Kumar Ranjan is the creator of eFeed, an agri-tech business that just featured on Shark Tank India to demonstrate their unique software for cow feeding programs.
Lucknow-born Kumar Ranjan has always wished to pursue a job that would have some societal influence. He worked seven years in the automobile business, developing breakthrough technology and creating self-driving cars. He then briefly shifted to the electric car business. But neither could help him get to where he wanted to go: making a lasting effect with his art.
During the early stages of COVID-19, he had the opportunity to have an influence when he visited with a few poultry producers to identify the deficiencies in the agriculture industry. Ranjan claims that his father works for a NABARD-funded organization that helps farmers and agricultural students launch their own businesses. Ranjan participated in it by giving lectures to students in 2018-19 to assist them become agri-entrepreneurs.
With this insight, Ranjan founded E-Feed, which he claims has helped over two lakh farmers reduce their losses and increase their revenue.
The program works similarly to ‘HealthifyMe,’ but for animals, charting their dietary needs and preparing food plans accordingly.
“A buddy introduced me to poultry and cow farmers in the early part of 2020,” he says, adding that he learned how the farmers were getting little return on investment for their animals, which were generating less milk.
“An Indian cow’s average daily production is predicted to be 15-20 litres. In actuality, it produces less than 15 litres. This is because farmers frequently fail to provide appropriate nutrients to their animals.”
The 30-year-old also seen farmers abandoning cows to fend for themselves or supplying them with grass without considering their nutritional worth.
He explains, “nimal nutrition is ignored, and farmers avoid discussing it. We educate them on the nutritional needs of cattle, such as protein and fat.These are essential factors that impact and ultimately help improve cow health, resulting in greater productivity.”
Inadequate and incorrect diets, he continues, lead cattle to emit more methane, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
He says, “Animals exhale methane as a result of indigestion and poor nutrition. India has one of the world’s greatest cow populations, making it a notable emitter. Nutritional enhancement and an effective diet can greatly lower this.”
Similar problems plague India’s poultry and aquaculture sectors, he said.
He argues,”The poultry industry is experiencing similar pressures.
Poultry is administered large amounts of antibiotics and steroids to help it grow faster. A 20-day-old chicken gains 1.5-2 kilos in 45 days. They are put through unimaginable food stress. Humans who take them for nutritional purposes also absorb toxic substances, which is counterproductive. Excessive or unsuitable feed in the aquaculture business causes the formation of green algae-like layers on water due to an increase in ammonia percentage. Excess ammonia commonly causes disease in fish, leading to an increase in mortality rates.”
As a result, there was a need to emphasize nutritional value and animal health, and Ranjan decided to propose a remedy. “The software works by analyzing the nutritional demands of poultry, cattle, and aquatic animals and tailoring a program to meet those needs,” he adds.
The first step is to reach out to farmers and raise their understanding of the importance of cow nutrition. Analyzing the health of a farmer’s livestock yields recommendations for essential actions. Once the recommendations are communicated, the farmer may obtain the raw ingredients needed to produce the meal from his farm, local shops, or by purchasing items developed by the firm and sold at their flagship stores.
According to Ranjan, his technical interventions and exact dietary fulfillment have benefited 1 lakh aquaculture, 70,000 poultry, and 50,000 farmers in India.
“We teach them at our Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka stores. They learn how to utilize the goods and our software here.
Farmers’ obvious outcomes have been inspirational,” he says.
eFeed presented their business plan on Shark Tank India in December 2021.
