Data and Innovation are Key to Asia’s Food-secure Future
Stellapps Technologies of India, on 10 Oct 2019, won Rabobank’s SustainableAg Asia Challenge, the food and Agri banking leader’s pioneering platform for agri-tech start-ups and innovators across the region to showcase innovative solutions to drive integrity and interconnectivity throughout Asia’s vital agriculture and food supply chains.
It topped a shortlist of 14 companies that participated in a marathon Pitch Day, presenting their solutions to a judging panel comprising senior management of Rabobank Foundation, as well as senior representatives of SustainableAg Asia Challenge partner companies ADB Ventures, Archer Daniels Midland, Bayer, Bits & Bites, COFCO International, DSM, Future Group, Olam International, and Temasek.
The India-based company impressed the judging panel with its SmartMoo solution. “Our application is aimed at driving digitization of the dairy sector through captured data from the entire supply chain, significantly enhancing income, profitability and yield per cow of farmers in emerging economies,” said Umesh Parjapat, Program Manager at Stellapps Technologies.
Stellapps Technologies and four other companies judged as the Top Five submissions – DeHaat, Longcom Internet-of-Things, AgNext and PT Crowde Membangun Bangsa – share a pool of winners’ cash prizes totalling US$20,000 and are now invited to present their solutions at Rabobank Asia’s Food and Agri (F&A) Advisory Board Meeting in Shanghai on 31 October. The annual premier event brings together chairmen and CEOs of leading food and agribusiness companies and commodity traders from China, India and Southeast Asia.
Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony, Albert Boogaard, Head of Innovation at Rabo Foundation, said: “What’s happening in Asia in terms of scale and focus on the end-users is really impressive. Overall, the judges were greatly impressed by the innovation, passion and commitment shown by participants of SustainableAg Asia Challenge. These technologies and new business models can serve as catalysts for
Asia’s diverse and fragmented food and agriculture industry, providing food and Agri companies with the means to reinvigorate food production with smart farming, more effective and efficient processing and distribution techniques, as well as improving lives for smallholder farmers throughout Asia.”
Diane Boogaard, Rabobank Asia’s CEO, said: “Data and innovation are key in driving the changes needed to improve food and Agri supply chains, thereby creating more sustainable food production. Through the SustainableAg Asia Challenge, we want to connect innovative solutions with our corporate clients to drive sustainability and integrity in agri-food supply chains. As a major cooperative Food & Agri bank, enabling the change to a more sustainable food supply chain is core to our mission of ‘growing a better world together’. We do this by providing access to our knowledge, networks and financing solutions.”
SustainableAg Asia Challenge, supported by Rabo Foundation and Rabobank, drew a total of 138 submissions from a cross-section of technology start-ups and businesses in the food supply chain – including farming, food and agriculture traders, and food companies and retailers – that use cutting-edge data-driven technology, analysis and interconnectivity to develop market-ready smart farming techniques to help meet increased demand for food in Asia. While Asia’s population is expected to increase from 4.6 billion to 5.3 billion in 2050, limited arable land and natural resources are available for increased food production.
