Vimal Panjwani co-founded AgriVijay together with his mother. AgriVijay is India’s first marketplace for renewable energy products for farmers…
Vimal Panjwani co-founded AgriVijay to provide solar energy-based agricultural solutions for farmers and rural households to increase farm income and reduce CO2 emissions.
Vimal Panjwani, from Pune, co-founded AgriVijay, India’s first marketplace for renewable energy products for farmers and rural households, to increase farm income and mitigate climate change.
“Renewable energy has not penetrated the village level because people are not prescribing it to farmers, who remain unaware of the right solutions,” says the 34-year-old CEO.
“Knowledge, availability, and affordability are lacking for many good technology products. There was no store where farmers could learn how a solar dryer works or buy one after demos. Farmers buying such products cannot get financing. AgriVijay solves all these issues, he says.
Solar water pumps, biogas digesters, dryers, heaters, and sprayers sell best.
Solar water pumps, dryers, and sprayers sell best.
Solar water pumps, inverters, biogas digesters, water heaters, cold storage, and dryers are among the startup’s 200+ green energy products for farms and infrastructure.
Solar water pumps, biogas digesters, dryers, heaters, and sprayers sell best. Of all products, farmers can get government subsidies on solar water pumps and biogas digesters.
Our flagship product is solar water pump. The farmers’ diesel and electricity costs are replaced. It reduces costs when using the pump for vegetable farming 24/7 for 8-10 hours. After connecting to grid power, it can run at night. Monthly diesel and electric water pumps cost up to Rs 25,000. He says replacing it with a solar water pump saves Rs 10,000.
These solar energy products reduce post-harvest losses and extend produce shelf life. If farmers lose money after farming, they can use solar dryers and cold storages. They can dry farm losses into ginger and chikoo for domestic or export markets with solar dryers. They add value to produce and increase income by creating a new product category. These products are turning farmers into entrepreneurs.”
The startup has sold over 500 such products from 75 renewable energy stores in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. “These small rural retailers sell seeds and fertilizers to farmers. They demonstrate our products. We bring innovations and technologies to villages, he says.
The startup employs over 300 farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Vimal hopes to reach 1,000 farmers with 100 renewable energy stores this year.
Winning solution
Vimal came to AgriVijay during the COVID-19 pandemic to leave his rural and agricultural job. The MBA graduate co-founded his own agri-tech startup with his mother Shobha Chanchlani in 2020 after 10 years of building startups for others.
I wanted to change jobs. My mother also retired from government. She suggested I build startups for others, so why not myself? He says she invested her retirement savings in our startup.
The country has 1,500 agri-tech startups, but nobody is talking about renewable energy products for agriculture. No marketplace existed for such products. We wanted to start a revolution in the face of the climate crisis and contribute to the global climate action movement. So I combined renewable energy and agriculture, he says.
The startup claims their products have reduced CO2 emissions by over 7,000 tonnes. Vimal says, “We are a win-win solution for everyone because we are helping farmers increase their savings and income and mitigating climate change.
The mother-son duo built a 15-person team and expanded nationwide. Their annual revenue is Rs 1.3 crore. They now want to include drones, soil testing devices, organic fertilizers, and hydrogel.
