When you hear the word ‘agriculture’, what is the first image that comes to mind? Perhaps a poor farmer, tirelessly working in the fields as the sun mercilessly beats down. Rarely do we move past the stereotype and think about technologically revolutionising the fields. But Trivikram Kumar did and founded XMachines. Initially incubated at IIIT-H and now at T-Hub, XMachines received funding on Shark Tank Season 3. Now, Trivikram tells us about his journey, gives us a picture of Telangana’s agriculture, and decodes agritech.
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What got you interested in farming?
I come from an agrarian family in Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam, where my grandmother still farms daily, growing rice, pulses, oilseeds, and vegetables — some for consumption, some for sale.
I frequently came across articles on farmer suicides in India; it pained me to see this happen. At the same time, I also learned about the excessive use of chemicals on crops. Wanting to give back to my community, I founded XMachines.
Tell us about XMachines.
XMachines aims to bridge the technology gap that exists in Indian agriculture. We have developed three cloud-connected AI robots of varying sizes. Designed for precision farming across diverse terrains and weather conditions, they handle sowing, sapling transplantation, weed management, and targeted nutrient and pesticide spraying. Essentially, we use AI to study the plants, which parts are deficient, and so on, thereby reducing the usage of chemicals.
For eight months before I floated the company, I visited farmers in Telangana and showed them the prototypes. Their primary problem? Labour shortages. To tackle this, I co-founded XMachines with Dharmateja Mediboina (COO) and Vinil Reddy (CEO). Priced between
Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh, our products are bought by rural micro-entrepreneurs who rent them to farmers. Today, farmers in Telangana, Karnataka, and Haryana benefit from our robots.
What are the pain points in Telangana’s agricultural landscape?
Manpower is decreasing — with Telangana getting more developed, people are migrating to cities in pursuit of simpler, high-paying jobs. Farmers are using fewer cattle, reducing natural manure and increasing reliance on excessive chemicals. Coupled with the effects of climate change, none of this is good news. Our robots address all these pain points.
There is a lot of craze around AI, metaverse, and similar areas of innovation, but there doesn’t seem to be the same level of frenzy around agritech. Why do you think this is the case?
While poverty and hardships affect farmers, they have become synonymous with agriculture, thanks to popular culture. Even when I started my company, people were reluctant to join. But I knew shortages of quality food and water were inevitable in the near future. What’s the point of building cool computers and smartphones when you can’t consume them? Everyone loves to buy fresh produce and make delicious meals, but no one thinks about where that produce comes from.
In the coming years, demand for quality, nutritious food will surge, attracting more players to agritech. This will spur innovation, and hopefully, improve the lives of farmers.
Do you think schools can play an active role by introducing and equipping children with farming skills?
Growing anything is a joyous experience. Along with art, music, and dance classes, schools can introduce children to gardening; this will do so much to change preconceived notions and biases around farming. These kids can be potential food growers!
What are some main challenges an agritech startup faces? What helpful steps can the Telangana government take?
Let me put it this way — when you try to sell a painkiller, the buyers are many. But when you try to sell a vitamin, fewer hands are raised. Essentially, a product which gives instant relief, like a pesticide, is preferred over a product like ours which can truly heal. Another issue agritech startups face is less access to risk capital. The government can set Rs 5-10 crore aside in the state budget for tech startups, especially agritech startups that will aid in Telangana’s progress.
What is your advice for budding agritech startups?
It’s simple — speak to farmers very often. One is your mother, another is your father, and a third is your sibling. Interact with them like they are family. Do not act as if you are on a pedestal trying to help them. A great innovation plus a great motive equals taking Telangana’s agriculture to the next level.