In 2020, Raj Kancham and Vivek Radhakrishnan pioneered Krishikan – an agritech venture that seeks to transform the agriculture ecosystem for all stakeholders, from producers to consumers. This startup has an extensive and connected network that covers farmers, agri-input providers, research institutes, and buyers in the spices segment of the agriculture industry. By working with every link in the value chain, they are able to deliver top grade products for their customers. Krishikan’s founders have gathered considerable experience from their involvement in agricultural start-ups and through observing agro practices, have recognized various troubles with sowing, harvesting & selling.
After careful consideration, the founders of Krishikan chose to focus on spices as they bring high returns with low production volume. Unfortunately, farmers were yet to adopt newer methodologies leading to lesser output & lower profit margins. Krishikan works to ensure that farmers have access to the right type of seeds, fertilisers and nutrients. They also pay special attention to the organic carbon levels in the soil, making sure it is at an optimum level.In order to keep informed with the breakthroughs in spice farming, this startup cooperates with several research centres in India.
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The findings from their collaboration are then given to the farmers for their benefit. To ensure that farmers have access to all the necessary inputs, Krishikan has created alliances with multiple companies. Moreover, they also collaborate with farmer groups to advise them on the quality of seeds and fertilisers to use as well as how to manage any diseases that may arise. Platform farmers saw a vast reduction in input costs, averaging 20%, and also noticed a boost in productivity by as much as 12-35%. Krishikan’s team is helping over 5,500 farmers stay updated on their crops & receive useful advice through an internal web-based application, accessible using mobile phones. This helps the farmers stay informed and allows them to make better decisions for their farms.
Krishikan is facing some obstacles in its operations, largely due to farmers’ reluctance to experiment with cutting-edge solutions and adoption of new technologies being slow. When introducing new practices to the farmers, the team must maintain patience and only propose those that are in line with what they already do. It is important to understand their current approach before any changes can be made. Krishikan is continuously collecting factual and concrete data on different topics, and their goal is to use that data to create a model in the coming days.
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Apart from guiding farmers, Krishikan also purchases their produce. Spices are in high demand & have medicinal properties which make them very attractive to buyers. They are willing to pay a higher price in exchange for quality spices sourced through Krishikan. Krishikan has partnered with different buyers like food processors, exporters & pharmaceutical companies to sell the spices generated by farmers on their online platform. This is a great way for the agricultural community to reach wider audiences and increase their sales.
To summarize, Krishikan is an agri-tech driven startup in India that specializes in spices. They are active along the entire spice value chain, ranging from farmers to customers. With their background in the agri startup scene and understanding of the hardships facing farmers when it comes to sowing, harvesting & selling, the founders of Krishikan have taken their plans and made them happen. Krishikan helps farmers improve their yields and reduce input costs with the right inputs, guidance and support. They even go a step further and purchase the crops produced by these farmers, before selling them to interested buyers. To offer superior services in the future, Krishikan is collecting data and intends to use it to build models.
