Aurangabad-based Niyo Farmtech founded in 2021 by Yogesh Gawande is part of the Cisco and Social Alpha’s scale-up accelerator program Krishi Mangal. The program supports agritech startups scale their operations and enter new markets while creating solutions for smallholder farmers.
Niyo Farmtech addresses one of the most important yet overlooked aspects of farming which is mechanised solutions for smallholder farmers. Yogesh and his team have introduced innovative solutions that supports farmers in multiple operations starting from land preparation, sowing, input management to harvesting. These solutions not only reduce drudgery but are also ergonomic for all users including women, while it optimises for operational costs as well as farmer’s time. Since inception, Niyo Farmtech has sold more than 4000 machines across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh.
Electric sprayer by Niyo Farmtech
In India, agriculture supports livelihoods of over 151 million people, which is approximately 60 percent of the Indian population, while contributing only 18 percent to the country’s GDP. With shrinking farm sizes and the challenge of availability of labour, farm mechanisation plays an important role in keeping up with the increasing operations costs while maintaining farm productivity.
An essential activity in agriculture is the use of sprayers for application of pesticides, herbicides and now inputs like nano urea. Current practice adapted by farmers for spraying is the use of knapsack sprayers. This device comes with its own set of challenges. To cover an area, the effectiveness of a manual sprayer is limited, it is time-consuming and has safety concerns because of the proximity of harmful chemicals to the user. Also, the weight of the device strapped at the user’s back and efforts taken to constantly pump while spraying, takes a toll on the body, resulting in issues like back pain. This burden is particularly challenging for women farmers, who often struggle to carry such weight throughout their long days in the fields.
Cisco has always believed that technology can turn the country’s existing challenges into its biggest opportunities on a global scale. Therefore, in this journey, Cisco and Social Alpha believed in a shared vision of empowering startups like Niyo Farmtech through programs like Krishi Mangal, as these startups have the ability to address problems one step at a time and solve the inefficiency issues through disruptive innovation.
Talking about the issues faced while using the traditional knapsack sprayer, Mahesh Pisal, a 36-yearold farmer from Khatav block in Chorade village, Satara says, “I used knapsack sprayer earlier, but because of the weight of the sprayer I suffered from back and neck pain. Also, while using the sprayer, inhaling the chemicals caused headache and skin irritation.”
Yogesh, the founder of Niyo Farmtech, who is a second-generation farmer, faced similar experience and observed his family members while farming. He decided to solve such problems with simple innovations in farm mechanisation and technology for farmers by redefining conventional farm practices.
Machines from Niyo Farmtech are innovative and are both user-friendly and efficient. While using their sprayer, the farmer needs to push the machine forward or pull in the reverse direction. The wheel’s rotational motion results the pump in spraying of pesticides or inputs on crops.
Pisal, a farmer in Karad, Satara, has been using Niyo Farmtech’s sprayer for over three years on his 21 acres of land, where he cultivates sugarcane, ginger, and potato. “I’ve faced many problems before due to the conventional sprayer, and considering the possibility of allergic reactions over time, I switched to Niyo’s sprayer. With just one charge, I can cover 4 acres of land in half the time. Even with one labourer, efficiency does not get affected and larger area can be covered in less time. I have switched to Niyo’s pump for all my spraying needs. It saves on the quantity of pesticides and time, and I can adjust it as per my need.”
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In addition to its user-friendly spray mechanism that minimizes effort and facilitates easy management in the absence of manual labour, Niyo Farmtech’s sprayer boasts a cost-effective design, ensuring that farmers from diverse economic backgrounds can access this technology, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and profitability of farming operations. The machine’s userfriendly interface makes it an ideal choice for both experienced and amateur farmers.
Niyo Farmtech has a growing a range of products covering from power tillers, soyabean reaper and multipurpose machine, all these machines are driven either by battery or self-propelled engine apart from manual inputs. Their battery-operated sprayer version is a versatile machine that can be used manually as well. These products are available in a price range of INR 12,000/- to INR 1,80,000/-. Due to its multitude of advantages, Niyo Farmtech’s sprayer aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure good health, promote decent work and economic growth, and combat climate change
a farmer using Niyo Farmtech’s battery spray pump during a demo day on field
With the help of Cisco’s Krishi Mangal program, Niyo Farmtech plans to serve at least 20,000 farmers over the next year and scale its operations in eight districts of Maharashtra, bringing its transformative agricultural technology to more communities. At its core, this expansion isn’t just about innovation; it’s about safeguarding the health of farmers, reducing labour costs, and revolutionizing the way of farm mechanisation
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Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of Social Alpha by Mediawire team.
