Best Leaders in Agri -Tech 2021

FAARMS
TARANBIR SINGH
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
ALOK DUGGAL
CO-FOUNDER & COO
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
L
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SEPTEMBER 2021
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SEPTEMBER 2021
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From the
EDITOR
A
griculture and agriculture
activities have a major role
in human’s life as we cannot
survive for long if we lack in food
supply. Farmers are the one who
keeps us moving energetically
throughout our entire journey of life.
But, those farmers were suffering
from multiple issues which were
unsolved for decades. Agri-Tech
startups in India are shaping the
farmer’s life and creating a platform
for them to have a standard life
style. These startups are not just
benefitting them; they are helping
our environment as well by leading
the charge in sustainable farming
model.
On cover story we have Mr. Taranbir
Singh, Co-Founder & CEO and Mr.
Alok Duggal, Co-Founder & COO of
FAARMS Efarms Solutions Private

Limited. This agri-tech startup
addresses flaws in farming industry
and deliver solutions to it. They
are majorly providing the seeds
and fertilisers, allowing digital
payments, providing necessary
information according to season
and few more. They have a long-
term plan to transform Indian
agriculture industry.
It’s always a pleasure to bring this
magazine to all the readers. The
real strength for any magazine is
its audience; without their support
nothing would have been possible.
I am encouraged by the feedback
received from the readers and the
institutions/companies which are
in association with our magazine.
I wanted to be here not just as
an editor but because I had
something that might unite us
for a moment in that miraculous
way words can. There seems to be
an increasing level of confidence
displayed by our team in practice,
as they realise that the market
demand for their skills is growing at
an almost exponential rate. I would
like to take privilege to thanks my
team for the work undertaken.
SwiftNLift magazine is not just a
print or digital platform anymore
but, everything we do derives
from its long-standing character,
approach and quality – while
we continue to produce the
print publication with as much
dedication as ever.
Nilesh Sabe
Chief Editor
- Nilesh Sabe

Cover Story
Modern way of
farming: Aquaponics
Farming
FAARMS
Efaarms
Solutions
Private Limited
How Agri-Tech
Startups are
revamping
Agriculture in India?
Changing Farming
Trends in India
Articles
10
24 32 40

Profiles
Simply Natural
Foods Pvt Ltd
Waycool
EM3 Agro Services
Efresh Agribusiness
Solutions
Agrostar FreshoKartz Agri
Pvt. Ltd.
CropIn
Technology
Agribazaar
Ninjacart
34 36 38
30
22
28
20
26
16

BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
EFAARMS SOLUTIONS
PRIVATE LIMITED
FAARMS

TARANBIR SINGH
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
ALOK DUGGAL
COFOUNDER & COO

ALOK DUGGAL
COFOUNDER & COO
TARANBIR SINGH
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
FAARMS
EFAARMS SOLUTIONS
PRIVATE LIMITED

How can technology assist farmers?
Many instances around the world have shown that
technology like precision and predictive analytics,
smart irrigation & farm management system has helped
farmers improve their productivity and profitability.
Penetration of the internet and mobiles have reached
rural India but what we don’t always realize is how slow
the pace of adoption is.
This is where our team comes in. We try and understand
farmer’sbehavioranddevelopapplicationsthatweknow
will appeal to them for their day-to-day use. Today, we
are one of the very few companies to come out with apps
for the farming community which is available both on
android and iOS. We use open-source and cloud-native
tools and technologies like VS Code, Postman, Swagger,
Gitlab, Terraform, Python, React Native, Docker,
MySQL for building our applications and we rely on
AWS for our cloud infrastructure. In terms of futuristic
technologies, we have started working on microservices
architecture, data cleaning to apply AI/ML, exploring
Amazon Alexa to integrate
our services at the same
time.
Comment: The role of
modern agriculture
in implementing
smart agricultural
Internet of Things
solutions.
There have been
developments in the
agriculture industry,
rangingfromadvancedtools
to techniques that result
in an efficient, sustainable
environment and better food
availability. Quite a several
global trends are influencing
the sustainability of the
agricultural system and
food as a whole. The world’s
population is expected to
exponentially continue to
rise–increasingthedemand
for agricultural produce.
Internet over the years has made knowledge & best
practices closer to the farmer and the growth of
smartphones have made it easy to access all information.
This is where the transformation starts as to what to do
and then how to implement the same.
Faarms addresses a large gap in the market for farming-
related services. Currently, the farmer faces several
challenges in all the stages of the production cycle -
limited market information and knowledge, limited
access to quality seeds, fertilizers and agro-chemicals,
low mechanization, insufficient labor, inadequate
storage and transportation facilities, and layers of
middlemen - all of which result in a subsidized return to
the farmer. Faarms removes these hurdles by digitally
empowering them so they can procure farming inputs
in a timely manner (via the e-store), avail of farming-
related advice, obtain farming equipment, services
and sell their crop (via the marketplace and trading
platform).
What unique services do you
provide to the customers?
Why should one prefer you?
Our USP lies in our village-level
customer connect, the ease of doing
business, and our offering of certified
agri-input products with our last-
mile delivery system. We have spent
a quality, duration of two years to
understand the pain points of the
farmers and designed our services
to address each of those challenges
starting by providing knowledge on
farming best practices & quality inputs
at their doorstep.
The top reasons why a farmer will
benefit from being a part of the
FAARMS platform;
 Doorstep delivery of large
size bags of fertilizer, fodder,
seeds in the interior states of the
Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Rajasthan & Gujarat
covering more than 30,000 villages.
 Access to cashless transactions
through various online modes of
UPI & card payment

 Offering certified top-quality inputs from globally
recognized brands on a single platform

Knowledge sharing on framing best practices by
experienced & qualified industry experts
What factors affect crop production? What
solutions do you have?
The quality of the seeds and fertilizers used is directly
proportional to the quality of the produce by farmers.
With current changing climatic conditions and soil
quality, there is a shift observed in the harvest season.
Hence, having access to a platform where farmers can
receive information using predictive analysis for the
ongoing crop season in a year resulting in farmers
preparing well in advance and taking corrective
measures. This step could change the demographics of
the farming community.
FAARMS brings farmers into contact with experts in
agriculture who evaluate and predict yield based on
climate and soil conditions. We also provide farmers
with direct access to internationally recognized brands
for crops, fertilizers and livestock feed, as well as access
to cashless transactions that help them avoid debt.
Which kinds of farmers will benefit most
from digital farming?
Simply put, digital is about how technology can help
farmers meet their daily needs. This over the years has
become crucial for a farmer to have more control over
his crop, that’s what FAARMS is dedicated to delivering.
If a farmer gets his inputs delivered home without
incurringextracosts,notonlydoesitsavetransportation
costs, but it also saves time and coordination efforts that
sometimes end up taking days. Moreover, FAARMS
helps farmers with fulfilling other needs such as cattle
insurance, health insurance, etc at their fingertips.
How do you manage the promotion of your
products through social media outreach
and email campaigns?
Yes, we engage in social media, but on the ground, word
of mouth is what we discovered to be the most powerful
tool in these circles. If a farmer receives some service,
the news travels fairly quickly. We use the knowledge
channel FAARMS TV for providing best practices
to farmers. We also have made first of its kind emojis
(Faarmo-JIS) which farmers can use for communication
among themselves.
What do you think about the expansion of
Efaarms Solution Private Limited?

