The Journey
Role of Women in Indian agriculture
Purnima Khandelwal has experience of over 17 years as an entrepreneur and is the first woman CEO of a professionally run horticulture company from India.
Making Rajasthan the Pomegranate Hub of India
INI Farms is a vertically integrated branded fruit company. With its flagship products of banana, pomegranate, and Fresh Cuts.
A Decade of Revolutionizing Horticulture in India – the INI Journey
We talked to Pankaj Khandelwal, MD, and Chairman of INI Farms, an Agri- consulting firm
Indian start-ups brave low margins, short shelf lives in branded fruit business
Globally, especially in the matured markets such as the US and the UK, consumers prefer branded fruits.
Armed with AI & drones, online mandis shake up farming, aim to cut waste to boost farm income
E-mandis deploy tech such as AI and drones to inject efficiency all along the supply chain.
Time to go bananas!
Lockdown hindered most businesses, but banana export skyrocketed during the period.
Horticulture firm InI Farms sees 40% growth in FY22, says Finance Controller
Horticulture start-up InI Firms is eying 40 percent growth next financial after likely to end the current year on a flattish note, said its finance controller Sushil Parekh. ...
Andhra is going bananas - how India’s largest producer of the fruit is breaking own record
New Delhi/Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh is going bananas with its banana production.
The Journey
Experienced Horticulture Exporter INI Farms Joins E-Commerce Bandwagon
It has launched Kimaye.com to deliver farm-fresh fruits across pin codes in Mumbai for now. Several Agri-Tech firms have seen a surge in consumer demand for fresh farm produce post lockdown....
Agritech startup INI Farms enters D2C commerce after disrupting fruit supply chain and exports
IAmong India’s top fruit exporters, Mumbai startup INI Farms has built an integrated supply chain from farm to table. In 2020, it ventured into D2C commerce....
Commodity Champions: Experts discuss the road ahead for agriculture startups
The grass is getting greener in the agriculture sector which has shown positive growth in the previous quarter. Exports have also surged considerably, growing not only from March to June but also in J...
Fruits of Integration
Pankaj Khandelwal talks about the journey of InI Farms, the expansion of Brand Kimaye and the company's future plans in the domestic market...
Setting a Benchmark
INI Farms is all set to redefine the entire fresh fruit supply chain...
Blazing a Trail
Purnima Khandelwal, First Lady to feature on the cover of AsiaFruit Magazine, talks about her personal and professional journey in establishing one of India's largest exporter of Pomegranates and Bana....
INI Farms joins hands with US-based Munger Farms
INI and Munger Farms, a leading independent blueberry grow from US to create a global-value-chain for blueberries in India...
This Woman Entrepreneur is changing the horticulture landscape of India
A story on organizing the unorganized Indian Horticulture industry....
The Journey
Our Farmers made up to 80% losses in the lockdown
Finance Controller Mr. Sushil Pareek, of InI Farms on how labour shortage and supply chain disruption led the farmers to do distress sale....
Covid-19 has stress-tested all organizations and their leadership
Purnima on impact of the pandemic on organization culture, team dynamics and leadership capabilities with ETHRWorld....
InI Farms adds QR Codes
Kimaye fruits will now provide traceability QR codes which will enable complete transparency and visibility to our consumers on the journey of Kimaye fruits....
Point of View
State Level #Commerce Festival Conference
The state level #commerce_festival council in the Department of Industry has started in MumbaiTil World Trade Center. The council's participant, Jhalelya INI farm or organization Chief Executive Officer Poornima Khandelwal ie State Government Pudhakarabadal feels special gratitude. Read More
The superfood with super profits for farmers
Pomegranate is a "superfood" that is super resilient in hot and arid regions, has great domestic and export demand, and has the potential to offer farmers super-profits. India of course is the largest producer of this fruit. In the last decade, there has been a boom in India's pomegranate production. It has the potential to beco… Read More
Customers are asking for certification
Food Habits are being rapidly reshaped by the pandemic.The Mumbai-based firm InI Farms for instance-which is among the largest exporters of premium quality fruits,especially pomegrannates,grapes and bananas(exporting over 40,000 tonnes to about 35 countries annually)-has begun to target the domestic market with a renewed focus. Read More
Point of View
Too little, too late: RoDTEP rates leave exporters disappointed, hope for a rate review by the government
In a major move aimed at boosting exports and offering relief to exporters, the government on Tuesday notified the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme guidelines and rates. Read More
Against the odds: Can exports of $400 billion be the saviour for Indian economy?
