For long, India’s agriculture sector has formed the backbone of our economy, contributing to 17.5 percent of India’s GDP and more than 50% of the population engaged in the sector. But there’s so much more contribution the sector could make, and its full potential is still untapped. This is quite evident from the fact that the agriculture industry has been relatively slow in terms of technology adoption and digitization compared to other sectors in the country.
Many farmers in India still rely on traditional farming methods and lack access to modern technology and innovative farming techniques. This blocks their potential to increase productivity and meet the growing food demands of the world.
Further, there is a significant gap in disseminating agricultural knowledge, with farmers in remote or rural areas often lacking awareness of the latest agricultural practices, crop disease management, and weather prediction technologies that could dramatically improve yields.
Understanding this gap in the Indian agriculture sector, agritech startup AgriApp has positioned itself as a leader in the segment, offering detailed information on crop production, yield protection, and market information, affirming its commitment to sustainable and profitable farming.
AgriApp | Technology Meets Tradition
AgriApp is an agritech startup offering complete solutions for crop production and management, offering various services to farmers, such as crop advisory, soil testing, drone services, and satellite imagery.
Besides being an information portal, AgriApp also functions as an online marketplace, connecting farmers, agri-input retailers, and fulfilment services on a digital platform. The AgriTech startup offers these services through a comprehensive Android-based mobile application.
Inception of AgriApp
AgriApp is the brainchild of Dr. Basavaraj Girennavar (Basu) Founder & CINO, who hails from a farmer’s family. It is because of his roots Mr Basu understood the challenges farmers face. Further, Mr. Basavaraj’s academic credentials add to his competence to serve the domain better as he holds a Ph.D. in Agriculture Sciences from Texas A&M University. This also gave him the vantage point to understand the agriculture domain up close locally, nationally, and globally.
Dr. Basu has been into agri entrepreneurship for the past 16 years, throughout which he established several successful startups, with AgriApp being the latest. On his journey, Dr. Basu stated that he was significantly inspired by his professor at Texas University, Dr. Norman Borlaug, an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution.
Highlighting Dr. Borlaug’s contribution to the agriculture industry and influence on his entrepreneurial life, Basu, in an exclusive conversation with The StartupLab, said,
“Dr. Borlaug was awarded multiple honours for his work, including the Nobel Peace Prize. His green revolution approaches influenced my passion and led me to start an AgriTech platform offering services better than the existing solutions. AgriApp, compared to competitors, provides a one-stop solution for farmers, offering m-commerce, crop advisory, output linkage, fintech credit support for farmers, precision agriculture, and drone tech, with many new features in the pipeline.”
USP of AgriApp
In addition to offering detailed information on crop production, yield protection, and market information, AgriApp also functions as an online marketplace for bringing farmers, retailers, agri-professionals, experts, and fulfilment services to a common digital platform.
AgriApp, through its mobile app, provides detailed information on various aspects of farming, including climate, propagation, fertilizers, irrigation, and more.
It also features a personalized crop calendar for planned crops, helping farmers with real-time operation management. Additionally, AgriApp offers real-time Agro Advisory services through chat, videos, or images in local languages, covering topics such as weather, disease, crop prices, soil health, and nutrition deficiency.
Highlighting the USP of AgriApp, Basu said,
“For purchasing agricultural products, AgriApp incorporates an m-commerce function, resembling an e-commerce kart, where users can buy over 750+ different products, including top brands of agrochemicals and fertilizers. The platform supports both online payment and cash-on-delivery options.”
Mission, Growth, and Future:
AgriApp is working with a mission to fill the gap between the agriculture sector and technology with precision and predictive agriculture while developing a robust Agri-Food-Climate Ecosystem that prepares farmers for high-efficiency, technology-assisted full-stack precision agriculture system.
In its journey, the startup has raised Rs 10 million in pre-seed funding. As per the startup, it has projected an annual turnover of INR 100+ Cr for the current financial year.
In our conversation with Dr.Basu, he mentioned that AgriApp’s philosophy is its commitment to sustainable agriculture. Recognizing the critical balance between meeting today’s global food demands and preserving Mother Earth for future generations, AgriApp integrates sustainable practices in its advisory and smart farming practices. By offering guidance on environmentally friendly farming techniques and promoting the use of biostimulants and organic inputs, AgriApp contributes to the long-term health of the land while ensuring productivity.
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