Start-up aims to revive Tamil Nadu’s agri supply chain

The NAF is a Public Charitable Trust set up by Bharat Ratna Dr C Subramanian, that employs a focussed approach to transform and revive rural India’s economy through better practices. 

Karthik Jayaraman, Co-Founder, WayCool Foods and Products and SS Rajsekar, Managing Trustee, National Agro Foundation, signed the MoU at a special ceremony held in Chennai. WayCool and NAF will deploy a structured handholding initiative for the farming fraternity, which includes organising farming communities, introducing cleaner cultivation practices, controlling the use of harmful chemicals, scientific post-harvest handling, better crop cultivation to improvise the quality of the product, achievement of better grades and higher yields. 

WayCool in association with NAF will develop better practices of post-harvest management, as well as skill building in the same areas. The key benefit for the farming fraternity would be better realisations for their effort due to higher quality yields, reduced wastages and inefficiencies. 

Jayaraman said, “This first-ofits-kind initiative aims to provide a significant fillip to the farming fra ternity by leveraging the extensive experience and research capabilities of the team of experts at NAF.” He added, “We are confident this would result in enduring association with NAF and further strengthen our relationship with farming fraternity. This would take WayCool a step ahead and sustain rapid growth in India’s fast growing agri-supply chain market.” 

“NAF’s mission of rural prosperity through Soil to Market approach could be fulfilled only when the farmers are linked to organised markets for ensuring fair price for their produce. NAF has been promoting Farmer’s Producer Companies with farmers as shareholders for the same similar to Amul in dairy sector. This  association will benefit the farming community under NAF’s fold in understanding the consumer’s taste and preferences, quality standards and value addition and help in orienting themselves towards continuous improvement in production of safe and quality produce,” said, S Rajsekar, Managing Trustee, National Agro Foundation. 

A 2011 report by a UN body, FAO, puts wastage in fruits and vegetables as high as 45 pc of produce (post-harvest to distribution) for developing Asian countries like India. WayCool will closely work with NAF to increase the productivity (fresh produce), reduce wastage and inefficiencies which will double the income of farming fraternity.