Currently, we are operating in 30,000 villages and aim to
reach out to 70,000 villages by the end of this financial
year. We are working not only to expand our presence
in the new states but to add new products and services
for farmers as well. For example, we recently introduced
livestock insurance and health insurance for farmers,
available at their fingertips while sitting at home.
At the same time, we are working for providing many
features in APP such as Utility bill payments, advisory
support, etc to help him get the right information and
save time on day-to-day activities.
We are at an expansion stage and are growing 3X
quarter on quarter by deepening our relationship with
the Farming community. We have accessed the reach
to 30000 villages by offering a quality product with
farm door delivery. We were bootstrapped for initial
12 months by raising money from family and friends,
however strong business traction has put us on the
radar of the investment community at a very early stage
and we just recently raised $2 mn seed funding which
will be used for penetration across geographies.
Are family farms disappearing?
Our country has 700+ districts and 6,70,000 villages,
so it would be wrong to say that Family farms are
disappearing. Yes, farms are getting smaller, but at the
same time, farmers are gaining knowledge and using
advanced techniques, and successfully growing new
varieties of products.
Off late we have seen the young generation entering the
space and bringing with them a lot of fresh ideas. This is
not only resulting in increased yield but also introducing
sustainable alternatives in agriculture production which
are essential to reduce carbon emission impacting
climate change.
What does the future of farming look like?
With a lot of startups working in this space and new-age
entrepreneurs taking a strong interest in this area, we
would say the future of farming is looking quite bright.
Agriculture was the backbone of India’s economy and
with a little push from the government and the next
generation, we are sure to get back to the glorious days
when farming was a pride profession.
Please tell us if there is a useful solution
to the current COVID19 scenario as it
impacted a lot especially on farmers?
Faarms started operations at the peak of this pandemic
last year and the entire team of Faarms is committed to
delivering products at the doorstep of the farmers every
day.
We regularly take feedback from the farmers and try our
best to improvise our technology and supply chain to
fulfill the needs of the farmers as fast as possible so that
they don’t have to travel to the cities to buy products.
 Year of Founding: Jan 2020
 Funding Information: $2mn
Seed round
 Founding Members: Taranbir
Singh (Co-founder & CEO),
Alok Duggal (Co-founder &
COO)
 Office Locations: Bangalore
 Company Strength: 200+
 Website: www.faarms.com ,
FAARMS app on Android / iOS

Simply Natural
Foods Pvt Ltd
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
Dinesh Rawat
Founder
“SwiftNLift Business Magazine conducted an Interview with
Mr. Dinesh Rawat, Founder of Simply Natural Foods Pvt. Ltd.”
16 SEPTEMBER 2021 SwiftNLift
M
r. Dinesh Rawat, Founder, SIMPLY
NATURALS, is a Management
Postgraduate from LUMBA, Lucknow
University, Lucknow. He holds a Bachelor’s
degree in Agriculture & Animal Husbandry from
prestigiousfromG.B.PantUniversityofAgriculture
and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand.
Mr. Dinesh Rawat has more than 25 years of
professional experience in Trading and Supply
chain management of Agri Commodities.
Mr. Rawat is Pioneer of Feed Grains business
in SOUTH ASIA. Introduced to commodity
trading world the vitality of India Corn flows for
Regional supply lines.
Mr. Dinesh Rawat has extensively travelled within
Africa, South Asia and South East Asia and has
deep understanding of structure and functioning
of agricultural markets in South Asia and Africa.
Mr. Dinesh initiated his career with largest Asian
Poultry House VENKY’S. Later he worked with
multiple prestigious international companies
which were CARGILL, EDELWEISS, and OLAM
INTERNATIONAL, ADM.

Whydoyouchoosetopromote indigenous
varieties? Which factors motivated you to
go with environment friendly process in
the farm?
Coming from Agricultural education and working
in the Agri environment, we observed that in last
30-40 years of fast paced Indian economic boom to
catch up with population growth the High yielding
varieties have replaced indigenous varieties to major
extent across India, resulting in large scale usage of
Chemical & fertilizers to match nutrient requirements
of the crops. This unchecked unplanned usage has
resulted in loss of Taste, Flavor and Nutrient profile of
the crop produce. There is an evident change in taste
and flavor of almost all major pulses & cereals which
we gathered from the large-scale consumer research.
Further processing of any original crop produce also
reduces nutrient value, this is evident from extensive
studiesonmicronutrientdeficienciesinthepopulation
particularly zinc and iron impacting immunity levels,
and rise of food supplements (nutraceuticals) is a
living proof to it.
On farmer front due to low productivity and poor
price realization farmers are motivated to change their
age old farming systems and furthermore inefficient
Agri value chain makes consumer pay more, resulting
in low farmer share in consumer rupee spent.
As Simply naturals our endeavor is to strengthen age
old sustainable farming system and crop rotations to
conserve indigenous varieties, soil and environmental
health, and reduce non value adding intermediaries
in Agri value chain to reduce cost to consumer and
better price realization to the farmers and thereby
encouraging farmers to continue with Heritage
traditional native varieties and improved sustainable
farming practices.
What is the basic difference between
natural and organic food? Which one is
better in your opinion?
Natural Food does not contain artificial ingredients or
preservatives and the ingredients are only minimally
processed (as per USDA). Generally speaking, a
product claiming to be natural is free of common
chemicals such as artificial fragrances, colorants,
preservatives, and other synthetic additives.
Organic products are also made from natural
ingredients and they are grown without the use
of chemicals or pesticides and same is certified by
certification agencies.
In our opinion both are good if they are authentic,
however from consumer perspective organics are
costlier then naturals as it involves high certification
cost.
How many varieties of agriculture
produce does Simply Naturals have in
the basket? What kind of cultivation you
have?
We have more then 50+ SKUs from different
agroclimatic zones in India which are GI tagged
(Geographical indicator), encompassing pulses,
cereals, oils, spices, super foods and apiculture
products.
How do you maintain the cultivation
quantity and quality? What procedure do
you follow?
We have an Integrated Agtech platform where
consumers, farmers, processing partners are linked
and all quantity, quality, supply chain is managed end
to end from farmer to consumer with traceability.
For bulk supplies we have direct linkages with farmer
groups and FPO’s (Farmer Producer organizations).
We facilitate to register them in our portal where
they provide information in advance for upcoming
crop cycle i.e. varieties, acreages planned, sowing and
harvest timings and tentative production for different
crops in their geography.
For quality we have established linkages with FPO
partners and other local scale processors who do
sorting, grading and process minimally based on our
quality specifications.
Further consumer orders and deliveries are also
managed through our portal thereby giving visibility
to entire supply chain from farmer to consumer and
helps in maintaining quantity and quality .
17
SEPTEMBER 2021 SwiftNLift

