“There is much more to agriculture and farmers than the startup ecosystem understands at this time.”

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This can be a part that is second of three part interview with Shailendra Tiwari, founder of Fasal, an Ag-tech (agriculture technology) startup that is focused on building AI and IOT (Internet-of-things) based SAAS methods to deal with the woes of Indian horticulture farmers. Fasal’s main aims are to improve and improve the quality associated with yield and reduced input costs for the farmer. It really is currently implemented in farms across Karnataka, Maharashtra and Chattisgarh.

In this meeting, Shailendra provides an internal view of agricultural tech in India, just how Fasal is trying to disrupt the area and exactly why agri-tech stagnating has more than just a little related to it involving the sweltering heat in Karimnagar instead of the air-conditioned cabins in Koramangala.

Q8. Farmers are presumably risk-averse, how do you conduct pilot programs?

This concern lit me up. We wonder, a farmer whom renders his company (agriculture) towards the mercy of gods (climate) understanding that it’s very uncertain is risk-averse? Think about it for a moment.

We had to choose only 6-7 farms to run our experiments due to resource constraints but we had a list of about 80 odd farmers from a certain region who themselves keenly wanted that our pilots are conducted on their farms with little to no effort on outreach for the same while we were doing our pilots early in 2018.

Trust in me there was much even more to farming and farmers compared to the startup ecosystem understands right now.

Q9. Why you think agri-tech has stagnated in India for way too long?

About it, I am not sure if AgTech has stagnated if I take a moment and think. Things were happening all through. They might have been slow however. You will find Agritech companies founded as early as in 2010 if you research. Although exactly what might be true is that the ecosystem has turned into a complete lot more enabling now. The government’s policies are shaping the perception. You will find incubators and accelerators helping away. Investors are interested and most of all the farmers really are a lot more interested. The technology to complete one thing meaningful for Ag is now set up.

Additionally, Agtech is difficult. It doesn’t happen in air-conditioned cabins of Koramangala however in hot summers of Karimnagar in Telangana рџ™‚It is really a complete lot of perseverance, and therefore naturally it might probably never be the most exciting straight for a number of entrepreneurs. It requires a larger inspiration than simply ‘starting up’.

But we are a generation that is inspired I escort service strongly believe a decade down the line, farming in Asia is going to be extremely done very differently than its done currently. Startups will lead the way in which.

Keep a tabs on Agritech, you will observe a lot numerous entrepreneurs plunging in to simply take up the task of enhancing the agriculture ecosystem.

You might find me very positive but AgTech may produce a unicorn sooner rather than later on.

Q10. Which plants and regions within India are you currently focusing on at this time?

We are presently dedicated to Grape, Pomegranate, Chilli, Capsicum, Tomato and Potato crops and they are serving farmers and agri-institutions in Karnataka, Chattisgarh and Maharashtra.

Q11. Which crops do you consider are ripe – pun intended – for major disruption via solutions like Fasal?

We think horticulture in general has a complete lot of scope. It’s definitely challenging but it certain will bear a lot of fruits (pun intended).

Q12. Regarding the regulatory end, are there any challenges you’ve faced thus far and would you foresee any?

Not yet. But information ownership is just a basic concern across the board and it will have its implications on Agtech as well from a policy viewpoint.

Q13. What happen your major learnings in ‘building for Bharat’ (to borrow an expression from Ixigo’s CTO Rajnish Kumar)?

This is a question that is great.

Quickly in our journey we realised that solutions from the West cannot just here be copied in Asia. Asia possesses set that is specific of.

For Agtech ‘meaningful frugality’ has to be at the very heart for the solutions that individuals build while the solutions that will measure up.

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