Sabjikothi/Preservator

India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. However, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, 40 percent (worth around $8.3 billion of horticultural produce) is wasted every year due to inadequate logistical support, lack of refrigerated storage, supply chain bottlenecks, poor transport, and underdeveloped marketing channels.

These numbers are worrisome, but what’s even more concerning is the ground reality of small and marginal farmers. Before developing our product, we did extensive research on the problem from the perspective of the primary stakeholders, i.e. farmers. We observed that the small landholder farmers have to commute daily to big mandis (vegetable markets) significant water and weight loss is experienced during the transportation. They even have to sell their produce at half prices in late-evening due to short shelf-life of produce and lack of storage to keep it fresh. Sometimes their produce is destroyed by stray animals, drunkards, etc.

All this causes direct economic loss for the farmers, and it’s unaccounted for in the entire supply chain. Thus, this gap in the agri-sector needed a technological innovation and investment of talent to present a solution

We have conceptualized and developed a wheel-mountable, microclimate-based storage ‘Sabjikothi/ Preservator’, which is cost-effective, portable, and extends the shelf-life while preserving the freshness of fruits and vegetables anywhere from 3 to 30 days.

The entire setup of Sabjikothi can be assembled on any suitable means of transportation (E-rickshaw, mini-trucks, thelas, etc.) and can transport contamination-free and pathogen-free fruits and vegetables from the field to the market without any water loss or decay. 

Sabjikothi extends the shelf life of perishable horticultural produce through the construction of a high-humid and sterile isolated chamber of plasma (ionized air), which oxidizes ethylene into small molecules, thus delaying browning and ripening, and also regulating the activity of the antioxidant enzyme. It requires only 20 watts of power and has a battery back-up of one day with an option of solar charging. 

The USP of the solution lies in the fact that it is a non-chemical, non-cooling, and completely green technology at a very affordable price. It is a valuable one-time investment and shall last multiple harvest seasons. It increases the ROI for farmers and traders, and opens new opportunities and bigger markets for them.

The primary aim of our innovation ‘Sabjikothi/ Preservator’ is the upliftment of small and marginal farmers who spend their entire lives producing to feed others, while themselves being underpaid. They work tirelessly in fields only to see half of their produce getting wasted due to inadequate technological solutions.
Our target market pertains to farmers (producers) and traders of horticultural commodities. For marketing into the rural farmer segment, we are partnering up with structures of trusted NGOs, self-help groups, and micro-finance institutions which have already integrated their farmer networks. For the traders, who can be our most convinced customers, demos will be organized frequently in 'mandis'.

Sabjikothi is a valuable one-time investment and shall last multiple harvest seasons. The already low-cost chamber is priced even lower for LIS farmers & women farmers. It increases the ROI for farmers and traders and opens new opportunities and bigger markets for them. Our small-scale industries will act as employment centers for rural India. Through such rural development centers, we will specifically target women for reducing the gender disparity in agriculture.

We as a team are the perfect fit for delivering right product to our target market because we intervene within the problems facing by the farmers at the ground level. We engage them and gain their trust by first getting to know about their problems they are facing through the FPOs and the communities they are already in. Then we ensure them by showing them how our solution help them to solve their problems and how they can increase their productivity.

Challenges:

• Established market of Cold Storages:

The cold storages have been there in the market as the only major solution for the perishability of post-harvest produce for a long time. As an alternative solution, it would be a challenge for us to prove ourselves better and establish ourselves in the competitive domain. 

2. Reaching out to small farmers:

Our primary customers are the small and marginal farmers, who are usually very reluctant to change or intervention of new technology in their lives. They are also away from the world of the internet and social media. So, we would need to personally target and reach out to such customers and make them realize the usefulness of our innovation. We already have some success in this direction through our pilot trials in various rural areas

1.Distribution: We are looking to get connected with Agro-dealers, FPOs, Traders and transporters

2.Mentorship: We would like to have mentorship support in areas of marketing, distribution management etc.

3.Partner connect: Introduction to Microfinance companies and  Government organization for access to subsidies which can attract potential buyers which will benefit them.

4.Tech development: To get access to the Agri university to retrieve research based data on fruits and vegetables.

