Since the majority of India’s workforce (~42%) is occupied in the agricultural sector, India is often termed an agrarian country. Climate change has severely impacted the methods of agriculture and crop production in India. With increasing unpredictability of factors affecting crops, farmers are adopting new technologies and this has created opportunities for tech-based startups in India. But does India have an environment to allow the growth of such Agriculture startups? Let’s have a comprehensive look at Agri-tech startups in India.
Crux of the Matter
India’s Agri Outlook Currently, India has 145 million farms and 53% of the farming area is under irrigation. 126 million hectares is under foodgrain cultivation, yielding 285 mn tonnes of foodgrain.
India, despite having a huge reliance on the agriculture sector for employment, seems to be spending less on Research & Development in the agricultural sector, which experts say results in low productivity. Lack of use of scientific methods, overdependence on guesswork, and farmers with no or little information of new technology and farming methods are some other issues. However, the Indian Agriculture startups are inclined towards resolving these traditional issues of farmers with the help of modern technology involving the use of Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, etc.
How Can Tech Help? In tech-based farming, sensors are installed on farm that can collect information on temperature, light, soil Ph values, moisture content, etc. Some sensors deployed at 18 inches below the soil can collect microclimatic readings and soil data. Now, agriculture startups are equipped to collect, analyze, and convert these data into precise actionable intelligence for farmers. The inputs from startups help farmers know how, when, and where to use fertilizers, irrigate, and start sowing or reaping. Moreover, cameras placed around a farm can detect pests and signs of diseases. Ultimately, the adoption of such technology in farming is expected to minimize risks associated with farming and make farming more predictable.
Evaluating Pros And Cons
A Look At Some Agritech Startups AgNext It is a Chandigarh-based startup that uses computer vision and spectroscopy for post-harvest inspection of tea leaves. It has developed a technology that analyses tea leaves by checking its fiber content. It took the company 18 months and half a billion leaves to develop an algorithm to detect the quality of tea leaves more quickly and effectively. It must be noted that $3 billion worth of tea trade happens annually via visual inspection.
Fasal It is a Bangalore based startup that monitors critical parameters 24x7x365 from farms and uploads it on the Fasal cloud platform. Farm-level data is then used by prediction engines to predict the ideal growth conditions, resource requirements including irrigation, sprays, fertigation, and other preventive measures. The data is then analyzed and presented, making the crop’s health accessible anytime, anywhere on any device for data-driven decision making. Farmers get notified on their devices about daily and important updates.
Aqua Farms A Chennai-based Agro Startup, Aqua Farms offers hydroponic home kits that are plug-and-play solutions to grow leafy greens – they are shallow-rooted plants that do not demand extremely rich soil, but they do need plenty of sun and a constant supply of water. The kit comprises of nutrient filling technology. It costs ₹6,000-45,000 for output of 2-20 kg of leafy greens per month. This technology is best suited for land-scarce urban hubs.
Urbankisaan It is a Hyderabad-based Agro Startup that uses hydroponics technology to grow vegetables at a commercial scale. It grows 70 varieties of crops, including tomatoes, potatoes, and onions, in indoor farms that are no more than 2,500 sq feet. “We grow 30x more vegetables than what can be done in soil farming, using 95% less water,” says Vihari Kanukollu, CEO & Cofounder of Urbankisaan.
Curiopedia
Mariculture is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in tanks. Non-food products produced by mariculture include fish meal, nutrient agar, jewelry (e.g. cultured pearls), and cosmetics.
Agripreneur is an entrepreneur whose main business is agriculture or agriculture-related.
The Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana is the largest agriculture university in Asia. It was established in 1962 and is the nation’s third-oldest agricultural university. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranked PAU 51st among universities in 2019.
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