Advancing Agriculture with Technology: T.R Kesavan, Group President at TAFE, Shares Insights at KJ Choupal

T.R Kesavan is an experienced professional with diverse expertise spanning across several domains including Manufacturing, Design, Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Stakeholder Liaison, Government Relations, and Policy-making. Furthermore, his exposure to international markets adds an extra dimension to his skillset. He visited KJ Chaupal on April 19, 2023 to speak with the team and share his thoughts and vision for the advancement of the agriculture sector.

Greeting visitors with a plant is a long-held tradition that is exclusive to Krishi Jagran. KJ Team welcomed T.R Kesavan by presenting a small plant as a token of affection and good fortune.

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) is a Chennai-based Indian tractor manufacturer that was founded in 1960 and generated INR 93 billion in revenue in 2014-15. TAFE, the world's third-largest tractor producer and India's second-largest by volume, controls a quarter of the Indian tractor market, selling more than 150,000 domestic and international tractors each year.

Krishi Jagran's Editor-in-chief, M C Dominic, extended a warm welcome to T.R Kesavan. He expressed the desire to learn from Kesavan's extensive knowledge and experience in farm mechanization. Kesavan's expertise in agriculture, spanning over 30 years, and his company's reputation in India and across the globe, make him an invaluable resource.

During his address, T.R Kesavan expressed his appreciation for the admirable resilience shown by farmers during the challenging times of the pandemic. He stressed the importance of taking action to increase the income and social status of farmers, while also encouraging the adoption of technology to bring about positive change in the farming community.

Kesavan highlighted the significance of using the hydroponic system and the reuse of cocopit as a climate-friendly alternative. He also informed the audience that the use of drones can reduce fertilizer and pesticide usage by up to 50 percent, resulting in higher crop yields.

Technology (drones, robotics, artificial intelligence, sensors) will also aid in increasing electricity and water input productivity. The resulting crop will be healthier since it will use fewer chemicals and cause less damage to the soil. "Technology can and will change the way we do agriculture," Kesavan asserts.

"The mechanization equipment that we will sell in the near future will be application led and will be dependent on smart engineering," Kesavan explains. "Tractors were the primary mover and shaker of implements, but now we're talking about intelligent self-contained implements."