Why did you choose to cultivate and
process with the help of marginal farmers
when you had the option to go with big
farmers?
It is a certainly a good question, in India 90% farmers
are small and marginal with less than a Hectare
land holding and they cannot afford to go for high
commercial cultivation while normally big farmers
are resource rich and they have capacity to invest in
commercial farming (using High yielding varieties and
advance farming practices) thereby reducing unit cost
of cultivation.
When crop produce reaches market and prices are
determined by demand and supply factors largely
bigger farmers take advantage of price as there unit cost
of cultivation is less and even though on quality front
produce of marginal farmer is much superior however
he is not in position to demand higher price (variety,
natural farming methods etc.).
In our model we plan to integrate small and marginal
farmers (organized under various groups / FPO) as they
are already cultivating native varieties with traditional
farming system and by providing them market linkages
through our Agtech platform we are facilitating in
realizing better returns and share in consumer spend.
Further govt programs for promoting small farmers
through FPO is helping us to consolidate production
in different geographies and our portal is helping to
integrate and bringing them nearer to consumer.
How can one avail your products? From
where to purchase Simply Natural
products?
Our products are available through undermentioned
channels
■
Direct to Home through WhatsApp(https://
wa.me/c/917303866963)
■ or customer care (+91-7303866963)
■ Portal www.simplynaturals.co.in or Simply Naturals
■ Mobile application SWADco (Android application)
can be downloaded from play store: https://
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.
simplynaturals
■ Online retail stores – Amazon, Flipkart & Meesho
■ Retail Chains – Le Marche, Modern bazaar (available
in NCR region)

 Year of Founding: 2020
 Funding Information: Family and
Friends
 Founding Members: Dinesh Rawat
 Office Locations: Delhi
 Company Strength: 25
 Website:
https://www.simplynaturals.co.in/
19

EM3
Agri Services
About EM3 Agri Services
EM3 Agri services is a tech driven
startup for the Indian agriculture
market; focused on helping small
farmers to grow by providing big
machines and required data in
order to improve the farm produce
quality and increase the volume of
produce.
They have developed an IT
enabled system through which
any famer can contact them
easily and get what is needed.
Company has developed FaaS
(Farming as a Service) platform
that enables technology to reach
the farmer and farm in an efficient
and affordable manner through a
network of Farm centers or they
call it as “Samadhan Kendras”.
Each Kendra is managed by Agri-
professionals and is equipped to
handle a comprehensive suite
of basic and precision farm
operations throughout the entire
crop production cycle.
Main Focus On
 Quality – Every service line
& its constituent machine &
operators on the samadhan
platform go through rigorous
selection and training for
highest level of quality and
delivery.
 Assurance – Organization
assure famers about the
standardized quality,
transparent billing and timely
service.
 Convenience – booking an
appointment is convenient for
famers by just making a phone
call. They can also approach
to the company through their
website, which is designed for
everyone to understand and
communicate swiftly. Famers
can monitor their field and
the work being done and also
has functions to manage all his
transactions.
They have a dedicated team
of proper cycle management
to constantly record the data
and monitor the process from
land preparation, sowing/
transplanting, crop management,
harvesting, post-harvest farm
management.
EM3 provides technology and
mechanization services for the
complete cultivation cycle. As the
majority of the Indian farmers
(over 90%) are small with land
holdings of less than ten acres.
Services are offered in a Pay-for-
Use standardized quality. It helps
small farmers to lease the machine
and return it back when not
needed.
Samadhan Footprint
EM3 is currently serving in three
major states of India from farming
point of view, which are Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh (MP), and
Uttar Pradesh (UP). They have
partnered with State Government
of Rajasthan and have established
almost 300 franchise based
services centers and are planning
to increase the number to 1240
franchise centers in next three
years.
In Madhya Pradesh, they reach
to the farmers from the network
of 100 centers to approach.
Madhya Pradesh Government
has also partnered with them. In
Uttar Pradesh they are dealing at
initial stage and have focused on
Sugarcane farms.
 Website: http://em3agri.com/
 Industry: Farming

Company size: 51-200
employees

Headquarter: Noida, Uttar
Pradesh
 Type: Privately held
 Established: 2013

Adwitiya Mal
CEO
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
“I own 12 acres of land and
live in Chandauli. Every
implement of Samadhan
that goes to the field has
created great farmer
values”.
“I own seven acres of
land and requested
Samadhan for harvesting.
Their machines do a
quicker and better job.
The harvested crop is
cleaner”.
“I own four acres of land.
Samadhan is professional,
they come on time. I
have less of a headache
managing labour which is
unpredictable”.
Farmer’s Response
21

Agribazaar
E-Mandi of India:
Agribazaar
Agribazaar is one of the finest and
innovative platforms for small
farmers to sell their produce
across India. They mainly work on
transforming the agro value chain
through technology. They mainly
focus to deal with small farm owners
in order to bridge the market gap and
help those farmers get the right and
deserving price for their produce.
It is not just about selling farm
produce; potential buyers can
purchase goods at a fair price tag
with assurance of quality while
mitigating counterparty risk and
enabling secure payments. Company
is mainly trying to empower millions
to feed billions.
Currently they have over 1 lakh
users, 33,000 listed auctions and
over INR 14, 000 crore GMV as on
June, 2020 on their digital platform.
This organization has Artificial
Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning
(ML), big data, Internet of Things
(IoT) and drones as tools in their
mission. Back in 2017, Agribazaar
launched a wallet named as ‘AgriPay’
that has facilitated transactions of
over $1 Billion.
Software Upgradation
Agribazaar mobile application came
into operations with main focus of
eliminating middle-man trading
system for farmers to earn the true
value for their produce. The idea
was focusing on catering farmers,
traders, financial institutions, and
governments together on one
platform to integrate and create a
transparent trading system.
After completing 5 years of
existence in revolutionizing the
agro-market system, they
came up with providing a
more delightful experience
for end users by designing
the mobile application easy
to trade, faster & simple.
With the launch of new
UI, Agribazaar has bought
in a lot of new features to
make it more convenient for
the stakeholders to create,
explore or bid in trades of
their own choice.
USPs of the application are:
 Trade Creation in
3 steps: User can
simply tap on ‘Create
trade’ and fill in
the commodity
information. Then
choose the ‘Quality
parameters’ in the next
step. And finally, select
the ‘Billing and Delivery
addresses’.
 Automatic Settlement: the
platform offers transparent end-
to-end automatic settlement
options for both buyers and
sellers.
 Zero brokerage: No involvement
of middle-men while you trade
your produce. Sell crops with
zero brokerage interference.
 Tracking of logistics: goods can

now be tracked in real-time with
regular updates.
 Reach many bidders: Create a
trade and reach out to a wide base
of bidders in auctions at once.
 Better warehousing: improved
warehousingmanagementsystem
with quicker access to facilities
and instant payment directly to
bank account.
 Daily Mandi Prices: now receive
current mandi prices with a
wide range of market prices for
commodities and the availability
of multiple mandis nearby.
User Experience
“Agribazaar has provided
convenience and ease to traders to
carry out their business smoothly in
the pandemic times”.
“Traders are well advised about their
trades and market prices for the food
grains and oilseeds being traded in
bulk via the Agribazaar platform”.
“Our e-mandi centre at Alanpur,
Rajasthan has given great
opportunities to local farmers to get
better prices for their stock”.
Founder’s Message
At Agribazaar, we believe new
models of trading are required
to meet the opportunities and
challenges of modern agriculture.
This is why our platform leverages
cutting-edge AI for agri value chain
optimization, resulting in increased
yields and greater profit for small
farm owners.
Today, agriculture accounts for
18% of our economy’s output
and 47% of our workforce. India
is the second largest producer of
fruits and vegetables in the world.
Yet, according to the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO)
of the United Nations, 194 million
Indians are undernourished, the
largest number of hungry people in
any single country.
Addressing the problem requires
improvements in the productivity
and efficiency of the agriculture
sector, particularly small farm
owners. At Agribazaar, we are
bridging this fundamental gap,
creating next generation agri-tech
solutions for those facing the greatest
need. This is why our business model
is 100% aligned with small farm
owners.
Agribazaar
started with
the idea that a
technology-driven
platform could help
the agri value chain
operate with significantly
less overheads and hidden
inefficiencies. We digitized
the agri value chain with proof of
origin and authenticity, enabling
traceability whilst bringing down
agri-trade commissions from 2-3%
to 0.5%.

