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HomePosts Tagged "Sandeep Sabharwal"
Agribusiness, Company News, India, Supply Chain, Warehousing

 It will facilitate access to post-harvest credit at competitive interest rates, alongside offering scientific storage services and ensuring fair commodity pricing at marketplaces (Mandis).

 South Indian Bank announced a strategic partnership with Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) to deliver ‘Unified Collateral Management Solutions’ to support farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural ecosystem. This collaboration will facilitate access to post-harvest credit at competitive interest rates, alongside offering scientific storage services and ensuring fair commodity pricing at marketplaces (Mandis).

The partnership is poised to address some of the key challenges faced by the agricultural sector, particularly in the areas of post-harvest storage and financing. By combining the financial expertise of South Indian Bank with the innovative collateral management and warehousing solutions provided by SLCM, the collaboration promises to deliver a seamless experience to farmers and agri-businesses alike.

Speaking on the collaboration, Senthil Kumar, SGM & Head – Credit, South Indian Bank said, “At South Indian Bank, we are committed to fostering sustainable growth and financial stability for the farmers who form the backbone of our economy. We are glad to partner with SLCM to add to our ability to serve our customers better. We are looking to build out our agriculture portfolio so as to improve yields, incomes etc. in rural India by creating a robust framework that enables farmers and agri-businesses to access post-harvest credit at competitive rates, while ensuring the safe and scientific storage of their commodities, thus, enhancing value creation across the agricultural ecosystem.”

Discussing the new partnership with South Indian Bank, Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO – of SLCM Group stated, “Our alliance with South Indian Bank underscores the strength of our collateral management and warehousing business model, built on a robust ‘phygital’ infrastructure and unmatched warehouse management expertise. South Indian Bank can now leverage our extensive network of warehouses and expertise to provide loans to entities across the agricultural ecosystem, with the minimal risk of default. At SLCM, we offer a reliable scientific management system for crop protection along with comprehensive warehouse support. Our AI-powered and NABL Accredited application ‘Agri Reach,’ which has earned two prestigious patents from the Government of India, has proven its ability to reduce post-harvest losses from the current 10 percent to just 0.5 percent, regardless of infrastructure, crop, or geographical location.”

With this collaboration, a lasting impact on the agricultural sector is expected, with enhanced support for farmers and agri-businesses, contributing to broader economic growth.

 It will facilitate access to post-harvest credit

Agribusiness, India, R&D, Supply Chain, Warehousing

The latest patent recognises the pioneering “Method for REAL-TIME Monitoring of Quality Control Data in a warehouse management system”.

 Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM), India’s leading post-harvest logistics company, announced the acquisition of its second patent for Agri Reach application, from the Intellectual Property India, Government of India. The latest patent recognizes the pioneering “Method for REAL-TIME Monitoring of Quality Control Data in a Warehouse Management System”.

The innovation marks a milestone in the agriculture industry, by real-time monitoring of the quality of commodities at all stages of the warehouse management operations to ensure health of commodities during the whole process. The first patent of Agri Reach Application was granted in 2022, “Method for REAL-TIME Data Management” which had defined centralized processes for monitoring and managing crops from any location, whilst this Second Patent granted on 20th May 2024 specifically addresses the process of Monitoring Quality of the commodities stored in a Warehouse. With these two prestigious patents, SLCM Group becomes India’s first company in Agri Industry to have proprietary solutions for holistically managing both quality and quantity of crops in real-time under a single platform. These inventions would go a long way in making the country’s agricultural ecosystem self-reliant by bolstering diverse post-harvest facets, including an unparalleled, instant and accurate quality monitoring of food grains, tracking entire journey of a commodity and real-time intimation on damage, wastage or deterioration of quality of the Agri Commodity to warehouse operators for faster action and result oriented information.

An industry-proven, resilient and scalable, the latest patented method represents a major advancement in sustainable technology and spells numerous benefits for the agriculture & allied community, offering unparalleled accuracy of inbound and outbound transactions of commodity, streamlined data management processes by enabling a systemized and transparent process for quality control check of commodities at all junctures of warehouse management.

