Engineer Kalyani Shinde did such a modern invention for onion producing farmers, loss reduced by 25%
This technique of Godaam Innovations is saving farmers from loss
One of the biggest challenges faced by onion-growing farmers is to store their produce safely after harvesting. Maharashtra is the largest onion-producing state. Onion farming is done on a large scale in Nashik, Solapur, Pune, Ahmednagar and Dhule of Maharashtra. In this too, Nashik is the most famous. Asia’s largest (Lasalgaon Mandi) onion market is located in Lasalgaon in Nashik district. The farmers here store onions in the hope of getting good prices. Nashik district produces maximum onion in March, April and May. In the later months of onion storage, most onions go bad due to moisture and not proper temperature. By the time farmers come to know about onion rot, huge quantity of onions get spoiled.
Kalyani, an engineer by profession, found a way out
Onion crop also suffers heavy damage due to floods and excessive rains. 40 to 50 percent of the onion crop rots due to water or moisture entering the store. Due to this the farmers have to suffer financial loss. To solve this problem of farmers, Kalyani Shinde of Maharashtra has developed a modern technology. Kalyani Shinde has developed a sensor, which runs on electricity. It informs the farmer when the crop is damaged. Kalyani Shinde, who reached Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2022, spoke to Kisan of India about this technology.
Kalyani Shinde hails from Lasalgaon, Maharashtra. His family itself is involved in the production of onions. Kalyani Shinde says that she has closely observed the pain of onion growing farmers. Onion of farmers kept in storage gets wasted. They have to sell their crops at low prices. A graduate in Computer Science Engineering, Kalyani understood the storage problem of farmers closely. She met many farmers as well.
From sowing to harvesting, onion cultivation usually takes about 120 days. Thereafter, onions are usually stored for six to eight months in the warehouse. Kalyani found in his research that a farmer who stores 10 kg of onion, about 40 to 50 percent of his onion gets spoiled. It was only then that Kalyani started looking for tech-based solutions for onion growing farmers. This is where Kalyani Shinde’s agritech startup ‘Warehouse Innovations’ started.
How does this technology work?
Godaam Innovations has developed the Godaam Sense device. These leverages work with Internet of Things (IoT) technology. It informs the farmer when the crop is damaged. This device also tells which pile of onions is getting spoiled. The specialty of this device is that it collects real time data. Detects gases released from onions. Along with this, it also sends alerts in local language to the farmers about the temperature of the warehouse. Kalyani Shinde said that till now many farmers are taking advantage of this device. Due to this their crop loss has been reduced by 20 percent.
This device is charged in the same way as a mobile phone. This device is inserted inside a perforated pipe and inserted into the pile of onions. The Godaam Innovations team installs these devices themselves in the godowns of the farmers.
Kalyani Shinde told that farmers can know about onion rot by smelling, but by then it is too late. The storage space is very traditional. Onions are stored in a raw hut. For this Godaam Innovations first works on creating infrastructure. Ventilation is arranged in the warehouse. This maintains the correct temperature of the warehouse.
How much does a device cost?
A device of Godaam Sense is worth 10 thousand rupees. One unit of the device can be applied for 7 tonnes of onion. Kalyani Shinde said that it is like a one-time investment for the farmers. You can get it serviced after five to 6 years at minimum service charge. Given the warehouse space, the team tells the farmers how many units of the device they will need.
The role of the government in taking this startup to the farmers
Kalyani Shinde says that her startup is working only for the farmers. Talks are going on with the government to provide subsidy to the farmers on this device. Along with this, there is talk about installing this device on the storage houses of the government. Kalyani Shinde aims to take this device to the doorstep of every onion producing farmer in the coming time.
Contact us: If farmers want to share information or experiences related to farming with us, then they can do this by calling us on the phone number 9599273766 or by writing an email to kisanofindia.mail@gmail.com or by sending your recording. Through Kisan of India, we will convey your message to the people, because we believe that if the farmers are advanced then the country is happy.