KARNATAKA, 29 September 2022: The Cropin Cloud, developed by Bengaluru-based agritech company Cropin, is an agriculture intelligence cloud that can provide data generated over the course of more than ten years and assist farmers and those involved in agribusinesses, such as suppliers, banks, and insurers, in achieving higher crop yield and quality.

Cloud platform

This cloud platform can address problems with traceability, yield unpredictability, supply chain interruptions, and other aspects of the agri-food ecosystem.

The platform features a data centre that enables users to mix a wide variety of data, including information obtained from consumers themselves, through remote sensors, the Internet of Things (IoT), connected machines, and drones, as well as information from outside sources like satellite photography.

The intelligence tools are made up of 22 models that make use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to help better planning and forecasting in areas like crop detection, crop stage identification, yield calculation, irrigation scheduling, and pest and disease prediction.

Cropin Investors

It is trying to digitise the agriculture industry with this new platform, according to Cropin, and is supported by investors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and CDC Group.

Agriculture contribution

Although practically every industry in the nation has been affected by digitization, agriculture is still lagging behind. Statista reports that between Q1 2021 and Q1 2022, agriculture's contribution to India's GDP increased just somewhat, from USD 81.36bn to USD 83.43bn. This suggests that the nation still has a long way to go before its agricultural industry is fully digitised.

Aside from being a highly fragmented industry, the report said that due to seasonal conditions, agricultural cycles are susceptible to frequent disruptions.

Agritech growing demand

Nevertheless, both public and private entities are gradually recognising the need for agritech.

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September 2021 with Cisco, NCDEX, Jio Platforms, ITC, and Ninjacart to advance agritech initiatives utilising blockchain, big data analytics, machine learning, remote sensing, and GIS technologies to improve farming practises.

Together, Jio Platforms' JioKrishi, Cisco's Agricultural Digital Infrastructure (ADI), and ITC's Site-Specific Crop Advisory (SSCA) is utilising technical improvements to identify potential difficulties and provide useful outputs to address agricultural bottlenecks.

Additionally, agritech businesses in India are increasingly using the advising model to provide farmers with tech-driven data and insights.

For instance, Agribazaar, an online agri-trading marketplace, charges a premium for the goods that clients purchase on its platform because it guarantees higher-quality food. The company has expanded a new business unit supplying analytics-driven data to its registered farmers.