Bayer Crop Science Ltd has roped in BigHaat, an agri-input e-commerce platform, to deliver its seeds and crop protection products directly to farmers. According to a statement by Bayer, the partnership will benefit farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala with focus on paddy, cotton, corn, chilli and horticulture crops.

After the tie-up, farmers will have access to the entire range of Bayer’s agri-solutions, and will be able to avail crop-specific agronomic advisory through BigHaat’s Agristore digital platform, said Bayer.

BigHaat provides a wide range of inputs including seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, nutrients, farm implements and crop advisory to over 30 lakh Indian farmers, says a report by BusinessLine. BigHaat, through its cognitive intelligence-based technology offers real time, image-based disease & pest diagnosis and crop stage-wise advisory to farmers for over 80 crops and enables them to choose the right agri-inputs and the technical know-how for safe and effective application.

“Rising digitalisation has paved the way for dynamic shifts such as the use of e-commerce platforms for purchase of agri-solutions. Bayer’s partnership with BigHaat is a strategic collaboration to provide farmers diverse choices beyond the traditional services they usually rely on,” said Simon Wiebusch, Chief Operating Officer for Bayer India’s Crop Science Division.

“Bayer is continuously looking at partnerships across the agri value chain to enhance customer centricity. We want to create a hybrid ecosystem where traditional and digital marketplaces co-exist with the common aim of providing farmers with greater choice,” Wiebusch said.

“We are very excited about this strategic partnership with Bayer, which is a giant step forward in enhancing India’s agri ecosystem and improving the profitability for farmers,” said Sateesh Nukala, CEO and Co-Founder of BigHaat.