Krishi Jagran hosted a new session of KJ Chaupal at its New Delhi Office today, focusing on the journey and initiatives of Arya.ag in changing the Indian agricultural landscape. The event was attended by dynamic co-founder duo Prasanna Rao and Anand Chandra who shed light on challenges in empowering farmers across the nation and how Arya.ag's navigated through this journey.
Arya.ag is one of the leading grain commerce platforms in the country. It aims to bridge this gap by offering an integrated solution covering aggregation, quality assurance, storage, financing, and market linkages. Through its digital platform, Arya.ag empowers farmers to decide when and to whom to sell their produce, thus maximizing the value of each grain and ensuring equitable returns.
Welcome Address by MC Dominic
The KJ Chaupal session began with a small token of gratitude and appreciation by Krishi Jagran’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief, MC Dominic, and Managing Director, Shiny Dominic. The guests were felicitated with planters, a long-held tradition exclusive to Krishi Jagran, signaling an evergreen and long-lasting collaboration. Post the felicitation, a short film was played navigating the journey of Krishi Jagran from inception to the present. The movie discussed various projects undertaken by Krishi Jagran over the years, starting from 'Farmer the Journalist' to 'Farmer the Brand Organic'.
The major highlight of the movie was celebrating the success of the Millionaire Farmer of India Award 2023. The Millionaire Farmer of India Awards is a brainchild of Krishi Jagran and a one-of-a-kind award acknowledging farmers across the nation. The video showcased the genesis of the MFOI Awards and how it acknowledges the power of progressive millionaire farmers, in maintaining the food security of the nation.
MC Dominic, the founder and editor-in-chief of Krishi Jagran, extended a warm welcome to all attendees, emphasizing the significance of initiatives like Arya.ag in boosting the agriculture sector of the country. He expressed his enthusiasm for the insightful discussions and said, "We are honored to have two important individuals with us today who are relentlessly supporting the farming community. Coming from a financial background, they have not only ventured into uncharted territory in the agriculture domain but have also demonstrated its importance as a profitable avenue."
Mr Dominic further added, "I've always admired people with a financial background and with the co-founder of Arya.ag having extensive experience in this domain, I am confident they can turn anything into a successful enterprise while prioritizing the welfare of the farming community. I am glad they have chosen to enter the agricultural space and are making contributions to help the farming community."
Meet the Visionaries: Co-founders Prasanna Rao and Anand Chandra
Prasanna Rao, co-founder and managing director of Arya.ag, brought with him a wealth of experience in Rural Management and agri-commodity finance. With academic excellence in the domain, his focus throughout his journey was on growth and innovation while leveraging its technology stack to optimize processes and provide a seamless experience from storage to commerce to the farmers of the country.
"Anand and I were part of the same team back when we were working in the financial sector. We used to lend to farmers the money to support their agricultural activities. With the major chunk of lenders being big traders, large farmers, and other major stakeholders, it was saddening to see that a significant segment of the farming community was left behind who often were the actual producers.”
Recalling an anecdote from Kota, Rao mentioned that, "Enterprises and lenders were more focused on the tertiary market, overlooking the ground where production occurs. We had the idea to create an ecosystem where we could address two basic problems: 1. Farmers in India lack the choice of when to sell their produce after harvest. 2. These farmers didn’t have the option to choose whom they wanted to sell to."
"We began with these two questions, and today we are pleased to share that we have not only addressed these concerns (freedom and choice) but also provided a platform for thousands of farmers to earn better income from their produce. They can now delay selling their products until the market offers the right price. Over the years, many buyers have joined our platform, knowing they can obtain higher-quality products and readily available produce."
Rao further asserted "We are not competitors to farmers but enablers for them. Through our three key offerings: storage solutions, finance solutions, and commerce solutions, we support farmers end-to-end, from farms to the market."
He appreciated the efforts of Krishi Jagran and enthusiastically discussed how the Millionaire Farmer of India initiative is benefiting both the farming community and professionals working in the agricultural domain, providing them with a platform to connect to the last mile.
Anand Chandra, the executive director and co-founder of Arya.ag, too addressed the audience and enlightened them with his deep knowledge of Agricultural Sciences. With close to two decades of experience in agri-commodity-based financing, Anand has been instrumental in creating a profitable growth model. His leadership has embedded innovation and technology in Indian agriculture, furthering Arya.ag's objective of boosting farmers' incomes and livelihoods.
During his address, Anand Chandra emphasized, "Unlike the popular belief, our (Indian Agricultural Community) supply chains are not fragmented; rather, they are highly efficient. The problem arises when international representatives speak about our supply chains without understanding the intricacies of India's agricultural landscape."
He further emphasized that "It is disheartening to see that India, as a country, produces most of the grains and horticulture products, which later become raw materials for all the imported products we enjoy, so we must focus on indigenous production. Since, India is very dynamic; it is possible that what might work in one district might not work in another district due to geographic challenges, demographic challenges, and sometimes simply because of differences in thinking. However, my only message is that we should admire our indigenous products and have faith in our Indian agricultural system and outlook."
Addressing Farmer's Challenges: Arya.ag's Key Offerings
Over the past decade, Arya.ag has been addressing the challenges faced by farmers by offering three key solutions:
1. Storage Solutions: Providing storage facilities at the farm gate, ensuring farmers have control over their produce.
2. Finance Solutions: Offering accessible financial resources in the form of loans to address liquidity-related concerns.
3. Commerce Solutions: Facilitating seamless market linkages, enabling farmers to make informed selling decisions.
Vote of Thanks
Navigating through various segments of the agricultural community, from farming to financing, today's KJ Chaupal concluded with a vote of thanks by Mamta Jain, Group Editor, and CMO of Krishi Jagran. She remarked, “We are delighted to see that instead of trying to teach the farmers, you (Prasanna Rao and Anand Chandra) have focused on identifying and solving the problems faced by farmers and the farming community. We are glad to have both of you here today. It was delightful to hear about your journey of uplifting the farming community and bringing innovative solutions to the table."