The only major solution in the past to the problem of the perishability of horticultural produce has been the cold storage units, which need high initial investment and are harmful due to exposure to extreme temperatures. They are usually located in distant city centers and mostly filled with potatoes and apples, making them inaccessible.
Other storage solutions like Small/ Micro cold storage or Controlled Atmosphere also need high investments and technical manpower for operation, which is not feasible in a rural set-up. Chemical wrapping can also be used for preservation but they have highly negative health impacts.
On the other hand, we provide a completely decentralized and cost-effective solution. Our product requires very little power and can be assembled on any means of transportation, making it ideal for small and marginal farmers

The primary aim of our innovation ‘Sabjikothi’ is the upliftment
of the small and marginal farmers. Those who spend their
entire lives producing to feed others, while being underpaid
and getting exploited by middlemen. They work tirelessly in
fields only to see around half of their produce getting wasted
due to inadequate technological solutions. However, with our
affordable technology, the farmers do not need to sell their
produce at meager amounts to the traders in town. They can
themselves store and carry their produce to the market
without worrying about its perishability. This way, they can
earn 40-50% more than what they were earning from selling to
traders in town. India has more than 150 million farmers, out
of which around 80 percent are small farmers. We plan to sell
our customised product ‘Sabjikothi’ directly to small and
marginal farmers, especially women-farmers at very affordable
prices. This would help in increasing their ROI and open new
market opportunities for them. We have also developed other
variants of the product ‘Preservator’ for traders and microentrepreneurs
to help them in growing their business. We are
developing multiple sales channels and also offer easy renting
of Preservator/ Sabjikothi for enterprises or businesses in
need. Through our eco-friendly and socially-relevant solutions,
Saptkrishi is ensuring holistic development of the horticultural
sector by minimising supply chain losses, financially stabilizing
the farmers, and bridging the gap between the producers and
consumers.

1. Employment Generation

2. Reduce Green house gas mitigation, Carbon footprint

3. Reduce raw post harvest wastage 

4. Reduce hunger 

Employment Generation: A whole range of jobs are being
created by Saptkrishi directly and indirectly. (Driver +
Manufacturing + Delivery)= More than 10 people per
deployment. Farmers’ Profit: We offer a 20-30% higher rate to
farmers than what they were selling to traders in town. They
need not travel to city for selling their fruits and vegetables
and this way they can focus more on growing fruits and
vegetables. By preventing the losses, their income increases by
more than 50%. Health Benefits: Unsafe food containing
harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances,
causes more than 200 diseases – ranging from diarrhoea to
cancers. According to WHO, an estimated 600 million – almost
1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated
food and 4,20,000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33
million healthy life years. Preservator/Sabjikothi decreases the
pathogenic load of fruits and vegetables, and the high-end
technology has the potential to kill even the deadliest viruses,
making the fruits and vegetables safe for consumption. Social
Impact: The UN estimates that more than 40% of food
produced in India is wasted before it reaches the consumer
and the issues have been largely around supply chain
bottlenecks, transport, and storage. On the other hand, some
194 million Indians go hungry every day. Preservator can help
in curbing the problem by not only providing a storage and
transportation solution but also bringing the producer and
consumer together. Environmental Impact: The
Preservator/Sabjikothi is a non-chemical, non-cooling and
green solution for preserving fruits and vegetables. Our
analysis shows that the energy consumption of Preservator is
significantly lower than the conventional cold storages. Where
cold storages consume 30-50 kWh/m3 energy per year, the
Preservator consumes only 8.63 kWh/m3, thus reducing the
energy consumption by more than 80%. GHG Mitigation:
Preservator reduces CO2 emissions from agricultural wastes
by 95%. One smallest unit can avoid 1276.8 kg CO2 emissions
per year.

The entire setup of Sabjikothi can be assembled on any suitable means of transportation (E-rickshaw, mini-trucks, thelas, etc.) and can transport contamination-free and pathogen-free fruits and vegetables from the field to the market without any water loss or decay. 

Sabjikothi extends the shelf life of perishable horticultural produce through the construction of a high-humid and sterile isolated chamber of plasma (ionized air), which oxidizes ethylene into small molecules, thus delaying browning and ripening, and also regulating the activity of the antioxidant enzyme. It requires only 20 watts of power and has a battery back-up of one day with an option of solar charging. 

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