Building a secure food future: Stellapps Technologies wins Rabobank’s SustainableAg Asia Challenge

11 Oct 2019 --- India-based Stellapps Technologies (Stellapps) has won Rabobank’s SustainableAg Asia Challenge, the food and agri banking leader’s platform for agri-tech start-ups and innovators across the region. The SustainableAg Asia Challenge is important for the continent, since Asia’s population is expected to increase from 4.6 billion to 5.3 billion by 2050. Arable land and natural resources are available in limited capacities for increased food production, and building a secure food future is now more important than ever.

SustainableAg Asia Challenge, supported by Rabo Foundation and Rabobank, drew a total of 138 submissions from a cross-section of technology start-ups and businesses in the food supply chain. Those include farming, food and agriculture traders and food companies and retailers that use cutting-edge data-driven technology, analysis and interconnectivity to develop market-ready smart farming techniques to help meet the increased demand for food in Asia.

Rabobank’s SustainableAg Asia Challenge showcases innovative solutions that drive integrity and interconnectivity throughout Asia’s vital agriculture and food supply chains. Stellapps topped a shortlist of 14 companies that participated in a marathon Pitch Day, presenting their solutions to a judging panel comprising senior management of Rabobank Foundation, as well as senior representatives of SustainableAg Asia Challenge partner companies ADB Ventures, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bayer, Bits & Bites, COFCO International, DSM, Future Group, Olam International and Temasek.   

Stellapps, an end-to-end dairy technology solutions company, is the first of its kind in India. The company impressed the judging panel with its SmartMoo solution. “We seek to drive the digitization of the dairy sector through captured data from the entire supply chain, significantly enhancing income, profitability and yield per cow, for farmers in emerging economies,” affirms Umesh Parjapat, Program Manager at Stellapps. 

Stellapps Technologies and four other companies judged as the Top Five submissions – DeHaat, Longcom Internet-of-Things, AgNext and PT Crowde Membangun Bangsa – share a pool of winners’ cash prizes totaling US$20,000 and are now invited to present their solutions at Rabobank Asia’s Food and Agri (F&A) Advisory Board Meeting in Shanghai on October 31. The premier annual event brings together chairmen and CEOs of leading food and agribusiness companies and commodity traders from China, India and Southeast Asia. 

“Data and innovation are key in driving the changes needed to improve food and agri supply chains, thereby creating a more sustainable food production,” Diane Boogaard, Rabobank Asia’s CEO says.

Through the SustainableAg Asia Challenge, Rabobank wants to connect innovative solutions with its corporate clients to drive sustainability and integrity in agri-food supply chains. As a major cooperative Food & Agri bank, enabling the change to a more sustainable food supply chain is core to the mission of “growing a better world together.” 

“We do this by providing access to our knowledge, networks and financing solutions,” Boogard adds.  

“What’s happening in Asia in terms of scale and focus on the end-users is really impressive. Overall, the judges were greatly impressed by the innovation, passion and commitment shown by participants of SustainableAg Asia Challenge,” said Albert Boogaard, Head of Innovation at Rabo Foundation, speaking at the prize-giving ceremony. 

“These technologies and new business models can serve as catalysts for Asia’s diverse and fragmented food and agriculture industry, providing food and agri companies with the means to reinvigorate food production with smart farming, more effective and efficient processing and distribution techniques, as well as improving lives for smallholder farmers throughout Asia,” he concluded. 

Edited by Elizabeth Green