IIM Lucknow study highlights importance of digitizing India's agriculture sector

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow’s research highlights the importance of digitizing India’s farming and agricultural sectors. The research, published in the technology analysis and strategic management journal, examines the impact of Agtech platforms on Indian agriculture and proposes a framework for building successful platforms in rural markets.

The research led by Sanjeev Kapoor from the centre for food and agribusiness management at IIM Lucknow, and Neeraj Singh from the marketing and strategy area at IIM Rohtak, outlines the creation and utilisation of Agtech platforms by agribusinesses, government agencies, or cooperatives.

As per the institute, the study focuses on four major Agtech platforms in India including Dehaat, Samunnati Agrielevate, IFFCO Bazar, and KRIBHCO-CSC-eGov. Expert consultations and data analysis from several sources were conducted to examine their impact on network effects through matching, transactional, discovery, and evaluation.

The analysis found key supporting elements necessary for an Agtech platform in developing markets. These consist of third-party financial institutions to offer small loans and assist with transactions, along with warehouse and logistics partners to improve operations.

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Emphasising the significance of this research, Sanjeev Kapoor, said, “This study is the first to discuss partners for Agtech platforms. It investigates partners in both privately and collaboratively marketed Agtech platforms using a unique case research methodology. This study is relevant to the development of digital agribusiness strategies because of the rise of the open network for digital commerce (ONDC) and other democratic digital markets in the agricultural space. Practitioners and policymakers can utilise the emerging Agtech value proposition canvas (AVPC) framework as an exercise to build and establish platforms for rural markets.”