Most Recommended Agriculture Solution Providers In India-2020

www.insightssuccess.in

VOLUME 03 ISSUE 03

Most

Agriculture Recommended

Solution Providers In India-2020

One of the Most

RESPONSIBLE AND TRUSTED

AGROCHEMICAL PARTNER

of India

Dr. Idris Bohra

Editor’s Note THE BACKBONE OF INDIAN ECONOMY

T

here is a reason why India is known as an agricultural country. Most of our ancestors and our past generations were totally dependent on agriculture. Almost everyone was connected to agriculture in some way. Hence, India became a country of agriculture.

Over the years, things changed, development occurred. Yet, agriculture is still deeply rooted in India. This is because the majority of the population still resides in rural areas. Although there has been a trend of people moving to cities like Mumbai and Delhi, there still are

many whose primary occupation is agriculture and its allied service.

Agriculture today provides employment to over half of the workforce of the country.

Agriculture has always contributed towards the economy of our country, be it now or in the past. Speaking of which, today, agriculture contributes towards more than 16% of the GDP. India is known to be the largest producer of spices, pulses, rice, wheat and other grains.

According to a report, one ďŹ fth of exports is contributed by spices. If it is put to its worth, it can be said it brings around 6.42 billion dollars to our country.

The reason behind this is the abundant availability of fertile land. All over the country, a variation is seen in the soil type. This has led to growth of different types of crops and plants. Another major reason behind India being an agricultural country is the climatic condition. Though most of the places in India

Shambhavi Mhetre

etre

Shambhavi Mh

have a tropical climate there are places where there is extreme hotness or coldness.

However, it can be said that the climatic conditions are extremely favourable for diverse crop cultivation.

Nevertheless, be it India or any other country, our livelihood totally depends on the produce that farmers supply to the entire world. There was a time when people wanted to opt every other occupation other than agriculture.

However, today, due to advancement in the technology, people are opting for farming and agriculture related occupations.

Science has indeed helped the agriculture industry. There are various techniques which have been useful in production of crops.

Today, many youngsters with highly qualiďŹ ed degrees opt to farm while implementing these techniques.

Over the years, agro-based industries have emerged which are facilitating the growth of the agriculture sector. However, due to

various reasons like pollution and use of chemical ingredients for farming, farmers and the agriculture sector have been facing a slow down.

Owing to this, there are numerous agriculture solution providers that are uplifting the agriculture sector. Hence, we have handpicked up Most Recommended Agriculture Solution Providers In India2020. On the cover we have Ezzy Bio Sciences Pvt. Ltd. serving over two lakh farmers by giving them quality solutions for farming and featuring Dr. Idris Ali Bohra.

We have also featured Aries Agro; Gram haat and Smur Agro. Along with this, we have featured interviews with Ross Lifescience, Private Limited Swasti Agro and Tractor Guru.

Apart from this, we have also featured articles by our talented in-house writers.

Happy Reading!

Cover Story

Interview

CXO

08

16

24

Ezzy Bio Sciences Pvt. Ltd. It’s Core is Responsible Farming by Supplying Toxin -Free Products

TractorGuru Simplifying Mechanization

Editor’s View The Rise Of Packaging Brand Management Companies In India

20

26

30

Aries Agro Limited Creating Value for Farmers and all Stakeholders with Dedication and Innovation

Gram-Haat® Empowered, Rural India

Ross Lifescience Private Limited-Upholding a Decade Long Legacy of Excellence and Innovation

38

40

32

SMUR Agro Ventures Transforming the Agricultural Space by Promoting Organic Farming

Swasti Agro A Farmer-Centric Social Venture

Editor’s Choice 6 Benefits of Organic Farming over Conventional Farming

C

O

N

T

20

26

30

38

40

E

N

T

S

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Shambhavi Mhetre

sales@insightssuccess.com

Publishing Control Team Shruti, Rahul

March, 2020

Quality Assurance Team Abhishaj, Sneha, Darshan

Corporate OfďŹ ces: Art & Design Head Amol Kamble Associate Designer Poonam Mahajan Art & Picture Editor Asha Bange Co-designer Deepanjali Jena Sr. Business Development Manager Megha Mishra Business Development Manager Nandan Deshpande Business Development Lead Tejaswini Whaval Sr. Business Development Executive kaustubh, kajal Technical Head Pratiksha Patil Technical Specialist Amar Sawant

Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Off. No. 22 & 510, Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017 Phone - India: +91 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com

Digital Marketing Manager Prashant Chevale SME-SMO Executive Atul Dhoran Circulation Manager Tanaji

Cover Price : RS. 150/Follow us on :

www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/

https://twitter.com/insightssuccess

We are also available on Copyright Š 2020 Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd., All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success. Printed and Published by Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. RNI NUMBER: MAHENG/2018/75953

Subscribe Today Stay in touch.

Subscribe to Insightssuccess Get Insightssuccess Magazine in print, & digital on www.insightssuccess.in

www.insightssuccess.in

Cheque should be drawn in favour of : INSIGHTS SUCCESS MEDIA AND TECH PVT. LTD.

CORPORATE OFFICE Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Off No. 22 & 510, Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017.

Phone - India: 020- 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 USA: 302-319-9947 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription : www.insightssuccess.in

Please share with us the initial struggle that worked as the strength behind the current success of the company.

