Transforming Grain Storage and Distribution with Arya.ag's Tech

Welcome to Globoil Post, your essential source for insights into the edible oil industry and agri-trade. As a media platform, we connect industry professionals and innovators, offering in-depth analyses, exclusive interviews, and the latest trends in the edible oil & agri-trade sector. In this feature, we delve into the transformative efforts of Arya.ag in addressing some of the most pressing challenges within India's grain market: storage and distribution.

About Anand Chandra: Co-founder and Executive Director at Arya.ag, Anand Chandra brings nearly two decades of agritech innovation and leadership to revolutionize grain storage and distribution in India.

With India's grain market grappling with storage and distribution challenges, what technological advancements are being made to improve grain storage conditions and streamline distribution networks? How are these innovations helping to minimize post-harvest losses and ensure food security?

At Arya.ag, we are leveraging technology in several ways to improve grain storage conditions and streamline distribution. We have activated and digitized over 10,000 warehouses spanning 100 million sq ft across India, allowing any user to easily identify and book storage through our digital platform. In areas where no warehouses are available, we offer IoT-enabled ready-to-install flexible Hermetic storage solutions, enabling farmers to safely store their produce at the farmgate level itself. We also deploy computer vision, IoT and blockchain to ensure transparency and minimize physical risks in storage, while using AI for quality assurance and data analysis at the farmgate. Together, these innovations are helping reduce post-harvest losses, improve farmer incomes by avoiding distress sales, and enhance food security by making more produce available in the market over a longer period.

Considering the significant impact of climate variability and change on agricultural productivity, what strategies are being implemented within the Indian grain sector to mitigate these effects on grain production? Are there particular practices or technologies that have shown promise in enhancing resilience among grain crops?

Climate change is undoubtedly a major challenge facing Indian agriculture. Some key strategies being implemented in the grain sector include developing and promoting drought-resistant, heat-tolerant crop varieties that require less water, which can help maintain yields even under adverse weather conditions. Adopting sustainable practices like precision agriculture, improved irrigation techniques, and better nutrient management is also crucial to enhance crop resilience. At Arya.ag, we use digital tools like remote sensing through our Prakshep tool for real-time crop monitoring and to provide timely advisories to farmers. Continued investment in agri R&D and extension services to develop and disseminate climate-smart technologies will be crucial going forward.

Market access and price volatility remain critical issues for grain producers in India. What mechanisms or platforms are emerging to offer better market access to farmers, and how are these tools helping to stabilize prices and protect farmers against market fluctuations?

Arya.ag is pioneering an integrated service model to empower farmers with better market access and risk mitigation. Our platform enables farmers to aggregate and store their produce at the farmgate immediately after harvest, instead of resorting to distress sales. The stored commodity serves as collateral, allowing farmers to access finance without any other collateral. When prices improve post-harvest, we connect farmers to buyers across India, enabling them to realize the best prices. Quality assurance and digital trading on our platform help buyers procure with ease too. We also offer complete payment assurance to farmers when they sell on our platform. Through this integrated "aggregation-storage-finance-market linkage" solution, Arya.ag is giving farmers the power to decide when and whom to sell their produce to. This is helping protect farmers against price volatility and improve their bargaining power. In summary, a combination of physical and digital infrastructure, embedded financing, and transparent market connections can go a long way in enhancing farmer incomes and sectoral efficiency. Arya.ag will continue to innovate on this front.

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