KhetiNext: Smart Farming
Year: 2017
Founders: Phanidhar Palakoti
Funding: $5.4 million (Series A)
Investors: Dubai-based firm (undisclosed)
Introduction
KhetiNext by PALS Agri eConnect Pvt. Ltd. is a pioneer digital agriculture platform with a mission to empower India’s small farmer. The platform seeks to include the farmer in a frictionless digital ecosystem facilitating his or her journey from the purchase of inputs to sale of produce. KhetiNext, leveraging mobile technology and smart solutions, places crop guidance, financial services, and market linkages within the easy grasp of farmers. The composite system aims to increase productivity, reduce cost, and enhance the profitability of farmers.
Tackling Agricultural Challenges
Indian small- and marginal-holder farmers are faced with the diverse challenges of poor access to quality farm inputs, insufficient availability of information, and poor market links. All these problems are likely to lead to ineffective production and income volatility. KhetiNext addresses these problems directly by the creation of a digitally networked platform connecting farmers with input providers, financial institutions, and buyers. This lowers farmers’ reliance on intermediaries, makes production cheaper, and allows for timely access to inputs and information.
Key Offerings
KhetiNext’s platform delivers an integrated suite of features that empower farmers to make smarter decisions:
- Mobile App: Enables farmers to buy quality seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides from home. It also gives expert advisory on crops, local weather, and prevailing market prices.
- Blockchain Supply Chain: Employs blockchain technology to facilitate traceability and farm transaction transparency, ensuring greater trust between farmers, buyers, and suppliers.
- Financial Services: Providers of farmers’ access to credit, insurance, and other financial instruments enabling farmers to invest in farm enterprises and manage risk.
- FPO collaboration: Operates in close association with Farmer Producer Organizations for the purpose of aggregating demand and supply, hence farmers’ bargaining power as well as their access to markets.
All these in conjunction build a strong ecosystem that safeguards farmers from planting to sale, making them more profitable and resilient Together, these offerings create a robust ecosystem that supports farmers from sowing to selling, enhancing their resilience and profitability.
Real Impact
KhetiNext has made tremendous progress in reshaping the agricultural sector in states such as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Haryana. Having a registered farmer base of more than 472,000 farmers and more than 65,000 actively engaged on the platform, KhetiNext has emerged as a trusted partner for smallholder farmers. Tie-ups with top input suppliers such as Rallis, SWAL, and Coromandel and buyers such as Olam and BigBasket have established efficient supply chains that are financially rewarding for farmers. These partnerships have helped farmers increase their incomes while simultaneously reducing input and cultivation costs, with the view to fostering sustainable livelihoods.
Success Story
In Telangana, farmer Kavitha Reddy was facing the issues of fluctuating market price and varying quality of inputs. Once she joined KhetiNext, she directly benefited from certified inputs offered via the app and received crop advisory in a timely and location-specific way. Kavitha further utilized a crop loan from the platform’s financial services so that she could invest in quality farming techniques. Consequently, her harvests had risen by 25%, and she was getting improved prices selling directly to consumers who were networked through KhetiNext. Kavitha is one instance where.
Lessons for Agri-Startups
KhetiNext’s experience offers important takeaways for agritech startups aiming to scale impact:
- Digital Inclusivity Is Key: Simplifying technology interfaces encourages adoption among smallholder farmers with limited digital literacy.
- Establish Trust through Transparency: Technologies such as blockchain are able to increase credibility and trust throughout supply chains.
- Integrate Finance Services: Farmers need access to credit and insurance to invest in productivity and protect against risk.
- Make Use of Partnerships: Working with input suppliers, purchasers, and FPOs increases coverage and impact.
- Localized Solutions Matter: Customizing advisory and services to regional conditions improves relevance and adoption.
Stay Informed with Focus Agritech
KhetiNext exemplifies how digital innovation can bridge gaps in Indian agriculture, enabling farmers to prosper in a connected ecosystem. Learn more about their transformative journey. Stay updated with Focus Agritech—sign up for our newsletter and unlock expert tips to grow your farm smarter!Explore more such stories, insights, and opportunities in the agritech ecosystem.
👉 Subscribe to Focus Agritech’s newsletter for expert tips and funding news to grow your farm or startup smarter.
Want to Promote your Agri- Startup?
Fuel your agri-startup’s visibility and success today.
50+ startups connected with investors
Sponsored Ads
Sponsored Ads
