Gujarat Agri-tech Startup Uses AI & IoT to Revolutionize Dairy Farming

Milk adulteration has been a big concern in India. According to research, milk production in India has significantly increased, from 146.3 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 221.06 million tonnes in 2021-22. However, 79% of branded or loose milk available in the market is adulterated. Common adulterants include water, fat removal, skim milk powder addition, thickening agents, and other substances.

“The adulteration is happening mainly to meet the increasing demand for milk. But this is the wrong way of doing it,” says Dipen Parmar, co-founder of Gavyam.

Armed with expertise in electronics, IoT, AI, and machine learning, and having worked in the agricultural field for more than two decades, Dipen Parmar, along with his co-founder Tejas Vaghela, stepped in to solve this concerning issue through artificial insemination (AI) for livestock, especially cows.

Artificial insemination is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female’s cervix or uterine cavity to achieve a pregnancy.

The duo found that a major dairy cooperative in India was using a locally made product that was not performing well. These products failed to properly thaw semen for artificial insemination (AI), a crucial part of the breeding process.

“Normally, natural mating has about a 30% success rate, and the faulty products used for artificial insemination only increased this by 4-5%. Because these products had serious flaws. They weren’t waterproof, could overheat, and had short-circuit issues, which could harm the cattle. These inefficiencies not only affected breeding success but also held back potential increases in milk production, essential for the dairy industry,” said one of the co-founders of Gavyam while speaking with Startup Pedia.

Dipen and Tejas used their technical skills and knowledge to solve all identified problems by creating a waterproof device, 100% tamper-proof and always connected to a digital platform for recording all information. They understood that getting the thawing and insertion process right was crucial, as mistakes could lower pregnancy rates. Proper record-keeping was also vital to avoid harming the cattle and to monitor milk production efficiency.

Their unique approach involved manufacturing the product in-house, giving them control over quality, pricing, and production based on customer needs. Initially, they provided 30-40 units to major dairy cooperatives, gathered feedback, and made improvements to the devices accordingly.

With this unique technology, the duo, Dipen Parmar, 39, and his co-founder Tejas Vaghela, 42, launched an agri-tech startup, Gavyam Gentech, based in Gujarat.

Gavyam Gentech in Detail:

Gavyam specializes in artificial insemination (AI) for livestock. In the past, milk production relied on natural mating, but as demand grew, AI became essential. This method uses semen from top-quality bulls to inseminate cows, which leads to better and more regular pregnancies, resulting in better milk quality and quantity.

To achieve this result, the Gujarat-based agri-tech has multiple products under the brand name of ‘digiGAI’ , such as:

Digital Thawing Equipment (DTE): Gavyam’s Patented DTE thaws semen from -200°C to 37°C accurately, ensuring it’s ready for insemination. This is crucial for high pregnancy rates and boosting milk production.

BOLUS: BOLUS is a device placed in a cow’s third stomach - Rumen, lasting 6-7 years. It monitors the cow’s health using AI and machine learning, tracking temperature and movement to determine the best time for insemination (Heat Detection).

Digital Vet Endoscope: The agri-tech startup’s endoscopy camera helps veterinarians accurately place semen in the cow’s cervix during insemination. It also checks for infections and diseases through AI/ML, increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy.

Urine-based Pregnancy Detection Kit: The startup is developing a product to detect pregnancy using cow urine, which is faster and easier than traditional blood tests. This helps farmers quickly identify pregnant cows with much lower prices.

Integrated Application: Its mobile and web app combines all these processes, allowing farmers to track their cattle’s health, breeding records, medication, and more. This information is accessible to doctors, loan providers, and potential cattle buyers, making management and transactions easier.

Gavyam offers a comprehensive combo pack that includes essential livestock breeding and management devices, costing between Rs. 50,000-60,000 as a one-time investment and a standard one-year warranty for all devices.

However, if bought separately, the heating and thawing devices are priced at around Rs. 30,000 each, with an insemination gun included in the combo pack. The pregnancy kit is targeted at a price between Rs. 50-70, lower than market prices. Gavyam animal breeding devices can also be used with other livestock like goats, sheep, and camels.

While talking to Startup Pedia, Tejas confirmed, “Our technology has significantly improved cattle breeding efficiency and milk production. Initially adopted by major dairy cooperatives, it increased pregnancy success rates from 30% to 70%. Alongside this, milk production also rose by 15%. These results highlight the potential for widespread adoption of our technology across India.”

Growth of Gavyam:

Since the agri-tech startup launched its artificial insemination products in April 2024 after testing and trials, it has sold only five combo kits and partnered with 2-3 dairies with over 200 cattle each. They have also connected with a dairy managing over 1000 cattle.

The startup has 50 orders in the pipeline, which will boost the revenue of the agri-tech startup once the orders are fulfilled.

Over the last three years, Gavyam has invested about Rs. 70-75 lakhs in technology, research, and testing. In the past 2-3 months, Gavyam has made Rs. 1 lakh in revenue and expects it to be Rs. 10-20 lakhs in the next 1-2 months once the pre-orders are fulfilled. For the right technology and startup support, Gavyam has been incubated with GUSEC, i-Hub and BIRAC-BioNEST by ILF. 

“By the end of this year, 2024, we aim to have at least 10,000 cattle on our platform and 25-30 gaushalas using our products. The company targets a revenue of Rs. 50 lakhs from its thawing device and cloud platform services,” told Dipen while discussing the future plans of their agri-tech startup with Startup Pedia.