Kisan Network: Direct-to-market
Year: 2016
Founders: Aditya Agarwalla, Sanjay Kumar Agarwalla
Funding: $5.36 million
Investors: Y Combinator, The Thiel Foundation, Mistletoe, FundersClub, Gokul Rajaram, Lynett Capital, Venture Highway
Introduction
Kisan Network is an agritech technology platform that’s transforming India’s agri-produce supply chain. By directly linking marginal and small farmers with businesses throughout the country, Kisan Network bypasses middlemen and provides an easy, transparent farm-to-business experience. Kisan Network enables farmers to sell their produce better and provides assurance of quality-tested and traceable produce to businesses. With a completely digital, paperless, and standardized model, Kisan Network adds supply chain innovation to Indian agriculture.
Tackling Agricultural Challenges
India’s traditional agri-supply chains are beset with inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and middle layers, which give lower returns and less consistent quality to farmers and inconsistent quality to consumers. Fragmentation also inhibits traceability and destroys trust among stakeholders. Kisan Network addresses such systemic faults through its end-to-end digital platform that makes trade easy, provides traceability, and ensures fair prices—enabling farmers to concentrate on cultivation and not market entry.
Key Offerings
Kisan Network provides a robust suite of services to optimize farm-to-business transactions:
- Direct Farmer-to-Business Market Place: Farmers can list and sell their commodities directly to agri-buyers like processors, wholesalers, exporters, and retailers—receiving up to 10% higher prices by avoiding middlemen.
- Automated Crop Quality Grading: Uses AI-driven data and image-based technology to offer objective, real-time grading of fruits and vegetables, building buyer confidence and fair pricing for farmers.
- End-to-End Digital Traceability: The whole journey of the supply chain, from farm to delivery, is traced and digitized—promoting transparency, consistency, and accountability for farmers and buyers alike.
- PAN India Reach: With operations across 10,000+ villages, Kisan Network enables even remote farmers to access national markets and large-volume buyers.
By making the agricultural supply chain leaner and more equitable, Kisan Network enables both economic and operational improvements across the ecosystem.
Real Impact
Kisan Network has successfully onboarded over 80,000 farmers from more than 10,000 villages, creating a nationwide network that bridges rural farms with urban markets. The platform has enabled farmers to earn significantly higher incomes—up to 10% more than local mandi prices—by offering them direct access to institutional buyers. Moreover, the transparent digital processes have helped reduce disputes, improve delivery timelines, and ensure quality consistency, transforming the agri-trade experience for both ends of the value chain.
Success Story
One such transformation comes from Bhilwara, Rajasthan, where smallholder wheat farmer Arvind Singh used to sell his produce to local traders at inconsistent prices. After joining Kisan Network, he was able to grade his harvest using the platform’s quality tools and sell directly to a processor in Madhya Pradesh. The result? A 12% higher price than his previous sale, zero brokerage fees, and assured payment within 48 hours. Today, Arvind also helps other farmers in his village join the platform, becoming a local champion of digital agriculture.
Lessons for Agri-Startups
Kisan Network’s journey offers key takeaways for aspiring agritech ventures:
- Digitization Builds Trust: Real-time tracking, grading, and data transparency are essential to establishing lasting trust among supply chain stakeholders.
- Disintermediation Drives Value: Removing unnecessary middlemen improves efficiency and unlocks better pricing for farmers.
- Focus on Accessibility: Building a PAN-India presence and designing user-friendly technology ensures scalability and inclusivity.
- Tech-Enabled Quality Control is Crucial: Automating quality assessment minimizes disputes and adds credibility for institutional buyers.
- Hyperlocal Engagement is Powerful: Leveraging village-level coordinators accelerates adoption and builds community trust in new systems.
Stay Informed with Focus Agritech
Kisan Network is redefining how India’s agri-supply chain functions—transparent, traceable, and profitable for farmers. Explore how they’re leading the digital revolution in agriculture. 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.
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