IIT Kanpur-incubated startup, AgroNxt, which had began out as an SaaS platform for farmers in 2016, launched a chemical-free, digital soil-testing gadget, known as Bhu-Parikshak, this 12 months. It makes use of NIR spectroscopy and AI/ML to calculate six parameters in a soil pattern immediately.
A typical soil testing lab in India takes as many as 7 to 30 days to check a soil pattern for a farmer, in response to Rajat Vardhan—the co-founder and CEO of agri-tech startup AgroNxt. However then, one most likely can’t anticipate the 4,000-odd labs to conduct the soil checks for 140 million hectares of India’s internet sown space any sooner.
Bhu-Parikshak
That is when the sensible and transportable soil-testing gadget Bhu-Parikshak (Hindi for soil tester) comes into the image. No technical experience is required for its utilization, however only a smartphone to attach and electrical energy for charging it.
Vardhan and Ashutosh Tiwari began AgroNxt as an advisory platform for the farming neighborhood. With subsequent data-driven revisions and funding from IIT (Indian Institute of Expertise) Kanpur as an fairness holder, the crew determined to introduce an answer for one of many greatest challenges confronted by the farmers: the requirement for a fast, inexpensive, and chemical-free soil testing gadget.
Apparently, the researchers at IIT Kanpur have been already working on this route. Quickly, a crew below Prof. Jayant Ok. Singh got here out with the Bhu-Parikshak. Vardhan says, “The institute selected AgroNxt to commercialise the product as a consequence of our agricultural and knowledge experience. They believed that an IoT primarily based electronics answer, which might be plugged into our SaaS (software program as a service) platform, may attain the farming neighborhood at a big scale.”
Notably, this {hardware} answer will not be straight meant for the farmers. Vardhan factors out, “Greater than 80% of Indian farmers are small and marginal, who’ll not be capable to afford a person gadget, till and until subsidised by authorities.”
The corporate is positioning the product for the business—the 400,000 plus agri-input outlets, sugar factories, espresso and tea plantations, and FMCG (fast-moving client items) firms within the agriculture provide chain, who should buy the gadget and supply providers to the farmers. “Microentrepreneurs, self-help teams, and farmer producer organisations may additionally onboard and, in flip, give soil testing as a service to the farmers by charging ₹50-100 per pattern, because it must be economically viable for these teams,” provides Vardhan.
To function, Bhu-Parikshak must be switched on and paired with a smartphone having the AgroNxt Bhu-Parikshak app through Bluetooth connection. Earlier than use, the gadget must be calibrated and 5-8 grams of soil pattern is poured into the designated pattern cup for testing. The outcomes are calculated and displayed within the software, which may then be shared with the farmers—all inside two minutes.
Vardhan informs, “The gadget relies on the near-infrared spectroscopy, which relies on molecular overtones and mixture vibrations that originate from the elemental vibrational bands typically discovered within the mid-IR area.” It estimates the obtainable types of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium together with the clay content material, cation alternate capability, and natural carbon within the soil. The corporate claims that the gadget can check 50,000 soil samples in its lifetime, with 100-250 samples in a single day.
AgroNxt CEO Rajat Vardhan showcasing Bhu-Parikshak at ASEAN-India startup Pageant 2022
“As per IIT Kanpur research, as soon as calibrated, the gadget provides outcomes with 80-96% accuracy, which is a extremely acceptable determine within the soil testing market,” in response to Vardhan. He provides that upon common utilization, the outcomes maintain refining as a result of “this machine learns shortly.”
When the product was transferred to the startup at least viable product, they took suggestions from the business companions—which included sugar mills, agricultural enter firms, FMCG firms, a couple of farmers, and FPOs—to make sure that it was acceptable available in the market. The ultimate {hardware} prices round ₹100,000, inclusive of all taxes. A nominal recurring cost of ₹10 per soil pattern sustains the massive cloud infrastructure arrange for this objective.
Vardhan says that they’re tying up with established gamers from agri-business to succeed in extra farmers. For instance, ITC is planning to work with hundreds of FPOs throughout the nation, and AgroNxt is trying ahead to carefully accomplice with the conglomerate and “help a big base of farmers in a a lot faster succession.” The startup has lately tied up with numerous state agricultural universities to offer farmers with immediate soil testing and customised fertilizer suggestions at scale.
Apparently, AgroNxt is trying ahead to doubling its crew within the subsequent six months. “We’d wish to scale Bhu-Parikshak as a worldwide model for soil testing and can add extra options to the product once in a while,” says Vardhan. Within the upcoming 12 months, AgroNxt plans to unveil not less than two extra deep-tech options pertaining to the agriculture area (fairly actually).