Website:
https://www.agribazaar.com/home

Industry: Information
technology & Services

Company Size: 51-200 employees

Headquarter: Mumbai,
Maharashtra

Type: Privately held

Established: 2017
Amith Aggarwal
CEO
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
23

W
e have witnessed innovation and constant
development in traditional farming. New
technology is being introduced to improve
the method of cultivation. Until humans are alive on this
planet, demand for agriculture produce will keep on rising
as we are developing day by day.
Over the last century, the global population has
quadrupled. In 1915, there were 1.8 billion people in the
world. Today, according to the most recent estimate by the
UN, there are 7.3 billion people — and we may reach 9.7
billion by 2050. This growth, along with rising incomes in
developing countries (which cause dietary changes such as
eating more protein and meat) are driving up global food
demand.
Food demand is expected to increase anywhere between
59% to 98% by 2050. This will shape agricultural markets
in ways we have not seen before. Farmers worldwide will
need to increase crop production, either by increasing the
amount of agricultural land to grow crops or by enhancing
productivity on existing agricultural lands through
fertilizer and irrigation and adopting new methods like
precision farming.
But that creates a major concern for the climate of earth
as it will require more land mass for crop production
which will be acquired from rainforest. Currently Amazon
rainforest which also termed as “lungs of earth” is
shrinking due to large number of area being utilized for
cattle farming and crop production. This will impact our
whole environmental activities which will become havoc
for the upcoming generation.
Modern way of farming:
Aquaponics Farming

What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is a food production system that couples
agriculture (raising aquatic animals such as fish, crayfish,
and prawns in tanks) with hydro ponics (cultivating
plants in water) whereby the nutrient-rich aquaculture
water is fed to hydroponically grown plants, where
nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia into nitrates.
As existing hydroponic and aquaculture farming
techniques form the basis of all aquaponic systems,
the size, complexity, and types of foods grown in an
aquaponic system can vary as much as any system found
in either distinct farming discipline.
In simple words, a form of ecosystem where fish farming
and crop farming is conducted where fish creates waste
which is being used by the crops to grow. Waste created
by fish is filled with essential nutrients and ammonia
which helps crops to grow in healthy manner. It provides
a hybrid form of farming where less water is required to
grow the crops.
Components of Aquaponics
 Plants
Many plants are suitable for aquaponic systems,
though which ones work for a specific system depends
on the maturity and stocking density of the fish.
Plants that are common in salads have some of the
greatest success in aquaponics, including cucumbers,
tomatoes, lettuce, capsicum, read salad onions and
snow peas. Other species of vegetables that grow
well in an aquaponic system include basil, coriander,
fenugreek, lemongrass, okra, carrots, radish, onion,
sweet potato, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and
ginger.
 Fish or other aquatic creatures
Freshwater fish are the most common species of fish
which are used in aquaponics due to their ability
to tolerate crowding. Even freshwater crayfish and
prawns are also sometimes used. These fresh water
fish keeps on changing according to the geographical
conditions.
If we take the example of freshwater fish of India,
we find varieties in each state. Some of the common
freshwater fish found in the Indian rivers and lakes
are Rohu, Catla, Mrigal, Tor Tor, Hilsa, Pulasa, Kajuli,
Tialpia, and Rani.
Why we should look forward to grow in
Aquaponics?
We saw earlier how the population has evolved in last one
century and we have predictions on how the population
will grow in next 20-30 years. As the demand rise, farmers
will strive for chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase
the yield in farms. This will not help in the long run as we
will start losing our fertile soil and the production might
get hampered. Due to this, demand will surge high and
supply will be less. To have a better alternative, Aquaponics
can solve the issue of high quality food. It can provide us
fish which are filled with nutrients and one of the most
essential elements for human body ‘fish oil’. Side-by-side we
grow chemical free vegetables and crops which are best for
human body.
Key-features of Aquaponics
 Aquaponics relies on the recycling of nutrient-rich water
continuously. In aquaponics, there is no toxic run-off
from either hydroponics or aquaculture.

Aquaponics uses 1/10th of the water of soil-based
gardening and even less water than hydroponics or
recirculating aquaculture.
 No harmful petrochemicals, pesticides or herbicides can
be used. It’s a natural ecosystem.

Gardening chores are cut down dramatically or
eliminated. The aquaponics grower is able to focus on
the enjoyable tasks of feeding the fish and tending to and
harvesting the plants.
 Aquaponic systems can be put anywhere, use them
outside, in a greenhouse, in your basement, or in your
living room. By using grow-lighting, and space can
become a productive garden.
Conclusion
Aquaponics have the capacity to solve our food shortage
problem. For that, we need to have constant research in it.
Being an agriculture country, India and its major agriculture
universities should step ahead in this and create a healthy
environment for aquaponics in order to diversify traditional
chemical farming methods. Aquaponics is not just about
utilising fish water; we can sell those fish as well to increase
our income. This could lead us to diversify farmer’s portfolio
and generate income from one model of farming.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics
25

Ninjacart
Ninjacart: Supply Chain
Pioneer for Fresh Fruits
It takes courage for a new company
to enter in the market for solving a
problem existing in the long-run.
Ninjacart is one of those who are
pioneering in the tech-driven supply
chain space for fresh farm produce.
Ninjacart is India’s largest fresh
producesupplychaincompanythatis
solving one of the toughest problems
in the world through technology.
They help connect producers of food
directly with retailers, restaurants,
and service providers using in-house
applications that drive end to end
operations. Currently, Ninjacart’s
Supply Chain is equipped to move
1400 tonnes of perishables from
farms to businesses, every day, in less
than 12 hours.
Ninjacart’s Point of View
The Problem

Farmers experience price risk,
information asymmetry about
demand, distribution inefficiency,
and receive late payments.
 Retailersfaceproblemslikehigher
costs, low quality and unhygienic
produce, high price volatility, and
the everyday hassle of going to
the market.
 The traditional Supply Chain is
highly inefficient, unorganized,
and has a high rate of food
wastage.
The Solution

We eliminated intermediaries
by taking control of the Supply
Chain by using technology and
analytics.

We built reliable, cost-effective,
and high-speed logistics and
infrastructure to solve for
inefficiencies in the Supply Chain.
 On one end, farmers get better
pricesandconsistentdemand,and
on the other end, retailers receive
fresh produce at competitive
prices that are delivered to their
doorstep.
Company’s Vision
Our vision is to build India’s most
efficient and largest Supply Chain
platform and improve the lives
of producers, businesses, and
consumers in a meaningful manner.
We are focused on making the
Ninjacart innovation more accessible
to the most fragmented parts of
society. We intend to leverage our
strengths and resources to innovate
for new product categories and
customer segments while solving
complex supply chain problems.
Platform for Everyone
Ninjacart provides benefit for
Farmers, retailers, and
consumers in their own way.
Benefits for Farmers Convenience
for Retailers Savings for
Consumers.
20% more revenue Competitive
pricing Hygienically handled
produce.
One-stop-sale Doorstep Delivery
100% traceable to farm – Improves
food safety.
Payment in 24 hours High quality
graded produce Better quality
Transparent Weighing Convenient
& time saving.

