Dr Ramesh Mittal Director CCS National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Jaipur
By the year 2050, annual food grain production would need to grow to 333 million tonnes. Despite the fact that the contribution of key food grains in acreage terms in India is 15 per cent, the production contribution is mere 8.7 per cent. This indicates that the use of innovative technology is necessary to meet the forecasted demand in a sustainable manner and move Indian agriculture along the growth path. It’s time to seek the right partnerships that add value through innovations and achieve shared goals through combined efforts.
To adopt innovation we must support Agri start-ups which are potential human capital in the Indian agricultural economy and certainly the right partners for innovation-led agriculture growth. It’s an opportune time to bring them together and inspire them to devise appropriate solutions for agribusiness issues. Innovations by agri start-ups in the form of products, services or applications can be a meaningful solution across the agricultural value chain even for agriculture value addition. Therefore, the efficient use of this talent pool will be a key driver for improving competitiveness in the agriculture sector. However, to realise their true potential, concentrated efforts by the right mix of stakeholders and with clear objectives will help in achieving faster results.
The Indian agriculture identifies the holistic drivers for the agriculture sector – the demand pull, supply side push and an enabling conducive policy environment for its overall growth. While summing up the key trends and future outlook of the sector, the need for disruptive technologies to steer the agriculture sector has been emphasised. Characteristics and categories of start-ups, along with the key challenges faced by them, have been elucidated with a strategic way forward. India has already built a strong name for itself in the global start-up community. It’s time to make agri start-ups successful and propel India forward as a leader in the agri technology sector through innovations.
Agricultural start-ups in India are still at a nascent stage, with a bunch of ‘agripreneurs’ trying to solve multiple emerging problems in the Indian agribusiness ecosystem. The combined revenue of all agritech start-ups in India is estimated to be less than $100 million, which is a drop in the ocean in a market worth more than $350 billion. Thus, the opportunity to scale up and disrupt is huge. India has made a strong name for itself in the global start-up community. It ranks amongst the top five countries in the world in terms of number of start-ups founded. It is estimated that India houses less than 5000 start-ups, creating more than 1,00,000 employment opportunities. By 2021, the number of start-ups in India is projected to increase to more than 12000, with job creation from these entrepreneurs reaching 300,000-400,000 by 2021.
Transforming food processing economy
India continues to be among the top six countries globally, with the highest number of deals in agricultural technology. (The US, Canada, the UK, Israel and France comprise the other five countries.) In 2019, within global investments, Indian agritech start-up firms contributed around 9 per cent, valued at $400 million.
Status and sectoral presence of agri start-ups in India is-
Supply chain • E-distributor • Listing platform • Marketplace
Infrastructure • Growing system and components • Aquaponics • Hydroponics • Drip irrigation
Finance • Payments • Revenue sharing • Lending
Farm data and analytics • Integrated Platform • Remote sensing software platforms • Farm mapping • Farm management solution • Field operations • Information dissemination
Agriculture is the back bone of Indian economy as it supplies raw material for many of the industries and it is the source of livelihood for majority of the rural population in India. There had been innumerable transformations in cultivation practices of crops to suit the demands of the populace. Parallel to that number of innovations were also part of these modifications which were successful in changing the face of Indian agriculture from mere ‘Sip to Mouth’ position to the present proud position of ‘self-sufficiency’ and earning a sizeable amount of foreign exchange from agricultural exports.
However, we cannot be complacent with these achievements as the demand for food is ever mounting due to persistent increase in human and animal population in the country. Hence, it is very much essential to take the stock of the situation and search for new innovations which can enhance the productivity without causing much damage to the environment. Greater scope for further improvement in yields of food grains in India is the strength for Indian agricultural science. Future research needs to concentrate more on climate resilient agriculture safeguarding the natural resource base in order to make our future generations thrive on this living planet
Scope of technology intervention
Value Chain Stage Technology Intervention required in –
Inputs / Knowledge • Getting agriculture inputs directly on phone • Weather forecast through weather apps • Decision support solution for farmers like selling crops at appropriate rates • Pest Management Solution and Nutritional Management Solution • AI based sowing advisories
Harvesting and Transport • GSM Mobile controlled motor • Hi tech irrigation systems like drip, sprinkler etc. • Auto Steering Tractors powered by GPS • Crop Counting Machines • Machine-learning algorithms to differentiate between weeds and crops
Processing and Storage • Machine based Imaging technology to sort based on colour, size, type etc. • Wireless sensor to monitor crops connected with smartphone • Measuring grains moisture content
Distribution, Packaging and Handling • Web and mobile applications to sell directly farm products • Price forecasting model to prevent inflation • Dynamic product pricing • Online marketplace for grain • Using data to track
A number of new start-ups are developing solutions to tackle climate change challenges. For example, Skymet Weather Services is involved in monitoring and predicting weather and providing agri-risk solutions. Skymet can measure and predict yield at the village level for any crop with a high level of accuracy and can also accurately forecast the weather in the short, medium, and long term. Ecozen Solutions has developed state of-the-art solar-powered products for irrigation and cold storage, with the aim of catering to smallholder farms and regions with limited or no electricity. Barrix Agro Sciences offers eco-friendly crop protection methods that have the potential to minimize a significant proportion of the damage caused by pests and diseases without overdosing crops and plants with chemicals, thus preventing soil and water contamination.
