“India presents a distinctly different opportunity, driven by the need to empower millions of smallholder farmers and agri-retailers”

UPL Sustainable Agri Solutions Limited (UPL SAS), a subsidiary of UPL Ltd, aims to revolutionise Indian agriculture by offering a holistic approach to farming, including crop protection, climate-smart technologies, and digital solutions.

- ASHISH DOBHAL

It has a diverse range of platforms including UPL, SWAL, AT, Decco, ALP, Public Health, Unimart, nurture.farm, nurture.retail, Insurance, nurture.care and many more which are in developmental stages. It has a wide range of crop protection chemicals with over 300+ products covering >90 per cent of the crops grown in India. UPL SAS has about 25000+ dealers with over 3 lakhs indirect retailers. In an interaction with AgroSpectrum Ashish Dobhal, CEO, UPL SAS shares how AI and ML are being leveraged to improve efficiency, forecasting, and decision-making across the agri-supply chain, besides other issues. Edited excerpts;

How has the emergence of digital agri-marketplaces like nurture.retail redefined procurement practices for agri-retailers and manufacturers in India?

The agri-input procurement landscape in India has witnessed a profound shift, especially for agri-retailers who form the backbone of rural supply chains. Traditionally constrained by limited access, opaque pricing, and inconsistent availability, retailers often faced challenges in serving farmers efficiently. Digital marketplaces like nurture.retail have fundamentally changed this dynamic. Retailers now have seamless access to a wide assortment of products, transparent pricing, timely offers, and integrated logistics, all through a single platform. This has enabled them to make more informed and strategic purchasing decisions, manage working capital better, and respond faster to farmers’ needs. By putting retailers in control and eliminating inefficiencies, nurture.retail has empowered them to strengthen their local presence, build deeper farmer relationships, and become growth engines for India's agri economy.

Could you elaborate on how AI and machine (ML) learning are being leveraged to improve efficiency, forecasting, and decision-making across the agri-supply chain?