Animal Husbandry Start-ups Provided Hi-tech Solutions to Livestock Sector

Some of the farms that are managed under end-to-end control by a Start-up for strict quality control are located far from the national capital, practically touching the Pakistan border.

This Start-up, which is mostly made up of youngsters, has built a network of farms and the necessary ecosystem to ensure that the milk taken from cows reaches the collecting center faster and without contamination. It distributes natural A2 milk under the 'DesiGo' brand in both B2B and B2C areas.

The start-up Bhairaj Organics Private Limited supervises every step of the process 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure that the milk is tracked from the udder to the collection facility and hence is charged at a premium due to the assurance of quality.

The same assurance let Bhairaj Organics Private Limited enter the Department of Animal Husbandry's 'Start-Up Grand Challenge 2021.' Not only did they enter the contest, but they were also named one of the 12 winners.

"We've put cameras up all over the place. Each stage is carefully watched. That way, we've assured not just quality, but also that we'll be able to handle any issues that may interrupt the supply chain "Mahaveer Singh of Bhairaj said to IANS in Delhi as he arrived to accept the prize.

As a remote location, they face challenges, particularly in terms of Internet access. "We're also working on it. For the time being, we've developed a technique that allows recording to continue regardless of Internet availability, allowing data to be uploaded even if the signal is only available for a short period "he stated.

As a result of the system's success, more farms are expressing interest in implementing it, and more entrepreneurs are considering replicating it.

A group of new entrepreneurs is turning their attention to the agricultural, dairy, and livestock sectors in the hopes of turning them into profitable businesses by adding value to the output or creating methods to ease the load on small-scale farmers.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, in collaboration with Startup India, launched the 'Animal Husbandry Start-up Grand Challenge 2.0' to find creative and financially viable solutions to six challenges in animal husbandry and dairy industries.

"We discovered several businesses doing good work among farmers and wanted to reach out to the most vulnerable farmers and animal owners. The challenge offered unique difficulties for which homegrown answers were sought "According to a Department officer. Because there is a lot of valuable solution technology available on the market for those who can afford it, "home-grown solutions" are important.

The six problem statements were: Development of cost-effective, long-term, and user-friendly alternatives for storage and supply of semen doses; Development of cost-effective animal identification (RFID) and traceability technology; Development of heat detection kits; Development of pregnancy diagnosis kits for dairy animals; Improvement in existing milk supply-chain from village collection center to the dairy plant, and Development of low-cost cooling and milk preservation system and a data logger.

At the 'Unnat Pashudhan Sashakt Kisan Conclave - the Conclave of 75 Entrepreneurs and Exhibition of 75 Indigenous Livestock Breeds' held here on June 1, Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, presented the winners in six categories.

Another winner was Prompt Innovations Private Limited, an Ahmedabad-based startup that provides energy-efficient and long-term milk cooling. India is the world's largest producer of milk, yet the lack of cooling facilities makes transporting milk across longer distances challenging.

Prompt's 'MilkoChill' is a fast milk cooler that helps increase the shelf life of the product right at the source. Apart from the various advantages, it primarily helps in the prevention of milk spoilage.

Simsupa Electronics Private Limited, Machphy Solutions Private Limited, Koshbio Private Limited, iVET LLP, Flexdrop Technology Private Limited, Statlogic India Private Limited, Ravi Prakash, Atsuya Technologies Pvt Ltd, Humawings Private Limited, Seragen Biotherapeutics Private Limited, and Seragen Biotherapeutics Private Limited were the other winners.

There were almost 150 entries. Before the winners were announced, there was a three-step evaluation procedure.

The 12 awardees would receive up to three months of incubation, mentor matching, lab, and testing facilities, as well as performing business and investor training. Virtual Master Classes would also be available.