Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Niyo Farmtech, one of the pioneering startups of the Marathwada Accelerator for Growth and Incubation Council (MAGIC), secured a place in the top 10 in the 'Greenovation Energy Challenge' with its innovative agricultural products. The firm's pesticide sprayers, designed by Gawande to ease the woes of farmers, caught the attention of Bill Gates at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) event in Delhi.

Sooner or later, innovative initiatives and groundbreaking projects in the industrial sector manage to garner the attention of the tech icons. One such innovation of Yogesh Gawande, a young engineer-turned-entrepreneur from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra, wowed philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates at a recent event in New Delhi.

Gates took a closer look at the innovations, and also tried his hand at operating the Niyo Solar Sprayer and Niyo Baahubali Sprayer. The Gates Foundation has reportedly been collaborating with the firm for two years now. The Niyo Solar Sprayer is solar-powered and provides a more economical and eco-friendly alternative to conventional fuel-based sprayers in farmlands. Gates also tested the Niyo Baahubali sprayer, a technology invented to save labour costs and at the same time is efficient to cover more crops in less time.

Demand for both the products is quite high in foreign nations, Gawande revealed.

Journey Began In 2018

Sharing details about the project, MAGIC director Prasad Kokil said, "An idea which originated in classroom, has become a real product making waves on a global platform. MAGIC played a key role in product development and also helped Niyo Farmtech in establishing connections with top organisations like Social Alpha and CoE FASAL (STPI, IIT Kanpur, IIMCIP), which helped the startup grow rapidly. Today, Niyo is exporting its products abroad."

The journey of Niyo Farmtech began in 2018 when Yogesh Gawande, the founder of the project, was in his third year of engineering. He conceptualised the solar sprayer as a college project which eventually developed into a full-fledged market-ready product under the guidance and mentorship of MAGIC. Top business leaders like Milind Kank, Sunil Raithatta, Prasad Kokil, Ritesh Mishra and Ashish Garde guided him with financial planning, market access and industrial networking.

So far, Niyo Farmtech has sold more than 5000 sprayer units, which has created employment for more than 100 youths. The firm has generated a revenue of over Rs 3 crore.

Founder Yogesh Gawande expressed gratitude to MAGIC for its invaluable contribution. "This success wouldn't have been possible without the support of MAGIC and the Maharashtra Innovation Society which helped me throughout my journey. Thanks to collaboration with the Gates Foundation, the agricultural solutions via Niyo Farmtech have reached multiple states including Uttar Pradesh and Odisha on a large scale, providing much-needed relief to thousands of farmers," Gawande expressed.

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