Sharath Loganathan, Kartheeswaran KK, and Sachin J insellers. comose founded it. They are currently active in seven major cities: Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Mumbai. Services Provided by NinjaCart: It manages the Supply Chain through the use of technology and analytics. Farmers benefit from consistent demand and higher prices, while retailers benefit from the fresh produce delivered to their door.

11. AGRICART Agricart is an online marketplace for agricultural and gardening supplies. It sells seeds, tools, chainsaws, lawnmowers, brush cutters, manure, and other items. Services Provided by Agricart Agricart offers an online shopping platform for agricultural products. It provides Cash on Delivery Services to farmers who do not frequently use digital transactions. It offers tools and machinery, as well as various types of seeds ( vegetable, fruit, plants). It also offers Drip Irrigation System technologies.

12. CROP IN Crop in is a leading “Full–Stack Agri-Tech” organisation founded by Krishna Kumar and Kunal Prasad. It enables stakeholders to implement digital technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence), Machine Learning, Remote Sensing, and Satellite Imaging. Services Provided by CROPIN CROP IN is dedicated to providing a robust and flexible farm management system with great features such as traceability and output predictability. It combines an alert log and management (pest infestation, disease, etc.) with a satellite and weather input-based advisory. The team can also provide crop reports and insights.

13. DEHAAT DeHart is an artificial intelligence-enabled organisation that aims to revolutionise the supply chain. They currently have 265,000 farmers in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha. It was also honoured by NASSCOM, Forbes, ET Niti Aayog, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Services provided by DeHaat: DEHART aims to provide farmers with technical assistance such as soil testing, yield forecasting, and the use of AI, ML, and analytics. It also offers Agri Solutions to farmers, including seeds, nutrition, and advisory and support. The team also offers agri-financing, which includes credit and insurance, harvesting, and market access.

14. AGZON AGRO The organisation was founded in 2015 to provide a dependable and cost-effective solution for plant nutrition needs, focusing on fertilisers, probiotic micronutrient solutions, and other plant growth regulators. Services Provided by AGZON AGRO AGZON AGRO provides quality agricultural input products as well as ground-level support and guidance to farmers in order to maximise profits by utilising available resources. It aims to develop a strong, efficient, and effective distribution system while also focusing on creating the best working environment in the organisation.

15. KAMAL KISAN The company Kamal Kisan, founded by Engineer and Business Graduate Devi Murthy, provides low-cost farm equipment. Vegetable planters, power weeders, bed makers, sugarcane planters, and other machines have been developed by the company. Features of Products developed by KAMAL KISAN KAMAL KISAN's services are suitable for use on small farms with minimal fuel dependence, ease of self-maintenance to reduce reliance on after-sales service, integration with existing farming practices to lower adoption barriers, and cost-effectiveness.

16. FASAL The Fasal app was launched in 2018 with four team members to reduce cultivation costs and increase quality through an AI-powered platform in order to eliminate uncertainties in farming. The Company promotes Sustainable Agriculture by adhering to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Services provided by Faisal FASAL provides Farm Level Weather forecast with high accuracy with alerts for the risk of disease and pests. It also manages irrigation precisely by optimizing the usage of water and monitoring the finance of stakeholders.

17. FLYBIRD FARM INNOVATIONS Fly Bird farm Innovation is a social enterprise focusing on helping farmers conserve water and control irrigation. Services provided by Flybird Farm Innovations It helps farmers by improving Crop Yield / Production. Conservation and efficient usage of water and electric power, Improving the livelihood of farmers, Integrating Affordable Technologies for farmers are their’s motive.

18. CROFARM Founded in 2016, Croform is also a Startup aiming to improve Supply Chain. They deliver fruits and vegetables both online and offline after taking them directly from the farmers. It depends on an AI-based prediction system to keep tracking of its procurement. Services Provided by CROFARM CROFARM provides a Farmer/ Supplier App along with Distribution Centre Console, Transporter App, Reseller App, Retailer/ Consumer App.