Tech serves Tamil Nadu farmers
CHENNAI: Palani Muthu from Sirkazhi has been farming shrimp for the past 17 years. Three years ago, when he was struggling with poor survival of shrimp, he learned of Aquaconnect. A representative from the acquaculture startup visited his farm and helped him fix the problem. Now, the startup helps with regular water quality testing, tray management, etc., to improve productivity, says Muthu. Aquaconnect also gets him better prices with payments received the same day. Earlier, Muthu says, he had to check with several agents to get a good price and payment took 25-30 days.
Transforming the agriculture sector, which accounts for 12% of the state’s economy, is crucial to Tamil Nadu’s goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Now the sector is benefiting from entrepreneurial action. Three strengths of the state have led to a mushrooming of agri startups -- sound road infrastructure, data connectivity in rural districts and digital payment systems. These have led to more farmers engaging with the new-age startups. Several startups, investors and mentors TOI spoke to said it’s not just about farmers using YouTube on their phones to modernize farming styles. There is a sea change in the mindset.