Barwani (Madhya Pradesh), December 3: Farmkart, Central India’s first agritech startup, has added one more feather to its cap. Farmkart’s founder and CEO Atul Patidar has won the prestigious ‘Pride of Central India 2022’ award for transforming the lives of lakhs of rural farmers in the region.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation of India Jyotiraditya Scindia handed over the award to Farmkart CEO Atul Patidar at a ceremony held in New Delhi on December 1, 2022.
Dainik Bhaskar’s ‘Pride of Central India’ honours people with exceptional and inspirational work in education, health, art, business, and social work.
Farmkart designs innovative technology solutions for farmers who have little or zero knowledge of modern technology. The technology solutions such as UIC, U2U, agri-nidan, and rent4farm are simplifying the everyday lives of rural farmers and leading them towards profitable agriculture.
The startup shot to fame in 2020 when its technology solutions and exemplary support to rural farmers during Covid-19 lockdown was recognised and praised by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in the 70th edition of Mann ki Baat.
Also, Farmkart was chosen by Startup Grind, powered by Google for Entrepreneurs, as one of the Top 50 Global Innovative Startups in 2018.
The startup was conceptualised in 2017 while Atul Patidar was working in a Fortune 500 multinational in Canada, after completing 4 post-graduation degrees from the top universities of the world such as Cornell University, Queen’s University, and University of Toronto.
He collaborated with some Canadian Indians and founded Farmkart in the same year in Barwani (Madhya Pradesh), which also happens to be his hometown.
“Being from a farming background, I understood the problems of farmers. I always wanted to use my knowledge to design technology solutions for non-tech-savvy farmers who reside in rural India,” said Atul Patidar, founder and CEO, Farmkart.
With the help of these innovative technology solutions, rural farmers get easy access to the most advanced agri-products and technology. They can order agri-inputs such as fertilisers, seeds, pesticides etc. at the most affordable rates, and get it delivered to their doorsteps. The technology solutions also create a complete ecosystem by helping farmers get consultancy and equipment on rent throughout the process of agriculture.
Sharing his future plans about the startup, Patidar added, “We are working with a broad and long-term goal of helping every farmer in India go online. Currently, more than 1 lakh farmers, in around 4,000 plus locations are reaping the benefits of our products and services.”
The startup soon plans to have pan India footprints and is also moving towards Series A funding.
The advent of Farmkart has also led to creation of a lot of world-class jobs in rural localities. In the current phase of expansion, the startup is attracting talented global professionals to rural India.
Recently, Farmkart appointed Stephane Pastor as its new chief operating officer. He comes from a rich multicultural background at both personal and professional front. He is a French citizen with experience of living in 8 countries across 4 continents.
Patidar feels Farmkart’s work culture and diversity are its biggest strengths. He adds,” Farmkart was created with a futuristic approach in mind. It took shape from the combination of different nationalities, cultures, education systems, and ideas. We are all about a vibrant work culture in a world-class professional environment.”
In all, the startup employs 102 people, with its core strategy team in Toronto, Canada.
About the ‘Pride of Central India’ award, Atul Patidar feels it is one of the most important recognitions as Farmkart started its journey from central India.
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Siddharth Mehta