The first version of our website was quite bad frankly. We had created features which were not needed by users and missed out on many features which were crucial. However, we learned from the experience. We spent many days in the field doing user research and then totally redesigned our website based on our insights. This led to higher average time spent on the site by each user to increase more than 50%. Also, our overall traffic shot up after we designed the site.

Simplifying Mechanization

Tell us about the services you provide through your venture.

TractorGuru provides a content-rich platform to access high-quality information about more than 300 Tractors models sold in India. Users can search, discover, compare, select and buy tractors on our website www.tractorguru.in.

O

ver the years, the agriculture sector has been registering steady progress. From using the traditional tools and equipment to using complex types of machinery for farming, farmers have moved ahead.

The technological advancements have indeed helped the agriculture space change for good.

There have been many companies that have contributed towards this phenomenal transformation. However, TractorGuru is one emerging company delivering tractors according to the usage. Depending on the necessity, TractorGuru offers a range of tractors. From used tractors to brand new tractors, TractorGuru provides a variety of farming machinery products and services with tractors being the dominant product.

In this interview, Manik Mital, the Founder and CEO of TractorGuru takes us through an interesting journey with his company.

What prompted you to start an Agriculture Solution provider?

TractorGuru.in went live in August 2019. We are simplifying mechanization for Indian farmers. There are more than 118 million cultivators in India. Farm mechanization is a key driver of increased productivity and it also improves the quality of life for the farmers. From our experience, we realized that farmers did not have easy access to reliable information about the tractors and implements that are right for them. Increasing penetration of low-cost smartphones and cheap data plans enabled us to provide this information to them at their fingertips.

16 | March 2020

In addition, we also provide classifieds services for sellers of pre-owned tractors. We have the only dedicated used tractor classifieds platform in India and we have served more than 2000 sellers out of which almost 500 sellers have sold their tractor through our services.

What is the USP of your company that renders it different from its competitors?

The farm mechanization space in India is a $ 14 billion industry. It is large enough for many differentiated players.

We are focused on our customers and intend to do better each day. We are the fastest growing and now the secondlargest platform for farm mechanization in India.

We are hitting an annualized revenue of 50 lakh plus in the first year since the launch. Our site attracts more than 2 million visitors. Our best in class used tractors app has been downloaded more than 30,000 times in the last 6 months.

While we are proud of our accomplishments, we are driving towards being the preferred platform for farm mechanization in India.

Even though we are a late entrant and have some catching up to do, we are confident that we will become the dominant marketplace in this Farm Mechanization space.

Our guiding principle is to connect the customers with the farm machinery that is right for them. We respect the privacy of our users and only capture customer information when the customers identify the products that they are interested in. We also minimize the number of intrusive

www.insightssuccess.in

I N T E R V I E W W I T H I N S I G H T S S

ABOUT THE LEADER Manik Mital has over 15 years of diverse international experience in Consulting, Ag and Construction Equipment industries. Previously, he has worked for John Deere across Strategy, Manufacturing, Sales and Marketing roles. Manik was a key member of the project team to set up John Deere Dewas Works, a greenďŹ eld tractor manufacturing facility. He developed his marketing expertise as an ex-pat in John Deere Singapore where he worked as Marketing Planning Manager APAC and Africa. In his last role at John Deere, Manik was based in Singapore and was Sales Man ager for Construction Equipment in Malaysia.

Manik moved back to India in 2016 in a high visibility assignment at Mahindra and Mahindra where he was EA to President for the 3.5 Bn+ Farm Equipment Sector (FES). He then led a Mahindra internal startup called Tractorbaazi where he conceptualized and set up more than 35 multi-brand used tractor outlets in less than 6 months.

Manik began his career as an Analyst at KPMG Advisory Services. He earned a B.Com (H) from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in Delhi and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, USA. Manik has conceptualized TractorGuru and provides an overall vision to the company.

Even though TractorGuru was a late entrant in the digital platform space, Manik’s insights and execution capabilities have made it the 2nd largest digital platform for Tractors in India within a span of a few months. Manik also leads the Business Development efforts and TractorGuru has now partnered with many leading Tractor brands in the country.

Manik Mital Founder and CEO www.insightssuccess.in

U C C E S S

March 2020 | 17

phone calls to customers.

In addition, we have full confidence in our team. We have a very enthusiastic and capable team.

Please share some success stories, awards and accolades that the company has received.

Since we are bootstrapped, our focus has been to build a sustainable business model. For us, it is the small moments which bring the most joy. I travel a lot to meet farmers and dealers. I feel very happy when farmers and dealers tell me about the impact our platform is creating. A tractor is a high-ticket purchase for farmers and we are building transparency and trust in the tractor buying process.

How does the company intend to give back to society?

We believe that the mobile internet has enabled farmers in India. Access to mobile internet reduces information asymmetries, thus reducing the divide between large and marginal farmers. Crucial information such as reliable weather information, suitability and price of inputs (including farm mechanization) and the prevailing price for their output is easily available to everyone. TractorGuru wants to be at the forefront of utilizing the mobile internet to create a positive impact on the lives of Indian farmers.

Brief us about the future of the company or the goal it has set to mark its exceptionality in future.

We are now entering the financing category. Tractor financing is a big opportunity as more than 80% tractors sold in India are financed by banks and NBFCs. We want to assist in the activity and be the preferred platform for our customers to access tractor financing.

We are focused on connecting farmers in India with the farm machinery that is right for them. We exist to serve the farming community to save their money, increase their productivity, and reduce buying mistakes and downtime.

Through our used tractor services, we are creating efficiency in the market and increasing access to mechanization.

