Farmer’s friend, Farmpal takes the agri sector to a new level

Right now, India is facing mass departure of the migrant labourers coming from other cities after being laid off due to the ongoing crises. Hundreds and thousands of the migrated workers who came from villages to India’s megacities are left with no choice except to walk back home as the buses and trains have been suspended.

Farmpal technology pvt. Ltd. depends on casual workers both directly and indirectly. This Pune based start-up requires manual labour for every part of process and to procure the products from more than one thousand farmers. Thereafter, it needs to be segregated by quality and later transported to supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and kirana stores. The objective of this start-up is to encourage collaborative farming as well as entrepreneurship development.

Coronavirus crisis crunching agri-based start-ups

However, the country-wide lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic has crunched the manpower. Most of the manpower that are hired for harvesting comes from Uttar Pradesh and they have gone back now. Presently, there are not enough hands in the fields and harvest is just wasting. Of the 50 people who were employed by the firm, 20 have gone back and have been out of contact since then. They have not laid off anyone, but many have left which has given rise to shortage.

Right now, India is facing mass departure of the migrant labourers coming from other cities after being laid off due to the ongoing crises. Hundreds and thousands of the migrated workers who came from villages to India’s megacities are left with no choice except to walk back home as the buses and trains have been suspended.

Farmpal itself has cut off 20-50% of the salaries for backend employees based on their contribution. Farmpal has always believed in running a lean business while their other revenues have not been impacted like other non-essential services, but it still pressurises on their ability to pay salaries.

According to Sethi, the founder of this startup,Farmpal has lost revenue from hotels and restaurants as they are nearly shut all the time. Demand from supermarkets like Big Basket and Nature’s Basket has also tapered overtime due to the pandemic. However, the retail demand has grown three to four folds.

Referring to the kirana stores, Sethi also said they have been selling 12 -15 tonnes per day and now it has reduced to 6 – 7 tonnes per day but this demand is only from the retail market side.The retail segment has had the highest margins for Farmpal and sale there has increased.

A little hope rising

This pandemic has brought new opportunity for Farmpal. Amidst the lockdown, housing societies now connect directly with the farms or business platforms to procure vegetables.

Sethi said thatthey have received at least 25 inquiry calls from the housing societies in Pune. They also delivered vegetables once or twice but with each delivery at least two men must accompany and that is not feasible.

He then added, as they are unable to keep up with the demand, they decided to refocus on business to business deals. Also, as there is low manpower, they have decided to operate in areas where there’s high/Maximum demand and customers. Sethi however,does not expect the rise in retail sales to sustain once the pandemic ebbs.

Farmpal has already collaborated with Dunzo to deliver groceries within the city. Also,Swiggy has launched ‘SwiggyGenie’ service for deliveries during the lockdown and now they are targeting Zomato.

He added.“while apps are likely to provide new business, the rise in the retail demand is expected to normalise to pre Covid level by the next year.” Even if the demand from supermarkets and hotels return, it will be difficult to predict the quantum as they are yet to see if the lockdown has led to any permanent behavioural change.

Online Services: Helpful During Coronavirus Pandemic In India

The e-commerce and online grocery delivery service have become a key sector in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic in India.

The e-commerce and online grocery delivery service have become a key sector in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic in India.

As people have been locked down in their homes due to the government’s order, the delivery of essential goods has been allowed by the government.

Some of the companies whose businesses are expected to boom during the period have witnessed a mountain of orders.

How are online services helpful during this pandemic?

Online Groceries

With the help of online grocery app, people can avoid going out to crowded places and avoid the risk of getting infected.

Open the app, select the products you want to buy, add them to cart and order them. The online grocery app also allows you to pay online through debit or credit card or any Unified Payment Interface (UPI) smartphone application.

Online Fuel Delivery

Nowadays, people can also get their fuel tank full sitting right at the comfort of their couch.

All you need to do is, open the app, select the type and quantity of the fuel and place your order.

Online Doctors’ Consultation

There are several patients suffering from other medical conditions apart from the virus who need continuous consultation to keep their treatment on track.

However, most of the doctors are not willing to take the risk of treating patients during this serious situation. The same goes for patients as they are also not willing to visit hospitals and clinics due to the pandemic.

