I grew up on farms in Guntur. I have seen mornings begin before sunrise and days end only when the work was finished. I learned to drive a tractor not out of choice, but because the field demanded it. I have watched families wait for labour that never arrived, seen spraying done by hand despite the risks, and seen crops suffer not due to negligence, but because help came too late.
When I later spent time around farms and agricultural machines in the UK, one reality struck me deeply. There, machines existed to reduce human suffering. Back home, farmers were still carrying the burden on their own bodies.
After returning to India, I ran agricultural rental services between 2016 and 2019. I worked directly in the fields, moving machines from farm to farm, learning what truly worked and what quietly failed. One lesson was clear. Farmers do not want complicated technology. They want solutions that start on time, work reliably, and reduce their dependence on uncertain labour.
Another truth became impossible to ignore. Ease of use and electric power had to be core design principles, not afterthoughts. Running diesel machines every day, I could see the environmental damage, fuel dependency, and long-term cost burden they created. I chose not to continue down that path.
That is why I started FarmRobo.
To make advanced robotic technology accessible to every farmer, we are now preparing to launch FarmRobo Hiring Centres. These centres allow farmers to use robotics for critical field operations without heavy upfront investment, ownership risk, or long-term financial burden. By offering robots on a hire basis, we bring technology closer to the field, reduce labour dependency, enable timely operations, and make farming safer and more predictable.
Built in India and designed specifically for Indian conditions, our robots follow the Make in India spirit and support Atmanirbhar Bharat. With attachments developed for organic and low-chemical farming, they also help reduce chemical fertiliser and pesticide usage, contributing to a more sustainable and organic future for Indian agriculture.
I did not want to build something impressive to look at. I wanted to build something a farmer could trust. Every robot we deploy is tested in real fields. If it cannot survive daily use, we change it. If it does not reduce effort or cost, we do not take it forward.
This is not just about machines.
It is about giving farmers control, confidence, and a sustainable path forward.
– Sreekanth
