Business
Empowering farmers with easy to consume tech need of the hour: Khetibuddy CEO
Fuelled by new-age technologies like drone surveillance, remote sensing and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions, India’s agritech market has the potential to reach $30-$35 billion by 2025.
One of the key challenges faced by the agri-businesses is that there are very few software platforms available which have an agri-first approach, and can help them improve the farming process, increase yield and reduce cost or achieve sustainability.
Vinay Nair, Co-founder and CEO, Khetibuddy which is a Unified Agtech platform that strengthens digital infrastructure of agribusinesses, tells IANS that remote sensing, internet of things (IoT) and use of AI/ML have huge applications in agriculture and the need of the hour is make the technology agri-specific and easy to use.
Here are the excerpts from his interview:
Q: Tell us more about your Unified Agtech platform and how it empowers agri-businesses across India?
A: Industries have flourished once they have access to data related to their business. Agricultural data possesses the power to transform agribusinesses. Agri-domain experts have now realized this and are embracing the future with digitization.
One of the key challenges faced by agri-businesses today in doing so, is that there are very few software platforms which are available which have an agri-first approach. Major agribusinesses either rely on customizing large ERP or rely on available farm management applications which have the challenges and limitations in customizing to suit their requirement.
It is this gap which we are trying to address through our Unified agtech platform. Khetibuddy’s Agtech platform which is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) offering, allows agri-businesses to monitor, measure and manage their farms, farmers and the entire agri value chain. It’s a suite of modules from farm management, remote sensing, pest management, m-commerce to mention a few.
Any organisation who is in the business of serving farmers can use the platform based on their goals. However, unlike other players, Khetibuddy is unique by providing the science behind the tech as well. We provide ready-to-use crop schedules and advisory, which can be customized based on the local conditions with integration to weather, soil and satellite data sources.
If the goal of an agri-business is improving farming process, increasing yield, reducing cost or achieving sustainability then all of these goals can be facilitated through our SAAS platform.
Q: How are you leveraging AI/ML to help farmers make better informed decisions?
A: We use computer vision for pest and disease detection. What we have done differently is enable agribusinesses to take over on the model’s learning curve for pests and diseases relevant to their geography with minimal efforts. Our models are easier to train even by non-technical teams from agribusinesses. We developed models for specific crops for early pest and disease detection.
Importantly, we took a hybrid approach for developing continuous model learning mode with support from experienced entomologists in our team with a clear goal of avoiding crop loss.
We are also using ML for statistical modelling methods through which we estimate yields and currently working on detecting crop grown at a cluster/district or state level through remote sensing. These insights help private and public organizations to plan their services accordingly. We have already started working on some of these areas with some government units like Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK).
Q: What are some of the emerging technologies that you are most excited about over the medium term (3-5 years) in the agritech space?
A: Covid taught us to use technology to continue business as usual. If you are not able to visit the farms how do we ensure we serve the farmers, which include remote farm management through remote sensing, audio/video calls , have automated advisory services, build data models which help in predicting patterns. Remote sensing, IOTand use of AI/ML have huge applications in agriculture. The need of the hour is to make the technology agri specific and easy to use and consume at the ground level.
Q: You recently announced the launch of a dedicated premium gardening app for your home platform. What is your vision behind this and how has the user response been to this feature?
Did you know that by spending only 15 minutes a day you can grow 60 per cent of the food you consume daily right in your balcony or terrace? That’s what the app under the brand name ‘Khetibuddy Home’ helps you do.
Right from selection of places and inputs to what care you need to take every day to grow food at home, this app can be your gardening guide. Our mission here was to encourage urban people to take up growing some food at home and contribute towards self-sustainability.
We also have curated training courses dedicated only for passionate gardeners through a learning portal which also helps first time gardeners to take up gardening. Since last year, we have on�boarded more than 50,000 home growers on our platform. Now, we have added premium services for a fun and personalized gardening experience. While we work on the larger cause with farmers this allows people in urban cities to also be partially self-sustainable by growing food from food.
Q: You were born in a cloud organisation. What does cloud technology allow you to do better?
A: With the increase of broadband and 4G across rural India, Cloud helps in the reach. We no longer have to worry about local infrastructure as long as you have the internet, the technology is accessible which was not the case earlier. Today, B2B has to follow the B2C experience, I call it the ‘touch generation’. Every consumer needs all services at their fingertip. This is only possible with technologies like cloud and mobile, so businesses also should be provided such services and not use old technology.
AWS has been a great strategic partner. We grew from 0-1 lakh users and we could plan to scale the platform whenever needed which kept our costs in control with our multi-tenant architecture on AWS. AWS helps us to give a promise of uptime to our customers with their always on services.
Customers have the comfort when they know we are on AWS which is a great help. Today, we have a number of servers on production, development, which we use and a variety of technology stack, if this infrastructure had to be maintained by us, our time to be market ready would have increased at least by 2 times. We can focus on our development and not worry about infrastructure needs.
Business
Skill training institutes no less than IITs, IIMs: PM Modi urges youth to champion skill development
New Delhi, Oct 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met members of India’s contingent that delivered an impressive performance at the WorldSkills Competition Shanghai 2026, congratulating the young participants for showcasing their talent and skills on the global stage.
The interaction took place at the Prime Minister’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, where PM Modi lauded the competitors for their achievements and encouraged them to continue excelling in their respective fields.
Sharing details of the meeting on social media, the Prime Minister praised the participants for their outstanding performance at the international skills competition and said it was a pleasure to interact with and motivate the young achievers.
