Startup Helps Pune Farmer Increase Yield By 20%, Save 25% Water

Saswad, 20th January 2022: Dr KP Mote, Director (Horticulture), Maharashtra state visited a technology farm in Chambli village in Purandar Taluka, Pune. This technology farm of Datta Shendkar is equipped with startup Sense it Out’s product SICCA, which is a smart irrigation automation system.

The director took an interest in assessing the technological benefit of SICCA. Shendkar had started using this technology in February 2021. Initially, he started with Marigold farm where he installed SICCA sensors. The technology helped increase his yield by 20% and save 25% water. Now he has moved this technology for his Rose plantation as well.

Shendkar says, “This technology helps save a lot of my time, and now I don’t need to think about irrigation management which otherwise used to haunt my mind all the time because of electricity schedules and fluctuations. Now the quality of my produce has also improved, the color retention of flowers and improved health of the crop means I have better returns”.

The director also liked the technological innovation and appreciated the cause. This technology was selected as a part of the Chief Minister’s Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSINS) organised Maharashtra Startup Week 2019. The SICCA system is a smart irrigation system that fits with the existing pump-starter setup along with drip. A component of this system – Wireless sensor modules having multiple soil moisture sensors and microclimatic sensors are installation at the farm which continuously send data to the controller that automates the pump and valve system.

Sense it Out’s team Jasveer Singh, Faizan Shaikh and Gajanan Shidardi have been working regularly with the farmers to develop such technology from 2017.

Founder & CEO Jasveer Singh mentioned that the main advantage of this technology is that even a small farmer can afford such reliable smart systems. It gives farmers quick returns on investment while saving a lot of water and electricity which is our country’s very important resource at this time.

Gajanan Shidardi (Farmer Engagement, Sense it Out) says that this system is a very big boon to the farmer as farmers are constantly worried about irrigation scheduling at night time due to electricity schedule, labour shortage and precise irrigation requirements for certain crops. Earlier there used to be a lot of hassle due to changes required in pipeline structure to install such systems, but with a new component in our system – Wireless Valve controller, this system doesn’t need a change in farmer’s pipeline structure, thus saving a lot of hassle. One SICCA unit generally works from as small as 1 acre land to as big as 40 acres land with the help of many interconnected sensor modules in a wireless structure. The mobile app helps farmer monitor their farm from anywhere in the world in their regional language.

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