Website:
https://ninjacart.in/
 Industry: Logistics & Supply
Chain
 Company size: 1,001 – 5,000
employees
 Headquarter: Bengaluru,
Karnataka
 Founded: 2015
 Ninjacart:
Supply Chain Pioneer for Fresh
Fruits

Thirukumaran
Nagrajan
CEO &
Co-Founder
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
“Ninjacart has been attempting to
alleviate major issues in India’s fruit
and vegetables supply chain over
the past several years. The team has
managed to get into a clear leadership
position in that ecosystem, especially
around South Indian cities. With
current round of financing, we expect
them to continue to scale rapidly,
enter new cities, and enable direct
relationships with farmers and shop
owners across even more categories”.
-Subrata Nitra, Partner at Accel India
“The team at Ninjacart has made
impressive progress and demonstrated
that they can think and execute at scale.
Streamlining the agricultural sector
using the latest technology and supply
chain, benefits farmers with higher
prices and consumers with lower costs.
As they scale up nationwide, they will
really make a difference and impact on
how farmer’s market their produce”.
-Nandan Nilekani
“I came across Ninjacart 4 years
ago, and since then I have not faced
problems like travelling to the market,
wasting an entire day, or waiting for
weeks for my payment. The collection
center team keeps me informed of the
produce required for the day and I send
exactly the amount required. With all
this time saved, I am able to spend more
quality time with my family and also
grow a variety of other vegetables in my
field”.
-Dilip Papanna, Farmer at Biduruguppe
Public Words
27

Efresh
Agribusiness Solutions
eFresh Agribusiness
Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Farming industry in India has the
potential to feed 1/4th population
of the world. But, still our farmers
and farming industry suffers when
it comes to grow the produce and if
they somehow manage to grow then
comes the selling part which is not
that transparent. Farming business
needed the support of technology
which is being now provided by
some ambitious startups of India.
eFresh value our hard working
farmers and has solutions for the gap
which has widen in past few years.
Let’s have a look at what exactly
eFresh has to offer:
E-Commerce
With having a vision to reach
the farmers at their doorsteps at
the FDC (Farmer Development
Center) locations, eFresh launched
e-commerce platform exclusively
for the region of Jagitial, Telangana
state. Company is providing only
popular products in the FDC region
to understand the demand cycle.
Based on the experience of the
FDCs, eFresh has ventured into a
e-commerce mode to usher in ease
of doing business for the farmers and
the stakeholders. Both information
accesses from the comforts of home
and product delivery at the doorstep
can be facilitated through this
initiative.
A key feature will be the availability
of services through the online
mode. Creating awareness about
the product to the services can be
followed up to help the farmers
make informed choices on advance
booking, placing purchase orders
and payment through digital mode.
For eFresh, the huge advantage will
be to reduce the crowding in the
Physical store with products, better
space utilization, maximizing the
offerings in each store and also
extend various financial, marketing
and advisory services through a
phased manner over time.
Market Linkages
A vast majority of Indian Farmers
are following the traditional supply
chain where they sell produce in
Mandi. They are least aware about
direct selling to the supermarket,
retailors or a community on a
regular basis. eFresh has stepped in
to procure and guide at FDCs.
Market Linkage Activities

Identification of the farmers
produce and linking with
commercial and institutional
buyers.

Connecting the farmer’s
organizations and the buyers to
the supply chain through the
aggregation of service providers.

Facilitate the development and
negotiation of contracts with
buyers.

Educating and creating value
through development of
packaging,brandingandexposing
the farm output direct to the
consumer market or commercial
establishments.

Promoting good agricultural
practices for production of
pesticide residue free, quality food
and linking the same to premium
buyers.
 Enhancing farmer
entrepreneurship through market
linkages.
Financing Services
eFresh will help make FPOs (Farmer
Producer Organization) more
professional in their functioning
through various interventions. In
both leading to access to funding
sources and also managing accounts,
expertise is being built.
With the recent partnership with
Samunnati, eFresh can get easy
access to funding of FPOs. Similarly,
it can advise how to get finances from
Agri lending agencies, banks and FIs
(Financial Institutions) too.
A customised accountancy service
that helps FPOs, Agripreneurs
maintain and manage their finances
has been developed. By adopting
it, FPOs will be better placed to
raise funds from promoters as
well as banks and other financial
institutions.

Shrihari Kottela
Founder,
Chairman &
CEO
Farmers Development
Centers
Farmers Development Centers
(FDCs) are one stop solution mainly
established as a physical center in
towns and villages to meet the variety
of needs of the farming community.
They offer both knowledge service
and product information. There are
currently more than 70 FDCs of
eFresh across India.
Major farming in India is conducted
in small towns and villages. As the
internet connectivity expanded
rural areas of India too got in to the
mainstreambusiness.ButastheFPOs
(Farmers Producer Organizations)
and Agripreneurs are growing,
several logistical and supply chain
challenges have popped-up. These
challenges mainly include, access
to quality agri inputs, accounting
solutions, business linkages, credit
and technology upgrade.
After reviewing the situation, e Fresh
has identified the root causes and
developed a ‘Smart & Safe’ platform
to provide the supportive ecosystem
to the FPOs/ Agripreneurs under the
umbrella of a Farmers Development
Centre (FDC).
Digital Transformation
eFreshbasedonthegroundrealtiesin
rural areas, the nature of transactions
and the skill sets of staff working at
the FPOs, leveraged customized
, simpler and user friendly
technologies for different needs of
the FPOs . Guidance documents for
statutory compliances are part of the
solutions.
eFresh technologies will aid in
digitizing all the data. It will
help regularly update financial
information as required by the
financial institutions, investors,
auditors, promoters. In addition,
provision of need based online
advisory services, prediction of agri
inputs required and expected farm
output can also be made.
Under the Digital transformation
they provide services in the following
list:

eQMS (Quality Management
Syaytem)
 eMerchant
 eFreshfdc.com
 eFarmery
 My farmer Mobile Application
eFresh Mission
 Increase in Farm Productivity /
Income of the Farmers.

Capacity Building through
Exposure and Training.
 Empower Women
Entrepreneurship
 Enhance Production of Safe and
Quality Foods.

Providing Market Linkage for
Trading.
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
 Website:
https://www.efreshglobal.com/
 Company size: 51 – 200
employees
 Headquarter: Hyderabad,
Andhra Pradesh
 Type: Public Company
 Founded: 2009
29