One piece of advice for the budding entrepreneurs who are trying to embark in the same field.

Share with us one latest development in agricultural technology that will play a major role in helping the Indian farmers and tackling the growing food demand.

All we can say is ‘Keep Going’. There will be many moments of doubt on your entrepreneurial journey. Keep the focus on the customers and on solving the problem.

We want to increase our participation in the used tractor space. But it will be too early to share any specifics in this regard. Watch this space !

Rahul Gawade Co-Founder and Head Content and Operations Rahul Upadhyay Head – Marketing

Manik Mital Founder and CEO

18 | March 2020

www.insightssuccess.in

Aries Agro Limited

Creating Value for Farmers and all Stakeholders with Dedication and Innovation

P

lants, we all know make their own food under sunlight. The roots, on the other end, draw up minerals and essential nutrients from the soil for proper growth. But with time, the nutrient density in soil reduces and needs human intervention for the same. This ensures that the produce is nutrient rich and hence help humans and animals achieve proper nutrition.

Established in 1969, Aries Agro Limited is a company which has made its mark in the business of manufacturing of micro nutrients and other customized nutritional products for plants and animals. It started by manufacturing a small range of mineral feed additives for animals & birds and then diversified into mineral additives for the agriculture use.

Throughout the excerpts mentioned below, the company shares its impressive journey with us.

Kindly brief us about the company.

What prompted the founders to start an agri-tech company and the initial struggle?

Aries Agro Limited is an Indian Multinational Company that offers the widest range of products in the primary, secondary and micro-fertilizer sector, ranging from individual elements to mixed specialty plant nutrient fertilizers. Since 1969, we have pioneered several innovative concepts of farming to Indian agriculturists, including the wonder of Chelation Technology, bio-degradable complexes of plant nutrients, water soluble NPK fertilizers, value added secondary nutrients, natural and biological

20 | March 2020

products and water treatment formulations. Our products provide all 16 plant nutrients required in agriculture, customized for the specific needs of 107 different crops. Aries is consistently recognized among India’s best-in-class companies with 65 brands in the niche plant nutrition industry selling at 90,000 retail outlets across India and also in 11 countries globally.

The founders, Dr. T. B. Mirchandani and Mrs.Bala Mirchandani were a team of marketing and technical experts in the area of agri business. They identified a gap in the specialty plant nutrition segment which was untapped at that point of time. They took the harder but more profitable route of discarding the commodity fertilizers and selecting micronutrients and highly customized plant nutrients as the area of focus.

Tell us about the services you provide through your venture.

Our Company provides a range of products which are in the specialty plant nutrition area and can be segmented into; 1) Micronutrient fertilizers and chelates 2) Water soluble NPK fertilizers 3) Secondary plant nutrition and soil conditioners 4) Aquaculture and fishery nutrition 5) Animal health supplements 6) Water treatment and post harvest management solutions. 7) Bactericides and plant hormones Please share some success stories, awards and accolades that the company has received.

We received Appreciation Certificate from Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry for Civic Award 2017 under

“Sustainable Environmental Initiatives’ Category and the highest independent honour in India namely the ‘Skoch Gold Award 2017’ for our consistent work serving Indian farmers. We received recognition with Skoch Order of Merit - 2017 for being amongst the top 100 SME’s in India. Also The National Record awarded by Limca Book of Records for the Largest Flash Sale of Specialty Plant Nutrient Products conducted during April 2016 at Bombay Stock Exchange, International Convention Center, Mumbai.

How does the company intend to give back to the society?

The Company has, over the past few years, focused on a range of community activities which are as follows: Infrastructure support for Education: Education for the girl child, language labs for hearing impaired, construction of washrooms/bathrooms for girl’s schools, distributions of books, educational kits, uniforms & computers, provision of water tanks, supply of benches etc Scholarships: The Company also provided fees and scholarships to students and also awards to meritorious students Farmers Call Centre: The Company’s Call Centre based in Vijayawada continued to provide answers to farmer’s queries and provided direct interaction with consumers. In addition, the Company has added call center numbers on all literature and promotional materials and is extending the reach of this call center to other states across India. www.insightssuccess.in

Most

Recommended

AGRICULTURE SOLUTION

PROVIDERS In India-2020

Spreading Knowledge: Aries’ continues to strongly advocate good agricultural practices. Farmers’ meeting and training programmes on good agricultural practices are conducted at various places across India. These sessions are conducted by team of 138 extension officials spread across 26 states.

Well on wheels: In addition we are also providing Aries “Well on Wheels”, a device to assist the women in rural areas to carry 45 litres of water using a wheel barrow type of machine, rather than carrying heavy loads on their head across long distances.

Health Care: Ration kits and medicines were distributed among flood affected people in Gujarat, West Bengal and Kerala.

Soil Testing Services: The Company organizes soil testing camps using Mobile Soil Testing Kits which analyse 10 parameters including pH, EC, NPK levels in soil, micro nutrient levels including Zinc, Ferrous, Boron, Organic Carbon, etc. Soil Health Cards are issued to farmers providing an additional service in order that they understand the specific nutrient needs of their farms.

Share with us one latest development in agricultural technology that will play a major role in helping the Indian farmers and tackling the growing food demand.

Agricultural technology in the area of plant nutrition using drones for agricultural space (reducing labour cost and time), use of cost effective inert environmentally safe fertilizers (in place of harmful chemical fertilizers) and use of post harvest management techniques (to reduce storage, transport and climate stress) Brief us about the future of the company or the goal it has set to

www.insightssuccess.in

Dr. Rahul Mirchandani

mark its exceptionality in future.

