UPL Sustainable Agri Solutions Limited (UPL SAS), a subsidiary of UPL Ltd, is positioning itself at the forefront of India’s agricultural transformation by integrating innovative technologies and comprehensive services aimed at empowering smallholder farmers and rural agri-retailers. Under the leadership of Ashish Dobhal, CEO of UPL SAS, the company is reshaping the supply chain and retail dynamics through a multifaceted approach that combines crop protection, climate-smart technologies, and digital platforms.
Central to this revolution is nurture.retail, UPL SAS’s digital agri-marketplace designed to overhaul traditional procurement practices. Historically, agri-retailers in India faced challenges such as limited product access, opaque pricing structures, and logistical inefficiencies. These obstacles often constrained their ability to meet farmers’ needs effectively. Nurture.retail has disrupted this status quo by offering retailers seamless access to an extensive inventory of over 3,000 brands and 9,000 SKUs, including pesticides, fertilisers, seeds, and farm equipment. This digital platform aggregates more than 100,000 agri-retailers across 19,000 pin codes and operates across multiple states, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, among others.
By providing transparent pricing, timely offers, and integrated logistics, nurture.retail empowers retailers to make strategic purchasing decisions with improved working capital management. This capability enables them to deepen relationships with farmers and strengthen their role as local growth engines within India’s agricultural economy. The platform has rapidly become India’s largest and fastest-growing agri-input marketplace, with monthly sales exceeding ₹100 crore, a figure that underscores the scale at which it supports rural supply chains.
A key differentiator of nurture.retail and its parent platform nurture.farm lies in the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to catalyse efficiency and predictive decision-making across the agri-supply chain. Through AI-powered forecasting models, the platform analyses crop cycles, weather patterns, local demand, and sales trends to anticipate product requirements accurately. This optimises inventory management, minimises stock-outs, and ensures that retailers consistently stock regionally relevant inputs, thereby accelerating sales velocity.
Moreover, logistics are enhanced using AI to optimise delivery timing and reduce costs. The platform also innovates in financial inclusion; AI-driven credit scoring models harness alternative data to unlock affordable financing for retailers who traditionally remain sidelined by conventional financial institutions. This transition from reactive to predictive retailing marks a significant evolution in rural agri-commerce, enabling sharper, data-backed decisions.
Nurture.farm, the overarching digital agriculture platform, extends beyond input procurement by offering comprehensive farm services, advisory, market linkages, and sustainability-focused solutions at every stage of the crop cycle—from pre-sowing to post-harvest. This holistic approach aims not only to increase profitability for farmers but also to foster environmentally sustainable agricultural practices.
The platform’s vision aligns with global collaboration efforts, as evidenced by nurture.farm’s integration into the OpenAg™ network, created by UPL Ltd. This affiliation enhances accessibility, connectivity, and resilience across agricultural ecosystems worldwide, building a customer-centric model that promotes shared prosperity and sustainable growth.
UPL Ltd’s ambitious investment plan allocates $350 million over three to four years to develop technology-driven agri-solutions domestically and internationally, illustrating a significant commitment to advancing digital agriculture and agriservices. Through nurture.farm and nurture.retail, the company claims to be nurturing an interconnected ecosystem that benefits smallholder farmers, agri-retailers, and the broader agricultural economy.
While the company emphasises the transformative power of AI and digital platforms in streamlining supply chains and credit access, it remains to be seen how these technologies will address longstanding rural infrastructure limitations and financial inclusion challenges comprehensively in the long term. Nevertheless, the rapid adoption rates and significant sales figures suggest that the digital pivot is gaining strong grassroots traction.
In sum, UPL SAS’s integrated model, combining digital innovation, extensive product reach, smart financing, and sustainability frameworks, represents a robust effort to propel India’s rural agricultural sector into a more connected, efficient, and sustainable future. This model serves as a compelling example of how technology-led solutions can empower smallholders and retailers to drive rural economic growth in one of the world’s most important agricultural landscapes.
Source: Noah Wire Services
