Leads Connect, a rapidly growing full-stack agri-tech firm, has announced a substantial investment of rs. 500 crores (approximately $62.5 million) from BL Agro Industries Ltd., a prominent Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company. This strategic partnership is poised to revolutionize the agro-tech landscape and empower farmers with enhanced agricultural solutions.
The infusion of funds from BL Agro will be distributed over a three-year period, ultimately leading to BL Agro’s acquisition of a controlling stake in Leads Connect. Specializing in farm analytics and advisory services through cutting-edge agri-tech-driven data analytics, crop-cutting experiments, risk management, financial services (including farmer loans), and direct procurement from farmers, Leads Connect has a formidable track record of delivering value to the agriculture sector.
These funds will be allocated towards technological advancements, expanding outreach to farmers, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and cooperatives, and growing the beneficiary farmer base by establishing AGRANI centres in various cities. Additionally, Leads Connect aims to run awareness campaigns, pursue mergers and acquisitions, engage in contract farming, invest in cutting-edge deep-tech and AI/ML research for agriculture, and optimize procurement and supply chain processes for BL Agro.
Central to Leads Connect’s plans is the continued development of its AGRANI (Agriculture & Disaster Risk Analytics using Next Intelligence) platform, which will further bolster the Khet Se Kitchen Tak initiative. The Agrani platform is a Space Tech-AI-based Multi-Event Real-Time Analytics Omni-Channel Platform that provides end-to-end precise, hyperlocal, contextual, and user-driven Agri-FinTech services. This platform encompasses three distinct apps: Agrani Kisan for farmers, Agrani Saathi for agents, Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), and employees, and Agrani PRO for FPOs, agribusinesses, exporters, and trading houses.
This strategic investment comes at a time when Leads Connect has been aggressively expanding its full-stack agri-value chain solutions, with a mission to enhance productivity and sustainability for Indian farmers. Founded in 2009 by Navneet Ravikar, Leads Connect has been pivotal in strengthening market linkages, offering superior supply chain management, and adding substantial value to BL Agro’s operations.
BL Agro aims to leverage Leads Connect’s seamless farm value chain solutions, which encompass farm advisory, fintech interventions, and market linkages, thereby establishing deeper connections with farmers. This collaboration between BL Agro and Leads Connect is expected to enable farmers to access better prices and markets for their high-quality produce while ensuring control over both product quality and pricing.
Commenting on this significant investment, Navneet Ravikar, Chairman and Managing Director of Leads Connect Services, stated, “With agri-tech at the forefront, Indian agriculture is at an inflection point. Agriculture contributes nearly 20% of India’s GDP, and changing weather patterns and sustainability challenges have posed significant hurdles for the industry. It is time for agri-tech to play a more substantial role in increasing productivity and mitigating the crisis for farmers. Our partnership with BL Agro will expand agri-tech and agri-fintech in the country, delivering greater value to Indian farmers.”
Ashish Khandelwal, Managing Director of BL Agro, welcomed this collaboration, saying, “We are delighted to announce our strategic investment in Leads Connect, aimed at ushering in a new era in the Indian agri-tech industry. Over the next three years, we will invest Rs. 500 crore, ultimately securing a controlling stake in Leads Connect. The synergy between BL Agro and Leads Connect will enable Indian farmers to access more value by strengthening market linkages. We believe that this partnership will bring farmers closer to consumers while enhancing supply chain management.”
Building on the overwhelming response to its Agrani platform, Leads Connect now plans to establish physical Agrani Kendra centres throughout India. These centres will bring farm advisory services, financial solutions, and market linkages directly to the doorsteps of farmers and agribusinesses. In addition to improving yield efficiency, Leads Connect offers comprehensive digitalization and end-to-end analytics, including geospatial intelligence, space technology, and drone as a service (DrAAS) for precision farming. The company also has plans to introduce the Agrani platform into the dairy value chain.
The Khet Se Kitchen Tak initiative is a farm-to-fork solution designed to enhance productivity and sustainability in the agriculture sector. This initiative will see more than 100 farmer-producer organisations enrol in the project, benefiting approximately 50,000 farmers initially in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, and Rajasthan within the next six months, with plans for a nationwide rollout.
Recently, Leads Connect entered into a strategic partnership with the State Bank of India as their corporate business associate. This partnership aims to empower farmers, double their incomes, and support a climate-resilient agroecosystem through essential financial services. As part of this collaboration, Leads Connect will play a pivotal role in sourcing Agri, AIF, PMFME, and Kisan Samridhdhi loans for SBI Bank. The partnership will also address cash-flow constraints during critical farming cycles by providing quick and competitive loans.