Krish-e Mahindra’s AgTech business has launched the Krish-e Smart Kit (KSK). An after-market device, the Krish-e Smart Kit is the first-of-its-kind smart device that provides equipment owners with detailed insights of their tractors and farm equipment, through GPS enabled time tracking and remote monitoring of various parameters from the comfort of a smart phone.
A cutting-edge offering, the Krish-e Smart Kit is developed by Carnot Technologies, an Ag-Tech start-up, founded in 2015 by four alumni from IIT Bombay in their mid-20s, who as part of the IITB racing team, developed solutions to monitor the performance of race vehicles from the pit. Today Carnot Technologies is engaged in manufacturing and retailing products and services related to internet-connected devices for monitoring performance of vehicles and equipment, with M&M Ltd. having acquired a significant stake in the company.
The Krish-e Smart Kit enables equipment owners and rental entrepreneurs to sustainably improve fleet performance, improve incomes and manage maintenance costs, while reducing tractor downtime and preventing unauthorised usage of their tractors. The Smart Kit also includes an advanced trip replay feature for tracking commercial transportation and trolley activity.
The kit is brand agnostic and can be installed on any new or old brand of tractor or farm equipment, such as harvesters, rice transplanters and self-propelled sprayers. The kit is paired with an app called the Krish-e Rental Partner App and is available on the Google Play Store. In addition to tracking and monitoring, the app also offers users access to an inventory of high-end farm machinery on a pay per use basis.
Ramesh Ramachandran – Senior Vice President and Head Krish-e – Farm Equipment Sector, M&M Ltd. said, “An industry first aftermarket IoT solution, the Krish-e Smart Kit presents the smartest, most affordable and sustainable way for farmers and businesses to connect and monitor their farm equipment on the go. In its scale-up phase, with over 25,000 active users we will officially launch the Krish-e Smart Kit. Besides farmers, we invite institutions, FPO’s, government bodies and start-ups in the state to partner with us on this connected journey as we aim to digitise every acre and kilometre of rental activity. Going forward we aim to become the leading provider of connectivity for farm equipment in India.”
Pushkar Limaye – CTO, Carnot Technologies commented, “With a vision of building world-class products out of India, we came up with a small plug-and-play device for tractors to help improve their productivity using IoT, with real-time updates on smartphones. And today we are glad to see over 25,000 kits having already helped farmers digitise their businesses and adding real value on ground. And today with the official launch of the Krish-e Smart Kit, together with Mahindra, we aim to digitise Indian farming with an India-based solution, while reaching a larger audience of tractor owners and rental business owners.
So far Krish-e has over 25,000 active subscribers, 85% DAU (daily active users), spending about 55 minutes per day on the app (in season), with 70% resubscriptions post expiry of the free subscription period.
Individual farmers, institutional buyers, FPOs, and start-ups can purchase the Krish-e Smart Kit from the nearest Krish-e center, the Krish-e website, or Krish-e Sahayaks by calling 1800-266-1555 at an early bird price of INR 4,995 (including taxes and a six-month subscription package for the aforementioned services).
Launched in 2020, Krish-e is a new business vertical from Mahindra. Krish-e offers technology driven services, to minimise income potential of farmers and other value chain players sustainably. Carrying the tag line – ‘Expert Takneek. Naye Upay. Parinaam Dikhaye’, Krish-e services currently focus on the areas of Farm Advisory, Equipment Rental & Used Equipment through an omni channel presence which includes 150 Krish-e centers and app-based touch points.
Krish-e efforts have been recognised and included in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) January 2023 White Paper on “Accelerating Business Action on Climate Change Adaptation” as an example on how businesses can collaborate with communities to ensure the sustainability of critical natural resources.
