India’s agriculture industry engages over 60 per cent of the total population while only contributing a mere 18 per cent to the country’s GDP. With the industry still being in in its nascent stage, the reluctance of farmers and lack of awareness and education has steadied the process of digital transformation in the sector. But, the emergence of agri-tech startups is creating a disruption in the market and is helping the country solve its problem of agriculture management.

The agri-tech startups are leveraging the use of technology to come up with solutions that can enhance the productivity and efficiency in the sector. From digitizing farmlands to making machinery and equipment affordable by providing a rental platform, these companies are trying to address the challenges prevailing in the segment with one innovation at a time.

Through the employment of various technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, predictive algorithms, the farmers will be able to enhance the productive activities.

Currently, there are more than 450 startups in the agri-tech sector and it is estimated by NASSCOM that every ninth agri-tech startup that is coming in the ecosystem is based in India.

Moreover, these techniques will also allow them to be prepared for scenarios like bad climate conditions, water management in irrigation, forecast about any potential losses and will also increase the yield per hectare. Majorly the startups are working on different areas of agriculture management like financing problems, market linkage, digitization, easier access to inputs and focusing on creating a wider network for the farmers.

Startups like FarMart, EM3 Agri, Gold Farm, Oxen Farm Solution, Gramophone and Farmagain are assisting the farmers in carrying out both pre-harvest and post-harvest activities which will yield quality products and help them reduce their costs through innovative solutions.

Currently, there are more than 450 startups in the agri-tech sector and it is estimated by NASSCOM that every ninth agri-tech startup that is coming in the ecosystem is based in India. Furthermore, the number of startups venturing in agri-tech is growing at the rate of 25 per cent and by 2020 it is estimated that it will become a centre of innovation and will lead towards the transformation of the agriculture market.

The startups in this space face a number of issues like low funding, out-dated resources, minimal adoption of technology, and lack of capital. Amidst the problems of indebtedness, exploitation of farmers, supply chain and non-availability of resources, these agri-tech startups are trying to offer a custom-fit solution to the farmers while repairing the broken links in the sector.