India is a country of farmers. Agriculture is the primary occupation for most people in the country. 70% of its population depends directly or indirectly upon agriculture. India ranks second in the economic contribution of agriculture. The Green Revolution which started in India in the early 1960s, led to an increase in food grain production. This landmark agricultural revolution transformed the nation from chronic dependence on grain imports into an agricultural powerhouse that is now a net exporter of the world.
Yet we hear the news of thousands of farmers committing suicides every year. Activists and scholars have offered a number of reasons for these suicides. Farmers face unprecedented challenges like unpredictable weather, non- availability of good quality seeds, and fertilizers and unreliable avenues to sell their crops after the harvest. They have little knowledge of government policies. All this leads to high debt burdens on farmers.
Can we do anything about it? Yes. Some agriculture startups in India have come up with innovative answers to this question.
To help farmers overcome these challenges, various agriculture companies in India have emerged out to work in the agricultural sector. The profit depends not only on capital investments and human resources but also on the technical capacity used before and during the production, and in marketing. With the use of technology, these agriculture startups in India are working their best to help farmers grow by making farming more sustainable and profitable.
Here is a list of 5 best agricultural businesses in India that are working to improve agriculture business:
- Agrostar
Agrostar aims to provide availability, quality, convenience and simplicity in all agricultural products to Indian farmers who don’t have access to quality products. Its “direct to farmer” m-commerce platform helps the farmers buy agri- inputs (seed, crop nutrition, crop protection and agri- hardware) by giving a missed call and then accessing the mobile application.
- Kisan Raja
Kisan Raja, operational in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, solves the problem of farmers of getting up at odd hours in the midnight to switch off the motors. Their key product is a GSM-enabled device called Kisan Raja that allows a farmer to remotely control his irrigation pump with their mobile or fixed line phone connection.
- Skymet Weather Services
Naturally occurring disasters are a risk for agricultural businesses. Loss of resources can be avoided with the help of risk management. Skymet Weather Services is an agriculture company in India which aims to provide its clients proper risk management by forecasting weather so that precautions can be taken. This company measures, predicts and limits climate risk to agriculture and also gives the facility of crop insurance to farmers.
- Rain Water Concepts Pvt. Ltd.
This social agricultural business implements rainwater harvesting systems. Innovative technologies are used for irrigation and rainwater harvesting: urban and rural rainwater harvesting, bore- well recharging, subsoil recharging, stream- water harvesting, groundwater recharging, non- irrigational agriculture, and the recycling of used water.
- RML Information Services Pvt. Ltd. (RML)
Indian farmers are being paid low prices for their crop yields as compared to the farmers of developed nations. Lack of information and awareness is the root cause for this. This agricultural company aims to remove this information deficit by providing knowledge regarding government schemes and bank credits, arm solutions, market data, weather forecasts or ways to analyse business calculatedly, by the use of technology i.e., mobile and the internet.
Even the best agricultural businesses in India face similar challenges like other startups. However, these agriculture startups in India face additional challenges. The main customers of these startups are farmers who are skeptical of new innovations, though the situation is improving gradually. There is a lack of understanding in the investors as agriculture sector isn’t as glamourous as the technology, telecom, and entertainment industries. But there is an increasing support from the government for the upliftment of this sector due to which many entrepreneurs have been able to create the best agricultural businesses in India. It can be estimated that as the country and multiple industries depend directly and indirectly on agriculture, these agriculture companies in India will become more and more active as there is a lot of room for growth.