The future of Aries, which is embarking on its golden jubilee year in 2019-20, is being charted using the following focus areas i) Deeper market penetration in the Indian specialty plant nutrition segment using the Aries range of chelates and water soluble fertilizers. ii) Wider reach in every fertilizer consuming district of India and Asian countries. iii) Agricultural new products redesigned using the best in class technologies to further improve the effects of Aries range of products.

ABOUT THE LEADER

Dr. Rahul Mirchandani joined Aries Agro Limited in February 1995. Since j o i n i n g a s p a r t of t h e m a r ket development team, he has over the past 23 years been instrumental in expanding the Company’s presence from 9 states to 26 states. He has been at the forefront to launch new products every year to take the total to current 65 brands. He has overseen the use of sensory branding for the first time in Indian Animal Nutrition Products. He made using water soluble packaging for single dose packs of Aries flagship One piece of advice for the budding entrepreneurs who are trying to brands to create a buzz in the market embark in the same field. apart from ensuring accurate dose and The agri inputs segment is a high reducing labour intervention. He has growth but hyper competitive market where finding a unique niche to provide helped in creating farmer celebrities by providing platforms where Aries products and services which are relevant to farmers needs is most farmers have interacted with US critical. Tenacity, agility and patience President Obama, Netherlands Govt, will be the only ways that entrepreneurs Niti Aayog, etc. and provided a can ensure the success and survive in Showcase for how Aries products have this attractive market. benefitted their field and added to their incomes.

March 2020 | 21

THE RISE OF

PACKAGING BRAND MANAGEMENT COMPANIES IN INDIA

I

ndia is expected to become the third-largest consumer market in the world after China and the US. New technologies along with a rise in e-commerce, urbanisation, changing lifestyles and increased personal health awareness has accelerated the growth of the print and packaging markets.

Print and packaging is the first thing that attracts consumers-First moment of truth. This plays an important role, especially in the consumer goods industry.

management companies in the US, UK, Europe and Australia started partnering with offshoring partners in India to take advantage of low costs and time difference.

Larger brand management companies relied on acquisitions to build a strong base in India. In the beginning, those were only for offshoring and little were they interested in the local market. The multinational FMCG companies at times took their services, a few discontinued due to the high cost.

Packaging has turned out to be a necessary step for any product-launching strategy irrespective of industry sectors.

Visually appealing graphics on packaging draws the consumers to buy products whether offline or online.

While some decided to stick to the traditional way of asking the agencies to do the artworks adaptation and legal changes and plate makers/ printers for prepress. Sooner or later brand managers realised the importance of colour and how the consistency of the same is important in shopper decision making.

Consumers mostly consider an attractive packaging for high quality, thus premium products are often seen in more consumer-friendly and attractive packaging with more finishes. Thus, the print and packaging sectors have been migrated into a new business opportunity. This includes thousands of packaging companies, including raw material suppliers and processing from designing and printing.

It has never been more important than in today’s digital world of shopping where consumer scrolls rapidly through multiple items and the brands are reliant on the instant recognition of the brand colour / unique shape of the brand to slow down the consumer to make it in their basket.

In India, the sector has been seeing constant growth with an increase in packaged food consumption, awareness and desire for quality products. The growth has been seen throughout the supply chain either with packaging focused design agencies or brands moving to use Packaging Brand Management companies for their end to end services.

India continues to be the most preferred destination for companies looking to offshore and it’s not just IT but also packaging premedia and prepress services. Brand

24 | March 2020

This has transitioned and given rise to packaging brand management companies who offer support in both online and offline packaging services. Right from artwork services, prepress until ecommerce pack shots and agile contents for digital shopping, these companies take care of everything.

Not just larger multinationals but even start-ups and regional FMCG companies have started decoupling their requirements and use these agencies for their Packaging requirements. They have realised that onboarding a specialised packaging partner will allow them to reduce the

www.insightssuccess.in

Editor’s View

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vineeth A Viswanathan is the Business Director at SGSCO. He is a specialized senior management executive with experience in delivering and sustaining revenue. This has ultimately made enough profit in highly competitive B to B markets especially in APAC , MEA and European regions . cost in the packaging supply chain, and maintain visual consistency in all packages. It will also control the appearance of brand assets reproduced across all different printing processes and substrates.

These Brand Management companies as well have acknowledged the potential India possess and have tailored their offerings to suit India’s market. This will be done either in terms of prices or offering be it Packshots for India specific retailers like Walmart, Big basket and amazon or creating an India specific mandate sheet for legal meteorology.

Our Country is at a tipping point in terms of growth in the economy or in terms of manpower development. We are entering into a new era of growth with the rise of such new specialised domains and collaborative efforts to identify improvements for today. We can predict solutions to deliver in future shall be the answer to unlock the full potential of who we are. This will push us towards becoming the world’s largest consumer market. www.insightssuccess.in

Vineeth is an Electronics and Communication engineer. He has vast experience in running a business and consulting in various technical and non technical fields. These areas include Computer aided design, communications , App development ,Trading and the Advertising. He has been providing these services across 14+ countries.

March 2020 | 25

Gram-Haat® Empowered, Rural India

“I would say that if the village perishes, India will perish too. India will no longer remain India. Its own mission in the world will get misplaced. The revival of the villages in the country is only possible, when it is no longer exploited.”

