Rabi Season: Gram Unnati Conducts Training with KVK Hisar for Farmers

Ahead of the upcoming Rabi season, Gram Unnati, India’s first integrated agri-tech solutions company, under the aegis of Jindal Stainless (Hisar) Limited, conducted a training program together with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), at Sadalpur in Hisar that was attended by more than 50 farmers who are gearing up to sow mustard.

Adjoining areas around Hisar are prominent for mustard production during the Rabi season and are local farmers’ main livelihood. The training session aimed at increasing awareness about the best pre-and post-sowing practices to increase and get the best yield. This was the third camp of the season by Gram Unnati after Bareilly (UP) and Baran (Rajasthan).

Aneesh Jain, CEO & Founder of Gram Unnati, commented on the awareness camp, saying, “As we head into the Rabi season it is very important to make the farmers aware and inform them about the latest techniques that will help them get a better yield of the mustard crop. All over Rajasthan, mustard is a very important crop supporting thousands of farmers' livelihoods. The camp is in line with our promise to hand-hold the farmers right from the start to the end and help them get the best return on the yield.”

Experts from KVK Sadalpur, including Dr. Narendra (project coordinator), Dr. Kuldeep (technical expert), Dr. Deepak (technical expert), and Dr. Ajit (technical expert) were present along with Gram Unnati's Jay Shankar Shukla (regional manager) and Banwari Lal (technical expert). The training camp also informed farmers about the latest techniques that would help safeguard their crops from numerous pests and diseases. The experts and scientists placed significant emphasis on integrated pest and disease management as well as integrated nutrient management, which are essential to sustainable agriculture; farmers should adopt them in order to protect themselves from pests and diseases that could destroy their crops or harm their livelihoods. Farmers were also made aware of crop rotation which is essential in avoiding certain pests."

During the session, farmers received high-quality oat seeds from experts from the Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) for use as cattle fodder. Oats' high hull and fiber content make them an excellent grain for starting cattle on feed. Oats are also good for soil health and can improve the productivity of leguminous crops.

Gram Unnati, Four Leaf Clover Agro Pvt Ltd. is a DPIIT-recognised agri-tech startup that provides i) advisory services to farmers, ii) access to high-quality inputs at low cost, and iii) market linkages with marginal farmers along with iv) customized production, logistics and end-to-end quality control of Agri produce to institutional buyers.

Aneesh Jain, a graduate of IIT Kharagpur, founded Gram Unnati in 2013. He realized that farmers and buyers often fall prey to value traps due to the absence of a fully integrated platform. The company has a formidable advisory pool comprising seasoned Agri professionals, ex-civil servants, and industry body representatives.