Blockchain in Food and Agriculture Supply Chain- Latest Announcements So Far

• Vikash Kumar Das
• September 07, 2020

In this article, we will see how blockchain technology can transform the food and agriculture supply chain and will focus on the latest announcements, particularly in this domain. 

 

Table of Contents 

 

• Overview 
• Significance of Blockchain in Food and Agriculture Industry
•  ‘Agriota’ to Bridge Gap Between Indian Farmers and UAE Food Industry
• Farm Producer Organizations and Startups are Adopting Blockchain 
• Concluding Lines 

 

Overview 

 

Blockchain developers and technocrats consider blockchain as innovation in the technology world that has the potential to revolutionize almost all sectors. 

 The key thing about this technology is that it is a peer-to-peer, decentralized distributed ledger technology. Rather than having a single central system that is controlled by a single authority, a blockchain ensures that all of the data is recorded and distributed across multiple places, each owned by the participants within the blockchain.

 

Blockchain plays a crucial role in transforming the agriculture and food industry by managing a chain of actions and consequential transactions of the food chain. It enables secure handling and storing of records and digital authentication to encourage intellectual property rights along with food safety. 

 

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Significance of Blockchain in Food and Agriculture Industry

 

Blockchain initially established its power in the financial sector, and now blockchain professionals are working hard to know its potential in the food industry. Few believe that technology provides traceability and transparency across the entire chain, creating an “immutable record of transactions.” Moreover, it is expected to bring numerous benefits to multiple players by eliminating the duplication of efforts and bringing complete transparency. 

 

• From producers to distributors, suppliers, retailers, and regulators, technology benefits every player in the supply chain. For the producer, any efforts to tamper with a food item can be identified and prevented before the food reaches the retailer’s end.

 

• With its decentralized nature, technology can help in inventory tracking and shipping processes in the agriculture sector, further reducing the associated costs that would otherwise go to a third party.

 

• It benefits consumers in the sense that they can access and track the complete product information from their smartphones. Supermarkets can also access large volumes of data that travels through the entire supply chain.

 

•  In the food and agriculture supply chain, technology can help all transactions for one item of food be seen and validated at any point in time. In addition, it offers easier regulatory compliance and enhances and expedites the food recall process.

 

• Most importantly, technology can help low-wage farmers by directly linking them to consumers/retailers, which can help them to get the real price for their produce.

 

‘Agriota’ to Bridge Gap Between Indian Farmers and UAE Food Industry

 

At present, the lack of transparency in credit history and agreements are the critical problems between smallholders and financial inclusion. Moreover, farmers find it difficult to connect with other food industry firms globally.

 

According to the latest announcement, the UAE’s food industry officials will soon have a blockchain-based supply chain to obtain agricultural products directly from India. Agriota E-Marketplace, a new platform, aims to bridge the gap between millions of rural farmers in India and the nation’s food industry. The new technology-driven agri-commodity trading and sourcing e-market platform will optimize the supply chain and ensure traceability to create value for all stakeholders. 

Agriota will provide transparency by verifying the entire food supply chain from Indian farms and will allow poor farmers to connect directly with food industry firms in the UAE to offer cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, spices, and condiments.

 

Pavan Kapoor, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, stated that: 

 

“The UAE has a comprehensive plan in place to ensure food security and champion agribusiness trade facilitation, with the ultimate goal of positioning our nation as a world-leading hub in innovation-driven food security.”

 

Farm Producer Organizations and Startups are Adopting Blockchain 

 

A number of blockchain-based solutions are popping up in the agriculture field to increase overall efficiency and help farmers earn better revenue.

 

In July 2020, it was reported that Sahyadri Farmers Producer Co, one of the largest FPOs, is implementing blockchain for supply chains to improve trust in its pricing and sales information that it shares with farmers and buyers.

The organization will benefit customers as well as they will be able to trace products back to the individual farmer who produced it.

 

Moreover, A blockchain-based agtech startup, Agri10x, has also announced that it has collaborated with the Indian government to help farmers sell their produce directly to buyers without involving any third-party intermediaries. 

 

Concluding Lines 

 

Nowadays, multiple companies are implementing blockchain-based solutions to help farmers earn better revenue. Due to its high potential, both the Indian state and central governments are looking into new ways to advance the agriculture sector by leveraging blockchain technology.

 

From the above discussion, it is becoming clear that there are tremendous opportunities in the agriculture industry if implemented through blockchain.

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