Indian agritech took its root about a decade back. The first five to seven years saw first-mover startups such as CropIn, AgroStar, BigHaat, S4S Technologies, Innoterra, DeHaat, Promethean, and Unnati trying to integrate technology into various facets of the Indian agricultural supply chain. It was a phase of evangelisation, experimentation and explorations, with entrepreneurs figuring out a business model centred around technology.
The year 2017 was an inflexion point in the Indian agritech space. It was largely driven by the entry of an army of entrepreneurs building tech-enabled models. They aimed to solve for farmers’ access to market, credit, inputs, data and advisory.
Several startups such as Samunnati, SatSure, Ninjacart, WayCool, FarMart, and Jai Kisan, among others demonstrated the adoption of innovative products and services. This adoption was done across the value chain from farmers to traders to FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations). This phase also saw banks, NBFCs and corporates partner with some of the agritechs.