- Mahatma Gandhi (Harijan, 29.08.1936)

I

n this day and age (21st Century), the words of Gandhiji still hold a surreal amount of significance. In this rapidly changing world fueled by globalization and digital transformation taking place in the life of every citizen in India, what matters the most is the facilitation of services with ease of availability. Real India resides in Tire-II and beyond where particular products or services are not procured on time.

Sometimes, it never reaches the desired destination. This particularly is a problem known as disconnect between urban brands & rural market. Though, there has been a subtle growth in the infrastructural amenities of rural India, it still hasn’t proved to be a proper solution for the lack of facilitation of qualitative goods and services. There is a requirement for an efficient catalyst for inclusive growth to bridge the existing urban-rural divide with a commercially viable solution. That’s where GramHaat® comes into the picture.

Gram-Haat® is a widespread rural retail outlet serving five hundred million Indians through more than fifty most valued brands and start-ups. These brands are from different sectors like Agriculture, Finance, Household, and Personal care. In brief, it is connecting urban brands with rural consumers and businesses. Gram-Haat®, the eRMPL Technologies LLP Rural Retail initiative is addressing the (4A) challenges of the

26 | March 2020

rural segment of India. These challenges are Awareness, Acceptance, Affordability, and Availability.

The Purpose Gram-Haat®’s Assets Light Technologybased bricks and mortar setup operates in Tire-2 towns and beyond serving a rural market for their daily needs of Products, Services, and Consultancy offerings.

Gram-Haat® serves approx. 40 million of the Indian population today with more than 14000 PoS/IT equipped outlets all over the Western India. Now the company is aiming to reach 150 million of the customer bases from 45000+ outlets by 2021 across India.

The company has been working with the principle to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit amongst the youth in the rural areas of India. Gram-Haat® presents the rural youth with an opportunity of selfemployment who have the minimum educational qualification (10th Pass), basic knowledge of IT, and an inclination towards business and entrepreneurship.

“We not only provide them with an earning opportunity but also increase their capability to serve rural citizens in various modes,” says the team of GramHaat®.

This rural empowerer is connecting urban brands to the rural areas of the country at the most affordable cost along with out-reach and logistics. All of this in order to create an actual social and economic impact on the life of the people where the real India resides. “We take an opportunity to share credits with our mentor Mr. Amit Varma (Ex. President RIL) who taught us Out-reach,” shares the team of Gram-Haat®.

The Inception Story It all started when Mr. Sanket Jasmin

Desai, the Designated Director of Gram-Haat® was working for a corporate firm during 2004-14. He travelled to more than 15000 Tire II and III towns and villages for research & analysis, set-up of Fuel outlets and digitalization of Govt set-ups. He realized that even with the growth of infrastructure and digital connectivity, people for their various needs are still traveling 25-35 km or paying a premium price for commodities with compromising its assured quality from various urban brands. There was a need for a two-sided value proportionate solution for this situation. That’s how Gram-Haat® emerged as the bridge to rural demands and urban brands’ offerings as the most viable solution.

Aim was to cater the need. It took almost two years for the pilot to create company-operated franchise models (CoFos) in Western India alone.

The firm was founded with the help of friends & ex-colleagues from Rural and Retail Industry. It has Advisory Board members from Agronomy, Insurance, Banking, Telecom, e-Market Space, Education, e-Governance, and Hospitality verticals to empower GramHaat®’s initiative. In a brief comment, the experts disclose, “All of us have a high level of synergy to build the best solutions for rural India.”“Together we continue to effectively innovate, operate and market Gram-Haat®,” adds Mr. Sanket. This initiative is operationally supported by sister companies like SdMC and Kanan Solutions and functionally by the parent company, eRMPL Group.

Industry Dynamics and Recognitions There are two large infrastructural setups in the rural areas of the country namely, India-Post and Panchayat Office. For any www.insightssuccess.in

Most

Recommended

AGRICULTURE SOLUTION

PROVIDERS In India-2020

Gram-Haat® operators are continuously trained on digital services, product marketing and sales roles by associated business partners and trainers. IT equipped with connectivity outlet serves online as well as pre-sales activities are done through events and promotions at the village level. The organization contributes approx. 42% of digital transactions for Gujarat from various Financial Inclusion initiatives such as AePS Payments, Money Remittance, Bharat Bill Pay, Recharges, Mutual Funds, Insurance, etc. Wide range of products offered from Tractor to NonElectricy Water purifiers, etc. The company’s single largest platform where at no cost, any brand or start-up can reach more than 40 million beneficiaries and create own market space through Gram-Haat®. “We look forward to the association with Corporates, SemiGovernment Organisation and NGOs,” states Mr. Sanket. eRMPL is Rural Technology and Innovation continuum.

Gram-Haat® was awarded Grant & Recognition as the Top 20 Start-ups by CIIE and IIM-A at The Power of Idea.

Also, Mr. Sanket got selected for the Fellowship program by the Royal Academy of Engineering, London for the said project. Continuing the march, eRMPL Technologies LLP inked MoU with State Government of Gujarat during Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2017 for rollingout B2B, B2C, and G2C support services

www.insightssuccess.in

at 14000 Gram-Panchayats of the State. The company is recognized as a Start-up by DIPP – Govt of India, Committed to Empowered India.

A Vision Ahead Gram-Haat® through its ‘Click and Sale’ model is helping the villagers follow the mantra of ‘Zero Investment, No Warehouse’ which has been proposed by the firm.

