UPL Sustainable Agri Solutions Limited (UPL SAS), a subsidiary of UPL Ltd, aims to revolutionise Indian agriculture by offering a holistic approach to farming, including crop protection, climate-smart technologies, and digital solutions. It has a diverse range of platforms including UPL, SWAL, AT, Decco, ALP, Public Health, Unimart, nurture.farm, nurture.retail, Insurance, nurture.care and many more which are in developmental stages. It has a wide range of crop protection chemicals with over 300+ products covering >90 per cent of the crops grown in India. UPL SAS has about 25000+ dealers with over 3 lakhs indirect retailers. In an interaction with AgroSpectrum Ashish Dobhal, CEO, UPL SAS shares how AI and ML are being leveraged to improve efficiency, forecasting, and decision-making across the agri-supply chain, besides other issues.

How has the emergence of digital agri-marketplaces like nurture.retail redefined procurement practices for agri-retailers and manufacturers in India?

The agri-input procurement landscape in India has witnessed a profound shift, especially for agri-retailers who form the backbone of rural supply chains. Traditionally constrained by limited access, opaque pricing, and inconsistent availability, retailers often faced challenges in serving farmers efficiently. Digital marketplaces like nurture.retail have fundamentally changed this dynamic. Retailers now have seamless access to a wide assortment of products, transparent pricing, timely offers, and integrated logistics, all through a single platform. This has enabled them to make more informed and strategic purchasing decisions, manage working capital better, and respond faster to farmers’ needs. By putting retailers in control and eliminating inefficiencies, nurture.retail has empowered them to strengthen their local presence, build deeper farmer relationships, and become growth engines for India’s agri economy.

Could you elaborate on how AI and machine (ML) learning are being leveraged to improve efficiency, forecasting, and decision-making across the agri-supply chain?

AI and machine learning have become powerful enablers of intelligent decision-making across the agri value chain. At nurture.farm, we leverage these technologies to drive retailer success in multiple ways. Our AI-powered forecasting models analyse crop cycles, weather patterns, local demand, and sales trends to predict which products will be needed, where, and when. This allows retailers to optimise inventory, reduce stock-outs, and ensure they always have the right products in store for their customers. Personalised recommendation engines guide them towards regionally relevant inputs, improving both relevance and sales velocity. Logistics are optimised through AI to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery. Additionally, our credit scoring models use alternate data to unlock affordable financing options for retailers, many of whom remain underserved by traditional financial institutions. Through AI and ML, we are transforming agri-retail from reactive to predictive, enabling sharper, data-backed decisions every day.

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