Samunnati, a specialised Agri Value Chain Enabler today announced its partnership with Hyderabad-based Agritech startup Kheyti to deliver Kheyti Rakshak to over one lakh farmers in the next five years. As part of this partnership, Kheyti is rolling out the first 100 kits to farmers across Telangana and Karnataka. Under this partnership potentially US$ 150 million (INR 1000 crores) will be deployed by Samunnati to make this model reach one lakh smallholders. This will enhance the income levels of over one lac farmer families, significantly.
Kheyti helps smallholder farmers battle climate change through the Greenhouse-in-a-Box, a low-cost greenhouse bundled with end-to-end services. It developed the world’s cheapest greenhouse to grow quality vegetables even in off seasons. The company provides greenhouses with digital services to help farmers double their farm incomes. In line with the company’s vision to accelerate agritech momentum across the country, Samunnati will offer farmers loans to purchase the “Kheyti Rakshak”, a ‘Greenhouse-in-a box’ affordable, modular solution bundled with full stack services, which will help scale the solution to over one lakh farmers in the country. According to the International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC, 2013) agriculture, forestry and the change of land-use, account for as much as 25 per cent of human induced GHG emissions globally. Recognising the significance of Climate Smart Agriculture as the need of the hour, Samunnati has collaborated with Kheyti to deliver “Kheyti Rakshak”, an affordable and innovative solution to farmers at INR one lakh, which is 80 per cent less expensive compared to other alternatives in the market. Designed for smallholders, the Greenhouse, Kheyti Rakshak fits in two per cent of their land, costs 90 per cent lower than regular greenhouses, protects crops from environmental risks and grows 7x more food with 50x water efficiency.
Commenting on the partnership, Anilkumar SG, CEO and Founder, Samunnati said, “Digitalisation is changing the face of the Indian agriculture ecosystem and as the country prepares for Agri 4.0, promoting sustainable agricultural practices which can minimise impact on the environment and maximise gains to the farmers will be crucial. At Samunnati, we have always believed in collaborating with the industry to help the agri ecosystem operate at a higher equilibrium. We are excited about our collaboration with Kheyti and together we look forward to bringing the benefits of innovative agri solutions to the smallholder farmers across India.”
Sathya Raghu, Co-founder and President, Kheyti said, “Kheyti developed ‘Kheyti Rakshak’ to increase incomes of the ultra-poor women farmers in the country, in a market based model. We are making vegetable farming predictable and profitable. We innovated a fantastic greenhouse. We stabilised our crop practices with a portfolio of the vegetables consumed in India like tomatoes, onion, cabbage, carrots, okra and the like. Our digital advisory ensures ongoing support in growing and selling. By collaborating with Samunnati, we unlocked capital to reach 100,000 farmers. Now, we intend to partner with relevant farmer focused organizations across India and the world to grow at 4x to 5x every year and reach 100,000 farmers by 2025. Also, we wish to be the go-to place for the smartest people who want to solve the toughest problems in India agriculture.”
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