Aims to reduce soil-borne diseases while improving seed vigour and seed emergence

HyFarm, the agribusiness unit of HyFun Foods and a leader in India’s potato seed multiplication and processing value chain, has entered into a strategic partnership with Sri BioAesthetics Pvt. Ltd.

The Memorandum of Understanding which was signed between the two companies will see both HyFarm and Sri BioAesthetics jointly develop and evaluate a preventive, microbiome-driven soil immunity model tailored specifically for India’s potato industry.

This first-of-a-kind collaboration will address some of the most critical challenges in seed potato production and processing-grade consistency which includes soil-borne diseases, yield variability and high rejection rates in processing lines.

The coming together of two leaders marks a significant shift from reactive crop protection practices to a proactive, biology-led approach primarily aimed at improving seed health, tuber uniformity and processing recovery, while enhancing long-term soil productivity.

S. Soundararadjane, Chief Executive Officer, HyFarm, said, “At HyFarm, our focus has always been towards building a highly predictable, processing-grade potato ecosystem. This begins from the seed and ends at a quality final output. This collaboration with Sri BioAesthetics allows us to address one of the most critical aspects in farming – soil health, in a far more scientific and preventive manner. By embedding microbiome intelligence into seed production and crop development, we are working towards greater uniformity, lower rejection rates and higher recovery efficiencies at processing level.”

For both HyFarm and Sri BioAesthetics, this coming together is not just about improving yields. It is predominantly about building consistency at scale, which is critical for the potato processing industry. As a first step in this collaboration, both HyFarm and Sri BioAesthetics will implement the latter’s SoilFirst program.

This program is a microbiome-based framework that includes soil diagnostics, pathogen mapping, pre-plant soil conditioning (soil vaccination), seed tuber microbial treatment and root-zone biological strengthening, all tailored to the core requirements of processing-grade potato cultivation.

In the initial phase, ~ 25 to 50 acres of demonstration plots will be established across key potato growing regions in the states of Gujarat and Punjab. The program will involve a comparative evaluation between conventional practices and the SoilFirst treated plots, with a strong focus on outcomes relevant to seed multiplication efficiency and processing performance.

KRK Reddy, Managing Director, Sri BioAesthetics, said, “The potato seed and processing ecosystem demands a very high level of consistency, disease control and quality predictability which cannot be achieved through reactive approaches alone. Through this partnership with HyFarm, we are bringing the SoilFirst platform into a high-performance agricultural system, where microbiome-led interventions can directly influence both seed health and processing outcomes.”

Both HyFarm and Sri BioAesthetics aim to set a new benchmark for sustainable, large-scale potato production while delivering measurable impact across key industry parameters.