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Sohan Lal Commodity Management Limited (SLCM)

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SLCM Celebrating 16 Years of Trust and Leadership in Post Harvest Agri Logistics Management!

Category: Agri Supply Chain

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Agricultural Supply Chain Logistics – A Complete Guide

Agricultural Supply Chain
Agricultural Supply Chain

Agriculture in India is not only about crop production; the true pain point arises post-harvest when farmers must store, maintain, conserve, and ultimately sell their product to the right buyer, at the right time, and for the right price. This is where agricultural supply chain logistics comes into play. It is an essential link between production and market that takes the burden off farmers for safe storage, minimizes loss, and ultimately allows for food security. We, as an agri logistics company, at Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM), work every day to ensure the supply chain is more efficient, dependable, and profitable for all stakeholders involved.

Why is Agricultural Supply Chain Logistics Important?

Each year, India produces millions of tonnes of crops. If it weren’t for logistics, a significant amount of supply would be wasted either from poor storage facilities, pests and rodents, thefts, or simply lost days in transit. Agricultural supply chain logistics manages this process, so crops are handled appropriately, stored properly, and delivered promptly.

At SLCM, that is ensuring quality with fumigation and pest management, cocoon fumigation for organic produce, and temperature and humidity control. With the patented solution, Agri Reach, we can manage the life cycle of food grains and perishables at every step. With the right systems, farmers can safeguard the value of their hard work, and consumers can enjoy a quality food experience without interruption. The goal for any agri logistics company will always be to minimize post-harvest losses and build trust across the value chain.

What Problems Are Farmers Facing?

Many farmers face challenges like price volatility, post-harvest losses, and storage inefficiencies, often compounded by unpredictable weather patterns. Classic systems aren’t enough to keep out moisture or pest damage. And many farmers have no choice but to sell at harvest for less than they wanted, because they cannot hold onto their crops. 

This is where the benefit is felt in collateral management and crop financing. With SLCM integrated post-harvest management solutions,  farmers and allied agri stakeholders can use stored crops as collateral to draw loans from banks and financial institutions. This helps to avoid distressed sale situations and allows them to wait for market rates to improve. With a combination of scientific storage capabilities and financial solutions, modern agri logistics puts greater power in farmers’ hands.

How do technology and Phygital solutions help?

At SLCM, logistics is conducted by utilizing Phygital Solutions, a perfect integration of physical structure and digital system. With our widespread warehousing and cold storage facilities, we have advanced monitoring, real-time tracking, AI-powered quality checks, and powerful digital platforms, which ensure efficiency, transparency,and reliability in every process.

Through Phygital warehousing, farmers and traders have instant visibility on stock levels, moisture conditions, and/or temperature, and dispatches. Digital storage receipts and traceability add significant transparency. Technology means that we can provide close visibility on quality and reduce risk. This means that for farmers and traders, they can feel confident that their crops are secure. For an agri logistics company, our Phygital solutions strengthen the overall supply chain and create more efficient systems.

About SLCM

SLCM is the leading agri logistics company providing integrated post-harvest management services around India. SLCM operates over 20,000+ warehouses with 350+ million sq. ft. of storage space as well as 90+ cold storages in the country, assuring scientific, secure, effective storage at a significant scale. In addition to warehousing, the company provides collateral management, procurements, quality testing, and solutions in the digital space, thus increasing transparency and operational efficiencies throughout the value chain. SLCM is rooted in ground realities, and its ecosystem promotes reliability, information for crop financing with institutional partners, and decreased post-harvest loss. SLCM emphasizes innovation and sustainable solutions, while being dedicated to strengthening the agriculture sector, improving productivity in value chains, and enhancing the agri infrastructure in India and around the world, in a resilient manner enabled by technology.

How SLCM Adds Value to Farmers and Traders

Our services are designed with the realities of agriculture in India in mind. With collateral management, farmers can use their stored crops as collateral to access credit. Traders are able to benefit from fast, accurate testing of quality, which allows for the rapid and fair closing of deals. Banks and financial institutions are presented with bankable inventories, supported by the visibility of transparent documents.

