Agrostar, the agriculture technology startup announced that the company will be collaborating with The Weather Company, a renowned IBM arm, to transform the agribusiness for farmers in rural India.
For the record, a few years ago, in a fund-raising round in which AgroStar collected $4 million, the company expressed its ambition to solve problems in agricultural equipment and machinery supply chain, helping farmers to procure agricultural supplies with a missed call to their facility.
In the present collaboration AgroStar will be using hyperlocal weather forecast data that will be provided by The Weather Company, to assist farmers in making informed choices and optimizing crop output.
According to a statement released by AgroStar, the collaboration is aimed at enabling the two companies to provide critical insights into disease risks that endanger crops. Through the collaboration, the companies will be able to ascertain the probability of pest or disease occurrence in any particular crop such as cotton and chili, with improved accuracy. Farmers will be able to access these insights through the company’s digital and voice platforms and increase crop yield by undertaking preventive measures.
Shardul Sheth, AgroStar co-founder, has been reported to say that the company is excited to welcome such an opportunity to deliver near precision agricultural solutions to marginalized and small-scale farmers.
AgroStar claims to have acquired a sizeable and accurate database of farmer profiles. The Weather Company’s algorithms to predict pest and disease probabilities combined with inputs collected by AgroStar can equip farmers with crucial information that can lead to effective crop management at every step.
AgroStar has reportedly been aiming to become a one-stop shop farmers who need seeds, crop protection, farming hardware and crop nutrients to yield a profitable produce. The company currently operates in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan and has joined hand with several national and multinational brands to make their goods available to Indian farmers.