Commenting on strengthening SLCM IP portfolio, Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO of SLCM Group expressed, “We applied for the patent six years ago with a strong trust in our innovation and a mission to revolutionize the agriculture industry of India. It is a proud moment that the Government of India has acknowledged our patent application. This milestone solidifies our leadership position, being the first and only company in our industry to achieve two patents that will transform the agriculture domain. We are committed to making sustained efforts towards laying a robust Phygital infrastructure with culmination of cutting-edge technology and expansive physical network of establishments.”

He further added, “Both the patented inventions in a single platform of Agri Reach contains everything you need to effectively track commodity journey and syncing all data from numerous warehouse sites at the centralized location ensuring no gaps in the warehouse management process which may lead to deterioration of commodities. Warehouse operators are empowered to optimize quality control procedures and equip stakeholders with improved decision-making capabilities by having continuous access to the lifecycle of crops stored in the warehouse. Thereby, fostering sustainable development by curbing huge food grain losses during post-harvest stages”.

Agri Reach Application:

Backed by strong R&D efforts and forward-thinking approach, Agri Reach, is a state-of-the-art and the only NABL accredited application, developed to monitor and oversee Agri Commodities journey in Storage. The AI powered Application is agnostic to infrastructure, location or crops to enhance efficiency and transparency.

The application offers a diverse set of services in collateral management such as audit receipts, quality control, and surveillance. This helps agriculture experts to maintain the health of stored crops, and ensure optimum quality using a series of processes, audits, and real-time tracking of the facilities. 

The latest patent recognises the pioneering “Method

Agrotech, Cold Storage, India, Opinions, Supply Chain, Warehousing

By Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO, Sohan Lal Commodity Management Pvt. Ltd. (SLCM)

Every year, India loses approximately 74 million tonnes of food, accounting for 10 per cent of total foodgrain and horticulture production in the country. The prime reason for this food grain loss is inadequate infrastructure, fragmented supply chains, lack of access to new age technology and also barriers in information majorly coming in because of lack of acceptance of new ideas by agri fraternity. The agri industry is making sure that it deals with this multifaceted problem with innovative solutions. This problem of food loss has created multiple opportunities for the agri tech industry to create solutions that were unthinkable earlier. This has led to job creation, better produce, economic growth and value addition to agricultural produce.

In this stead, utilising innovative Farming Techniques have emerged as a steppingstone.  Such techniques can ensure that we can easily minimize food loss. Precision agriculture, hydroponics, or vertical farming, which optimize resource utilization and reduce wastage should be the way forward for farmers. Moreover, Technological Interventions are also being created by agri tech leaders. Today mobile apps for real-time market information, blockchain for transparent supply chains, and AI-driven analytics for predictive crop management are available. Though, there will be a need to handhold the agri fraternity and teach them the technology till they become comfortable with it, but the journey towards the goal has already begun.

Infrastructure Development is another area that has seen tremendous improvement in the past decade. Long gone are the traditional warehouses. Today the new, improved cold storage facilities, faster transportation networks, and packaging solutions have enabled the farmer to extend the shelf life of perishable goods. Farmers can make use scientific agri warehousing practices that enable them to timestamp when they store their produce and when they take it out. Online apps are also helping farmers to get their grains certified, which saves time and money and enables them to get the right value for their products.  

Community Initiatives such as farmer cooperatives, food banks, and decentralized processing units also add value to surplus produce. In addition to it, Government Policies and Support in the form of subsidies for modern farming equipment, investment in rural infrastructure, and awareness campaigns on proper storage and handling practices are ensuring that the farmer is happy at the end of the day. This will ultimately lead to Market Diversification and thus reduced dependency on traditional channels, exploring avenues such as organic farming, niche markets, and export opportunities to minimize surplus production and associated losses.

Capacity building and training programs for farmers, focusing on post-harvest management techniques, quality control measures, and efficient packaging methods to reduce food loss along the supply chain is already underway but a more focused approach is needed so that these resources reach the farmers. Climate-resilient practices and technologies can also help to minimize crop losses and ensure food security. In the end, we need to ensure that the prime beneficiaries of all our efforts are the farmers. The prime goal is to see that the agri industry grows leaps and bounds within no time at all.

By Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO, Sohan Lal Commodity

Company News, Finance, India, Warehousing

Kissandhan is revolutionising the way farmers, aggregators, traders, and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) access financing.

In a major achievement, SLCM has made a profound impact on the lives of over 78,000 small and marginal farmers, along with more than 23,000 women borrowers, through its financial wing, Kissandhan.

Kissandhan empowers farmers and stakeholders to secure loans of up to Rs 5 Crore by pledging their commodity stocks stored in SLCM’s state-of-the-art warehouses. This significant milestone not only highlights SLCM’s dedication to the agricultural community but also represents a game-changing moment for the company.

Kissandhan, with its diverse range of products, including Commodity Based Finance (CBF), Financing FPOs and Business Correspondent (BC), has facilitated cumulative disbursements of Rs 2773 Crores and issued 48,936 warehouse receipts. This remarkable milestone underscores SLCM’s commitment to the agricultural community.

Kissandhan is revolutionizing the way farmers, aggregators, traders, and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) access financing. SLCM understands the critical role FPOs play in supporting member and non-member farmers during crucial periods such as the procurement of inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, as well as during harvesting. Kissandhan ensures that FPOs receive timely loans, enabling them to extend this support to farmers. As a result, farmers receive instant funds when they need them most, leading to improved livelihoods.

 Sandeep Sabharwal, Group CEO, SLCM, expressed his pride in achieving this milestone, stating, “Kissandhan initiative is a testament to our unwavering commitment to the well-being of farmers. We are thrilled to have made a positive impact on the lives of over 65,000 small and marginal farmers and more than 23,000 women borrowers. As we move forward, SLCM remains dedicated to introducing more innovative solutions that will empower the agricultural community and drive positive change in the sector.”

SLCM is also fostering Business Correspondent Partnerships for building retail book with Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) through Kissandhan. This initiative provides NBFCs engaged in Agri & Allied activities with loan limits of up to Rs 15 Crores for lending to small and marginal farmers. By doing so, Kissandhan is bridging the gap in rural credit access and empowering marginal farmers in agriculture.

This milestone reflects SLCM’s ongoing efforts to redefine agricultural financing in India. By leveraging technology and a deep understanding of the needs of farmers and FPOs, SLCM through Kissandhan has not only transformed lives but also ensured that the future of agriculture in India is poised for growth and sustainability.

Kissandhan is revolutionising the way farmers, aggregators,

Company News, Finance, India, Supply Chain, Warehousing

Till date, Kissandhan has disbursed loan of more than Rs 2700 Crores and impacted about 6 lakhs plus farmers, Agri traders, Agri Processors, etc.

In another major development, SLCM Group has announced that it has disbursed more than Rs 84.80 Crore to over 19,000 women entrepreneurs till FY22-23 through Kissandhan’s BC (Business Correspondent) Partnership Lending Programme’. The company has onboarded about 10,000 women beneficiaries in the last five months, which not only exhibits a substantial increase in the program’s reach but also indicates the growing scope for women farmers to improve their social and economic stability.

Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO of SLCM Group, said, “We strive to significantly impact the lives of small farm holders and their families. During our analysis, we observed that women’s participation in the agriculture and allied sectors is still meagre, mainly due to a lack of access to credit and empowerment to establish stability. We also noticed women lack decision-making power despite owning land in their name. Women in agriculture earn only 70 per cent of men’s wages, which strongly indicates gender inequality in this space. The launch of Kissandhan Agri Finance business unit is intended to address this pressing issue and ensure that women in our country lead a socially and financially stable life.”

Naresh Kumar, Chief Business Officer, Kissandhan, said, “Crossing the milestone of 19,000+ women loan beneficiaries is a proud moment for all of us at SLCM Group. We aim to double this number in the coming times. Kissandhan is our way of recognizing women farmers for the hard work they do for their livelihood. This underlines our commitment to empowering women through access to adequate capital.”