Through our Phygital warehousing platform, we give farmers and traders the advantages of physical security and digital visibility. It builds income, reduces waste, and builds trust across the agricultural ecosystem.

The Future of Agricultural Supply Chain Logistics

While the supply of food continues to increase both in India and globally, demand for food is also rising. Meeting that demand will require supply chains to get smarter. In the coming years, agri logistics will need to rely more upon data to inform decision-making based on real-time data, as augmented with blockchain-driven traceability, and increase smart warehousing and management systems.

At SLCM, we believe that combining technology with scale will help agriculture become more sustainable and resilient. The world beyond simply storing crops awaits, as we work toward providing systems that support the efforts of farmers and provide consumers with the best quality produce.

At SLCM, we aspire to improve efficiency, transparency, and profitability within the agriculture sector. If you’re in search of a trusted partner in agri logistics, please connect with us today and see for yourself how we can provide value for your business.

Q1. What services are provided by an agri logistics company?

A1. An agri logistics company manages the storage, testing, transportation, and financing of crops with respect to scientific and digital systems.

Q2. In which ways do agricultural supply chains (logistics) assist farm producers?

A2. Logistics would reduce losses, provide access to credit, and the farm producer would be able to sell at a better price.

Q3. What does phygital mean in place of logistics?

A3. Phygital means the logistics include physical warehouses/cold storage along with the technology of digital logistics, for example, tracking and monitoring equipment.
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What India needs Phygital approach in Agri Supply Chain

Agri Supply Chain

India’s food system feeds more than a billion, but sections of its supply chain continue to operate using outdated systems, manual intervention, and lack of visibility. With the industry looking towards modernisation, it’s certain that one thing stands clear: The Agriculture industry doesn’t merely require physical infrastructure or technology — it requires both, to be harmonious.

So, what is ‘Phygital’ in agri supply chains?

It’s the convergence of physical and digital ecosystems. It’s about aligning strong on-ground infrastructure such as warehouses, cold storage, with smart digital tools that introduce transparency, traceability, and efficiency. Imagine it as combining boots on the ground and brains in the cloud.

Why Does It Matters for India? 

Despite being the second-largest agricultural producer globally, India yet struggles with:

  • Post-harvest losses due to inadequate storage
  • Fragmented procurement systems
  • Limited access to credit and real-time data
  • Delayed payments and poor market integration

A Phygital model addresses these challenges head-on:

  • Warehouse Monitoring: Real-time visibility into stock, quality, and location
  • Digital Finance: Linking stored produce to instant credit via digital records
  • Phygital model has transformed stored crops into monetizable assets. Store crops are no longer a passive burden, they become active, tradable and financeable assets, unlocking liquidity and transforming rural finance.
  • Data-Driven Procurement: Better demand forecasting and pricing decisions

The Real Impact

The Phygital approach is already making a difference.
Platforms like Agri Reach have proven how digital monitoring of physical storage can reduce post-harvest losses, increase credit access, and offer farmers a fairer deal.

By creating a bridge between what happens on the ground and what can be tracked, analysed, and improved digitally, a Phygital approach builds trust, ensures speed, and scales sustainability.

The Road Ahead

To a nation with such profound rural traditions and fast-growing digital aspirations, Phygital is not voluntary — it is a necessity. The future of farming will belong to those with the ability to steward both ground and code.

Because in the agri supply chain of the future, success is where physical accuracy and digital smartness meet.

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The Story Behind Agri Reach: How SLCM Patented a Post-Harvest Game Changer

In agriculture, the possibility of success does not only increase from what you grow, but how you grow it— it’s about how well you preserve it. 

For years, Indian farmers and agri-stakeholders has been battled a silent various challenges enemy of post harvest management. : post-harvest losses. Crops were grown with care, but once harvested, a large percentage wasted perished due to improper storage, handling, or logistics. This is where SLCM’s Fully Digitized Warehouse Management System, Agri Reach, stepped in — and redefined what was possible.

Agri Reach is a patented, tech-powered solution that infuses post-harvest agri logistics with standardisation and scientific rigour, regardless of place and scale. 

What makes it so revolutionary is that it can replicate the advantage of a licensed warehouse in any warehousing space — be it a rural godown or a decentralised facility.

