AgrowX

The Indian agriculture sector accounts for 16.5 per cent of Indias GDP and employs 41.49% of the countrys workforce. Compared to the share of agriculture in national incomes of other developed nations, which is around 3% and 4% in the USA and Canada respectively, Indian contributes a share of more than 17.9% towards its national income. In such a scenario, it becomes vitally important to keep Indian agriculture updated with the wise usage of technology and innovation. Through AgrowX, I plan to provide a holistic platform for both the farmers as well as exporters, retailers, agri-business companies, etc to engage with one another without the interference of middlemen or intermediaries. The primary objective of my platform is to encourage contract farming and allow both parties to conveniently connect and negotiate with one another. By getting farmers listed on my website, I not only plan to provide private companies a variety of farming options to choose from but also allow farmers to choose the best possible deal for themselves. I recognise that the scope of contract farming is huge as MNCs often require specified produce and prefer to be directly in touch with farmers rather than traders to ensure that they procure organic and fresh produce. Moreover, this would also enable the farmers to have assured price before sowing apart from gaining access to high quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. A direct contract between private firms and FPOs would also help in solving the cold storage, warehousing and transporting difficulties faced by the farmers. I believe that if farmers can deal with the buyers directly, they will be able to identify crops with better value and draw more profits. There will be a good competition for partners produce and the value will be directly transferred to farmers.

In countries like India, where agriculture sector is an integral part of the economy, I believe that through AgrowX, we will be able to move a step forward towards sustainability. A large portion of inequalities exist in the agriculture sector because of the presence of intermediaries who from time to time do not let farmers get a fair deal for their produce or come in close contact with private firms and MNCs which may offer them better deals. Moreover, these middlemen are the reason behind the poor working conditions, long working hours and constant exploitation of our farmers. With an effort to eliminate these intermediaries, AgrowX will provide a new and friendly environment to farmers where they will have the sole control over their produce. Furthermore, since these farmers will be able to procure better prices for the crops that they produce, their working conditions and lifestyle will significantly improve. Through AgrowX, MNCs and private firms will be able to work in close contact with the farmers and thus, help them in making connections and networks in the agro industry. I would also like to add through contract farming, farmers will receive deals for their produce even before the sowing stage which will significantly reduce the wastage and financial loss that they often end up facing once they have cultivated their crops.

In recent times agri-tech has been a bustling industry with several platforms coming up to help reduce post-harvest loss and wastage by procuring surplus from marginal, small and big farmers and helping their produce reach consumers. So what differentiates AgrowX from these pre-existing platforms? I recognised that neither do the existing services cover the scope of loss due to crop failure, nor is aid available to the farmers at the initial stage as a result of which the farmers still have to procure the seeds and other inputs by taking debt and thus even when they eventually do earn money from their produce, it goes away in repaying the initial debt and procuring inputs for the next season. By connecting private firms directly with FPOs at the very first stage we aim to facilitate the transfer of market risk from farmer to sponsor thus making us the first of our kind service provider in the industry which will be the starting point of AgrowX's success. Initially, no listing charges would be placed for farmers to generate engagement and get more and more farmers to get themselves listed. After having at least 200 farmers listed on my website, a minimum listing charge would be taken. However, with this I will guarantee a certain minimum number of leads in a particular time frame with money back guarantee. Since the beginning, I plan to earn money with the help of advertisements on my website to be put using Google AdSense. I would also charge for Premium Category which will place farmers at the top of the search list and put a verified symbol next to them which will help them in generating more leads. Moreover, I plan to reach out to angel investors and venture capitalists as well.

I am Drishikka Singhania, an 18 year old teenager working hard to making an impact in this world and make this world a better place. My homeland is India and I have been born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh. Living in Uttar Pradesh, where agriculture is the major livelihood of the majority of the people, I came up with the idea of AgrowX. Moreover, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 which allows farmers to enter into contracts with buyers thereby allowing them to carry out farming on the basis of the agreement between the buyers and the producers was a major driving force behind my initiative. Belonging to a business background, I have always had a keen interest in the filed of entrepreneurship and finance. My father never hesitated to share details about his business with me which helped me gain a much better insight of the business world. I am dedicated and strong opinionated young girl. I believe that I have the confidence and the intellect to truly make my mark globally. This competition is a stepping stone for me which will guide me in the right direction for my future endeavours. I am grateful to have this opportunity and plan to make the most out of it.

planning stage, start-up stage