Mumbai, December 08, 2025: Clean-label food brand Khetika has launched SAATHI (Sustainable Agriculture and Training Hub for Impact), a farmer-focused initiative aimed at increasing farmer incomes, improving crop quality and strengthening sustainable agricultural practices. Positioned as a direct-to-farmer model, SAATHI seeks to address long-standing structural gaps in India’s agricultural supply chain, including limited market linkages, low technology adoption and inconsistent price realization.
India’s agriculture sector continues to face challenges stemming from heavy reliance on intermediaries, slow payments, limited training on high-quality cultivation and low use of farm technology. A McKinsey & Company survey found that only 2% of Indian farmers use precision-agriculture tools and just 4% rely on digital agronomy systems—indicating significant opportunities for improvement in productivity, traceability and income stability.
SAATHI aims to bridge these gaps by creating a transparent, tech-integrated farm-to-market ecosystem. The programme will enable farmers to cultivate crops aligned with consumer needs, access direct sourcing channels and receive fairer price realization through end-to-end technical support, training and on-ground facilitation. On the consumer side, the model addresses concerns around adulteration and poor-quality ingredients by promoting pesticide-free cultivation, clear packages of practices (PoPs) and digital traceability.
Each SAATHI Farmer Training Centre will function as a hub for procurement, quality assessment and farmer capacity-building. Centres will include meeting spaces, quality-testing labs, digital weighment systems, QR-coded lot tracking, storage, basic cleaning and grading units, and payment processing within 24 hours. They will integrate with Khetika’s SuperKHET and SuperGRT digital platforms to ensure real-time monitoring of crop quality from seed to harvest.
In its first phase, SAATHI centres will be established across major agricultural regions in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Each centre plans to onboard more than 2,000 farmers and increase local direct sourcing by over 40%. The programme will focus on crops such as chilli, turmeric, coriander, cumin, soybean, mustard, pulses, bajra, sesame, cardamom, black pepper and clove.
Dr. Prithwi Singh, CEO & Co-Founder, Khetika, said, “SAATHI is a structural, long-term solution to some of the most persistent gaps in Indian agriculture. Farmers don’t just need support; they need systems that are fair, transparent, and built around their realities… SAATHI is Khetika’s commitment to aligning purity with prosperity—ensuring that clean, honest food begins with farmers who are respected, supported, and given the right tools to thrive.”
Under the programme, farmers will receive continuous training in Integrated Pest Management (IPM), organic and low-residue cultivation, soil and water management, agri-tech adoption, post-harvest handling and financial literacy. Training will be delivered by Khetika’s sustainability team along with experts from agricultural universities, KVKs and partner NGOs. Certified SAATHI farmers will receive preferred procurement terms and long-term benefits under Khetika’s traceable supply ecosystem.
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