Fresh produce supply chain company Ninjacart said it has formed an advisory board roping in T Nandakumar, former food and agriculture secretary, and J Satyanarayana, former IT (information technology)
secretary of government of India, among other industry veterans.
In a statement shared on September 6, the agritech startup said the advisory board will offer guidance on agriculture, supply chain design, public policy, finance, ecosystem building, and technology.
“With the complexities of the agri industry in India, Ninjacart aims at solving issues faced by different agri players in the agri ecosystem. The board members bring strategic inputs, knowledge, and important network connections...,” said Kartheeswaran K K, co-founder and chief operations officer of Ninjacart.
Other members of the new board are Prakash Bakshi, former chairman of National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD), and Anand Sinha, retired deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
"Post-production value chain has been the weakest link in Indian agriculture, especially in fruit and vegetables. Ninjacart seeks to bring in efficiencies through improved logistics resulting in better market prices and consequent higher farm gate prices. I look forward to advising Ninjacart's able leadership team," said NABARD’S Bakshi.
According to Ninjacart, the advisory board will assist in developing long-term strategies, anticipating challenges and suggesting mitigation measures.
Ninjacart said the board members will also support the company’s efforts to improve its efficiency, contribute to the development of infrastructure, and help to engage with institutions and stakeholders.
Ninjacart was founded by Thirukumaran Nagarajan, Kartheeswaran KK, Ashutosh Vikram, Sharath Loganathan, and Vasudevan Chinnathambi in 2015. The startup leverages technology and data to solve problems such as information asymmetry, payment hassles, distribution inefficiency, and discovering new buyers and sellers in the agri ecosystem.
It has raised funds from investors like Tiger Global, Accel, Tanglin, Steadview, Syngenta, Nandan Nilekani, and Qualcomm.
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