Agri-startup AgNext on Tuesday said its artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution TRAGNEXT, used for determining tea quality accurately without human-intervention, has been successfully deployed in tea growing areas of north-eastern states.
Initially, the technology was deployed in tea estates of companies like Goodricke, Rossell Tea and Bokahola Tea. The Tea Board of India has also installed two machines in West Bengal and one in Assam, it said.
"The demand was phenomenal, TRAGNEXT is now deployed in Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations (CISTA), the hub of Small Tea Growers' at Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal," AgNext said in a statement.
TRAGNEXT, with its computer-vision based technology, can check one-kilo sample of tea and give accurate results by counting fine as well as coarse leaves within two minutes. It also determines the surface moisture of the leaves that plays a crucial role in quality procurement, it added.
Tea Board of India and Tea Research Association Chairman Prabhat K Bezboruah said: “Since nearly 50 per cent of the tea industry is dominated by the small tea growers and quality plays a major role in determining prices.
"TRAGNEXT is a disruptive technology which is coming into action. Indian tea industry hasn't seen any transformation in the last 40 years in the way fine leaves are counted. The use of this technology will change the way tea businesses operate, bring a fair pricing model and boost up the exports," he said.
CISTA President Bijoy Gopal Chakroborty said there is a need to digitise the tea industry in a big way. "With the technological advancements, we aim to take the quality produce of small tea growers to international export markets."
AgNext CEO Taranjeet Singh Bhamra said that the tea industry is at the cusp of transforming itself and it would be facilitated by unlocking AI and data-driven technologies.
Goodricke Group Managing Director and CEO Atul Asthana said, “Fine leaf count is a very important aspect in the tea industry. To do an accurate and immediate check on the quality and eliminate human errors, this machine will be beneficial for the whole tea industry."
Founded in 2016, AgNext was started with a vision to make use of technology in bringing rapid quality assessment, and traceability solutions in the agriculture business.