Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India:
- More than 500 farmers attended the 1st anniversary of Outgrow – agricultural extension program
- Outgrow Agricultural Research Station (OARS) launched to help improve farm productivity and profitability in a sustainable manner
- Indian Farmers’ Day was celebrated with ‘Reverse Santhai’ wherein the farmers are guests and companies are vendors showcasing emerging agri-tech products
WayCool Foods and Products Pvt. Ltd. celebrated the first anniversary of the ‘Outgrow’ program today at Bagalur, Hosur, Tamil Nadu. On this occasion, WayCool launched its flagship Outgrow Agricultural Research Station (OARS) aimed to improve farm productivity and profitability in a sustainable manner, while growing safe to consume products.
The event was attended by over 500 farmers, 25 leading Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across the country with significant representation from the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, and Telangana, various seed providers, and inputs companies. The event showcased latest technology and latest developments in the food and agriculture sector through product demos, new product launches, new seed varieties, and many more innovations with the aim to help farmers improve their productivity and profitability.
Speaking at the program, Sanjay Dasari, Co-Founder, WayCool Foods, said, “Our Outgrow program has had an incredibly successful first year, forging new partnerships and experimenting with creative solutions. This “Reverse Santhai” itself is a proof of the same, as we’re honoured to have such amazing participation from leaders and influential institutions in the industry. In traditional Santhais, farmers bring their produce to the cities and customers visit the stalls and buy. But for our anniversary event, continuing the farmer impact theme, we wanted to hold a “Reverse Santhai” where farmers were the guests and companies from the cities came to the farm to showcase their products and services.”
Outgrow is WayCool’s agricultural extension program that engages with farmers through the entire cultivation cycle, from planning to inputs to harvesting. The program engages with farmers through their entire cultivation cycle, from planning to inputs to harvesting to substantially increase profitability of the farmer, reduce their risk, and guarantee farmers 270 days of steady income by leveraging a host of emerging technologies to measure soil health, ensure quality of inputs, capture agricultural practices, and measure output quality. The program partners with several companies, central and state governments, and renowned institutions like the National Agro Foundation and the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research.
In the last one year, since the launch of the Outgrow program, WayCool has worked with more than 200 farmers, cultivated over 250 acres, and harvested more than 20 crops spread across Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
The second year of the program aims to impact thousands of farmers’ lives by transforming livelihoods of small-hold farmers by solving challenges faced during cultivation and facilitate in better crop planning, improved produce quality & productivity, lower cultivation costs, assured returns, and fair pricing.
Speaking on the program, Sendhil Kumar Natarajan, Outgrow Head at WayCool, said, “Outgrow aims at being a platform for farmers and all stakeholders in the agri supply chain including seed, fertilizer, pesticide, finance, and agri tech companies to improve farm productivity in a sustainable manner. Through the Outgrow program we can work with farmers as entrepreneurs, specifically targeting each element of their farming operations to enable them to adopt agriculture as a profitable business by reducing costs and increasing per acre revenue.”
Karthik Jayaraman, CEO & Co-Founder, WayCool Foods, commenting on the research station said, “The Outgrow Agricultural Research Station is aimed at bringing cutting edge agricultural technology and techniques to marginal farmers to enable them to increase productivity and reduce cost of cultivation on the one hand, while ensuring sustainable practices that produce safe to consume products on the other.”
WayCool is focused towards achieving their mission of doubling farmer income and reducing food wastage in the agri supply chain.
