§1What this business is
A small agri-tech firm that sets up soil-moisture and weather sensors, automatic drip irrigation, drone crop monitoring and spraying, and a farmer mobile app with alerts, prices and crop advice. Income comes from selling sensor kits, app subscriptions, consulting projects for agri-businesses and NGOs, software licensing and government or CSR-funded projects. It starts with pilot farms and demonstration plots, then trains farmers.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
An agriculture or engineering graduate who understands sensors, apps and farmers' problems.
Who it is not for
Someone without technical training or field contacts with farmers and FPOs.
Advantages
- Saves water and inputs for farmers through precise irrigation and spraying
- Several income streams: kits, subscriptions, consulting, licensing
- FPOs, NGOs and agriculture departments are ready buyers for pilots
- Government and CSR programmes fund farm technology
Drawbacks
- Small farmers find devices costly
- Many farmers are wary of new technology at first
- Weak mobile networks on hill farms
- Half the project cost is first-year salaries before sales grow
Skills you need
- IoT sensors and irrigation automation
- App and data platform management
- Agronomy and crop advisory
- Farmer training and FPO sales
Why difficulty 4/5: Mixes hardware, software and farmer training, with slow early sales.
§3Market
Who buys
- Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)
- NGOs working with farmers
- State agriculture departments
- Progressive individual farmers
- Agri-businesses and agri-tech start-ups (licensing)
How it sells
- Pilot demonstrations and demo farms
- App subscriptions
- Government and CSR-funded projects
- Consulting contracts
Good to know
- The profile says smart agriculture is growing at over 12% a year globally.
- It lists affordability, digital literacy and resistance to new technology as the main barriers.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Office and IoT lab set-up (sensors, computers) | — | ₹4.00 lakh |
| Weather station equipment for pilot fields | — | ₹1.50 lakh |
| Soil and irrigation sensor kits for trial farms | — | ₹2.50 lakh |
| Drone with camera and sprayer | — | ₹3.00 lakh |
| Farm management software licence and customisation | — | ₹1.00 lakh |
| Android farmer app development | — | ₹1.50 lakh |
From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Smart Agriculture Technology
- IoT soil and climate sensorssuppliers named include Skymet, Bosch Agri, AgNext
- Smart irrigation systemsfrom drip irrigation companies' distributors
- Weather station kitsonline or from Dehradun dealers
From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Smart Agriculture Technology
§5Licences & registration
- Company or firm registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Startup India recognition (optional)
- DGCA drone registration and remote pilot certificate if spraying
- Data protection compliance for farmer data
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
The ₹27 L bank loan can be backed by CGTMSE; PMEGP and Stand-Up India suit eligible first-time founders. The profile also points to SMAM and Digital India for farmer-side support.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Infrastructure and equipment ₹13.50 L + app and software development ₹2.50 L + first-year salaries ₹24.00 L + marketing ₹2.00 L + working capital reserve ₹3.00 L = ₹45.00 L. Finance: promoter ₹18.00 L, bank loan ₹27.00 L.
Working capital: Working capital reserve ₹3.00 L within the project cost.
Year not printed on the profile — check current sensor and drone prices.
§8Export potential
Software licensing to other firms could be a service export; the profile gives no export plan.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Slow adoption by farmers
- Connectivity failures in remote fields
- Device breakdowns and maintenance costs
- Misuse or leak of farmer data
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working smart farming technology services unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Company or firm registration, Udyam), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
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 Smart Farming Technology Services?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.