WAYCOOL
WayCool Foods
WayCool Foods & Products Pvt.
Ltd. is one of India’s fastest growing
Agri-Tech companies, driving social
impact while transforming India’s
food economy. Founded in July
2015, WayCool aims to build the
world’s largest food development and
distribution Services Company and
positively impact the lives of 500,000
farmers. With this goal, WayCool’s
operation has spread across product
sourcing, food processing, branding
and marketing, last mile distribution,
and farm inputs. This gives WayCool
end-to-end control over the food
value chain.
WayCool currently handles 350+
tonnesoffoodproductsperday,across
18,900 clients, and from a network
of 50, 000+ farmers in more than 50
regions in India. WayCool’s products
include staples like rice, pulses, wheat
flour, dairy, and value added products.
WayCool has adopted a tech-enabled
supply chain approach, merging the
physical and digital worlds for a “phy-
gital” business model. Our company
utilizes robotic process automation,
artificial intelligence, and machine
learning technologies to provide value
to our suppliers and clients. WayCool
clients expect the
very best
- and we deliver it every day.
Core Values
WayCool works mainly on three core
values Humble, Humane, Hungry.
Company highlights these points in
this way:
 Humble
We strive to brighten the day of
everyone that is involved with
WayCool. From dramatically
increasing farmer’s incomes to
providing our employees with one
of the most extensive insurance
plans available in all of India,
WayCool wants to make everyone’s
day a little fresher.
 Humane
WayCool understands that a
healthy planet provides healthy
foods. WayCool works hard to
ensure that it operates with the
futureinmind.Fromimplementing
strictwaterrecyclingpoliciesinour
distribution centers to educating
our farmers on sustainable
practices, we are driven to keep the
Earth green.
 Hungry
WayCool is driven to use
technology to change the world.
From creating ground-breaking
software that helps increase
farmer’s income, to innovative
quality management and food
safety technology, WayCool is on
the cutting edge of technology in
India.
WayCool’s Initiatives
Farmer Engagement
WayCool is engaged with a base of
50,000 farmers, out of which nearly
1,200 small and marginal farmers
have partnered with them on an
agricultural extension program name
das Outgrow. Area of around 2,800
acres is under Outgrow programme
which consists of more than 150
villages from 5 states which produces
34 types of crops.
Outgrow’s initiatives help farmers
across the Seed to Sale process.
Leveraging the technical expertise
and advisory actions from mentors,
farmers can not only increase their
produce but also boost their sale. Few
of the steps in the Outgrow program
are mentioned below.
 Soil Health Check
Healthy soil is one of the most
important elements for farming.
It is the fundamental step to test
the farm soil in order to address
the nutritional adequacies in the
soil, and help farmers rationalize
fertilizer use.
 Cultivation Planning
With no access to information
and data, the farmer is generally

dependentonthevagariesofnature,
middlemen or neighbouring
farmers to decide what to grow on
his own land.
Our agronomists work closely
with the farmers to understand
their current cultivation pattern,
restructure their cultivation mix,
and help create opportunities for
continuous supply throughout the
year.
 Liquidation
WayCool enters into contracts
with farmers to grow produce
that is delivered to a Collection
Center very near to the farms. This
ensures that the farmer has very
low or no transportation cost and
lowers wastage. This is one of the
best practice for the farmers; as
they are able to sell their produce
according to the market demand.
With such an advanced demand
forecasting tools, WayCool has
managed to help farmers liquidate
their produce completely.
 Market Access
WayCool has its presence in 134
towns with access to 11,000+
outlets, due to which they are
able to provide a wide reach to
the farmer’s produce. During the
covid-19 situation,
WayCool kept there
farmer’s trade alive by reaching
out to their farms and move the
produce to different markets for
liquidation.
Environmental Impact
WayCool formed a team to build
solutions that have a perennial impact
on the environment and the society.
The team is named as Environment,
Social & Corporate Governance
(ESG). They have a set of goals to
achieve:
 Achieve Net Energy positive before
December 2024 by achieving
continuous reduction of energy
consumption and continuous
increase in production of
renewable energy.
 Achieve Net positive Water before
December 2024 by continuous
reduction in water consumption
and continuous increase in ground
recharge.

Carbon Negative before
December 2025 by monitoring
the consumption of all resources,
adopt relevant technologies which
will enhance carbon credit.

Achieve continuous reduction
in wastage of
agricultural produce
procured by the
company by adopting
innovative technologies
throughout the supply chain
from farm to fork and adopt 3R
techniques to ensure that whatever
minimum waste generated is
converted into compost manure
that can be reused by farmers.

Website: https://waycool.in/
 Industry: Food & Beverages

Company size: 1,001 – 5,000
employees

Headquarter: Chennai, Tamil
Nadu
 Type: privately held
 Founded: 2015
Karthik Jayaraman
President &
Co-Founder
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
31

Agri-Tech Startups have a major role to play
in India
Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for
about 58% of India’s population. Gross Value Added
by agriculture, forestry, and fishing was estimated at Rs.
19.48 lakh crore (US$ 276.37 billion) in FY20. Share of
agriculture and allied sectors in gross value added (GVA) of
India at current prices stood at 17.8 % in FY20. Consumer
spending in India will return to growth in 2021 post the
pandemic-led contraction, expanding by as much as 6.6%.
The Indian food industry is poised for huge growth,
increasing its contribution to world food trade every
year due to its immense potential for value addition,
particularly within the food processing industry. Indian
food and grocery market is the world’s sixth largest, with
retail contributing 70% of the sales. The Indian food
processing industry accounts for 32% of the country’s total
food market, one of the largest industries in India and is
ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export
and expected growth.
Principal agricultural commodities export for April 2020 -
January 2021 was US$ 32.12 billion.
How Agri-Tech
Startups are revamping
Agriculture in India?

Even though we have a vast majority of population engaged
in farming operations, we still have loopholes which should
be filled sooner. Many unicorn startups are registered in
India out of which none of them belongs to Agriculture
industry. Even they are not in the list of unicorns, they
are providing last mile solution to the farmers and mainly
marginal farmers.
Agri-Tech Startups leading the charge
Agriculture industry has multiple sectors which perform
differently. Each sector has its uniqueness and has its own
importance. Agriculture industry is one of the least focused
industry in India in terms of technological growth as
compared to education, medical and finance sector. There
are some startups having an aim to make Indian farming
sector one of the largest contributor in GDP, as it has near
to 60% of the population directly or indirectly dependent.
To name a few, AgroStar, CropIn Technology, Ninjacart,
Waycool are creating a different model for farming sector.
 E-Commerce platform
We buy and sell electronic, clothing, financial products
and services from e-commerce platforms. Even though
we had number of companies producing farming
machineries and other essential tools had no such
platform for farmers to buy and sell.
AgroStar became one of such providers by having
a range of products from seeds to all the fertilisers
needed. Company is currently active in 5 major satet of
India Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh.
Waycool is one such startup which has proved that
agri-business can be managed by technology. Waycool
currently handles more than 350 tonnes of food
products per day, from a network of 50, 000+ farmers
in more than 50 regions of India.
 Digital Transformation
Digitizing farming sector will lead to cost effective and
sustainable farming. Utilizing drones to monitor and
sprayfertilizersonthefieldisonethosetransformational
ideas which reduces physical strain and improves the
quantity and quality of the produce.
Agri-Tech startups are providing the cloud based
solutions in order to compare the previous data and
work according to that. Providing training to the
farmers about new technology introduced is also one
of the features pointed. Startups guide FPOs (Farmers
Produce Organizations) about the government policies
and market trend with their immense level of data
study.
 Improving Productivity
Farmers Development Centers (FDCs) are getting in
touch with farmers as one stop solution. They guide
and provide every necessary information and products
in these centers which help them produce according
to the need. Startups collect data from various regions
and time frame to deeply understand the pattern.
Climate change is one the threat to farming industry,
as the weather keeps changing it directly affects the
production cycle of the crops.
Young entrepreneurs turning in to as Agripreneurs are
coming up with some unique ideas to cater the sector
high in need for innovation. Big tractors were not so
useful in small farms. That was the key area where some
agri experts invented small capacity tractors which were
affordable to marginal farmers and easy to maintain.
Now we get an opportunity to see and read many
such examples of innovation in agriculture sector as
young generation is turning towards it as a mainstream
business.
Conclusion
Startups are trying their level best to provide all necessary
services to farmers and whole agriculture industry in
order to improve farmer’s life standard. It is all about
accepting the technological changes and advancements.
We are expecting drastic turnaround in Indian agriculture
industry as the young generation fills the gap we were
witnessing for so many years.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through
secondary research and SwiftNLift is not responsible for any
errors in the same.
33

