Akshay Dixit
Field Operations
Vesatogo is a platform providing efficient and economical logistics options to the marginal farmers of the country and also ensuring optimal utility of resources. Headquartered in Nashik, the company is currently being developed for FPOs and their associated farmers, helping them in identifying and removing inefficiencies in their operations and also saving cost for the farmer. While having a brief discussion with Akshay Dixit, the field operations, explains how they help famers in identifying and removing inefficiencies in their operations cost friendly.
In conversation with Akshay Dixit, Field Operations, Vesatogo Innovation
Last mile logistics, to get agri products, into the hands of farmers, is still a big challenge. This holds true for a vice versa situation as well, wherein farmers need to reply on middlemen for the distribution of their produces. How is Vesatogo solving this challenge?
In the current scenario, the profits of the farmers are largely compromised due to the involvement of middlemen in the process. This can be mitigated by creating a community of farmers and that is what Vesatogo Innovations stands for. We are working towards the integration and aggregation of the small and marginal farming community in India.
Vesatogo has developed ‘Gramik’, a market linkage and pay-peruse post-harvest logistics platform for farmers. Through the platform we connect the farmers directly to markets and also help them avail aggregated logistics, hence building up a community.
Tell us in detail about your product’s features?
Vesatogo has developed 3 products for the agrarian community-Gramik: It’s a market linkage and pay-per-use post-harvest logistics platform for farmers. Farmers using the platform can access market information from multiple markets/FPIs/FPOs/ Food Aggregators onboarded on the platform. Getting access to market information helps them making smart and informed decisions ensuring higher profitability. Farmers can also avail logistics services to transport their produce from farms to markets hence ensuring they pay for the only the service which they use resulting in lower expenditure. This 2-way approach of higher profits and lower expenditure helps in increasing the income of the farmer significantly.
We solve one such problem of Mr. Hiraman Kadam, a marginal farmer owning 5 acres of land from a small village Korhate in Nashik district
Agribusiness Management Platform: For the overall growth of an agribusiness, its essential for them to have an ERP in place. Vesatogo has developed a highly customized ERP platform for the use of these agribusinesses, particularly in the Indian context. Various modules under this platform are supplier managements, core supply chain activities management like procurement planning, harvest planning, dispatch and distribution planning amongst others. The platform helps in optimizing the complete operations of the agribusiness. The platform is currently deployed with Sahyadri Farms, India’s largest Farmer Producer Organization (FPO)
Hyperlocal E-commerce Platform: In lines with the honorable PM’s vision of ‘Going Vocal for Local’, Vesatogo has developed a hyperlocal e-commerce platform, primarily to be used by small and medium scale businesses to reach the customers in a local geography. Hyperlocal nature ensures that the
deliveries are quick, follow all the hygiene standards and have minimal human contact.
Share us a success story about one of your implementations that can help us bring out a good story about Vesatogo?
We solve one such problem of Mr. Hiraman Kadam, a marginal farmer owning 5 acres of land from a small village Korhate in Nashik district. My team meet him in FPO where he was standing from 18 hours to deliver his tomato produce. The reason being that there was no proper mechanism at the FPO to streamline and channel their procurement activities. Because of this situation he was not able to dedicate his time on the wheat field which is more profitable then tomatoes. Hence, we introduced him to our Gramik platform, through which he could send his produce to the FPO directly from his home. An onboarded vehicle owner would come to pick up the produce to sell it at the FPO/market. Also, the FPO’s procurement activities were optimized through the platform which resulted in the reduction of the waiting time for the farmers by 6 times.
More than 150 farmers like Hiraman Kadam were assisted to deliver their produce on time despite the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and through the hyperlocal e-commerce platform, more than 1500 housing societies where regularly supplied with fresh fruits and vegetables. Supplies were also provided to 250+ street vendors who reach the smallest of societies.
Where is the company headed in the years to come? What are your future innovation goals?
In the years to come, Vesatogo plans to expand the scope of the Gramik platform by making it a one stop solution to all things related to farming, be it forward or backward linkages, agronomy, or asset sharing and hiring or anything can come between the farm to fork. We also are looking forward to expansion in the Maharashtra and adjoining areas to deploy our products. Also, with the Government of India’s vision of setting up 10,000+ FPOs across the country, Vesatogo wishes to become a key enabler of this initiative by deploying its Agribusiness Management Platform with all the aspiring FPOs.