: Tamil Nadu Man Quits Corporate Job, Helps 3000 Farmers Double Their Yield With AI #IndiaNEWS #Organic Farming Farming is a science that involves elements of chemistry, geography, weather and timing.

Tamil Nadu Man Quits Corporate Job, Helps 3000 Farmers Double Their Yield With AI #IndiaNEWS #Organic Farming
Farming is a science that involves elements of chemistry, geography, weather and timing. Reaping the best yield out of farms requires a perfect blend of these elements with high precision and timing. Farm Again, a Tamil Nadu based startup is helping farmers achieve exactly that.
Unhappy farmer
Benjamin Raja started the company in 2012 from Tirunalveli, his hometown, after quitting a high paying corporate job. Life changed for Benjamin when he visited a school friend in 2010.
“My friend, John Augustun, a farmer from Salem, was not happy with the yield and earning less than expected. I realised the need to bring timely interventions in farming, to solve such issues,??? Benjamin says.
“John was using 1,000 litres of water for irrigation, where the requirement was only 100 litres. This was the same reason why the yield was low, which is calculated in the proportion of 1:10,??? Benjamin recounts.
“I thought what if the average yield in the country is increased five to ten times, allowing farmers to have a great life? There was a simple solution,??? Benjamin narrates adding, I certainly could help them. ???
There has been no looking back since.
Rajaratnam Kanakarajan at his coconut farm
Rajaratnam Kanakarajan is another farmer from Thungavi, who wanted to give away his 14-acre farmland for industrial or commercial use. “It was getting difficult to manage the farm and I considered chopping down the coconut trees under cultivation,??? he says.
Rajaratnam said Benjamin offered his precision farm technique for six months for free. “Benjamin said that if his technique succeeds, I would have to start paying him,??? he adds.
“Farming requires timely and correct interventions. The watering, the use of fertiliser and the quantity needs to be adequate. Trusting the workforce did not help as effective monitoring of the coconut trees did not happen,??? Benjamin said, recalling his efforts. And they did pay off indeed.
Rajaratnam said 99 per cent of his problems were solved when he installed the system in 2018, and he expects the coconut yield to increase from 80 nuts per tree to 160 nuts.
The farm management technique worked so well for Rajaratnam that he invested in the company and became the director.
Small innovation big impact
Sensors installed in one of the farms.
After initial successes, Benjamin says the farmers started facing a new challenge. “The farmers are enthusiastic about using the technique during the first season. However, the productivity dropped with the second and third season,??? he adds.
Benjamin says that farmers tend to be less careful and pay less attention compared to the initial seasons.