‘Kuber’ app helps ryots in remote villages buy agri inputs

Hyderabad: While e-commerce is growing fast, there are still some remote areas where it is yet to reach. It is an additional cost for farmers to buy agri inputs or sell their produce from these places, where last-mile connectivity and unit economics (cost of doing business vs revenues generated) are an issue. To address this, […]

Hyderabad: While e-commerce is growing fast, there are still some remote areas where it is yet to reach. It is an additional cost for farmers to buy agri inputs or sell their produce from these places, where last-mile connectivity and unit economics (cost of doing business vs revenues generated) are an issue.

To address this, Hyderabad-based Kalgudi, an agri-digital solutions company with agri input and output marketplaces, has developed ‘Kuber’, a social marketing platform for agriculture and rural livelihood sectors. The platform allows youth, small businesses and micro-enterprises to start or enhance their earnings via WhatsApp and other social channels, according to Raj Vallabhaneni, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kalgudi.

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The app is being piloted in Khammam and will soon be extended across Telangana and to other States in a phased manner. The company will train the youth, who will be known as ‘Kubers’ and use their connections and relationships with farmers to know their farm input requirements. The agents will share information and price about the product through WhatsApp or other means with the potential buying farmer.

“Upon receiving the order, Kalgudi, which already has a working relationship with several agri input companies will fulfil the order to the Kuber, who will undertake the last-mile delivery. The price to the farmer will be inclusive of the commission paid to Kubers. It will still be lower than the market price,” he explained.

“We are reducing the number of intermediaries in the supply chain and part of the subsequent savings will be shared between farmers and Kubers. Possibilities of spurious products being sold to farmers will reduce as the number of intermediaries is reduced,” said Vallabhaneni.

Over a period, Kuber will be in a position to suggest potential products that can move in areas, crops for which they are applicable and potential results by using that will be required by farmers in a particular village. Typically, each Kuber will operate in about five villages.

The youth will be free to work on other platforms too. “Autorickshaws which ply between a village and mandal headquarters too can participate in transporting the products and goods to enhance their earnings,” he said adding that the incomes can rise by Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 (corresponding to the orders they get).

In the next phase, the same channel of Kubers-farmers can be used to find buyers for their agriculture produce including some cereals, groundnut, chilli and other commercial crops. The Kubers can give details about the crop and quantity and get them from the farmers to a common point, from where it will be transported to the buyers.

Kalgudi, the parent organisation of Kuber, already works with agri inputs for sales to farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and large farmers through digital marketplaces. Bulk orders from Kubers will also be handled. It mainly operates in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. “Plans are on to expand across India. Every product from rural India has a story and we make sure it is captured on our platform,” he said.

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