Ergos: redefining storage infrastructure and market access for small farmers in India

Title

Ergos: redefining storage infrastructure and market access for small farmers in India

Creator

Kumari S.; Vineeth M.

Description

Learning outcomes: After completion of the case study, students will be able to analyse the path of the entrepreneurship from idea generation to market development to scaling up business, examine the impact of start-ups like Ergos on Indias agriculture value chain, discuss the challenges faced by tech entrepreneurs in growing a business, identify problems solved by Grain Bank Model and evaluate digitisation of farmings custodial services such as warehousing, market linkages and loans. Case overview/synopsis: The case study discusses how founders of Ergos, India-based leading digital AgriTech start-up, Kishor Kumar Jha and Praveen Kumar, started one of the unique models in the AgriTech landscape in India. After noticing the grim condition of small and marginal farmers in Bihar, India. Kishor and Praveen decided to put their banking and corporate experience to use in the farming sector. Ergos aimed to empower farmers by providing them with a choice on when, how much quantity, and at what price they should sell their farm produce, thus maximising their income. As a result, Ergos launched the grain bank model, which provided farmers with doorstep access of end-to-end post-harvest supply chain solutions by leveraging a robust technology platform to ensure seamless service delivery. Ergos faced many challenges in its journey related to financing, marketing and distribution. Amidst these developments, it remained to be seen how Kishor and Praveen would be able to realise their goal to serve over two million farmers across India by 2025 and create a sustainable income for them through its GrainBank Platform. Complexity academic level: This case study was written for use in teaching graduate and postgraduate management courses in entrepreneurship and business strategy. Supplementary materials: Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code: CSS 3: Entrepreneurship 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Source

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, Vol-14, No. 4, pp. 1-39.

Date

2024-01-01

Publisher

Emerald Publishing

Subject

Agriculture value chain; AgriTech; AgriTech ecosystem; Business development; Digital farming; Enterprise resource planning; Entrepreneurial skills; Entrepreneurship; Ergos; Grainbank; India; Tech entrepreneurship

Coverage

Kumari S., Department of Economics, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, India; Vineeth M., Department of Economics, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISSN: 20450621

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-02-2023-0039

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85206386392&doi=10.1108%2fEEMCS-02-2023-0039&partnerID=40&md5=437398eac9155ab0c4ee13eaa3b42875