In a country where over half the population depends on agriculture, but innovation often stalls at the grassroots, one entrepreneur is changing the game—by going straight to the source.
Saurabh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of GROWiT, didn’t set out to disrupt Indian farming with big-city tech or distant policy. Instead, he listened. He spent time in the fields, faced farmer skepticism head-on, and built trust where it mattered most. What began as a mission to introduce protective farming tools like mulch films and soil testing devices has grown into a nationwide movement that’s transforming how India grows its food.
Under Agarwal’s leadership, GROWiT is not only delivering cutting-edge agri-tech but also making it accessible, affordable, and deeply human. In this exclusive interview, Agarwal shares the story behind GROWiT’s rise—how it’s turning hesitant farmers into informed agri-entrepreneurs, redefining soil health through IoT, and aligning profitability with sustainability. It’s a conversation that dives into the future of food security, climate resilience, and the quiet revolution taking root in India’s farmlands.
1. India’s agriculture sector is vast and complex. What was the initial problem you set out to solve with GROWiT, and how has that evolved since inception?
When we started GROWiT, our primary challenge was bridging the awareness gap around protective farming technologies—tools like mulch films and soil testing devices were either unknown or underutilized. The real hurdle, however, was building trust within a deeply traditional farming community that’s often hesitant to embrace innovation.
To overcome this, we introduced a Demo Farm Model and hosted regular farmer meetups to demonstrate firsthand the impact of these technologies. We also launched a pan-India franchise network to provide localized sales and support, backed by a dedicated field team and call center to ensure guidance throughout the farmer’s journey.
Today, GROWiT has evolved from a product-centric company to a full-service ecosystem offering education, support, and tech-driven solutions. Our farmer-first approach and consistent feedback loops have helped us scale across regions and earn the trust of rural India.
2. GROWiT’s mission focuses on empowering farmers and ensuring food security through sustainable practices. How do you define success for GROWiT in this context?
Success for us is measured by real-world impact: helping farmers grow more while spending less—and doing so sustainably. We aim to boost yields by up to 100%, reduce water consumption, and lower dependence on harmful chemicals, all while promoting soil health and environmental resilience.
Our innovations like Soil Guru Pro empower data-driven farming and precise input usage. Reaching over 2.25 lakh farmers across 12 states and establishing 650+ franchise outlets isn’t just growth—it’s progress toward democratizing sustainable agriculture in India.
3. How are you aligning GROWiT’s growth with broader goals such as climate resilience, soil health, and rural economic upliftment?
Every step of GROWiT’s growth is rooted in solving real, pressing problems faced by farmers. Our protective farming products reduce water usage and pesticide reliance while safeguarding crops against erratic climate patterns.
With our IoT-enabled Soil Guru Pro, we promote balanced nutrient management and healthier soil profiles. And by building a network of over 650 franchise partners, we’re creating agri-entrepreneurship opportunities, enabling last-mile tech access, and fueling rural economies.
4. GROWiT is pioneering protective farming with its products. What are the core innovations behind your technology, and how are they different from traditional agricultural practices?
We’re redefining Indian agriculture by moving from guesswork to precision-based, protective farming. At the heart of our innovation are mulch films, crop covers, weed mats, and the ICAR-approved Soil Health Tester.
Unlike traditional practices reliant on excessive water and chemical inputs, our solutions:
- Reduce water usage by up to 40%
- Decrease pesticide dependency
- Shield crops from extreme climate stress
- Increase yields by 40–100% through smart input planning
We’re not just selling tools—we’re enabling a tech-powered shift toward sustainable agriculture.
5. Could you shed light on how your products — like mulching films or agri-cover solutions — are improving yield, sustainability, and farmer incomes?
Our products are engineered to optimize every part of the farming cycle:
- Mulch Films retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and stabilize soil temperature, leading to healthier crops and higher yields.
- Crop Covers provide defense against pests and harsh weather, reducing losses and pesticide use.
- Weed Mats & Insect Nets streamline maintenance while enhancing plant health.
- Soil Guru Pro delivers real-time soil analysis, helping farmers make smarter, more efficient input decisions.
Together, these innovations reduce costs, enhance productivity, and ultimately increase farm profitability by up to 100%.
6. How are you leveraging data, feedback from farmers, or IoT solutions to enhance the effectiveness of your offerings on the ground?