Through this preposition, the company is enabling technology for the villagers in seamless manner. It is facilitating human touch and trained local residents for quick response service with Adhaar and UPI enabled digital transactions.

The firm is providing various facilities through its junctures such Dr. Rahul Mirchandani as, viable and sustainable model for Gram-Panchayats and offering under principal agency code/authorization. The products and services offered under Gram-Haat®’s initiative include proper tie-up or agreement which helps to serve the customers in a better way. The organization does not follow the principle of ‘Sale and Forget,’ it intends to provide full support during the service period of the clients which properly aligns with Gram-Haat®’s exclusive product team’s efforts. There is a complete support mechanism available in terms of online and offline mode for customers as well as agents working with the firm.

The company is focused on to create more outlets that will reach people on a higher volume. It is also planning to increase more associations with Industry leaders having digital platforms to promote or sell products/services. GramHaat® is also on its way to create awareness and space in rural markets with the help of other institutes such as tele-medicine centers, data management firms, e-learning companies and NGOs.

Sanket Jasmin Desai Designated Director

“

First Green Revolution, then White Revolution, and now it is time for the Orange (Digital) Revolution through Gram-Haat®

“

Start-up, scale the biggest challenge; team who counts number it was foremost task to touch large set of beneficiaries. To make the asset-light model resonate with public engagement, eRMPL is operating Gram-Haat® from every single Gram panchayat building/office I the state of Gujarat on margin sharing basis. “We call it Rurban movement with business model CoFo which enables the urban brands to have a tie-up with the company in order to promote, market, and sell their products/services/consultation in the rural trade space of India,” shares Mr. Sanket.

March 2020 | 27

Ross Lifescience Private Limited Upholding a Decade Long Legacy of Excellence and Innovation

E

ach organism has its own role in maintaining the ecosystem on this planet.

Insects for example are needed for seed dispersal, pollination and more.

However, in terms of agriculture not all insects are helpful. With science’s help, it is possible to control and even eliminate some of tem to help protect crop.

transmitted from mosquitoes to man.

We are engaged in product development and analytical services (chemistry, Bioefficacy and Ecotoxicity) including registration data generation related to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which involves crop protection, public health, and house hold insecticides and veterinary ecto-parasiticides.

Situated at Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra, Ross Lifescience Private Limited offers innovative and sustainable products that suit the customer’s need in the areas of integrated pest management, household and body care, environmental sciences and so on. In an interview with the Insights Success, the company’s spokesperson sheds light on its impressive journey, various offering, and its future plans.

Ross Lifescience has expert and experienced staff comprising of Analytical chemists, Entomologists and Toxicologists coupled with state of the art infrastructure laboratory equipped with sophisticated instruments for conducting product development and analytical studies assisted by advisory panel of repute.

Kindly brief us about the company.

What prompted the founders to start an Agriculture Solution provider and the initial struggle?

Ross Lifescience Private Limited is a contract research organization based in Pune, India and has been operating for more than 10 years now. The name is also a tribute to nobel laureate Sir Ronald Ross, who discovered how malaria is

30 | March 2020

Brief us about the Founder/CEO of the company and the major contribution of him/ her towards the development of the company.

Our company marches ahead towards excellence under the ardent leadership of the four founding members, Dr. Kedar Deobhankar – CEO; Dr. Swati Vitonde – Director – Finance & HR; Mr. Nitin Ghatpande – Director – Business Development; and Dr. Deepak Phal – Director – Technical Services.

The dedicated efforts of these four spearheads have led the company to

what it is today.

Tell us about the services you provide through your venture.

We engage in new product development and data generation for registration purposes and evaluating product performance especially related to Agrochemicals, Vector control and Household insecticides.

The main scope of activity, though, is registration data generation for new molecules and formulations that would enable our clients to introduce the product quickly into the market.

Below are some of the services that we offer: • Chemistry (Physical and Chemical properties) including 5 batch analysis • Stability studies (accelerated and real-life study in different agroclimatic conditions) • Residue and Persistency studies in soil, water and plant • Ecotoxicity studies as per OECD guidelines • Entomological studies (Lab and field trials) • Field trials for evaluating product performance against target pests for Agrochemicals, Vector control and Household insecticides.

• Field trials for studying impact of

www.insightssuccess.in

Most

Recommended

AGRICULTURE SOLUTION

PROVIDERS In India-2020

formulations on aquatic flora and fauna • Product and Packaging Development • Conducting pre-registration and post registration clinical trials for insecticide products Please share some success stories, awards and accolades that the company has received.

Our company was incepted in the year 2008 and owing to our dedicated endeavors, we received the ISO 9001 (2008) certification in the year 2010. In the same year, we also received the ISBA Entrepreneurship Award. Our dedicated endeavors led our company to receive the ISO 17025 (NABL) certification.

Eventually, we received the DSIR Certification (2013), and the CIB&RC and GLP approvals in the years 2015 and 2017 respectively.

How does the company intend to give back to the society?

Ross Lifescience is actively involved in imparting technical knowledge to the students of nearby colleges and regularly conducts summer training programs in analytical chemistry and entomology to college students. We also conduct training programs for safe use and handling of insecticides to professional pest control operators.

Our company is also engaged in CSR program and conducts activities in the field of mosquito borne diseases for benefit to the community.

