About Swasti Agro
Swasti Agro and Bioproducts Pvt Ltd is a Farmer-Centric, for profit, Social Venture. Swasti has a manufacturing facility, DSIR approved In-House R&D lab, and DIPP recognition. Their preventive biotechnology minimizes dependence on chemical inputs in agriculture. They also have innovative products for disease mitigation, and plant nutrition.
Swasti Agro is working in conjunction with National Dairy Development Board and Milk Co Operatives to reach out the farmers directly. So far, they have reached 10,000 farmers and would expand this 50X in next 5 years within India. With Millennium Alliance support Swasti is in Rwanda and Ethiopia.
Swasti Agro have received grant and now they are planning to raise their first seed fund.
Different from other similar Startups
Farmers across Asia and Africa lose on an average 30% of their crop due to diseases every year (FAO data). If the season is bad, then the risk of loss increases to over 90%. Swasti Agro provide preventive biotechnology-based products that are non-toxic, ‘certified organic’, patented.
Use of Swasti products has delivered to farmers:
- 20 – 40% increase in the yield.
- 2X or more price.
- Reduction in costs (15 – 35%).
- 10 – 100 Times ROI.
Swasti Agro is equipped with tools for prediction of problems at farmer’s field, for analysis of in-field product performance, and wish to build personalized advisory support for farmers
Founder of Swasti Agro
Passionate about sustainable farming, Dr. Abhay has worked on farm (6 years) to demonstrate model innovative projects, implemented sustainable and organic farming to BoP farmers (1 yr). He worked on various sustainable biotechnologies. He developed market for innovative products of three companies. He has 2 granted and 1 PCT IPRs. Dr Abhay has PhD in Microbiology, and is a single founder in Swasti Agro.
Plans for the Coming Years
With NDDB, they will have established biogas waste slurry-based products at least in 5 states. These products can add INR 6000 per month income to marginal farmers by the way of purchasing biogas slurry. They will positively affect at least 50,000 farmers (slurry purchase) and 500,000 farmers with supply of quality products. They will have established these products in East Africa.
Awards, Recognition and Grants
Since there inception, Swasti Agro have received the following:
- BIRAC BIG Grant Nov 2014: About 100,000 USD (To provide complete PoC of the product for “Building disease resistance in plants”)
- Villgro: UnconventionL March 2015: 1,000 USD (Recognition of Unconventional Execution)
- KPMC2015: Best Technical Presentation among BIRAC BIG innovators: Certificate and USD 1,000. (Recognition ofs cientific Proof of concept developed)
- Vodafone: Mobile For Good India 2015: (Use of mobile for Agriculture extension)
- ET Power of Ideas: Feb 2016. About 10,000 USD (Execution: Innovative Startup)
- AFI Forum: Winner Silicon Valley Challenge (Innovation related to impact on Indian Agriculture)
- Listed on Asia for good DBS website as one of the top 120 ventures from Asia for implementation of socially relevant innovation. www.asiaforgood.com/ (implementation of impactful social innovation)
- Digital India Award from Times Group 2016: Agriculture (Use of digitization in Agriculture)
- Millennium Alliance (round 3): First ranking in Agriculture April 2016, About 100,000 USD. (Innovative technology with implementation for impact on BoP population)
- IIGP: Gold medal, Cash Prize USD 1,500. Training from Stanford Business School Team. (Innovative Biotechnology of national and international significance)
- Won Global Innovation Challenge at Sankalp Forum 2016. (Technology that can impact 3 billion beneficiaries across glob with ecological as well as economic objectives.
- USAID sponsored as IVLP Guest to visit GES2016 at San Francisco. (Recognition of Innovation and Leadership)
- Time India Award 2017 (shortlist among top 3) as “Sustainability Pioneer Startup Award”
- National Agripreneurs Award 2017 by Entrepreneur’s Association of india.
- IRIGP 2018: Rwandan Govt selected Swasti Technology as one desired by Rwanda.
- Millennium Alliance (Round 4) for globalization 2018: Taking Swasti Technology to East Africa (Rwanda)