Essentially, Agri Reach integrates a strong SOP foundation with technology-backed monitoring, quality assurance, and risk management facilities. It equips banks, financial institutions, traders and stakeholders with the confidence that the stored commodity is secure, authenticated, and well-managed.

The FICCI Report statistics speak for themselves: while the industry average post-harvest loss is at around 10%, SLCM has managed to bring this down to as little as 0.5% through the use of the Agri Reach model.

But innovation did not end there. SLCM took it one step ahead and patented Agri Reach — becoming one of the only Indian agri-logistics players with a patented post-harvest solution.

This is not a technological victory alone. It was a declaration — that post-harvest excellence is important, and that Indian innovation can address ingrained issues in agriculture of any country.

Presently, Agri Reach keeps innovating the storage, valuation, and guarding of commodities. It introduces clarity, dependability, and assurance in an industry long based on risk.

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AI in Agri Risk Management: Reducing Losses through Precision Interventions

AI in Agri Risk Management

Agriculture is one of the most essential sectors in the world, and yet it is also one of those sectors that are most threatened by risks, especially as far as crop production, storage, and transportation go. Poor storage, inappropriate handling, and inefficiency in the supply chain cause quality loss, which subsequently harms the products and their dependent livelihoods.

The Food and Agriculture Organization reports that a third of all food produced worldwide is lost or wasted every year, with most losses taking place after harvest. Losses of this nature do not only affect the farmer’s livelihood but also exacerbate hunger and put more pressure on the planet’s natural resources. This brings to light the need for intervention and change to minimize such losses.

What is Post-Harvest Losses?

Post-harvest losses arise between the time of harvesting and when the produce eventually reaches the consumer. These are usually caused by a wide range of factors and affect all parts of the agriculture supply chain.

Farmers face certain challenges with their produce like improper & delayed quality checks, poor storage conditions, logistical challenges and market inefficiencies. These challenges create significant financial losses across the agri-supply chain. However, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we address these issues, especially in agri warehousing, providing a chance to solve these persistent challenges.

The Benefits of AI-Driven Interventions

Integrating AI into post-harvest risk management yields numerous benefits, both for SLCM and the entire agricultural value chain:

  • Reduction in Losses: AI’s precision allows for early detection of potential risks, significantly reducing spoilage and wastage. By enabling smarter decision-making, SLCM helps stakeholders across the supply chain avoid unnecessary losses.
  • Cost Efficiency: By optimizing storage, logistics, and market strategies, AI reduces resource wastage and operational costs for farmers, traders, and warehouses. SLCM has implemented these technologies to drive cost savings and improve efficiency at every step of the supply chain.
  • Sustainability: Precision interventions, such as AI-driven storage management, reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture. By curbing excessive use of resources like, energy, and chemicals, SLCM is helping make agriculture more sustainable.
  • Enhanced Profitability: By ensuring that more produce reaches the market in optimal condition, SLCM supports farmers and traders in increasing profitability. AI-driven insights and efficient operations help maximize the value of agricultural products.

Innovations in the Sector

We, at SLCM, constantly develop integrated systems of predictive analytics, IoT, and ERP that ensure seamless and efficient supply chains. Our AI-powered warehouse management systems adjust dynamically to fluctuations in environmental conditions, traffic, and commodity consumption patterns for the best possible quality of agricultural products, reducing waste and maximizing profitability.

These innovations are therefore cost-reducing, rather empowering farmers, traders, among other stakeholders, with relevant tools and technologies to maximize their operations. SLCM is creating a gap between traditional methods of agriculture and the actual future of agri-supply chains by integrating highly advanced AI technologies.

Conclusion

AI has ushered in an era of precision in agriculture by providing transformative solutions to problems that have plagued humankind for centuries: post-harvest losses. SLCM is pioneering new ways to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the agri-supply chain, from AI-based quality checks to predictive analytics for storage and market intelligence.

We are going to see further change in agriculture with AI and will develop smarter and more sustainable agricultural practices as we move into the future. SLCM remains committed to driving innovation for farmers, traders, and the overall agri-ecosystem, preparing them to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

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