This story is from June 11, 2021

Uttar Pradesh’s agri startup offers hope and technical aid to farmers

Krishika, a UP-based agri startup which is helpling farmers at the grassroots by providing guidance on farm practices and ensuring timely availability of quality inputs at affordable prices, has made it to the list of top 10 agri startups in India.
Uttar Pradesh’s agri startup offers hope and technical aid to farmers
A session with farmers by Krishika
LUCKNOW: Krishika, a UP-based agri startup which is helpling farmers at the grassroots by providing guidance on farm practices and ensuring timely availability of quality inputs at affordable prices, has made it to the list of top 10 agri startups in India.
The list, prepared by Silicon India, a publication focusing on startups, is based on inputs from technology experts, venture capitalists, CXOs (chief experience officers) and researchers.

Krishika was started in May last year during lockdown and has 18 outlets in central and east UP. It plans to increase the number to 25 by August.
“One of the biggest challenges that farmers face is the availability of farm inputs at reasonable price. We provide them good quality inputs like seeds, fertilizer and agro-chemicals at affordable rates. We will also encourage farmers to take up organic farming,” said Anshumali Dwivedi, the founder of Krishika.
The outlets are functional in Lucknow, Sitapur, Barabanki, Ayodhya, Rae Bareli, Basti, Gonda, Deoria, Gorakhpur and Bahraich.
Agri experts at Krishika provide guidance to farmers and also make farm visits. “We recruit those who are graduates in agricultural science and train them. We appoint people who are aware of local dialect, language, agricultural issues and weather,” said Dwivedi.
Both social media and traditional means of promotion, like leaflets, are used to connect with farmers. The startup appoints ‘kisaan sarathi’ who are mostly local youth to connect with farmers. It also has a mobile app and helpline.

Dwivedi is the former CEO of Port of Algoma, Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the board at Northern Ontario Angels, one of the largest angel networks in North America. He holds an honours degree in economics from Delhi University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
Krishika’s co-founder Pramod Rao is an MBA from IIM Calcutta and the former CFO of Port of Algoma. He sits on the board of multiple companies in Canada and India.
Dwivedi quit his job in Canada and relocated to India in 2019 to do something meaningful. Krishika has provided training and employment to 60 agriculture experts in a short span of time.
The startup organises outreach programmes to guide and educate farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. It has reached out to over 25,000 farmers and plans to set up more physical marts in northern and central India.
The team is also working to create a solution to process satellite images to monitor seasonal problems.
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