Assisting Indian Farmers in Maximizing Potato Yields
PepsiCo India unveiled a crop and plot-level predictive intelligence model for its “Lay’s” brand to assist farmers in maximizing potato yields and quality through useful dashboards on user-friendly mobile applications.
According to a recent PepsiCo announcement, cited by the Agriculture Post, the crop intelligence model, developed in partnership with Cropin, is a component of the company’s “Precision Agriculture” model for India. The concept is currently being tested on 62 fields, including 51 in Gujarat and 11 in Madhya Pradesh.
“The new initiative under the PepsiCo-owned brand ‘Lay’s’ has the potential to address these challenges by using satellite imagery correlated with remote sensing data to provide insights. The system can generate a forecast up to 10 days in advance which can assist farmers in identifying different crop stages, and close monitoring of crop health, including a disease warning system that relies on weather forecasts and historical data,” the food and beverage company representatives wrote in one of their latest press releases.
In India, PepsiCo works directly and tangentially with more than 27,000 farmers in 14 states, and all of the potatoes used in the production of its “Lay’s” trademark come from domestic producers. Field agronomists who are assisting the farmers in using the insights and the dashboard during the trial stage are giving them the required instruction and support.
“Being an agri company at heart, we aim to bring in sustainable, resilient, and inclusive solutions that would address the diverse issues of farmers and help them improve their livelihoods. Through our partnership with Cropin on this new initiative, our goal is to eventually roll out this solution to PepsiCo farmers across India and empower them with real-time tracking of crop health to maximize yield and quality,” Anukool Joshi, Director – Agro at PepsiCo India, said.
Krishna Kumar, Co-Founder & CEO of Cropin, highlighted the collaboration by stating that PepsiCo has been paving the way to allow agriculture modernization and its effect at the grassroots level through its brand Lay’s.
“While their focus on digital transformation directly aids business growth, it also accelerates small-holder farmer empowerment, drives sustainability, and sets new standards in global farming. Using Cropin’s proven plot-level predictive intelligence solution, PepsiCo is mitigating business risks and forecast crop yield and health, water stress, pest, and disease early warning signals for efficient business management,” Kumar added.
Farmers would have access to the dashboards and associated data via simple-to-use smartphone applications, including “Plot Risk” for crop intelligence and “Cropin Grow” for field data administration. The apps can handle numerous languages, and PepsiCo intends to provide the services in 14 regional languages in keeping with its dedication to supplying chain exclusivity. Cropin’s predictive and plot intelligence algorithms are customized for particular crop types, environmental circumstances, and geographic areas using the biggest crop knowledge network in the world.
The majority of farmers in India have less than one acre of land under cultivation, and they frequently encounter difficulties because they lack the tools necessary to determine how much water, fertilizer, insecticide, and other agri-inputs should be used when growing crops. For instance, if the blight crop disease is not detected in time, potato production declines can reach 80%. Another significant problem for potato growers, particularly in the northern regions of the nation, is significant crop loss brought on by ground frost.
In India, PepsiCo began experimenting with farming technology in 2018 when it shifted its agricultural activities to SAP platforms as part of the Smart Agro Program. The primary objective of the program was to offer value by utilizing accessible technology to boost output and water safety. Another digital invention, the Crop Intelligence Model, has the potential to be used at a fraction of the cost per acre compared to other options, making it accessible and scalable even for small-scale farms.