§1What this business is

Each kit has a capacitive soil-moisture sensor, temperature and humidity sensors, an Arduino/ESP-based data logger, a GSM, LoRa or Bluetooth module and a solar panel with battery. Sensors go into the root zone; when moisture falls below a crop's threshold the farmer gets an SMS or a colour-coded mobile alert. The business sells kits to farmers and FPOs and earns from maintenance contracts, data services and government or NGO projects.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

An electronics or agriculture graduate who can work with FPOs, KVKs and government programmes.

Who it is not for

Someone who wants to sell boxed products without field service — the kits need installation and follow-up.

Advantages

  • Saves water and labour for hill farmers with drying springs
  • Fits government priorities such as PMKSY 'Per Drop More Crop'
  • Repeat income from maintenance and data services
  • Needs little space — an office-workshop is enough

Drawbacks

  • Small farmers find ₹18,000–25,000 a kit costly
  • Sales often depend on slow government, NGO or CSR projects
  • Sensors need calibration for each soil and crop
  • Mobile signal is weak in many hill villages

Skills you need

  • Sensor electronics and microcontroller programming
  • Crop water needs and soil types
  • Field installation and farmer training
  • Writing proposals for government and CSR projects

Why difficulty 4/5: Technology plus field service plus selling to cautious small farmers and slow institutions.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Small and marginal farmers on rain-fed land
  • Farmer Producer Organisations and cooperatives
  • Government farms and Krishi Vigyan Kendras
  • Horticulture, vegetable, nursery and medicinal-plant growers

How it sells

  • Direct sale of kits
  • Annual maintenance and data-service contracts
  • Government and NGO deployments
  • CSR projects

Good to know

  • The profile names Almora, Pauri, Tehri, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Nainital and Pithoragarh as suitable districts.
  • Target crops in the profile include mandua, jhangora, wheat, tomato, capsicum, pea, apple, plum, peach and citrus.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Soil moisture sensors (capacitive/FDR type)as per deployment—
Data loggers (Arduino/ESP-based microcontroller)as required—
Communication modules (GSM/LoRa/Bluetooth)——
Solar panels with batteriesas required—
Installation tools1 set—
Laptops2—
Hardware procurement in total—₹8,50,000

From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Crop Water Content Monitoring System in Uttarakhand

  • Temperature and humidity sensorssupport the evapotranspiration logic
  • Mobile app / SMS / web platformsoftware and analytics budget ₹3.00 L

From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Crop Water Content Monitoring System in Uttarakhand

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. DPIIT Startup India recognition (optional, helps with grants)
  4. WPC Equipment Type Approval for the GSM/LoRa radio module you use — usually held by the module maker, check before you buy

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP and MUDRA fit a ₹20 L project; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral. The profile also counts on ₹6 L of government or CSR support.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Hardware ₹8.50 L + software & analytics ₹3.00 L + installation & training ₹2.50 L + manpower for one year ₹4.50 L + office & contingency ₹1.50 L = ₹20.00 L.

Working capital: Finance: promoter ₹6.00 L, bank loan ₹8.00 L, government/CSR support ₹6.00 L.

Year not printed on the profile — check current sensor and module prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: Not applicable

  • The profile plans a local sales-and-service business in Uttarakhand, not exports.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Slow farmer adoption
  • Delayed payments from projects
  • Sensor damage from weather and animals
  • Cheaper imported kits

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working crop water (soil moisture) monitoring systems unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Crop Water (Soil Moisture) Monitoring Systems?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Crop Water Content Monitoring System in Uttarakhand

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.