What are the latest technologies that you use to deliver your services?

www.insightssuccess.in

Dr. Kedar Deobhankar – CEO; Dr. Swati Vitonde – Director – Finance & HR; Mr. Nitin Ghatpande – Director – Business Development; and Dr. Deepak Phal – Director – Technical Services

Ross is a GLP certified and ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. We have state-of-the art facility for entomology with peet grady chambers, room chambers with air exchange facility, in-house developed automatic timely delivery and monitoring systems for spray and knock down. Whereas, talking about analytical instrumentation strength, we have instruments UpToDate to match the contemporary technological needs of our projects.

We have GC-MS, Tandem MS, Headspace GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS to name a few.

We have a competent and expert QAU department that has in place a robust audit program to check that the systems and processes comply to the guidelines of Good Laboratory Practices enabling timely and quality delivery of services leading to customer satisfaction.

Brief us about the future of the company or the goal it has set to mark its exceptionality in future.

Our company has posted a healthy

growth of around 30% Y-O-Y from its inception in 2008. The vision of Ross Lifescience is to be ‘a leading contract research organization for creating, innovative, customer focussed solution that offer cutting edge technology in the field of Integrated Pest Management.’

With the above vision, our endeavor is to add new techniques especially related to cell assays that would help accurate and quicker toxicological assessment of product without using experimental animals. Presently, our efforts are directed towards adding efate studies to complement existing activities and enhancing infrastructure to accommodate state of the art analytical equipment.

One piece of advice for the budding entrepreneurs who are trying to embark in the same field.

Have faith in yourself and give your best with utmost honesty. At the beginning, things may look difficult but never say die attitude and persistent efforts in right direction would lead you to success.

March 2020 | 31

6

Benefits of

ORGANIC

32 | March 2020

FARMING OVER CONVENTIONAL FARMING

www.insightssuccess.in

Editor’s Choice

O

rganic farming indeed has upgraded the farming game. It has been considered as the best alternative against conventional farming that uses all sorts of chemicals and pesticides in its process. To give an insight into the beneďŹ ts of organic farming, we have listed down 6 beneďŹ ts of organic farming:

www.insightssuccess.in

March 2020 | 33

1. No Chemicals It has been seen that conventional farming makes use of fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides that are harmful to both humans as well as other living and non-living organisms. However, organic farming does the exact opposite and uses techniques that use natural ingredients to ďŹ ght the problems faced during farming

2. Helps in Environment Conservation Another major issue regarding conventional farming is that it is harmful to the environment. Over the years, due to the overuse of chemicals, the soil quality has been reduced. This results in a reduction in the microbiota of rhizobium which helps in proper growth of plants. Apart from this, the groundwater also gets contaminated as these chemicals seep down. On the other hand, as there is negligible use of chemicals in organic farming, it helps save the environment.

3. Free from Animal Cruelty Apart from plants and vegetables, even animals are given antibiotics and harmful hormonal injections for their growth. This eventually hampers the life span of these animals. Also, it is said that consumption of such meat or its products harms the health of people. However, people now have started moving to breed animals organically. This includes, animals are left to reproduce naturally, no use of external growth hormones and so on.

34 | March 2020

www.insightssuccess.in

4. Fresh and Nutrient-Rich As the fruits, plants, meat and other products are grown through a natural process, the chances of retaining the nutrients are quite high.

The shelf life of these items increases as these items stay fresher for a longer time. Hence, organic farming ultimately helps us maintain a better and healthier life.

5. Free from GMO Genetically ModiďŹ ed Organisms (GMOs) or genetically engineered (GE) foods are plants whose DNA has been altered. These are altered in such ways that cannot occur in nature or traditional crossbreeding.

Genetic engineering has been practiced due to the mere reason that these plants are resistant to pesticides and insecticides. However, organic farming is free from GMOs. This means that farmers use original species of crops, seeds particularly. There is a strict NO policy for GMO seeds and plants while farming.

6. Cost-Effective Last but not the least, organic farming can be cost-effective if used properly. Use of prescribed natural ingredients can reduce the cost drastically. These include microbial, plant based and many other natural ingredients. To name a few, neem based products, salt spray, organic oils and more. On the other hand, organic products have a higher value in the market that actually beneďŹ ts the farmers and the farming community.

www.insightssuccess.in

March 2020 | 35

38 | March 2020

www.insightssuccess.in

www.insightssuccess.in

March 2020 | 39

A Farmer-Centric Social Venture

Most

Swasti Agro

Recommended

AGRICULTURE SOLUTION

PROVIDERS In India-2020

T

he Indian economy was largely dependent on agriculture until industrialization and globalization created an impact and changed the balance. While agriculture is still a major part of the economy and culture, the gradual shift is evident and increasing. Agriculture is critical, and the growing population to be fed keeps increasing the pressure, but the sector is facing a major crisis.

Depleting soil productivity, shrinking farmlands, dwindling labour, low profits are just some of the reasons for the growing unrest in the sector and farmers. These are giving rise to another national catastrophe, farmer suicide, which have been in the news since the 1990s and increasing. Latest reports suggest that on an average there are 10 cases of farmer suicides every day? While a lot is being done and said about it, the problem persists and the solution lies in changing the way the problem is being approached.

