FE Agri Tech Summit: Digitisation Is Tricking Down To Districts And Communities

Sustainable growth is an aspect discussed at various levels, including the agriculture sector. Mechanisation and digitisation have played a crucial role and in the last year, the growth in the farm equipment sector shows the potential the market has in the coming years.

Various industry experts at the FE Agri Tech Summit 2022 have shared their views on what should be the way forward. The panel discussion consisted of industry experts such as TR Kesavan, Chairman of FICCI National Agriculture Committee & Group President TAFE, Antony Cherukara, CEO of VST Tillers Tractors, Pradeep Ranjan, Senior Principal Scientist, Center of Excellence for Farm Machinery, Seema Gupta, Owner, Rajasthan Tractor Machinery, and Arun Malhotra, Industry Veteran and
Former MD, Nissan India, discuss the role of farm mechanism and the digitisation for green and sustainable growth.

In the last three years, several trends have emerged, and when looking at the industry, digital transactions have grown multiple folds. From managing dealerships and delivering parts, to contacting customers, the tractor industry has seen major developments toward digitisation. Most of this is owing to affordable smartphones and cheaper internet services.

Farming as a Service has also witnessed a rise, as farmers with equipment have been lending their services to smaller landowners, leading to farmers getting back their investment much quicker. Drone as a Service is also becoming popular, helping the sector save money and maximise profit.

As industry experts noted, mechanisation is not only about tractors and the tools along with it but happens much before all that. Some notable changes have happened in the irrigation space in recent times such as gathering data. Digitisation is tricking down to districts and communities, which was not the case earlier.

For farmers and the sector as a whole to increase their income, technology will play a major role. Farmers need to cut down expenses on seeds, fertilizers, water, pesticides, etc. When implementing drones for fertilizers, it reduces ~40% of the expense, while precision equipment can ensure no wastage of seeds. When these expenses are cut down, they translate to income.

Experts also believe that true growth happens when the farmer’s happy, which is yet to be seen. The growth the industry has witnessed in the last three years has helped the government and the private sector, but not the farmers yet.