<p>While digitisation was considered a luxury by the farmer community in the pre-Covid-19 times, it has now become a business imperative as they struggle to sell their produce amid restrictions.</p>.<p>Many agri-tech companies that connect farmers directly to businesses have seen a spike in interest from the community. The firms that <span class="italic">DH</span> spoke to said prior to the lockdown, the adoption of technology and digital channels was restricted, as mandis were seen as the primary marketing channels. Farmers, however, have now become open to alternative marketing modes.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-andhra-pradesh-reports-record-8147-cases-karnataka-government-changes-rates-for-rt-pcr-antigen-testing-864013.html" target="_blank"><strong>For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>Digital agriculture platform Farmpal, which had over 1,000 farmers all over Maharashtra, has onboarded 1,000 more during the lockdown, increasing the count to over 2,000 farmers.</p>.<p>“During Covid, farmers’ willingness to explore alternative supply models has increased significantly. Exports have stopped, local mandis are working on erratic schedules and transportation from villages to cities and vice versa is hampered due to the enforcement of the lockdown. Together, this has hurt the farmers as their harvest-ready produce sat on their farms, or is being purchased at much lower prices,” says Puneet Sethi, Co-Founder, Farmpal.</p>.<p>At times, Sethi said, given the lack of other alternatives, there was more supply than demand.</p>.<p>Consumer agri-tech start-up Fraazo, which allows customers to get farm-fresh produce directly from farmers had a network of around 300 farmers in the pre-lockdown period. In the last few months, the company has increased its network by 70%. </p>.<p>“While mandis are here to stay due to the personal touch and value of a social community it delivers, alternative models as a credible option will be pursued by progressive farmers based on the positive exposure they had during lockdown,” said Atul Kumar, Founder and CEO, Fraazo.</p>.<p>Farmers need marketplaces, and with the lockdown and mandis shutting down, there is a definite shift towards being okay with virtual marketplaces, said Deepak Pareek, Founder, DigiAgri, a startup. “A large number of farmers have started using WhatsApp after Covid to share pictures, videos of the produce to the prospective buyers and carry out business,” he said.</p>.<p>DigiAgri has also seen a 30% increase in adoption. </p>.<p>India is home to more than 450 agri-tech startups, growing at a rate of 25% year-on-year, according to a 2019 Nasscom report.</p>
<p>While digitisation was considered a luxury by the farmer community in the pre-Covid-19 times, it has now become a business imperative as they struggle to sell their produce amid restrictions.</p>.<p>Many agri-tech companies that connect farmers directly to businesses have seen a spike in interest from the community. The firms that <span class="italic">DH</span> spoke to said prior to the lockdown, the adoption of technology and digital channels was restricted, as mandis were seen as the primary marketing channels. Farmers, however, have now become open to alternative marketing modes.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-andhra-pradesh-reports-record-8147-cases-karnataka-government-changes-rates-for-rt-pcr-antigen-testing-864013.html" target="_blank"><strong>For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>Digital agriculture platform Farmpal, which had over 1,000 farmers all over Maharashtra, has onboarded 1,000 more during the lockdown, increasing the count to over 2,000 farmers.</p>.<p>“During Covid, farmers’ willingness to explore alternative supply models has increased significantly. Exports have stopped, local mandis are working on erratic schedules and transportation from villages to cities and vice versa is hampered due to the enforcement of the lockdown. Together, this has hurt the farmers as their harvest-ready produce sat on their farms, or is being purchased at much lower prices,” says Puneet Sethi, Co-Founder, Farmpal.</p>.<p>At times, Sethi said, given the lack of other alternatives, there was more supply than demand.</p>.<p>Consumer agri-tech start-up Fraazo, which allows customers to get farm-fresh produce directly from farmers had a network of around 300 farmers in the pre-lockdown period. In the last few months, the company has increased its network by 70%. </p>.<p>“While mandis are here to stay due to the personal touch and value of a social community it delivers, alternative models as a credible option will be pursued by progressive farmers based on the positive exposure they had during lockdown,” said Atul Kumar, Founder and CEO, Fraazo.</p>.<p>Farmers need marketplaces, and with the lockdown and mandis shutting down, there is a definite shift towards being okay with virtual marketplaces, said Deepak Pareek, Founder, DigiAgri, a startup. “A large number of farmers have started using WhatsApp after Covid to share pictures, videos of the produce to the prospective buyers and carry out business,” he said.</p>.<p>DigiAgri has also seen a 30% increase in adoption. </p>.<p>India is home to more than 450 agri-tech startups, growing at a rate of 25% year-on-year, according to a 2019 Nasscom report.</p>
