Agri-startup AgNext introduces Artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution for determining tea quality precisely exclusive of human-intervention. The AI-based solution named TRAgnext has been effectively deployed in tea growing areas of north-eastern states.
AgNext established in 2016, is an India-based company that works with the intersection of software, hardware, analytics, and other technologies in agriculture as well as the food sector for quality estimation. This company started with a vision to bring rapid quality assessment and traceability solutions to the agriculture industry with the help of technology. The tea industry is on the verge of transforming, which can be enabled by AI and data-driven technology, said AgNext CEO Taranjeet Singh Bhamra.
To begin with, this technology was installed in the tea estates of companies such as Bokahola Tea, Goodricke Tea, and Rossell Tea. The Tea Board of India has also introduced two machines in West Bengal and one in Assam and was found to be successful.
TRAgnext is capable of testing kilograms of tea leaves and provides accurate results. Within two minutes, it can count one kilo of fine as well as coarse tea leaves. Surface moisture of the tea leaves is of great importance in the quality procurement, which could be determined by TRAgnext, the AI-based computer-vision technology. For the last 40 years, the Indian tea trade hasn’t seen any revolution in the way how leaves are counted. TRAgnext is a transformative technology that is coming into action. This technology will change the way how tea businesses function and will bring in a fair pricing model as well as can accelerate export markets.
The need for digitizing is ever-increasing day by day. In the tea industry, fine leaf counting is a very important phase. And to conduct an accurate and instantaneous check on the quality as well as to eliminate human errors, this technology will be of assistance for the entire tea production. Just about 50 percent of the tea industry is under the control of small tea growers. Also quality plays a crucial role in determining prices and with this advanced technology, the quality products of small tea planters will be taken to international export markets.
