Advancing innovative low-cost solutions for horticulture and floriculture farmers
Despite changes in weather and it is associated impacts on agriculture, emergence of new pests and diseases and increasing soil infertility due to overuse of conventional fertilizers, farmers are still stuck with old crop production solutions that have become ineffective towards shocks like hailstorms, harsh sun, pests and diseases but providing expensive in the crop production cycle.
As farmers look at cheaper and sustainable alternatives to existing products, companies are burning the midnight oil in ensuring they sate the crop producers’ demands.
One such company, Shri Ambica Polymer Private Limited has positioned itself as one of the frontrunners in offering long lasting, cost-effective agricultural products. Based in Gujarat, India, the company was started in 2005 as part of a family run business before becoming a single entity.
It started off as a packaging industry. It now prides itself as one of the largest exporters of Agro-Textiles from India and a major exporter of Geo- Textile fabrics. For the floriculture and horticulture industry the products it supplies include ground covers, insect nets, hail nets, collection nets, windbreak nets, shade nets, planter bags among other products.
Ground covers are a direct replacement of mulch films that have been in existence for a long time. While mulch films are cheaper, they do not last longer than the covers. Ground covers are used by professional nurseries and landscapers in a variety of applications. They provide a weed-free environment for potted plants while allowing water, nutrients, and liquid fertilizer to be absorbed through the fabric. They are resistant to attack by mildew, bacteria and most ground insects.
Anti-hail nets on the other hand are used to protect crops from hailstorms while planter bags, another flagship product from the company, are used by nurseries to grow trees and help in a healthier root growth, helps in easily transporting the plants by using the handles, can be stacked better during transportation while lastly using much lesser storage space for storing empty bags as opposed to the conventional plastic pots. They are credited with durability with farmers using them for up to 4 years as a minimum.
Tree watering bags are wrapped around a tree, having different water storage capacities and providing the precious resource (water) in drop by drop mechanism therefore taming water loss as well as gradual watering to the roots. All the products sold by Shri Ambica Polymer are under the brand.
The company is keen to introduce to the African market, the capillary matting which is a composite of groundcover with fiber. The product is ideal for the African market due to the intensity of the sun which makes water evaporate faster. The product is laid on the ground allowing the fiber to retain the water and keep the soil moist. According to the company, adding the product in its portfolio is a green initiative in order to save on excess use of water during irrigation.
The dominant markets for the company have been US and Europe but since they are expanding capacity, the company is now heavily focusing on new regions, Africa being one of them due to its large size and the fact that floriculture and horticulture sectors contribute a huge portion of the GDP. “Beyond selling our products in Africa we want to educate farmers in the continent about the use of these new and innovative products so that they can save money and invest in long lasting solutions in their farm,” said Aniket Nagri, Managing Director at Shri Ambica Polymer Pvt. Ltd.
The company is selling the products in the Moroccan market and it is now training its eyes on other African countries. With most of similar products coming to Africa from other markets which make them prohibitively expensive and uncompetitive, the company is looking at establishing direct links with African local suppliers and distributors.
“Since most of the buyers want these products in small quantities, it becomes expensive to import from India. We are therefore looking at a model where we can work with distributors and stockists who sell these products in small quantities so that we can partner with them,” Aniket added.
In order to guarantee quality and ensure durability and sustainability of its products, it has invested in state-of-the-art machinery while embracing global standards in its production. “We have an inhouse laboratory as per the international standards and our products are tested on a daily basis so that there are no quality issues faced by customers. The machines we use are automated to ensure that there is no human interaction especially while handling raw materials during production. With our fully equipped temperature-controlled laboratory, all our products are tested for mechanical, hydraulic and UV properties to make sure our customers receive the best quality products.,” said Aniket.
As the horticulture industry champions for sustainable practices and buyers increasingly become conscious of how the food they purchase and consume is grown, farmers are now faced with the responsibility of ensuring that the food they produce meets these global standards even as they focus on taming the cost of producing that crop. Water and pests control remain the issues farmers are currently grappling with. Up to 40 per cent of yields are lost to pests. And with climate change taking a toll on food production, innovative products and technologies that keep pests and diseases at bay while embracing judicious use of water are poised to win more farmers over.
