Arya.ag: Empowering Farmers with India's Largest Integrated Grain Commerce Platform

In the traditional cycle of Indian agriculture, the moment of harvest is often a moment of financial desperation. As crops flood the market, prices plummet, leaving farmers with a brutal choice: sell low to local money lenders or watch their produce rot. Anand Chandra, the Co-founder of Arya.ag, is breaking this cycle. By providing farmers with 10,000 storage units and instant, tech-enabled finance, Arya.ag is giving Bharat the freedom to sell produce when the price is right. Today, it stands as India's only profitable agritech startup, having serviced over 10 million farmers across the subcontinent.

Anand's journey began with a deep grounding in agribusiness management and eight years at ICICI Bank, where he led the national commodity finance division. Alongside co-founders Prasanna Rao and Chattanathan Devarajan, he acquired a controlling stake in a collateral management firm from the JM Baxi Group to build something revolutionary: an integrated platform where warehousing, fintech, and grain commerce coexist. For Chandra, the mission is not to replace the existing "najafgarh Mandi" style supply chains, but to layer them with the capital and monitoring needed to unlock their true efficiency.

Underwriting Trust: The Amazon of Agriculture

Chandra is candid about the "hypocrisy" of Indian society—wanting farmer welfare but refusing to pay more for produce. He argues that Indian supply chains are actually the most efficient possible for their ticket size. The missing ingredient is embedded finance. Arya.ag acts as the "Underwriter" of quality and quantity. Just as customers trust Amazon because they know they'll get an authentic iPhone, buyers trust Arya.ag because they physically hold the stock in their warehouses.

This "Stock-in-Hand" model allows Arya.ag to provide instant KYC and loan sanctions in less than five minutes. "By the time the stocks are getting unloaded in our warehouse, we verify the KYC and give a sanction up to 50 lakhs to a farmer," Chandra explains. This speed matches the local money lender but at formal banking rates, saving farmers thousands in interest and preventing debt traps.

The AI-Powered Warehouse: Watching the Bags

To manage 10,000 units across the country, Arya.ag has turned to machine learning and AI-enabled cameras. These aren't ordinary CCTV systems; they are "AI-learned" cameras that ignore human movement and focus solely on the inventory. If a bag enters the warehouse, the camera counts it as a 'One Inward.' If a person walks in empty-handed, it's ignored. The system also triggers security alerts for any vehicle proximity after 6:00 PM, allowing founders and depositors to monitor their stock from their smartphones.

Scaling Beyond Traceability: Solving for Quality on Day 1

While the West focuses on "Blockchain Traceability" to identify bad food after a rejection, Chandra believes in a more proactive approach. He argues that in India, where a single truckload might contain grain from five different farmers, retroactive traceability is too expensive and complex. Instead, Arya.ag is piloting a "Pre-Harvest" solution.

By monitoring the "Package of Practices" at the farm level—soil testing, pesticide usage, and nutrient management—Arya.ag ensures the produce meets global standards before it ever leaves the field. "Let us solve the problem there [at the farm]," Chandra says. "If I produce the right quality on Day 1, I don't have to come back for a rejection." This focus on economic feasibility is what allows Arya.ag to maintain healthy margins while serving marginal farmers.

Founder's Wisdom: The Freedom of Responsibility

Transitioning from a senior banker to a founder taught Anand Chandra the difference between "unproductive" and "productive" pressure. He defines entrepreneurship as the ability to take on the weight of everything—from salaries to investor expectations—because it buys you the freedom to execute your vision. He believes that to build a sustainable 100-year legacy, you must stay relevant by relentlessly adopting new technologies.

The Future: Pre-Harvest Integration

As Arya.ag expands its pre-harvest services, the goal remains the same: give the farmer total freedom. By acquiring satellite monitoring firms and focusing on soil health, Anand Chandra and his team are building a data-driven fortress around India's grain commerce. In the complex world of Indian agriculture, Arya.ag is no longer just a warehouse provider—it is the digital architect of a more profitable Bharat.

As Chandra reflects on his journey, his message to future entrepreneurs is clear: "Study the behavior of your users. If you match the speed of the money lender with the rates of a bank, you win."

About the Guest

Anand Chandra is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Arya.ag. An Agri graduate from Allahabad Agriculture Institute and an MBA in Agri-Business Management from **MANAGE**, Anand spent over eight years at **ICICI Bank** as the National Product Head for Agri-Commodity Finance. In 2013, he and his co-founders acquired Arya.ag to transform it into India's largest integrated grain commerce platform. He is a recognized authority on post-harvest supply chains, warehouse management, and agri-fintech. He is passionate about using technology to drive farmer profitability and has been instrumental in making Arya.ag the only profitable agritech startup in India.

Arya.ag is India's leading integrated grain commerce platform, offering end-to-end solutions for post-harvest agriculture. By combining a network of 10,000 warehouses with its own NBFC and a tech-enabled trade marketplace, Arya.ag provides farmers, FPOs, and corporate buyers with a seamless ecosystem for storage, finance, and commerce. The company leverages AI and satellite data to ensure transparency, quality, and quantity security, empowering millions of farmers to unlock the true value of their produce.