Challenges faced by the Agriculture Sector

The major challenge faced by the agriculture sector is not just post agriculture services in India but also the lack of best warehousing practices which are not followed by several warehousing companies.

One of the warehousing companies has proven its efficiencies in the sector by adopting scientific technology for post harvest storage & crop protection in India. The name of the company is Sohan Lal Commodity Management Pvt. Ltd (SLCM). The company has initiated several world’s best practices in the warehousing sector.

SLCM constantly brings best practices to upgrade the processes in the warehousing domain. In the first year of its operation, SLCM brought "Bar Coded" storage receipts in practice that eliminated the risk of Fraud in terms of fake storage receipts.

Another challenge in the sector is that there are several grades in each commodity which has to be maintained with different methodology. SLCM has dealt in about 160 commodities with different grades & the process is evolving. The company has 35 internal audits wherein any deviation from the standard operating process (SOP) can be immediately identified & corrective action is taken instantly. SLCM follows “Checker & Maker” policy to keep a check on each level like warehouse (WH) Managers are constantly monitored by our backend team who calls each WH manager 3 times a day to keep a check on the ground & a call sheet is maintained. Then, we have auditors who match the information by monthly & fortnightly audits. Further, these Auditors are closely monitored by our Internal Process Controller with supporting pictures of each warehouse which are monitored on REAL TIME basis. We provide regular trainings to WH Managers for constant mentoring that helps them to identify issues that lead to deterioration of crops thus ensuring health of the commodity. The company has been well recognized by its valued clients to maintain the quantity & quality of the commodity.      

As on today, SLCM has managed a technology enabled network of more than 710 warehouses and 15 cold storages across 17 states with a total capacity of over 1.56 Million Metric Tonnes spread over 8.99 Million square feet area and a throughput of more than 240 Million Metric Tonnes.

The company has diversified its bouquet of services ranging from Warehouse Management, Agriculture Financing, Collateral Management to Procurement enabling one-stop solution to the end user which includes farmers, processors, joint liability groups, traders, etc.