Arya.ag: Grain commerce
Year: 2013
Founders: Prasanna Rao, Anand Chandra, Chattanathan Devarajan
Funding: $191M (Total funding amount across equity and debt, as of April 2025)
Investors: Lightrock, Aspada Investment Company, HSBC India, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Omnivore, Blue Earth Capital, Quona Capital
Introduction
Arya.ag is India’s largest platform dedicated to grain commerce changing how post-harvest agriculture works across the nation. Prasanna Rao and Anand Chandra co-founded the company to address tough issues like storage, cash flow, and finding markets that farmers and agri-businesses struggle with. It aims to give farmers greater power over when and where they sell while cutting down on post-harvest losses. Arya.ag provides a complete solution by combining physical storage facilities with advanced digital tools. The platform now operates in 21 states offering safe storage, warehouse-based financing, and helping farmers and FPOs connect with markets.
Tackling Agricultural Challenges
One of the quiet struggles in Indian farming comes after the harvest. Farmers lack proper storage options. This forces them to sell crops right after harvesting, often fetching very little money. Limited access to formal loans makes things worse because many farmers stay stuck in a loop of small earnings and growing debt. On top of that, a confusing and broken agri-commodity market adds to the problem by causing farmers to lose a lot of value right at the source.Arya.ag was founded to break this cycle by offering farmers storage independence, financial liquidity, and access to better markets—all within one unified platform.
Key Offerings
- Smart Warehousing: Arya.ag manages over 10,000 warehouses with 4 million metric tonnes of capacity, allowing farmers and FPOs to safely store their produce closer to home.
- Aryadan – Finance Made Simple: With Aryadhan, farmers get easy access to credit by leveraging stored grains, avoiding distress sales.
- Aryatech Digital Marketplace: Arya’s user-friendly platform connects farmers and buyers for fair, transparent trade in 48 commodities.
- Commodity Exchange & Trading: It empowers farmers to set prices, negotiate, and close deals—all digitally.
- Pre-Harvest Crop Intelligence: Prakshep offers real-time satellite crop insights.
Real Impact
Arya.ag is delivering measurable change in the lives of Indian farmers, not just through technology, but through trust. In FY24 alone, the platform facilitated Rs.4,700 crore worth of agri-commodity trade and is on track to surpass Rs.6,500 crore this year. By allowing farmers to store rather than sell immediately, Arya.ag has helped thousands of them command better prices and avoid distress sales.
Through its network of over 1,200 FPOs and partnerships with 800,000+ farmers, Arya.ag has transformed the grain supply chain from a linear push model to a circular, value-driven ecosystem. The company generated Rs.340 crore in revenue with a Rs.19 crore profit in FY24—demonstrating that agri-impact and profitability can go hand-in-hand.
Success Story
In rural Madhya Pradesh, farmer Rekha Devi harvested wheat during peak season but dreaded the usual rush to sell. With prices at a seasonal low, she stored her crop in a nearby Arya warehouse and used Aryadhan to secure a short-term loan against her warehouse receipt. A few weeks later, prices improved by Rs.150 per quintal. Through Arya’s marketplace, she sold directly to a bulk buyer. The end result? Rekha earned an extra Rs.24,000 and avoided borrowing from a local moneylender—something she’d never imagined before. Her success became a case study within her FPO, encouraging other women farmers to adopt Arya.ag’s model.
Lessons for Agri-Startups
Arya.ag’s journey delivers several powerful lessons for the next wave of agri-entrepreneurs:
- Solve Real Pain Points: Storage and post-harvest liquidity are not buzzwords—they are lifelines. Build for where value leaks, not just where tech fits.
- Blend Digital with Physical: Arya.ag proves that tech without touch won’t work in agriculture. Success lies in combining digital platforms with rural infrastructure.
- Build for Farmer Profitability: Platforms that align their growth with farmer income—not just usage metrics—build long-term relevance.
- Financial Inclusion is Foundational: By embedding finance into the supply chain, Arya helps farmers hold, not sell in panic. Agri-fintech is not optional—it’s transformational.
- Ecosystem Thinking Wins: Arya.ag collaborates with FPOs, banks, and buyers. Creating impact at scale requires partnerships, not silos.
Stay Informed with Focus Agritech
Arya.ag is more than a platform—it’s a new age enabler of rural prosperity. Want to learn how agri-tech can unlock post-harvest value for every Indian farmer? Sign up for the Focus Agritech newsletter and get insights that help you grow smarter, together.Explore more such stories, insights, and opportunities in the agritech ecosystem.
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