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India’s First Step towards Protective Farming through GrowiT.
Saurabh Agarwal, Director and CEO of GROWiT India Pvt. Ltd.
1. In brief, tell us the business model of GrowiT? What are the services you offer?
GrowiT India Pvt. Ltd. is India’s first Direct-to-Farmer (D2F) protective farming agritech company. The firm is specialised in creating high-quality and cost-effective protective farming materials and manufacturing products. We ensure optimum quality and high yield for the Indian Agricultural & Farming Industry while lowering its carbon footprints. GROWiT India is involved in process-oriented research and development for the manufacturing and development of its products and materials. The unique franchise model of the brand along with its hub and spoke distribution system makes the technique of protective farming peculiar. We have developed a network of around 50+ franchises at various Taluka (Sub-District) levels of various Districts across the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka with 15000+ happy farmers. The company has also established more than 50 Grow Kshetras (Demo Farms) at every Taluka for farmers to educate them about protective farming and other profitable farming practices.
2. Talking about protective farming, what is it exactly? Explain with examples
The type of farm practice where crops are grown in a controlled environment is called protective farming. The essential climatic factors such as temperature, humidity, light etc. are regulated in protective farming methods, as per crop’s growth needs. Protective farming is a healthy method which helps in large crop production without any diverse condition. This method is done in almost every state of India. Protective farming requires various products which include Mulch Film, Shade Net, Crop/Fruit Covers, Plant Covers, Vermi Beds, Grow Bags, Crop Support Net, Fibre Stick, Plastic Clips, Insect Net, Weed Mat, Mulch Laying/Hole Punching Machines, Agri Threads and Agri Wires.
3. What is the competitive advantage that you offer to the farmers or agritech community?
The main aim of the company is to help double the farm output of the country for all horticulture crops. We are providing critical solutions like quality food, climate smart agriculture, farmer empowerment, and raising farmer’s productivity. We have launched an application called “GROWiT App” which helps farmers in better understanding of protective farming practices and products. We have a policy of “Buy Back of Mulch Films” wherein the company repurchases the previous crop cycle mulch from the farmers for recycling. GROWiT also provides guarantee of full replacement of its products to the farmers in case of any manufacturing defects.
4. How will you define and segment your current clientele and prospecting in the future?
Growit is currently catering to horticulture farmers who are growing vegetables and fruits across 4 states i.e. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. We will be focusing on serving more than 30,000 Growiterians (i.e. what we call the farmers who are associated with us) this year. Our aim is to keep adding 4 states each year till our presence in Pan India. We will also be focusing on crops like Cotton which requires a lot of adoption of new technology to increase per acre output.
5. What is the global adoption rate of protective farming vis-a-vis adoption in the Indian farming ecosystem, how do you think you can change that?
The global adoption of protective farming in countries like Israel, China, USA, Spain, Italy, Mexico, etc. is more than 70% of their entire cultivation and in India we are looking at just 2%. If entire horticulture land in India were to use protective farming then the market size of India will be USD 6 billion. The prime reason for such low adoption in India is due to lack of awareness about these products. With our model, we are creating awareness by showcasing the results that can be driven through protective farming. By incorporating the latest technology, ideas, and features, we aim to become the largest protective farming company in India.
6. Can you briefly tell us the trends you have observed in terms of taking products from your platforms, which products are most used by the farmers and why?
The Growiterians are slowly learning about the benefits of protective farming. They have started adopting products like Mulch Film, Crop Covers, Fruit Covers, Shade Nets, Weed Mats, etc. The primary product that we ask the farmers to start with is Mulch Film and then once they see the benefit then start using other products. We are trying to create small SKU’s worth Rs. 500 to 700/- so that farmers are more adaptive to at least try and once they try the products and see the results then they will surely come back for more. One thing that we believe is that protective farming is no more a luxury for the farmers, it has become a necessity.
7. What are some of the expansion plans you have in mind for the Indian market and globally, in terms of services, global presence, growth etc.
In terms of expansion, we are working on many collaborations in the agritech space to expand our company’s reach as soon as possible. Also, the company is further aiming to have 500 franchise stores by the end of this financial year and around 2000 franchise stores by the end of 2025. We are currently focused on the Indian market and are not focusing on Global markets. But, there are some investors that we are speaking to who are from other countries and once they are on board then we might open up the Global market also.
From an External Source.
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