March 29, 2024

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AgNext Technologies introduces AI-based devices to test products quality

A Punjab-primarily based firm, AgNext Technologies, has come up with a system primarily based on electronic technological innovation and synthetic intelligence (AI) that combines components, program and algorithms to take a look at agricultural products and solutions for good quality. AgNext Technologies, headquartered at Mohali in Punjab, has come up with this giving at a time when screening of deliver these kinds of as spices have been affected as the next period of Covid has affected the availability of manpower.

“Testing samples from farmers cuts equally means. Farmers could be disgruntled as they could experience they are not compensated the suitable value for the suitable good quality. It can be the other way too exactly where a customer feels he is not getting the suitable good quality for the value he is inclined to pay,” sais Taranjit Singh Bhamra, Main Government Officer and founder of AgNext Technologies.

AgNext has mainly come up with two launches. One is the Digital Coworker which is a portal unit weighing considerably less than two kg that uses AI along with pc vision.

Also read: AgNext — cultivating tech to analyse farm deliver good quality in thirty seconds!

For case in point, the Digital Coworker checks the good quality of chilli or turmeric and offers out aspects of the capsaicin or curcumin articles other than dampness, color and other these kinds of physical parameters. “The unit can supply all these aspects in a issue of thirty seconds. The info is then produced to a central system to help the customer or consumer to get aspects on the good quality of the products and solutions,” Bhamra explained to BusinessLine.

Relying on knowledge

Tests good quality is often a tricky difficulty with numerous buyers or traders relying on their knowledge. On the other hand, at the conclusion of the day one of the stakeholders finishes not happy.

“This unit must leave equally the functions pleased because at the push of a button all the aspects on the good quality of the deliver is built obtainable in a issue of considerably less than a moment,” explained the CEO of AgNext Technologies, which Nationwide Agricultural Cooperative Marketing and advertising Federation (Nafed), Olam, Goodricke and the Compass team amongst its shoppers.

The business on its web site says it checks 40 commodities for virtually 500-furthermore good quality parameters.

“During the recent Covid time when availability of manpower is an difficulty, the Digital Coworker can help operate at a quicker clip. It is also a step towards digitalising procurement and other good quality processes,” Bhamra explained.

The next unit AgNext Technologies delivers is Specx weighing seven kg and can be made use of for screening in all foodstuff value-chain and warehouses.

“Specx can be made use of by substantial exporters and other foodstuff value-chains for screening the good quality. The unit delivers aspects of the merchandise by way of trustworthy technological innovation in a real ambiance and a transparent fashion,” the AgNext Technologies CEO and founder explained.

Generally, equally units use AI to analyse the good quality of a deliver. Then, they put spectra technological innovation to fantastic use exactly where the light reflection technological innovation is utilised to analyse the chemical good quality of the product.

“The light reflection is the similar technological innovation that Sir C V Raman created and was awarded the Nobel prize,” says Bhamra, a merchandise of Indian Institute of Engineering (IIT), Kharagpur, and Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C).

AgNext Technologies delivers these remedies for spices these kinds of as pepper and turmeric, foodgrains, oilseeds, pulses, tea and milk. “We have got a substantial exposure in foodgrains and milk sectors,” he explained.

No manpower wanted

The units do not require any manpower nor is any consumable wanted as its pure “technology at work”, he explained.

On the other hand, there is also a lack of human means for screening the good quality of agricultural deliver. The units can fill in this void too.

Incorporated in 2016, the business initially began carrying out investigate and screening prior to it introduced its initially merchandise a couple of yrs later on. “For two-3 yrs, we worked on investigate, arms-on in electronics to make the necessary algorithm best. We gathered above four,000 foodstuff samples to best our technological innovation,” Bhamra explained.

It initially arrived out with units for tea, foodgrains, pulses and milk prior to introducing them for spices in January previous year.

Presently, AgNext Technologies would make outright product sales of its units or rents them out as per the customer’s choice. “Our costs are economical. For case in point, a curcumin take a look at in turmeric can value any place between ₹600 and ₹900 but with our unit it would be ₹50-one hundred,” he explained.

The business, which has attracted investments to the tune of $four million from undertaking capitals these kinds of as Omnivore and Kalaari Money, is now creating related unit to take a look at cumin (jeera), coriander (dhaniya) and pepper.

Bhamra, who worked in the agriculture sector soon soon after graduating from IIT-Kharagpur prior to signing up for IIM-C, says info science can be made use of to solving complications in the agriculture sector, specially with regard to good quality assessments. “Today, millions of pounds are included in the agriculture sector and good quality performs a essential function,” explained the AgriNext CEO.

Pesticide residue

Bhamra explained the most important difficulty with regard to Indian agriculture currently is the existence of pesticide residue in surplus to the maximum amount permitted. “Indian foodstuff requirements are not measuring up to the good quality parameter of importing nations. Aside from, there is a lot of adulteration too,” he explained.

For case in point, pink bricks powder existence has been discovered in chilli, even though the existence of cow dung has been observed in coriander. “These are foodstuff basic safety concerns. Sometimes, persons conclusion up paying out ₹100 for a merchandise that is value only ₹20 primarily based on its good quality,” he says.

On the other hand, India enjoys the advantage of unique agro-ecological zones and can “really do considerably much better than what it is doing now”. “We have not tapped our full potential. We have not even built a get started that can make us a global behemoth,” says Bhamra.

AgNext Technologies is making an attempt to resolve the core difficulty of belief and transparency in the foodstuff value chain, specifically spices and is on the lookout ahead to turning out to be a global player in the near long term, he included.