Agrostar
Helping farmers Win
Agrostar: Helping Farmers
Win
AgroStar is India’s foremost AgTech
start-up working on the mission of
#HelpingFarmersWin by providing
a complete range of agri solutions
at the fingertips of farmers.
AgroStar’s tech platform provides
a combination of agronomy advice
coupled with service and agri
input products that enable farmers
to significantly improve their
productivity and income.
AgroStar has an extensive amount
of data, technology and agronomy
knowledge which is used to give the
right solutions (advice + products)
to Indian farmers.
Over the next 5 years, company
has plan to continue to provide
incremental value to farmers in
terms of wide range of inputs
delivered at their doorsteps, world-
class agronomy guidance and also
access to market linkages and credit.
AgroStar solves the traditional
farmer problems faced around
duplication, adulteration and
product unavailability by making a
wide range of great quality products
available to the farmer through a
simple missed call!
Lack of availability of real-time and
accurate agronomy advice is a major
challenge faced by farmers today.
AgroStar’s “Agri Doctor” solves
this problem for the farmer as they
can get expert agronomy advice
for their crop and farming needs
by downloading our mobile app or
through our call centre.
Fundings
The company is backed by leading
venture capital firms like Aavishkaar
Capital, Chiratae Ventures, Accel
Partners, Bertelsmann India and
Rabo Frontier Ventures.
AgroStar’s Performance
AgroStar currently stands in the list
of one of the finest agri-tech startups
who are solving the ground zero
issues with complete dedication and
transparency. Till date, company has
achieved the number of happy and
satisfied farmers with the advisory
service of more than 15 million.
They have a huge delivery network
which consists of more than 7500
pin codes in India.
AgroStar completely operates
digitally and provides every
essential service to the farmers.
“Agri Doctor” one of the most used
service is helping out farmers to
solve the exact issues with ease.
Agro experts guide them according
to the crop, area of land, soil quality,
and weather conditions.
All the mentioned services are being
provided through their android
mobile application software which
is user friendly and a e-commerce
platform for farmers. They sell
almost every essential product to
the farmers. Whether it is seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides, spray pump or
any other small product, you name
it they have it. This has created trust
in farming community towards
AgroStar as they are providing
transparent, hassle-free, convenient
services.
AgroStar Farmer App
AgroStar App is a one-stop solution
forallagri-needs.Farmerscanaccess
personalized, agri focused content,
tips and articles focused on helping
farmers grow better produce and
solve common problems occurring
on the farm. They can also browse
through a wide variety of quality
products like seeds, crop protection,
nutrition, and farm implements
belonging to best agri-brands in the
country.

Shardul Sheth
Co-Founder &
CEO
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
 Website: https://www.corporate.agrostar.in/
 Industry: Internet
 Company size:
1,001 – 5,000 employees
 Headquarter: Pune,
Maharashtra
 Founded: 2013
35

FreshoKartz Agri
Pvt. Ltd.
Freshokartz
Indian farmers had suffered a lot
in terms of selling their produce
to the market. There was always
an issue of transparency to trade
as those practices were decades
old and were under the control of
middlemen who use to manipulate
the price rate to gain highest
number of profit. But, this profit
was never shared with the farmer.
Now we have many startups in
agriculture sector of India who are
helping out farmers understand
the whole ecosystem and produce
according to that. Freshokartz is
one of those ambitious startup
to help Indian farmer grow in
economic manner and improve
their lifestyle. This company
was incorporated and currently
working in the state of Rajasthan
and currently active in 15 districts.
Freshokartz runs on B2B business
model where farmers and Bulk
buyers are the two parties involved
in the transaction.
Key Working Areas
 Input
They have seeds, fertilizers,
pesticides and few more input
products in the portfolio which
are essential in the initial process
of farming. Famers get an option
to order the required material by
dialing a number and the ordered
products will get delivered at
your doorstep. You can avail
the opportunity to order from
the humongous list of 10,000
different types of products.
 Output
Previously, demand was high
and production was low. Later
agriculture revolution lead
to immense growth in yield
of variety of crops and other
agriculture produce. Our
farmers were less literate , hence,
they knew very less about the
pricing model due to which they
use to get undervalue for their
yield. This problem was also
undertaken by Freshokartz and
gave the farmer a platform to sell
their high quality fresh yield at a
rate which they deserved.
Transparency was one of the key
factors in this process. Immediate
amount were transferred to the
farmer’s bank account created
trust and faith in them. Direct
connectivity to the market made
even small and marginal farmers
confident about selling their
yield and not to dump it back to
the soil.
 Crop Advisory
Agri-tech startups have a
dedicated team of field experts
who can study and guide farmers
according to the crop and soil
quality. This service stands
crucial as the soil is tested before
sowing seeds. Once the team
completes the field survey, they
can assess the farmers according
totheconditionsandrecommend
seeds and fertilizers to it.
 Finance
Famers lack in finance initially,
as they are less literate to
financial planning. Due to low
budget, many marginal farmers
miss out to use latest equipment
and machineries to increase
their yield. It happens at times,
when the season is near and
farmers are running out of
cash at that moment. To fill this
gap Freshokartz provide credit
facility to purchase or hire the
essential machineries in order to
cultivate crops from their farm
land.
More to the service
Farmers get regular updates from
Freshokartzabouttheweatherreport
and how to manage their farm. Even
latest government policies related to

farming and new subsidies are being
informed to farmers. Farmers get
complete knowledge as and when
required. This helps them to make
smart efforts to grow their yield
from farms and gain some economic
benefit as well.
Farmer’s Response
NANA DEVI | SUMAN DEVI
“Having a small farm, my husband
has to work in remote areas to
maintain the family, due to which
all the responsibility of farming
and family fell on me. With no
shop near the village, it was very
difficult to leave the field empty
and due to no means, the whole day
was wasted and the expenses were
also very high. But Freshokartz not
only provided the goods sitting at
home, but also kept the facility of
help center for better farming and
increased yield, where we were
provided all the information from
sowing to harvesting free of cost.
Freshokartz has benefited many
other farmer sisters along with me”.
 Website:
https://www.freshokartz.com/
 Company size: 11 – 50 employees
 Headquarter: Jaipur, Rajasthan
 Founded: 2016
Rajendra Lora
Co-Founder &
CEO
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
37

CropIn Technology
CropIn Technology
CropIn is an intuitive, intelligent,
self-evolving system that delivers
future-ready farming solutions
to the entire agricultural sector.
With capabilities of live reporting,
analysis, interpretation and insight
that span across geographies,
CropIn is digitizing every farm,
while data-managing the entire
ecosystem. Company’s smarter agri
solutions are powered in real-time;
to archive patterns, predict trends,
to make a blueprint for business in
the times to come.
Transforming businesses through
intelligence and insight:
 EFFICIENCY
Ensuring efficient operations,
lower costs and better visibility
for field agents at all time.
 PRODUCTIVITY
The predictability of quantity
and quality of yield combined
with reduced cost of operations
results in higher productivity
for the business.
 SUSTAINABILITY
Meet today’s agree needs
while strengthening resources
for the future by creating a
healthy environment, economic
profitability, and social &
economic equity for all.
Core Values
 Driving Sustainability

