HFN Kisan: From seeds, loans, to tools, everything farmers need now in one app

Hyderabad: Harvesting Farmer Network (HFN) which turned out to be a lifesaver for many farmers in the country when the lockdown was announced has introduced a mobile application called 'HFN Kisan'. The app will help farmers right from providing genuine seeds to helping them sell their farm produce.

The app will allow farmers to discover, connect, and transact with buyers across India. The free mobile app supports six languages - English, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, and Kannada – and will help farmers involved in fishery, poultry, livestock, as well as horticulture.

Unlike the HFN Twitter page, the app will not just bridge the gap between farmers and buyers but also helps farmers buy genuine seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and tools directly from manufacturers at affordable rates. Besides this, farmers get smart farming tips and tailor-made advisory on the mobile app and over the phone. Farmers in select regions will also be able to get loans and insurance via the HFN Kisan mobile application.

Talking about the app, Ruchit Garg, the founder and CEO of HFN, said, "Our app is the most comprehensive app which takes care of most aspects of farming. It gives farmers more control when they want to change prices. Also, we have added an online marketplace for them to buy inputs (seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, tools). Besides, the app provides financial services, too."

Ruchit believes that the app will enable farmers to realize their full potential. "Farmers across 22 states have been leveraging HFN's digital platform to market and sell their crop and HFN Kisan mobile app will give farmers everything they need on a single mobile application," added Ruchit.

After working for 11 years with companies like Microsoft, Ruchit wanted to come back to India and do something for the smallholder farmers in the country. With this dream, he started the Harvesting Farmer Network in 2018 to drive financial inclusion for smallholder farmers. HFN mainly leverages technology to provide nationwide farmers and buyers with a single transparent online platform.

When the lockdown was announced in March 2020, farmers across the country were badly hit as they were unable to sell their produce. Ruchit started the Twitter page Harvesting Farmer Network where the details of the farmers and their produce were posted. Farmers got in touch with Ruchit through the phone number provided on the Twitter page. In this manner, he created a market for the farmers in India.