In this conversation, Nitin Puri, Founder and CEO of KisaanSay, shares his journey of building a purpose-led agribusiness that connects farmers directly with consumers. He reflects on the need to rethink traditional supply chains, create fair income opportunities for farmers, and build a model that balances commercial success with meaningful on-ground impact.
Your journey into agricultural entrepreneurship is not a conventional one. What drew you to this space, and what gaps did you see that others were missing?
I spent over 23 years in the food industry working in leadership roles across consumer-facing, farmer-facing, and supply chain. Over time, I figured out that, as food industry professionals, we were not doing justice to either consumers or farmers. Consumers were not getting the products they deserved, and farmers were not getting the income they deserved. The large-scale industrial supply chain model of the food sector is responsible for this, and hence, a new paradigm of decentralised processing that preserves the supply chain integrity of specific food products was very much needed. Through KisaanSay, we were able to introduce a new way for consumers to access food products directly from specific origins, enabling them to benefit from tastier, healthier options backed by provenance & authenticity. At the same time, through our unique co-brand/co-profit model with FPOs, we have been able to help farmers earn better livelihoods through the power of retail market access.
KisaanSay works closely with Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs). At a human level, what has working with farmer collectives taught you about the realities of rural India today?
Rural India is blessed with rich biodiversity, with over 30 Mn Ha of the 170 Mn Ha of arable land area in India under natural farming clusters. These clusters are home to many hidden jewels of Indian food culture & heritage- a wide variety of indigenous seed varieties, that are grown the traditional way and that give us food products that are tastier and healthier than the regular commercialised food varieties. We work with 50,000 farmers through 25 FPOs located in 9 states of India. Working with the farmers in these clusters gives great satisfaction by enabling an ecosystem that promotes India's lost biodiversity and helps farmers earn better incomes. India's food heritage can survive only if it becomes economically rewarding for farmers, for which models like KisaanSay are the way forward.
At a time when most startups prioritise rapid scale and profitability, you’ve chosen to reinvest profits back into agriculture. What shaped this philosophy, and how difficult is it to stay committed to it?
Our Co- Profit model with FPOs is a unique, first-of-its-kind model in India, wherein farmers receive 50% of the business's profits, net of all supply chain & distribution operating costs. This model makes farmers an integral part of the supply chain and gives them an incentive to work harder to earn more. This philosophy also enables us to build robust supply chains with efficiency and trust, which are the backbone of our promise to consumers of fully traceable single-origin products that are distinct in taste & health benefits. To lock in this proposition and make the model scalable in the long run, this philosophy of profit sharing will go a long way. Profit maximisation will naturally follow, over a period of time
The recent ₹35 crore investment from NABVENTURES is being seen as a strong endorsement. Beyond capital, what does this kind of institutional backing mean to you?
NABARD has a very long & strong history in nurturing the FPO movement in India. Over 10,000 FPCs have been created, many of which have some wonderful institutional capacity & processing infrastructure, which have been a strong enabler of our supply chain building blocks at KisaanSay. The investment by NABVENTURES also gives us deep & strategic access to the FPO ecosystem in India, which will help us scale our product portfolio at a very fast pace. This is a win-win for all, wherein meaningful value creation is happening for farmers, government investment in institutions/ infrastructure is being gainfully monetised for the benefit of farmers, and consumers are able to access 100% Direct from Origin products from all across India. This includes many all-women farmer enterprises that are the backbone of Indian agriculture and have a strong role to play in the larger women's empowerment context, given that this year we are also celebrating the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Agriculture in India is often described as both an opportunity and a challenge. From your experience, what are the most misunderstood aspects of building a business in this sector?
Agriculture is one of the riskiest businesses, given that the farmer has to go through a 100-120 day crop cycle in the midst of various natural and other adversities, as well as the highly unreliable post-harvest marketing system. Farmers always seek certainty to mitigate these risks. They are also usually trapped in a vicious cycle of low incomes, low profits, high debt, low reinvestment, low realisation- low incomes. To move farmers out of this cycle and into a virtuous cycle of growth and prosperity, fair & remunerative access to markets without intermediaries plays a major role. This, once cracked, will enable millions of farmers to move into a zone of prosperity & sustainable development on a scale.
How do you balance between building a commercially viable enterprise and driving meaningful, on-ground impact for farmers? Have there been moments where the two were in conflict?
Both these aspects of building a business that is socially enabling and commercially viable go hand in hand. So far, most models of development in rural India have been at either extreme: an NGO-like developmental initiative or an outright commercial business model. The opportunity lies somewhere in between, where, through a delicate balance of social impact and market access, one can create a unique model that does not have to compromise on either the social or the commercial aspects. Business models that are self-sustaining and build livelihoods through the principles of market economics will always survive in the long run.
Looking ahead, what is your larger vision for KissanSay? What kind of role do you believe entrepreneurs should play in shaping the future of India’s rural economy?
KisaanSay endeavors to build a rural Indian economy that is self-sufficient, sustainable, and commercially remunerative for farmers, so that we can find lasting solutions to many of today's challenges, such as migration, unemployment, and the lack of development in villages. The role of private enterprises and entrepreneurs in building an ecosystem that enables farmers to earn better incomes while remaining in their villages, through aggregation, value addition, and access to mainstream retail markets, will go a long way toward building a self-reliant rural India. KisaanSay will play a key role in this direction by scaling up its offerings to consumers through a supply chain that connects more farmers to the mainstream retail food economy in India.
