Posted by New Delhi: Agri logistics conglomerate Sohan Lal Commodity Management Pvt. Ltd (SLCM) has launched a beta version of its quality check (QC) mobile application for agricultural commodities. SLCM launched its QC app under its proprietary AgriReach umbrella on the occasion of the 2021 Navratras for user feedback and review.
Initially, the app will provide quality check results for wheat – a staple food grain across India. However, it will include other important food grains and pulses like chana (chickpea), maize, rice, guar (cluster bean), moong and tur (pigeon pea) over time.
Probably, the AgriReach mobile QC app is a first of its kind mobile app in the world. It allows the user to get an on the spot assessment of the commodity’s sample within minutes, without having to use equipment like a sieve, weighing scale, etc., or to take it to for lab testing.
“It gives me immense pleasure to officially launch the path-breaking AgriReach Mobile Quality Check App for a 360-degree evaluation by a cross-section of stakeholders including processors, traders, exporters, importers, government agencies and financial institutions such as banks at the onset of the 2021 festive season,” said Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO, SLCM Group,
“This first-of-its-kind solution is entirely a result of 4 years of intensive research by our in-house team of experts. The test results are agnostic of the total sample weight as they are assessed based on its image. The app’s roll-out is part of our commitment to provide our customer base with agritech solutions embedded in the software as a service (SaaS) model,” added Sabharwal.
The Android version of the QC mobile app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. The SLCM Group had applied for a patent on the AgriReach QC app in August 2018. With this made in India app, SLCM Group initially aims at 90% accuracy with test results.
Ease of Use
The quality check done via this app is easy as taking an image. Just click a wheat grain sample picture and submit it to the app and then it will analyse for multiple quality parameters.
Following that, the app will generate a quality report with the photographic evidence evaluated on specifics like damaged, shrunken, shrivelled or immature grains and foreign matter. And also other physical parameters like height, length, grid, colour and pattern of the commodity.
The results are based on automatic comparison with pre-fed data in the back-end system and the grain sample image. The app’s pre-fed data is regularly updated regularly on a real-time basis, using the combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) with Python programming language
Elaborating on the technical aspects of the app, Rakesh Kumar Rana, Chief Business Officer (Digital Initiatives), SLCM Group, observed,
“The AgriReach QC app’s on-ground utilisation is expected to tremendously help to improve the fidelity of the commodity quality checks. And disseminate the instantly obtained QC results in a secure and transparent environment to drastically reduce the turnaround time in comparison to the task being performed manually,” said Rakesh Kumar Rana, Chief Business Officer (Digital Initiatives) – SLCM Group.
“SLCM is looking at achieving up to 90% accuracy with the results over a period of time,” added Rana.
Presently, the app only has an English language interface. But, Rana pointed that it will include several other widely spoken Indian languages and additional functionalities in the near and medium-term.
AgriReach Umbrella
The QC app for Agri commodities is the latest addition to the solutions available to SLCM customers under the AgriReach umbrella. In India, the post-harvest losses are pegged at nearly Rs 1 lakh crore. But SLCM’s help has substantially reduced these losses to 0.5% at its warehousing facilities.
The group has deployed the AgriReach process management system. The framework combines a series of processes, audits and real-time tracking of the facilities to give error-free results and minimise the risk of damage to stored crops. It uses techniques like geo-fencing, real-time tracking, bar-coded storage receipts to avoid thefts or pilferage and internal audits with a ‘maker and checker’ policy at each level of operation.
Also, since April 2021, SLCM has started executing its warehousing contracts using the proprietary ‘AgriSuraksha’ solution that incorporates the latest internet of things (IoT)-based surveillance technology.
Founded in 2009, the SLCM Group offers Agri logistics services including warehousing management, procurement, collateral financing and agritech in India and Myanmar.