Feedback is at the core of our innovation cycle. Our on-ground and tele-calling teams engage daily with farmers to understand their pain points. This data feeds directly into product refinement and R&D.
Our Soil Guru Pro leverages IoT and sensors to deliver real-time soil diagnostics, enabling accurate, actionable farming decisions. This farmer-data loop ensures our solutions stay relevant, adaptable, and impactful.
7. One of the highlights of GROWiT’s innovation is India’s first pocket-friendly soil health testing device. What inspired this product, and how has the response from the farming community been since its launch in April?
Conventional soil testing in India is expensive, slow, and often inaccessible—especially for small and marginal farmers. That gap inspired us to create a smartphone-connected, pocket-sized, ICAR-certified device that instantly tests for NPK, pH, EC, and moisture.
Since launching in April, the feedback has been phenomenal. Farmers call it a game-changer—compact, affordable, and empowering. It’s as easy as recharging a phone: quick, reliable, and always accessible.
8. Soil testing is often underutilized in Indian agriculture. How is your device democratizing access to soil intelligence, and how do you envision it changing farm-level decision-making?
Soil testing has long been overlooked due to cost and access issues. Our Soil Guru Pro changes that by making real-time soil diagnostics affordable and user-friendly. It connects to smartphones and delivers accurate insights instantly.
This shift from intuition to data empowers farmers to choose the right crops, optimize fertilizer use, and reduce wastage. The result? Better yields, healthier soils, and smarter, more sustainable farming at scale.
9. Your flagship products like mulch films and crop covers are already known in the market. How are you continuing to innovate around these core solutions to address evolving farming challenges and climate conditions?
We constantly upgrade our core products to meet the needs of a changing climate and evolving farm conditions. Whether it’s improving durability or simplifying usage, innovation is ongoing.
We also invest in farmer education—through demonstrations, social media campaigns, and localized support—so adoption is informed and impactful. This ensures our products stay effective and farmers get long-term value.
10. With over 225,000 farmers impacted and 650 franchise partners across 12 states, what kind of real on-ground transformation are you seeing — both in yield improvements and income growth?
The transformation is tangible. Farmers using GROWiT’s solutions have seen yield jumps of up to 100%, especially in high-value crops like tomato, chili, and watermelon. With better crop protection and input optimization, they’re reducing costs and boosting profitability.
Many have shifted from one to two or even three crop cycles per year—an extraordinary leap in productivity. Our franchise model has also fostered local entrepreneurship, creating rural jobs and strengthening the agri-business ecosystem.
11. You’ve emphasized making sustainable farming both accessible and affordable. How are you ensuring affordability without compromising on quality or scientific rigor?
Affordability should never mean compromise. All GROWiT products undergo rigorous field testing and are ICAR-approved. Devices like Soil Guru Pro provide scientific accuracy at a fraction of the traditional cost.
We focus on smart production, operational efficiency, and economies of scale—not cost-cutting. This allows us to deliver quality solutions that are both affordable and dependable for farmers across India.
12. You’ve spoken about the urgent need to build agricultural resilience in the face of climate change. How is GROWiT addressing this through product design and farmer education?
Climate change is redefining agriculture’s future, and we’re proactively addressing it. Our protective farming tools are designed to withstand extreme weather, conserve water, and enhance soil quality.
But innovation alone isn’t enough—we back it with farmer education. Through demo plots, training sessions, and digital outreach, we promote climate-smart practices and help farmers become more resilient, resource-efficient, and future-ready.
13. In a sector traditionally resistant to change, how are you promoting technology adoption among small and marginal farmers?
Trust is crucial in agriculture. That’s why we let results speak. We run demo farms, host farmer meetings, and showcase success stories that demonstrate clear impact.
Our tools are built to be intuitive, affordable, and supported by expert guidance. By simplifying technology and proving its value, we help small and marginal farmers adopt innovation with confidence.
14. With your current momentum, how do you plan to scale your solutions to regions with different climatic and soil challenges across India?
India’s agri-landscape is diverse, and scaling requires hyper-local adaptation. That’s why we’ve built a regionally rooted network of 650+ franchises, each supported by field teams attuned to local farming conditions.
Our Soil Guru Pro customizes recommendations based on regional soil profiles. Plus, we collaborate with FPOs, agri-universities, and local institutions to ensure that our solutions are tailored, inclusive, and effective—whether it’s arid zones in Rajasthan or humid terrains in the East.