There are also ventures that started out as agri-tech start-ups in India but, owing to their innovative solutions, are now operating as medium-scale businesses. EM3 AgriServices, founded in 2014, has quickly risen to become a pioneer in the farming-as-a-service (FaaS) model. EM3’s Samadhan techno kheti centres offer machines needed to perform all critical farm operations on a pay-for-use basis. At their centres, the organization employs agri-professionals who are well versed in the agronomy of the target area. Another such noteworthy venture, eKutir Global, offers an online and mobile based platform to connect marginal farmers with stakeholders across the value chain such as soil-testing labs, suppliers of seeds and fertilizers, banks, exporters, food-processing units, and branded retailers. Agri Suite by eKutir offers a one-stop solution for all the needs of a farmer; their field partners also train farmers to use their application.
Over time, services that go beyond merely selling a product but that also provide training about how to use, maintain, and repair that product, as well as supplementary components such as advisory and marketing services, have become an increasingly important and integral part of any product offering. Technology is playing an important role in bringing these elements together. Despite the tremendous gains achieved, the long-term impact of the earlier technology revolutions was limited to selected agricultural pockets in the country, and further efforts to advance these revolutions lost momentum over time.
In the context of start-ups, the common barriers to commercialization and the scaling up of technology are related to access to finance, which is in turn related to operational finance, funding/capital deficiencies, and cash flow management; gaps in technology infrastructure; and issues concerned with cyber security. Furthermore, limited access to farmer networks for effective piloting of the products is seen to impede the commercialization plans of start-ups. For innovation and entrepreneurship to be effective in transforming agriculture in India, it will be important to address these issues and create an enabling environment in which they can grow and flourish. To a large extent, the effort towards this transformation has been catalysed by the government’s special programme on start-ups, Start-up India. Moreover, large companies with knowledge about the diversity of Indian agriculture could also support these start-ups by mentoring, which would help them pilot and scale up their activities for potential commercialization.
A successful future growth strategy for agriculture will need to perceive agriculture as a business enterprise involving constant innovation and catering to dynamic market demand. Although agricultural technologies are fast evolving in India and a mix of business models are driving the ecosystem, there is a need to design the pathway to successful commercialization and to scale it up by utilizing the right incentives and policy support. Technology will continue to play an important role while the dynamics of the agriculture sector changes and produces new challenges.
With the private sector playing an increasingly important role in investments, operations, and expertise, agriculture will gain immensely as the public sector catalyses these efforts. The IT revolution in India was brought forward by the private sector, with the public sector creating an enabling environment. Uptake of technologies at market prices in a sector that has traditionally been heavily subsidized remains challenging, but farmers are prompt to identify what works in their interest and are ready to pay for it. Digital technologies offer the potential to achieve the necessary conditions for scale, with distributed low cost and customized delivery, creating a unique opportunity for private enterprise and innovation to thrive.
The challenge before India lies in balancing high growth with inclusive growth; leveraging technology to achieve these twin goals will be a fascinating journey to track. A developed agriculture system is based on three key pillars: knowledge, infrastructure, and a robust delivery mechanism. Supporting the research and development ecosystem in agriculture directly contributes to creating knowledge and preparing for the future. To strengthen the supporting framework for growth, it will be important to focus on creating new physical markets, improving storage and transport facilities, making better roads, and ensuring a continued electricity and water supply.
These system components also facilitate efficient mechanisms for delivery and the monitoring of relevant government schemes and extension services that will accelerate the pace of development. The public policy regime in India has been supporting technology-led agricultural growth and has been increasingly developing new institutions to ease access and affordability of technology adoption among farmers.
