Agrotech startup DeHaat has announced the acquisition of farm advisory platform AgriCentral from Olam Agri through a business transfer agreement. The acquisition aims to enhance DeHaat’s digital services and expand its reach to millions of farmers, integrating AgriCentral’s capabilities into its existing ecosystem.
Integration to Expand Farmer Network
Founded in 2018, AgriCentral is one of India’s largest digital advisory platforms, serving over 10 million farmers. The app-based platform provides features such as real-time crop price data, personalized crop planning, crop health diagnostics, and community interaction tools. By leveraging advanced technologies like GPS, satellite imagery, big data analytics, machine learning, and image analysis, AgriCentral has brought millions of farmers into the fold of digital farming.
The integration of AgriCentral’s platform with DeHaat’s operations is expected to significantly enhance the latter’s digital capabilities.
“AgriCentral’s cost-efficient digital capabilities will complement us Shashank Kumar, Co-founder and CEO, DeHaatin reaching out to millions of underserved farmers with our full-stack agri value chain offerings. This includes precision advisory, mechanization, insurance, and cattle advisory, aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of our farmers.”
Expanding DeHaat’s Ecosystem
DeHaat has built a robust supply chain, offering 360-degree agricultural solutions to farmers across 120,000+ villages in India. The company operates through a network of over 15,000 DeHaat Centres and has established institutional tie-ups with more than 1,000 agribusiness entities, including input manufacturers, produce buyers, warehouse operators, and financial institutions.
“With this acquisition, we further our commitment to bringing transparent and direct access to farmers in the USD 500 billion Indian agriculture sector,” Kumar added. The acquisition will enable DeHaat to introduce value-added services and scale its outreach effectively.
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AgriCentral’s Role and Vision
AgriCentral, incubated by Olam Agri, has been a pioneering force in digital farming. Its mission to leverage technology to enhance the lives of Indian farmers aligns seamlessly with DeHaat’s objectives. Ramanarayanan Mahadevan, CEO of Jiva AG PTE, commented, “It is incredibly fulfilling to reflect on the role we’ve played in advancing the Indian agri-tech landscape. I am confident that DeHaat will scale the impact, providing farmers on the AgriCentral platform better access to a comprehensive range of agricultural value chain services.”
“Our mission has always been to leverage technology to enhance the lives of Indian farmers. I am confident that DeHaat will scale this impact further, offering farmers on AgriCentral’s platform better access to comprehensive agricultural value chain services.”
Driving Growth and Profitability
DeHaat has demonstrated remarkable growth in recent years, with a 40% year-on-year increase in operating revenue for FY24, reaching ₹2,700 crore, while halving its net losses. The company anticipates closing FY25 with a revenue of ₹3,500 crore and achieving full quarterly profitability on a standalone basis by Q4. Currently, 80% of its business comes from agricultural output, with the remaining 20% derived from input supply.
Post-acquisition, DeHaat’s farmer network will expand to 12 million, quadrupling its initial benchmark set for 2024. The integration of AgriCentral’s tools is expected to enhance decision-making across the crop lifecycle, offering holistic solutions in crop advisory, input supply, and market linkages.
The acquisition highlights the growing role of technology in agriculture. The companies confirmed the acquisition was made through a business transfer agreement (BTA) in an all-cash deal, though the financial terms were not disclosed. By combining DeHaat’s operational expertise with AgriCentral’s advanced tools, the collaboration is poised to set a benchmark for scalable and impactful agritech solutions. This strategic move reinforces DeHaat’s position as a key player in the Indian agricultural sector, furthering its mission to improve the livelihoods of millions of farmers across the nation
