Agriculture technology start-up AgNext Technologies of Punjab has installed an innovative quality assessment system called “Qualix” at the Agricultural Market Committee (AMC) in Nizamabad, Telangana. The system will rapidly test the curcumin content in turmeric and will be used to improve the efficiency of the market.
“Qualix will calculate the proportion of curcumin in turmeric in 60 seconds, as opposed to the time-consuming testing techniques used by laboratories, which can take up to two weeks. Accordingly, AgNext Technologies’ platform will be an important component of the overall strategy of rewarding farmers for the quality of their produce as soon as possible,” said Taranjeet Singh Bhamra, the company’s founder and CEO.
Farmers are eager to learn how much more money they can make, and even a 10-20 percent increase in the prices they receive for their produce will have a significant impact, according to the National Farmers Union. Bhamra went on to say that farmers do not currently receive payments depending on the quality of the produce they bring to market, and that this is a problem.
Partners on the platform
When it comes to putting up the Qualix platform, the Spices Board and Kolkata-based ITC Ltd have joined forces with AgNext Technologies.
As the AgNext founder explained, “Our technology not only assists in determining the quality of turmeric but also saves time and resources, thereby helping all players — growers, merchants, and exporters, among others — in the food value chain.”
The Spices Board, dealers, and farmers have all praised the platform for its short turnaround time in testing, which has resulted in “rave reviews.” “So far, around 2,000 farmers and 250-270 traders have benefited from this. “They are all pleased with the outcome,” Bhamra stated.
Artificial intelligence and spectral technology
Qualex is an artificial intelligence and digital technology platform built on the latest technology. It makes use of spectrum technology, which is based on light reflection and can be quickly scanned, to obtain information on the content of turmeric that is brought in or offered for sale.
According to the AgNext founder, farmers are charged on a per-test basis, and it costs them 142 cents every scan, compared to the 400-500 cents they had to spend previously for a test that took several days.
According to Bhamra, the Qualix platform has not been easy to set up or launch on time. “We tried our platform in a variety of locations and were only able to master it after 2-12-years of testing. “We put hundreds of samples through the ringer in order to improve our product,” he explained.
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