‘Business Correspondents (BCs)” are representatives appointed by banks/financial Institutions who act as their agents and provide financial services in remote locations where banks are not present. The average ticket size of such loans is Rs. 40,000 per borrower. Till now, Kissandhan has managed to disburse an amount of 80 Crore. to help the women beneficiaries. Till date, Kissandhan has disbursed loan of more than Rs 2700 Crores and impacted about 6 lakhs plus farmers, Agri traders, Agri Processors, etc.

Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM), India’s leading comprehensive service provider in the global post-harvest space for agricultural commodities. Kissandhan serves farmers, joint liability groups, small and medium-sized enterprises, commodity traders, processors, exporters, importers, and other Agri intermediary in India.

Till date, Kissandhan has disbursed loan of

Agrotech, Finance, Foodgrains, India, Interaction, Supply Chain, Warehousing

Sandeep Sabharwal, Group CEO of SLCM, spoke with AgroSpectrum about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the agri supply chain industry in India. Edited excerpts;

Founded in 2009, Sohan Lal Commodity Management Pvt. Ltd. (SLCM) Group is one of India’s leading comprehensive service providers in the global post-harvest space for agricultural commodities. It currently operates a network of over 10,255 warehouses and has disbursed loans worth more than Rs 2600 crore over the last three years through its wholly-owned subsidiary Kissandhan business unit. It recently received the accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for its ground-breaking AI ML QC application, which falls under its patented process management system, “Agri Reach”. This marks the first time in NABL’s history that a mobile app has received certification. Sandeep Sabharwal, Group CEO of SLCM, spoke with AgroSpectrum about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the agri supply chain industry in India. Edited excerpts;

How do you perceive the transformation of the agriculture value chain with the adoption of new technology solutions?

We have come a long way in the agriculture sector since independence. Over the past two decades the agriculture sector has experienced major disruptions with the introduction of innovative products and solutions that utilise new-age technology applications. Embracing new-age technology platforms or a combination of them like AI, Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, RFIDs, Edge, Drones, etc., is the key to improving efficiencies and optimising operations while reducing costs. The deployment of these new-age technology applications has paved the way for new service models such as ‘Farm-To-Fork’, ‘Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS)’, etc.

How is SLCM’s AI-based Quality Check mobile App ‘Agri Reach’ helping farmers and traders get better prices for their products?

Using this AI ML QC module smartphone application to conduct a quality check of agricultural products is as simple as taking a picture. A simple click and submission through the app will analyse the image for a variety of quality metrics. The user will then receive a detailed quality report based on evidence in the photograph, that covers specifications such as damaged, shrunken, shrivelled or immature grains, foreign matter and a host of other physical parameters like height, length, grid, colour and pattern of the commodity. The results are compared with pre-fed data in the back-end system, which updates itself regularly using a combination of technologies including AI and ML with Python programming language.

The quality check mobile app currently covers wheat, guar, soya beans, chana, rice and maize. It enables farmers, agri traders, and arhtiyas to get an ‘on-the-spot assessment’ of the commodity’s sample within minutes, without having to use any equipment or lab tests. In just two months since its launch, the mobile app has been used to inspect 21.59 lakh metric tonnes of crops at 303 locations in 17 states. The app helps farmers and traders get better prices for their products by providing objective quality reports, which helps them negotiate a fair price in the market.

Recently, the company has received NABL accreditation for the QC App, how will this help in the adoption of ‘Agri Reach’ by farmers and traders, etc.?

We had the vision for ‘phygitalising’ (physical + digital infrastructure) the warehouse management system over a decade ago. With a dedicated team of professionals, SLCM created ‘Agri Reach’ – a system that enables effective warehousing solutions agnostic of infrastructure, geography, and crops. We are the only company in the Indian agriculture sector that has registered a technology patent in the Agri-Logistics (warehousing) segment spanning 75 years post-Independence. And now I am proud to state that the company has reinforced its leadership status by being the first and only company in this space to receive the coveted NABL accreditation for an app that will transform the way the agri industry assesses the quality of its commodities. It is a matter of credibility which will reinforce the trust among end-users.

To read more click on :https://agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine

Sandeep Sabharwal, Group CEO of SLCM, spoke