In these scenarios, online consultation with regular doctors can help people continue their treatment without any hassle.

Just make a video call to your doctor, consult them, get an online prescription of the medicines and get your supplies.

Online Medicines

There are telemedicine apps to help you get medicines delivered at your doorsteps.

Get an on-demand medicine delivery app from Google Play Store or Apple app store on your phone. Enter the name of the medicines that the doctor has prescribed with the quantity and place your order.

Online Plumber Booking

There are apps that allow you to call plumbers on-demand and solve your plumbing issues.

Just open the app, choose the service you are looking for, and book a specialist. You can either pay them online or pay cash after completion of the service.

कोरोना से लड़ाई में अजीम प्रेमजी फाउंडेशन और विप्रो ने की 1125 करोड़ की मदद

देश में कोरोना के मामले लगातार बढ़ रहे हैं। कोरोना के खिलाफ लड़ाई में फिल्मी सितारों से लेकर उद्योगपति तक सब सामने आ रहे हैं।

देश में कोरोना के मामले लगातार बढ़ रहे हैं और इनकी संख्या खबर लिखने के समय तक 1900 के आंकड़े को पार कर गई है। इस बीच, कोरोना के खिलाफ लड़ाई में फिल्मी सितारों से लेकर उद्योगपति तक सब सामने आ रहे हैं। अजीम प्रेमजी की अगुवाई में विप्रो लिमिटेड (Wipro Limited), विप्रो इंटरप्राइजेज लिमिटेड और अजीम प्रेमजी फाउंडेशन मिलकर 1125 करोड़ रुपये का योगदान देंगी।

इस 1,125 करोड़ की कुल राशि में से विप्रो लिमिटेड 100 करोड़ और विप्रो इंटरप्राइजेज लिमिटेड 25 करोड़ का योगदान देगी। इसके अलावा, बाकी बची राशि यानि 1000 करोड़ रुपये अजीम प्रेमजी फाउंडेशन देगी।

बनाई गई 1600 लोगों की टीम

बयान के मुताबिक, इन कामों के लिए अजीम प्रेमजी फाउंडेशन के लोगों की 1600 लोगों की टीम बनाई गई है। इसके साथ ही 350 सिविल सोसायटी पार्टनर भी हैं जिनकी मौजूदगी पूरे देश में है। इन कदमों से विप्रो की टेक्नोलॉजी क्षमता, सिस्टम, इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर और डिस्ट्रीब्यूशन की पहुंच का भी पूरा फायदा होगा।

साथ में यह भी कहा गया है कि, आधुनिक वैश्विक समाज ने इस तरह और स्तर के संकट का सामना नहीं किया है। अजीम प्रेमजी फाउंडेशन और विप्रो का मानना है कि इस संकट का सब लोगों को साथ मिलकर सामना करना करना चाहिए और इसके असर को कम करना चाहिए। इसमें वंचितों की सबसे ज्यादा मदद करने की जरूरत है। इसके लिए वे पूरी तरह प्रतिबद्ध हैं और सभी लोगों की सुरक्षा की कामना करते हैं.

कई उद्योगपति मदद के लिए आगे आए

देश में कोरोना वायरस के बढ़ते मामलों को देखते हुए और स्वास्थ्य कर्मचारियों के सामने आई चुनौती की वजह से, कुछ दूसरे उद्योगपति भी संकट की इस स्थिति में लोगों की मदद करने के लिए सामने आए हैं। रतन टाटा की अगुवाई में टाटा ट्रस्ट, टाटा संस और टाटा ग्रुप की कंपनियां मिलकर कोरोना वायरस के राहत कोष में 1500 करोड़ रुपये देंगी।

आपको मालुम हो कि, महिंद्रा एंड महिंद्रा ग्रुप के आनंद महिंद्रा ने इससे पहले महिंद्रा के रिजॉर्ट्स को संक्रमित लोगों की केयर फैसिलिटी के तौर पर इस्तेमाल करने की पेशकश की थी। साथ ही, महिंद्रा ग्रुप वेंटिलेटर उपलब्ध कराने पर भी काम कर रहा है जो संक्रमित लोगों के इलाज में बहुत महत्वपूर्ण है।