The Prime Minister underlined the objective behind establishing a separate Ministry for Skill Development and said that the importance of skill training institutions is no less than that of IITs and IIMs. He encouraged the participants to share their experiences and suggestions with the government to help improve India’s skill training system.
India recorded its best-ever performance at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, held from September 22 to 27 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai. The country secured six silver medals and 20 Medallions for Excellence, finishing 10th in the overall rankings.
The latest result marks a significant improvement from the previous edition of the competition held in France’s Lyon in 2024, where India finished 13th with four bronze medals and 12 Medallions for Excellence.
The improved ranking reflects the growing capabilities of India’s skilled workforce and its rising presence in global skills competitions.
According to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the six-day event brought together more than 1,400 young competitors from nearly 70 countries and regions.
India fielded its largest-ever contingent, comprising 70 competitors, who participated in 63 skill categories spanning emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing, engineering, creative industries and specialised services.
After four days of intense competition, winners were honoured during the closing ceremony held in Shanghai on September 27. The event celebrated excellence in technical expertise, innovation, precision and craftsmanship, drawing participants, industry leaders, experts and international delegations from across the world.
India’s participation in WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 was coordinated by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, with support from Sector Skill Councils, industry partners, training institutions and technical experts.
New Delhi, Oct 9: PhonePe and the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC), a self-regulatory body under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The partnership aims to facilitate seamless SRO certification for all merchants, champion regulatory compliance, and drive merchant education for all merchant partners onboarding on PhonePe’s Payment Gateway.
Under applicable Indian regulations, over-the-top (OTT) or Publishers of Online Curated Content (OCCPs) are legally required to be members of a recognised self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for grievance redressal.
Pioneering a compliance-first approach, PhonePe enforces this regulatory requirement as a mandatory prerequisite during its merchant onboarding process.
DPCGC is a Level II SRO formed under the IT Rules, 2021, which is registered with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Through the MoU, PhonePe and DPCGC aim to drive merchant education and awareness.
Recognising the limited awareness among OTT/OCCPs regarding SRO compliance, the joint initiative will educate both existing and prospective merchants on regulatory requirements and seamlessly facilitate their SRO certification through DPCGC.
The partnership further strengthens PhonePe’s position as a trusted, robust, and compliant payment partner tailored for the rapidly growing OTT ecosystem.
Dr. Subho Ray, President of IAMAI, said, “DPCGC, established under the IT Rules, is committed to efficiently addressing concerns and grievances related to OTT platforms through self-regulation.
This collaboration between DPCGC and PhonePe will foster greater alignment and adherence to the Code of Ethics, expanding the reach of self-regulation and strengthening its benefits for both the industry and its users.”
Deep Agrawal, Head of Payments at PhonePe, added, “At PhonePe, compliance and trust are at the core of everything we build. The OTT segment has exploded in terms of coverage and penetration over the last couple of years.
Agrawal further stated that our MoU with DPCGC will allow us to educate the OTT platforms to seamlessly drive higher awareness about customer grievance redressal, reinforcing PhonePe as the most trusted & compliant growth partner for India’s booming OTT ecosystem.”
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 1.3 kg of gold biscuits worth Rs 1.8 crore in a smuggling operation involving luggage trolleys. Two accused transported the gold from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and concealed the biscuits by sticking them to luggage trolleys.
The accused allegedly targeted unsuspecting passengers who picked up these trolleys and crossed customs. They reportedly followed the passengers and later retrieved the gold from the trolleys, using innocent travellers as unwitting carriers without their knowledge.
Acting on intelligence inputs, DRI officials seized the gold. The investigation is expected to focus on the alleged smuggling network and the modus operandi used to transport the gold through unsuspecting passengers.
Earlier, on October 4, the DRI had seized a cumulative 15.59 kg of narcotic drugs, including amphetamine, cocaine and heroin, in three separate intelligence-led operations, the Finance Ministry said. Five people were arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
In one operation, the DRI, in coordination with the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), had intercepted a car suspected of carrying amphetamine at the Ujjain-Dewas Toll Plaza in Madhya Pradesh.
When signalled to stop, the driver had allegedly broken through the barricade and sped away. The officers pursued the vehicle in a high-speed chase lasting approximately 1.5 hours before intercepting it near Bicholi Mardana in Indore.
A detailed search of the vehicle led to the discovery of the contraband concealed inside the spare tyre mounted on the rear door of the Thar, according to the statement.
Earlier, on October 2, the DRI’s Mumbai Zonal Unit had busted an international syndicate involved in smuggling 8.5 kg of gold worth Rs 12.65 crore into India and trafficking 1,168 carats of diamonds worth Rs 1.09 crore out of the country to Dubai through Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
The DRI had arrested eight members of the syndicate for their alleged involvement in trafficking valuables into and out of the country.
Telangana to cancel licences of shops selling synthetic manja
Bihar police driver recruitment aspirants protest in Patna, seek filling of vacant women’s quota posts
Pak drug cartels turn to India-made meth labs in Kerala, TN as busts choke smuggling routes
SC orders four-week deadline to link accident, vehicle, insurance databases
When Katrina Kaif revealed her biggest learnings from her relationships
Gift to President Putin part of PM Modi bid to globally display India’s heritage
PM Modi’s warm camaraderie with Putin, Xi on full display at BRICS Summit
INDIA bloc begins protest march against ECI
Complaint against Netflix & Mukesh Chhabra for inappropriate language on ‘India’s Got Latent 2’
Maha Congress stages agitation against Gyanesh Kumar
-
Crime4 years agoClass 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra2 years agoFalse photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News2 years agoMinistry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Maharashtra2 years agoMaharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News2 years agoJ&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface
-
Crime2 years agoBaba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report