Absolute Integrity in all the
activities

Committed towards Partner’s
success
 Innovation for Change
 Passion for every acre of farm
land
Idea of formation
The idea of providing SaaS based
services to agribusinesses came to
Mr. Krishna Kumar after observing
the agrarian crisis looming large
on the rural areas of Karnataka
in 2010 where local farmers were
facing a gamut of problems ranging
from non-availability of finance,
climatic vagaries, soil degradation,
pest infestation and diseases,
operational inefficiencies, and
no predictability of yield. Taking
a resolution on doing his bit to
prevent farmers’ suicides and avert
the agrarian crisis, Kumar left his
high rising career at GE and set up
CropIn Technology Solutions- an
agriculture technology solutions
start-up that would address several
pain points of millions of farmers
across the country.
Creating Digital
Agriculture Eco-System
Modern technology in agriculture
is more than just the usage of
mobile applications or a hardware
system to automate redundant
processes and reduce dependency
on human labour. Although
options are quite limited at present,
users of smart farming solutions
opt for a UI/UX that is both flexible
and extremely convenient to use.
This ranks higher on the priority
list, especially when agribusinesses
operate across geographies and
employ people with different levels
of tech proficiency.
Digitizing farms in their own style:
 SmartFarm
It was in 2010 when the core
team of CropIn came together
with the idea to transform
Indian agriculture—to make it
more productive and profitable
for the marginal farmer. By
pooling in their expertise
and tech capabilities, Krishna
Kumar, Kunal Prasad and
Chittaranjan Jena designed
first of CropIn’s agriculture
solutions, ‘SmartFarm’.
SmartFarm is a robust and
flexible farm management
solution that incorporates
end-to-end solutions for data-
driven decision making for
multiple stakeholders in the

Krishna Kumar
Founder & CEO
agri-ecosystem. Its real-time
satellite- and weather-based
advisoryenablesaccurateoutput
predictability for agribusinesses
and other agricultural
organizations, while making
businesses and farm operations
exceedingly efficient.
 SmartWare
SmartWare is a pack-house
solution that brings about
digitization of various
warehouse processes gives
visibility into processes in
a warehouse, regardless of
its magnitude or its physical
location. Users can now manage,
process and audit the inventory
without having to visit the
warehouse and manually locate
the area or item of concern. In
addition to this, one can scan
the QR code on processed items
in the warehouse to know the
movement of the item all the
way from the farm, making its
entire journey highly traceable.
Firstly, farm-to-fork
traceability helps with quality
control, wherein issues in
the food supply chain can be
identified much before it can
cause irreparable or severe
damage.
Secondly, it builds trust among
consumers of the product when
they are aware of the processes
that went into bring the produce
to their table and can decide for
themselves if a product is safe
for consumption or not.
 SmartRisk
One of the major reasons why
agriculture is not as sustainable
or productive as expected is
that there continues to exist
an element of unpredictability.
Unexpected changes in climatic
conditions around the world
lead to numerous problems
including droughts, flash floods,
storms and a major rise or dip
in temperature which can also
lead to an incidence of pest
infestation or crop diseases.
With the increasing difficulty
in forecasting the future and
preparing in advance for events
such as these, farmers and
agribusinesses are at a loss.
To monitor and mitigate such
risks, CropIn launched its AI-
and ML-powered platform
‘SmartRiskTM’ in 2018. It is
a predictive and prescriptive
solution with capabilities to
detect cropping patterns and
predict the future of a crop.
This forecasting intelligence
highlights the associated risk
and opportunities for various
agri-stakeholders, such as
banks and NBFCs, insurance
companies, commodity
traders, sourcing managers and
Government bodies too.

Website: https://www.cropin.
com/

Industry: Computer Software

Company size: 51 – 200
employees

Headquarter: Bangalore,
Karnataka

Type: Privately held

Established: 2010
BEST
LEADERS IN
AGRI-TECH
2021
TOP
10
39

G
lobal farming industry is going through
multiple changes and advancements which
are benefitting to produce large amount of
food for the growing number of population. India
being one of the highest number of producer in
multiple agriculture streams is also leading the charge
of innovation. India is set to roll out its full potential
of agriculture produce soon.
Current market trends are driving the farming
industry to produce food grains, vegetables, pulses,
fruits and milk in high amount of scale. Even
Government of India is supporting our farmers in
multiple ways. Some state governments are helping
farmers to grow the necessary crops at large scale by
providing subsidies and market for selling.
Trends in Agriculture Industry
 Multilayer Farming
Multilayer farming refers to growing different
vegetables on the same plot at a time. This helps
smallholder farmers grow various seasonal vegetables
and horticultural crops throughout the year while
ensuring food and nutritional security for the
household. Vulnerable families are provided with an
additional income from the sale of surplus produce.
Vegetables and fruit crops grown employing organic
and sustainable methods in the multilayer farms are
richinvitamins,minerals,proteinsandcarbohydrates.
 Hydroponic Farming
Hydroponics is a type of hydro culture in which
Changing Farming
Trends in India

plants are cultivated without soil using a water solvent
containing mineral and fertilizer solutions. Terrestrial
plants can be grown only with their roots, with the
roots exposed to the nutritive liquid, or with the roots
physically supported by a media such as gravel.
Plants also grow through a process known as
photosynthesis, in which plants use sunlight and
a substance found inside their leaves known as
chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide and water into
glucose and oxygen, as seen in reaction.
Hydroponics, a water-saving method of growing
pesticide-free produce on rooftops and terraces, is
becoming popular among urban farmers. According
to studies, India’s hydroponics market will develop
at a compound annual growth rate of 13.53 percent
between 2020 and 2027.
 Horticulture Farming
Indian horticulture sector contributes about 33% to
the agriculture Gross Value Added (GVA) making
very significant contribution to the Indian economy.
Apart from ensuring nutritional security of the nation,
it provides alternate rural employment opportunities,
diversification in farm activities, and enhanced
income to farmers.
India is currently producing about 320.48 million
tones of horticulture produce which has surpassed
the food grain production, that too from much less
area (25.66 million Ha. for horticulture against 127.6
M. ha. for food grains). Productivity of horticulture
crops is much higher compared to productivity of
food grains (12.49 tones/ha against 2.23 tones/ha.).
India has emerged as world leader in the production
of a variety of fruits like mango, banana, guava,
papaya, sapota, pomegranate, Lime & aonla and is
the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables.
Besides, India has maintained its dominance in the
production of spices, coconut and cashewnut. Among
the new crops, kiwi, gherkins, kinnow, date palm
and oil palm have been successfully introduced for
commercial cultivation in the country.
 Agriculture Export
During FY20 (till February 2020), India exported
basmati rice worth US$ 3.88 billion, buffalo meat
worth US$ 3.01 billion, non-basmati rice worth US$
1.84 billion and other processed foods worth US$
2.71 billion. During FY21 (till February 2021), India
exported basmati rice worth US$ 3.59 billion, non-
basmati rice worth US$ 4.04 billion, and buffalo meat
worth US$ 2.86 billion.
Indian agricultural/horticultural and processed foods
are exported to more than 100 countries/regions,
chief among them being the Middle East, Southeast
Asia, SAARC countries, the EU, and the US.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through
secondary research and SwiftNLift is not responsible for
any errors in the same.
41

Best Leaders in Agri -Tech 2021

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