The April-June quarter was a busy time for Pankaj Khandelwal, Chairman and Managing Director of INI Farms, an exporter of bananas and pomegranates. The Mumbai-headquartered company’s revenue grew 100% month-on-month during this period. Countries slowly returning to normalcy after the Covid outbreak, an increased inclination ... Read More
The Art of Eating
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ASKS ONE OF THE JUDGES. Just at home, Kishwar Chowdhury says, weeping into her napkin. When she went on to the grand finale of MasterChef Australia dazzling the jury with the humble Bengali staple panta bhaat, she was embodying the transformation that the pandemic has wrought upon our relationship with food. Read More
Point of View
Sustainable agriculture: Why it is more imp now than ever
Modern agri-tech firms can be instrumental in empowering farmers, promote sustainable agricultural practices, reduce crop wastages, deepen domestic and international market linkages along with improving farmer income.The agriculture sector in India stands at the crossroads of transformation. Read More
Exporters want Govt to define the contours of the new Foreign Trade Policy
In March 2018, the US had challenged certain export promotion schemes of India, alleging that these largely created an uneven playing field for competing nations. The Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), Exports Oriented Units Scheme and sector-specific schemes were some of the subsidy programmes under the lens. Read More
HOW COVID HAS CHANGED THE RULES OF THE GAME
Covid disrupted supply chains across agriculture and its allied sectors. It prompted the need for reforms in the agri-sector and digital solutions to link farmers to markets, build wage safety nets, and ensure equitable working conditions For the horticulture industry, an opportunity exists to enhance and strengthen its value chains. Read More
Point of View
Time to move over, mango; it’s a banana republic
Mango mania may be passé overseas. Fresh bananas have been the second most exported fruit from India for the past two financial years, breaching the Rs 1,000-crore mark for the first time last fiscal, with shipments worth nearly two and a half times those of mangoes. While grapes continued to be the sweetest fruit for Indian traders, with shipments worth Read More
How Covid-19 has Changed the Rules of the Game for Agri- Sector
The Covid-19 pandemic, right at its onset disrupted supply chains across agriculture and its allied sectors. A similar situation grips India as the country battles with the second wave of the deadly virus. How has the impact been on the agri sector this time around? The nation-wide lockdown last year took a heavy toll on all its financial resources, Read More
Poovan at Rs 7 per kg: Tamil Nadu banana sector's woes amid COVID-19 second wave
TIRUCHY: With the second wave of COVID-19 defying predictions of growth this year, the state’s banana export sector has taken a blow in both domestic and international markets. This has left hundreds of farmers in a fix, even making them leave their harvest-ready crop in the trees to perish owing to the price drop caused by the complete lockdown. Read More
Point of View
Women in Produce: panel interview
Three leading women in India’s fresh produce business tell Asiafruit how the industry is achieving greater gender equality. Nina Patil: Around 90 per cent of the work force, especially at farm level, in India’s fresh produce trade are women. Ironically the proportion of produce industry leaders... Read More
Making moves in India
Jupiter Group has reported on a successful season with the Arra 15 grape variety (marketed as Arra Sweeties) in India’s Nashik region. The UK-headquartered company is the exclusive license holder for Arra grapes in India, in conjunction with its partners Sahyadri Farms. Jupiter says... Read More
Despite bumper crop, horticulture farmers in Andhra stare at huge losses
Due to sufficient water availability this season, farmers in AP produced bumper crop of Banana. However due to the current scenario, they are on the verge of facing huge losses. INI Farms alongwith Govt of AP are trying their best to procure the produce as much as possible to minimize the plight of farmers. Read More
Point of View
The New Farm Formula
Lockdown has enabled new avenues for agriculture and horticulture companies to take a step in transforming the operations from physical to digital. Pankaj Khandelwal , MD InI Farms, mentions how INI Farms is making a shift towards digital space in various steps from procurement to last mile delivery.— and… Read More
More players may enter contract farming
With the new law coming on the direct sale agreement under contract farming, the agriculture industry is set to witness more and more private players entering into contract farming, which will lead to infrastructure development, capacity building, and market access for farmers and FPOs- and... Read More