Pilot project. Blockchain platform targets to enrol 10 lakh farmers

The University of Hyderabad (UoH) will build a blockchain-based platform that helps farmers, farmer-producer organisations and other ecosystem players in the agri-business space to interact with one another and add value.

The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has sanctioned a research grant of about ₹1 crore to Vijaya B Marisetty and Varsha Mamidi from the School of Management Studies at the UoH to develop the platform.

“The pilot project, which will be completed in two years, seeks to build a blockchain-based platform to onboard 10 lakh farmers,” a UoH spokesperson said.

The platform helps FPOs to engage with farming ecosystem players, including input suppliers, consumers and lenders.

“Since blockchain ensures security, trust and transparency, the platform will offer value chain benefits and more democratic distribution of wealth for farmers,” he said.

The two faculty members had earlier received a grant from the UGC’s Institution of Eminence for developing cold chain logistics platforms for the pharma industry. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories as the industry partner for the project.

“They have also won an international blockchain hackathon in Dubai and a blockchain hackathon conducted by the National Payment Corporation of India,” he said.

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