Google-backed agriculture-tech startup Cropin announced a partnership with Walmart on Friday to provide scalable sourcing solutions across the multinational retail giant’s US and South American markets.
The collaboration will see the Bengaluru-based startup’s agri-intelligence platform help optimise Walmart’s fresh produce supply chain by improving yield forecasting, monitoring crop health, and predicting seasonal transitions with greater accuracy, Cropin said in a statement.
“We are currently in the pilot phase of our partnership with Walmart, leveraging Cropin’s technology to enhance product availability and reduce waste through predictive, real-time intelligence across specific crop value chains,” said Cropin founder and CEO Krishna Kumar.
The CPG and retail sector is facing unprecedented supply chain disruption due to climate change, which has increased risks and impacted sourcing, he told ET, adding that there is demand for AI-based solutions to help make sourcing more resilient and sustainable.
The sector is seeking technology that predicts the lowest risk supply options as well as forecasts into the next season for better planning.
“By synchronising real-time field data with demand, we can optimise inventory management, reducing risks of overstocking or shortages.”
Better yield and harvest timeline forecasting enables more effective procurement planning while providing proactive alerts on crop health, harvest readiness, and post-harvest conditions, which can help reduce spoilage, he added.
“Tech innovation is what drives real-world solutions to move forward a globally resilient supply chain,” said Kyle Carlyle, vice president of sourcing, innovation and surety of supply, Walmart.
The collaboration will enable the company to further streamline sourcing practices and better predict yields using their real-time Gen-AI technology, he added.
By leveraging crop readiness insights, quality forecasts, and risk assessments, Cropin enables a shift from guesswork to precision, helping businesses balance cost, quality, and sustainability, the startup said.
Supply chains can be made more climate-resilient with its automated tools providing localised insights into crop health, pest outbreaks, and extreme weather risks while predicting yields and supply stability, allowing businesses to manage pricing strategies better, it said.