Solutions are All About the Right Approach Proactive measures that revolve around the problems bringing on the crisis need to be taken with a farmercentric approach. Pune-based Swasti Agro and Bioproducts Pvt Ltd believes that the majority of the problems of the farmers can be solved if the ecosystem adopts a farmer-centric approach and is working its part on it. As per the company, a big concern all over the globe is that affordability of farming activity is diminishing day by day. One single factor that can change this scenario is the mitigation of diseases of crops. Farmers do not have effective tools to prevent diseases of crops and they lose on an average of about 30% of the crop year on year. And if the season is bad this risk increases to over 90%. With a process loss risk of 30 -90%, any activity is deemed to be unsuccessful. A true farmercentric approach requires products, services, and channels to evolve mechanism(s) that maximize the profitability of individual unorganized farmers spread out across the country.

40 | March 2020

Dr. Abhay Shendye Founder, CEO

“Our vision is to eradicate Food security crisis arising around the globe with healthy organic technology” www.insightssuccess.in

Swasti’s Solutions Swasti is a farmer-centric social venture developing innovative sustainable inputs, processes and channels. Swasti has developed products for the prevention of crop diseases. It also provides analysis based advice to farmers so that they can take learned decisions and save costs as well as crops. Several farmers in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat have been using these products for the last 3 – 5 years. The company is now spreading its wings to Bihar and Nepal and has recently started its subsidiary in East Africa. Swasti’s technology is being patented in India as well as Africa.

The first product Swasti brought out was for prevention of bacterial blight of pomegranate. The farmers who coupled the use of preventive products with proper nutrition management could control the expression of this deadly disease very successfully.

Swasti has developed crop planning schedule for pomegranate based on climate, and advisory on nutrition and disease management. Now it has products for the prevention of diseases of vegetables caused by fungi, bacteria, and nematodes. Not only the products prevent diseases, but also promote the growth of plants thereby improving the productivity and profitability. Swasti’s products broadly fall into the following categories: Agriculture/Horticulture Kitchen Garden Aquarium Aquaponics/Hydroponics www.insightssuccess.in

Where the Grass is truly Greener – Advantage Swasti Prevention of diseases due to Swasti’s products results in farmers getting more yield.

Moreover, the production is eco-friendly and uses a few toxic chemicals. Thus farmers – particularly those who can export the residue-free produce – are getting better rates for the produce. While assessing the prevalent condition in a particular farmer’s field the company advises the exact dosage of products even at the cost of losing some sale. Even if the suggested solution or product is unavailable with Swasti, it suggests other brand products that would work well as per the analysis. It runs two special programs too: l

l

Swasti’s three-pronged program “BioAvert I” gives preventive solutions in the form of blocking pathogen entry, increasing beneficial microbes and stimulating plant defense mechanism.

The “HiFarm” services provide advise based on – Hyperspectral imaging, Field analysis techniques, root zone analysis and microscopy.

As a bonus, all of Swasti’s products are certified organic products – perfectly safe for humans, environment, and therefore can provide higher rates for

“We want to empower farmers by giving them the ability to mitigate risk by preventing crop diseases” the produce. This helps in generating a better return on investment for the farmers.

Re-fabricating the Social Structure Swasti believes in dedicated R&D to develop products that create multiple impacts and strengthen the social fabric of the agrarian society. Recently, while commercializing the products for disease prevention, it conducted research on the nutrition of crops and particularly efficient and effective delivery of micronutrients. This patented product, during manufacturing, requires a waste material – ‘biogas slurry’ – from farmers. This new product is already making a huge impact on dairy and agriculture. Because of the win-win March 2020 | 41

“Our specific focus is prevention of diseases of crops, and point of care preventive diagnosis”

situation, farmers, as well as dairies, are interested in the processing. This improves the profitability for the dairy farmer, almost by three times, when compared with the selling of milk alone. Dairy cooperatives together can reach 70% of farmers in India. Each small farmer having 2 – 3 animals can get extra income up to Rs 6000 per month.

This also creates an opportunity for backward integration. When the dairy cooperative unit also engages itself in the backward integration and takes the product back to farmers, it will help many more farmers by providing a quality product at a reasonable cost.

Swasti plans to support such backward integration activity with analysis based advice service for their farmers. Such an innovative farmer-centric channel will ensure that the money is generated and circulated within the farming community. Swasti trusts that this channel will establish very quickly and spread fast across the length and 42 | March 2020

breadth of India, and deliver products for nutrition, disease prevention and many more other categories; strictly to be deployed based on learned advice. When this is achieved, Swasti believes it would have given back to the farming community, the support that was much desired.

Research – The Foundation Creating a comprehensive farmercentric approach isn’t a one-man task, to begin with. While Dr Abhay Shendye, the founder of Swasti, started his journey towards inculcating farmer-centric approach in each employee and activity of the company, it took the backing from institutions, and buyers to realize the potential. Dr Abhay has been the backbone of the technology development and organization culture at Swasti. As a child, he would visit his grandfather’s fields and help milk cows or sow rice.

This childhood activity led to a passionate love for agriculture that he later channeled into his company, Swasti. Under his guidance, the

company has also developed an Android application ‘Happy Crop’ to support the implementation of plant healthcare.

More to Come Swasti has been bestowed with several awards such as BIG and SBIRI (BIRAC). IIGP (DST), and Millennium Alliance (FICCI –USAID and DFID) have been a huge support for product development. Now the company is considering a different set of institutions as its partners to build unique backward integration channels.

Besides institutional support, Swasti – as a team – has overcome difficult times with the support from friends, and family. Dr Abhay advises, “Any young entrepreneur who wants to venture in the agriculture sector should keep it in mind that the picture looks rosy, but meeting the two ends month on month is a daunting task. You need to have immense patience to even make a visible dent.”

www.insightssuccess.in