Farmers in Haryana have been experiencing low productivity due to traditional farming practices and usage of harmful pesticides & fertilizers, which deteriorate soil and crop health. WRMS, an agriculture and dairy risk management company, has been transforming the agricultural landscape of Haryana by running projects in over 200 villages of Haryana in crops like tomato, potato, wheat, cotton, and paddy.

WRMS has recently signed an MOU with NIFCO - Nilo Kheri Farmer Producer Company in Karnal Haryana. Through this partnership, WRMS will empower the onion farmers of the Rambha region of the Karnal district by providing them with rule engine-based farm-level SecuFarm advisory services. With SecuFarm, the onion farmers will get farm-level crop management advisory. Which will help them achieve water management, yield enhancement, use of climate-smart agrochemicals, early detection & control of pest attacks, real-time weather advisory for timely decision making, and post-harvest market linkages.

Speaking on the occasion, director, NIFCO, Sardar Singh, said, “We are extremely excited with our association with WRMS. As we are confident that SecuFarm services will increase the crop yield of our onion farmers and educate them on sustainable farming practices.” 

He further added, “Our mission, our identity, prosperous farmer! Poison-free farming, disease-free life!” is in sync with the mission of WRMS, thus, we are very sure that this association will prove a win-win for both the parties.”

Rahul Babele, state head, Haryana (WRMS), commented, “We see immense possibility in our association with NIFCO. Having worked with farmers of crops like cotton, paddy, tomato, and potato in Haryana, we understand the key challenges faced by them in the state. This learning will help us serve the onion farmers of NIFCO even better and provide them with digital SecuFarm services that will help them combat those challenges.”

The initiative will begin on 50 acres in the Haryana region of Karnal (Rambha), where smallholder onion growers will receive cutting-edge digital agricultural services from the seed selection stage to the post-harvest market linkages.

The overuse of agricultural chemicals is a significant issue for the onion farmers in Karnal, Haryana. SecuFarm will educate farmers on the proper use of agrochemicals in the appropriate quantities, as per their crop stage and condition to combat this. This will lower cultivation costs and save the crop from excessive pesticide use. These farmers will also be connected with agri-experts through SecuFarm’s Plant Doctor feature to resolve all their crop queries by sending a picture and voice message. One major objective of the project, will be to educate farmers about sustainable farming practices by conducting on-farm capacity-building training and sharing audio and visual content on the SecuFarm app.

Under the SecuFarm service, farmers will receive a free-soil testing service to identify the nutrients missing from the soil and will be given appropriate treatments. To reduce crop loss, farmers will receive farm-level crop advice to make sure their crop illnesses are addressed quickly. Additionally, WRMS will provide them access to weather forecasts via automatic weather stations so that the farmers can decide how best to safeguard their harvest. A smart irrigation system is another SecuFarm service that helps farmers irrigate their farms according to the weather forecast and recommended level of soil moisture in their soil. Consequently, it will help conserve both water and energy.

In early 2021, WRMS signed a contract with Karnal Horticulture Farmer Producer Organization (FPO), supported by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The pilot project started on 100 acres in the Karnal district and has come to an end with positive results.