
Kapil Jain's father wished for his offspring not to be farmers.
He states that his father had witnessed the struggles of farmers, so they all received an education and relocated to the city to seek a career.
However, Mr Jain grew weary of the urban lifestyle and subsequently relocated to his family's farm near Kota in Rajasthan, north India, in 2018.
"He expressed his desire to come back to the village and begin farming due to the fondness he felt for the feeling of the soil," was his statement.
He had no desire to cultivate the same plants as his dad - wheat, rice, mustard, and soya beans.
Rather, in his area of Rajasthan managing water shortages, Mr Jain sought a type of crop that would require less water.
He decided to try growing roses, which flourish in sunshine and require considerably less water than customary plants.
Although the roses flourished, the task of gathering them and taking them to market was tough. The roses had to be sold not long after being picked or the petals could start to drop.
To ensure the flowers were available at the peak of demand, they had to be at the market by 05:00. While the market was only 20 miles away, the travelling time could take up to an hour. Therefore, the harvesting was to take place between 02:00 and 03:00, which posed a challenge when it came to recruitment.
Due to the difficulties Mr Jain encountered, he experienced a reduction of approximately 70% in the yield of his early harvest.
Mr Jain realized that a change was necessary, thus he chose to transform his roses into rose water and rose oil.
He also purchased a solar-powered drying apparatus for his tomato harvest.
I currently sell my products after drying them alongside the rose water, rose oil, and jams at the market. Since these products have a larger market and a longer shelf life, it will aid my business in expanding.
Farmers throughout India face an issue of getting their harvested produce to market without damage.
Government statistics show that the Indian harvest of fruit decreased from 6% to 15%, vegetables decreased from 5% to 12%, and cereals decreased from 4% to 6% by 2022.
Varun Raheja, the founder of Raheja Solar Food Processing, points out that farmers discard huge quantities of fruits and vegetables because of a lack of infrastructure, constrained processing power, and the endeavors of weather catastrophes, for instance, cyclones and floods, which disturb transportation paths and harm structures.
Mr Raheja makes the observation that the majority of farming establishments in India are of limited size, meaning that they lack the ability to finance storage or refrigeration facilities.
Mr Raheja designed a straightforward air drying system that uses sunlight and solar-powered fans for drying agriculture produce, which is both economical and simple to construct.
He claims that the self-made version of their solar dryer is manageable and inexpensive, enabling it to extend its reach to the farthest villages and be affordable for all small and poor farmers.
Mr Raheja states his firm has disposed of roughly 3,000 of the apparatuses, averaging to dry around 150kg of products every month.
Mr Raheja also operates as an intermediary, purchasing dried goods and then supplying them to bigger companies.
Alternatively, there is WayCool in comparison to Mr Raheja's inexpensive, simple technology solution.
This Indian agri-tech organization has collaborated with two hundred thousand farmers, has established 412 distribution centres, and has invested in modern technology that predicts the requirement for agricultural items.
Every day, about 2,000 metric tons of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seasonings, and dairy items pass through its system.
WayCool states that its data analysis teamed up with innovative distribution networks can aid in salvaging some of India's wasted produce.
Karthik Jayaraman, who is the managing director at WayCool Foods, mentions that technology is utilised to forecast merchant orders, enhance collection centres, and specify target prices, thus making supply chains effective and reducing supply chain losses to below 2%.
WayCool has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in order to construct its network, and is aiming to be prosperous by the year 2025.
In spite of the utilization of modern and advanced technology, a great deal of effort must yet be exerted to reach India's more rural agriculturalists.
Sagar Lokhande cultivates 15 acres in Bhendwad village in Maharashtra state. He focuses on sugar cane cultivation due to its extended longevity, while tomatoes, green beans, and vegetables are grown as revenue sources.
By May, he had a productive harvest of tomatoes and beans, yet when his produce arrived at the market, vehicles from all around Maharashtra had already come in, leading to a decrease in prices.
Without any storage options available, he had to sell at a lower price.
Mr. Lokhande states that he grows green vegetables but is unable to send them to cities due to the absence of temperature controlled vans, as the produce would spoil.
He is currently looking into the possibility of preserving his produce by freezing it.
I aim to market frozen vegetables with greater longevity, particularly beans which yield a higher revenue, in order to pay back all my debts and also make a greater profit. is required in order to stay competitive.
Businesses need to use more technology in order to remain competitive.
Marcella D'Souza is the head of the Centre for Resilience Studies, having devoted many years to helping farmers in rural parts of India.
She states that technology can significantly optimize the planning, utilization of resources, decision-making, and collaboration in several farming-related processes.
However, according to her, technology by itself is not a sufficient solution for Indian farmers.
A comprehensive strategy that considers the recovery of natural ecosystems in tandem with customary wisdom, guidance, credit, and other components is essential for effective agriculture.
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