New Delhi,16th Jan,2024: Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) Group, India’s largest one-stop post-harvest Agri logistics player and warehouse service provider, has taken a landmark step in the Indian agri space with the launch of physical “Krishi Quality Janch Kendra” an AI ML empowered solution that is set to revolutionize food grain Quality Check in India. Aimed at facilitating farmers, traders, FPOs as well as corporate entities involved in QC of food grain, a total of 31 centres have been opened in the initial phase of the initiative across Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. This is a defining step in Agri eco system in India when we consider these 31 in light of the fact that only a few hundred food grain testing centres have been set up till date across India since independence.
SLCM intends to establish at least 600 more Krishi Quality Janch Kendra Centre’s across different parts of the country till the end of February 2024.
An extension of SLCM’s flagship Agri Reach QC module an AI ML driven application, the first ever NABL-accredited food grain QC mobile app, Krishi Quality Janch Kendra is further a strong push for SLCM’s cohesive Digital platform that encompasses Quality check, Warehousing Management solution, Agri eco system Listing as well as a Third-Party platform that facilitates hand shake between commodity Buyers and Sellers. This is yet another 1st in the agri industry. The move strengthens the phygital ecosystem ushered in by the Group by integrating physical centers with digitization. While the platform already has over 1 lakh listings of various stakeholders of the Indian agri industry, more than 500,000 more members of the community are likely to be connected by the end of the financial year.
Speaking about the initiative, Sandeep Sabharwal, Founder and CEO of SLCM, said, “We are moving towards a new era, ensuring fair price for the farmers as well as food security of the nation. There are just 161 State Seed Testing Laboratories and six Central Seed Testing Laboratories in India. For farmers and traders, a quality check of the crop/grains entails travelling long distance, spending hours at the centres, and spending huge amounts in the process. We understand the technological barriers for our farmers, and hence centres such as Krishi Quality Janch Kendra at major marketplaces are designed to maximise the benefits for all and eventually foster a transformation in the Indian agri industry.”
At the newly-introduced centres, a facilitator will enable scan and generate Quality Check report for the grains between 1 to 4 minutes while the traders/farmers would also be made well versed with Agri Reach app for quality checks in the future. The centres have been opened in South and West part of Delhi market, as well as Ujjain, Indore and Mandsaur regions of Madhya Pradesh market. The centre heads can generate quality check reports, an NABL accredited facility for accurate, trustworthy testing with reduced turnaround time, thereby helping the stakeholders save both time and money. It further transforms the way crops are valued by the buyers as valuation is a direct function of the Quality of the crop The system empowers the farmers to know the true value of their produce, and get the best price.
While SLCM has established these Krishi Quality Janch Kendra at key marketplaces where a major chunk of farmers/traders travel here for better price, the next phase will reach out to a much larger part of Indian farmers and agricultural community via over 600 such centres across 200 locations, covering the length and breadth of the country. This will enable the agri community of all areas to access the facility.