Welcome to an insightful conversation with Sandeep Sabharwal, the man behind Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) Group, a known name in post-harvest agricultural logistics. With a network spanning over 13,975 locations and 36 cold storage facilities, SLCM touches the lives of millions of farmers and stakeholders. Excerpts from the interview:

Tell us something about SLCM Group. What makes you a pioneer in post-harvest agricultural logistics?

More than a group or a company, SLCM or Sohan Lal Commodity Management, is a mission to transform the face of Indian agriculture with a fusion of physical and digital services for the farmers and allied stakeholders. We take pride in being the country’s largest one-stop Post-harvest AgriLogistics Platform, which enables everything from food grain procurement, seamless access to agri-finance, quality testing, secured storage solutions for various commodities and connecting farmers to buyers. With availability across more than 13,975 locations, over 36 cold storages and tie-ups with 13 leading banks, SLCM touches the lives of crores of farmers and other stakeholders of the Agri fraternity.

SLCM has unparalleled 360-degree Warehousing Management Expertise, encompassing commodity warehousing, procurement and collateral management while it simultaneously empowers members of the community through an Agri-focused NBFC wing named Kissandhan. Till date, micro loans worth more than Rs. 2888 crore have been disbursed under different Kissandhan schemes and the beneficiaries include over 33,839 women. Impacting more than 6.9 lakh farmers, including at least 74,963 Small Holder Farmers, Kissandhan is engaged with at least 105 FPOs in different markets across India. We are proud to lead the way for the industry in the post-harvest and Agri-tech space.

Please share some details about your early life, including education, family and initial professional stints

I was born into a family of Mrs.Sudershan and Mr. S.C Sabharwal. Coming from a rich legacy in the food processing business, I had worked alongside my father for over a decade and identified that the warehousing facilities across the country lacked essential ancillary services, such as storage, preservation, and assaying, which were critical for efficient post-harvest management. Given my education background coupled with early-age experience led to the evolution of ‘SLCM’ allowing me to create an impact on the agri-industry with my ‘’Phygital” mantra for the eco-system. Today, I can take a pride in mentioning that the implementation of our technology-led solutions especially in the post-harvest stages of agriculture has proven to be sustainable and instrumental in reimagining the Indian agricultural ecosystem.

Since inception, SLCM has been focusing on Commodity Storage, Procurement, Commodities Market Linkage,Warehousing, Collateral Management and Agri Financial Services.

What led to the inception of SLCM? How has been the journey so far?

The inception of SLCM dates back to nearly two decades ago, when it started with issuing bar-coded storage receipts and storage of Commodities. It did not take much time before our storage receipts began getting recognized for bank finance and SLCM became one of the first service provider for agricultural commodities to Exchanges. As the journey proceeded, we evolved to come up with many industry firsts in Agri-domain, like being the first Agri warehouse company globally to implement SAP-based ERP system, became the only company in India to get a patent for its agri storage solution, became the largest service provider for PEC for grains in India, introduced AI powered Quality Check Application that received NABL accreditation, expanding operations to Myanmar and among others.

Till date, we have been felicitated with an impressive array of 50+ national and international awards, showcasing the company’s stupendous work that solidifies its status as a trailblazing group. Moreover, the biggest honour for SLCM Group is the instrumental difference we are creating in the lives of the members of the Indian Agri fraternity. As the head of the SLCM family, I also always emphasize both the company’s growth and the personal & professional advancement of my 6000+ team members. I always advocate for a culture of transparency and encourage them to leverage their unique talents. This collaborative approach creates a dynamic environment where every employee’s input is valued.

Please share the net worth and previous financial year revenue of SLCM

The provisional net worth for SLCM for financial year 23-24 is approximately INR 339.31 crores while the provisional gross revenue for the Group amounts to nearly INR 487.01 crores.

What is Agri Reach? How is it revolutionizing foodgrain testing in India?

Being in the industry, I had observed significant pain points and challenges that have been the major contribution in the food grain losses such as restricted market access for the farmers, unsustainable practices for quality checks, and much more.

After an in-depth research, SLCM launched a farmer-centric solution ‘Agri Reach’, which is an amalgamation of digital and physical services enabling effective warehousing solutions agnostic of infrastructure, geography, and crops. To bridge the digital divide, we launched India’s first AI-powered mobile application, accredited by NABL, for food grain testing. The state-of-the-art app is engineered for instant quality checks of essential agricultural commodities, such as Wheat, Rice, Maize, Chana and Barley etc. Our application has benchmarked reducing food grain losses from 10% to just 0.5% through its unique management system.

Towards the extension of Agri Reach, we also laid the foundation of “Agri Reach Krishi Quality Janch Kendra”, which is a defining step in Agri ecosystem of our country, especially in light of the fact that date only a few hundred food grain testing centres have been set up in India. Besides, the AI & ML-powered solution facilitates a pan-India listing of lakhs of members of the agricultural fraternity, thereby ensuring a sustainable ‘phygital’ ecosystem. The application also helps stakeholders for various purposes, including buying, selling, transportation and procurement of agricultural commodities, bringing them under one-roof and pushing the agriculture industry towards further growth and adoption of technology at a large scale.

Agri Reach helps food grain suppliers to make informed decisions with regards to storage while optimizing other parameters such as distance from ‘Mandis’, nearest processor, types of fumigation – all are accessible in a few clicks of Agri Reach application.

How is Agri Reach fostering a phygital agricultural ecosystem in India?

Agri Reach also fosters a phygital ecosystem with a listing comprising members of the Indian Agri Community from all across the country. With nearly two lakhs registered members on the listing, it becomes a one-stop destination for all post-harvest needs, i.e. transporting goods from one region to another, competitive pricing, seamless procurement, QC check etc.

What is different about the security ecosystem enabled under Agri Suraksha?

There are a number of concerns and complications pertaining to storage of food grains in the warehouses. While adequate infrastructure is most vital, there is a need to eradicate any possibility of food loss, theft and wastage, taking into consideration the various norms and guidelines like no use of electricity. Agri Suraksha provides an advanced security shield to food grains by enabling 24×7 GPS fenced centralized monitoring of procurement centers. The system banks on a network of solar-powered CCTV cameras that keep vigil through day and night on stored commodities. In case of any trespass, intrusion etc, the system sends out an alert to the command control centre for taking swift action.