Karnataka is witnessing a boom of new companies in the farming sector. Many start-ups are using various technologies to help the farmers to make farming activities profitable and many of these start-ups have won the hearts of the farmers. Farmslocal is one such company engaged in funding the farmers and providing the market for their products.
In simple words, this company connects marginal farmers from remote areas of Karnataka with consumers living in the cities. They are partnered with the retail stores of the neighborhood. This company buys vegetables directly from local farmer groups paying fair price and then they supply the vegetables to the nearest partnered outlet.
The customers can pick up their products from the outlet easily. According to the company officials, online orders from customers are then delivered from these outlets to homes within an hour.
The Vision
Farmslocal is the brainchild of two friends-Sharath Patil (Founder) and Nitin Bhat (Co-Founder). They built the company with a unique vision and that is to make farming sustainable in the country.
Sharath Patil and Nitin have a strong reason to start this. According to a survey carried out in the country, due to the poor financial returns, 85% of farmers’ children don’t want to take up farming and 65% of present farmers think farming is their last resort and will take up any job with a regular income for survival.
This means, only 15% of the children of the farmers will continue farming in the future. This is shocking as it may result in a food crisis in the future. Adding to this, stabilizing the income of the farmers is the greatest challenge in front of all the farmers and the government agencies. In, this backdrop these two young minds joined hands to bring smile back on the faces of the farmers. Now, their start-up has become a household name across the country.
The founders’ story
Founder Sharath has an interesting story. He was running an Adtech startup in 2018, which wasn’t doing great because of market conditions. He took a break and visited farms with his father, who was working closely with farmers as a consultant. Little did he know that he was actually discovering the opportunity by speaking to farmers about their problems and what they actually needed to change their lives. He got back to solve his own startup issues, but the need to do something for the farmers remained in his mind. The idea came in while brainstorming with his friends and the business model further evolved from the crowdfunding model Fund My Crop to the present model of Farmslocal.
Company co-founder Nitin Bhat also has an interesting background. Nitin was working in the education Industry before and was a strategist for the Farmslocal. He was moved by the idea of Farmslocal and partnered to make it happen. Being great at setting process and creating reliable teams, he has launched in 8 different cities and determined valuable partners who are leading Fund My Crop in their particular city. He presently heads B2C segment, which includes determining new shop partners, creating marketing plans, and customer loyalty programs.
Change in perception
“We want to change the way farming is perceived in India. Many believe that farming is a loss making occupation and that it is meant only for rural/uneducated individuals. This is a sad notion, which we want to change,”
say Sharath Patil and Nitin.
“At Farmslocal, we empower marginal farmers with market access and best agronomy practices. Through our platform farmers get their pool of end consumers, which increases their household income by at least 20% and reduces the risk of market variations and dependency on middlemen. While our farmers get back the confidence and respect them. Deserve, online consumers and bulk buyers get good quality products at a reasonable price,” they explain.
For the last three years, the company has changed the lives of hundreds of small and marginal farmers in Karnataka.
Initially, this company was called the Fund my Crop. Now it is renamed Farmslocal, which is sending local produce to the global market.
Saviour during lockdown
At the time of Covid-19 pandemic, especially at the time of lockdown, the company came to the rescue of both farmers and customers. It ensured that pandemics will not hurt the farmers. At the same time, it helped the customers with quality products for an affordable rate.
According to the founders, their startup creates an impact in each stakeholder of the value chain like farmers and small retailer. “We work hard every day to bring end consumers closer to the farmers. But we do not entertain middle men or any other suppliers other than FPOs or farmers themselves. We are a brand of farmers rather than “Online grocery store” because our core is Agriculture marketing rather than retail business, say the founders.
Two major districts of the state i.e. Mysuru and Chamarajanagar are known for vegetable cultivation. The vegetables are grown in all the villages. It is the main source of income for the farmers. The vegetables grown in these villages are sent to Bengaluru and Chennai.
Which are the two major markets. Another important market for them is Kerala. However, at the time of Covid-19 crisis, the supply chain was broken many times causing a lot of problems to the farmers. The company came to the rescue of farmers at this time.
Now many companies in Karnataka have forayed into vegetables and fruits marketing. Farmslocal is the leader of the pack by providing a stable market and ensuring farmers that they are not dependent upon their luck to improve their income.
