By Anindita Nayak
Bhubaneswar, 11 May:
AgriTech startups in India are revolutionizing the agricultural sector by connecting farmers directly with buyers, eliminating middlemen, and fostering fairer profit distribution. Through innovative technologies and products, they aim to boost food production, enhance farmer livelihoods, and promote sustainability. It’s projected that by 2030, there could be 10,000 such startups, potentially creating 10 million jobs in rural areas. This transformative wave not only reshapes the economic landscape but also brings environmental benefits.
We curate five leading agritech startups in India, which are doing pioneering work in the sector.
- AgroStar
Founded in 2013 by Shardul Sheth and Sitanshu Sheth, AgroStar is an AgriTech startup offering app and interactive voice response-based solutions to farmers. With external funding totaling $112.4 million, its mission is to empower farmers with data-driven technology and agronomy support. Active in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, it boasts a digital platform serving over 6.6K farmers. AgroStar’s cloud-based smartphone software aids small farmers in increasing yields and adopting best practices. Their platform offers agronomy advice, agricultural information, and products, enabling farmers to enhance production and profitability. The startup’s multilingual content-led commerce platform allows farmers to access agronomy content, seek advice, interact, and transact. Claiming to be India’s largest digital farmer network, AgroStar serves over 5 million farmers, facilitating better crop yields, reduced input costs, and access to markets.
- BigHaat
Founded in 2015 by Raj Kancham, Sachin Nandwana, and Sateesh Nukala, BigHaat is a farmer-centric digital marketplace and one of India’s leading AgriTech platforms. It aims to revolutionize the agricultural industry by providing farmers with access to high-quality inputs and technical guidance. With a focus on e-commerce, BigHaat connects farmers directly to verified suppliers, reducing procurement time and costs. The platform offers post-sale support and demand forecasts to both farmers and suppliers, enhancing efficiency and profitability. Leveraging data from multiple channels, BigHaat predicts crop yields and mitigates risks from external factors like pests and weather patterns. Its funding partners include JM Financial, Ankur Capital, and BlackSoil from which BigHaat has raised $28.8 million. It has onboarded over 4 million farmers. The homegrown agritech sector, where BigHaat operates, is projected to reach a market size of $34 billion by 2027.
- CropIn
CropIn, founded in 2010 by Krishna Kumar and Kunal Prasad, is a SaaS-based agritech platform that digitizes farm-to-fork operations for businesses, providing real-time data and insights. Partnering with over 250 organizations globally, CropIn has digitized more than 16 million acres of farms and impacted nearly 7 million farmers. Their platform offers advisory services and promotes efficient water usage and seed selection. Employing AI and data-driven solutions, CropIn enables connected and data-driven farming through farm management software and mobile apps. They provide real-time weather information, crop yield predictions, and early warning systems for factors like fertilizer costs and infestations. Notable achievements include the implementation of SmartRisk, an AI-powered predictive modeling solution, and accolades for their work under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. With funding totaling $32.6 million, CropIn is recognized as a leading agritech startup in the industry.
- DeHaat
Founded by Shashank Kumar in 2012, DeHaat provides comprehensive agricultural services to farmers, including agri input distribution, customized farm advisory, financial services, and market linkages. With $194 million in funding, DeHaat has served over 2 million farmers across 11 states in India through its digital network of over 11,000 ‘DeHaat Centres’. It’s recognized as one of the fastest-growing startups in the AgriTech sector, leveraging AI to transform farming supply chains and production efficiency. Offering end-to-end solutions, DeHaat connects farmers to suppliers and buyers via its online marketplace. With a team of micro-entrepreneurs, it ensures same-day delivery of agricultural inputs. Boasting a network of over 1,500 stock-keeping units, DeHaat delivers over 15,000 orders daily to more than 15 countries. With funding from investors like Peak XV Partners and Sofina Ventures, DeHaat has secured over $270 million in funding and recently acquired the fruit export business of Freshtrop Fruits in an all-cash deal.
- Gramophone
Founded in 2016 by Tauseef Khan, Nishant Vats, and Harshit Gupta, Gramophone is an Indore-based full-stack agritech platform that supports activities from raw material sourcing to warehousing. It offers data-driven technology solutions to farmers, aiding them in achieving better yields through input planning and agronomy advice. With over 2.5 million farmers onboarded in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, Gramophone provides personalized advisory through its mobile app, along with access to high-quality crop inputs. Utilizing a missed call service and physical retail stores, it ensures accessibility to agronomy advice and farming inputs. The introduction of Gram Vyapar, a marketplace connecting farmers and traders, enables farmers to sell their produce to verified buyers across district mandis. Operating in five states, Gramophone claims to increase farmers’ income by 30-40% through its solutions, which include selling agri inputs, standalone services like warehousing, crop advisory, and weather information, alongside agronomic intelligence utilizing image recognition and soil science.
