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AgroStar — Farmer E-Commerce That Sends Treatment After a Crop Photo

2026.03.26

Article summary

AgroStar (operated by Ulink Agritech Private Limited) is a farm input e-commerce company founded in 2013 in Pune. Its co-founders are Shardul Sheth and Sitanshu Sheth. When a farmer sends a photo of a crop by smartphone, the app identifies the pest or disease and lets the farmer order the needed treatment on the spot; combining diagnosis and sales into one flow has helped it take hold in rural areas. It also keeps a phone-order option and a network of franchise stores for farmers who don't use the app. Revenue for FY2025 (year ended March 2025) was over ₹850 crore (1 crore = 10 million rupees), up from ₹761.5 crore in FY2024, with losses narrowing; the company has about 3,040 employees and has raised a cumulative $218.2 million (most recently in November 2025). For companies sourcing produce for Japan, it can also serve as a channel for telling farmers which chemicals and timing meet residue standards.

This article is based on what we could verify As of September 19, 2026 This page is based on the disclosures and news reports from each company that we were able to confirm as of that date. Amounts in the text follow the notation commonly used in India, with ₹1 crore = 10 million rupees, and yen figures are approximations calculated at a little over 1.7 yen to the rupee. Store counts, funding raised, and results at Indian companies change over short periods, so when making a business decision, please check the latest information in primary sources such as each company's own announcements.

AgroStar sells seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides to farmers through an app and by phone, combined with a system in which a farmer who sends a photo gets a crop disease diagnosis. It started in Pune in 2013.

Company profile

Item	Details
Legal name	Ulink Agritech Private Limited (brand name AgroStar)
Year founded	2013
Headquarters	Pune (Maharashtra)
Co-founders	Shardul Sheth, Sitanshu Sheth
Revenue	More than ₹850 crore (FY2025, the year ended March 2025). FY2024 was ₹761.5 crore
Employees	About 3,040
Total funding raised	About 218.2 million dollars (9 rounds, the most recent in November 2025)
Listing	Unlisted

Not separating advice from sales

When a farmer sends a photo of a crop by smartphone, the app identifies the pest or disease and lets the farmer order the needed treatment right there. It is neither a diagnosis-only service nor a sales-only e-commerce site.

Small Indian farmers often go to an input store without knowing what is actually happening to their crop and buy whatever the shopkeeper recommends. Since shopkeepers tend to push whatever they have in stock, farmers sometimes end up buying chemicals they don't need. Diagnosing from a photo and dispensing only what is needed is a proposal to change that structure.

For farmers who don't use the app, phone ordering is still available, and the company also runs a network of franchise stores. Because smartphone penetration varies widely by region, it needs more than one channel.

Scale and funding

Revenue for FY2025 (year ended March 2025) reportedly exceeded ₹850 crore, with losses narrowing as well (FY2024 was ₹761.5 crore). It raised funding in November 2025, bringing cumulative funding to about $218.2 million. It has about 3,040 employees.

Having more than 3,000 employees reflects the need for people on the ground. In rural areas, face-to-face explanation drives sales, and the business can't be completed online alone.

Points for Japanese companies

Japanese makers of farm inputs and machinery have limited routes to reach small Indian farmers. Going through a trading company or local distributor is the common approach, but it is hard to tell whether products actually reach farmers at the end of the chain. A farmer-facing sales network like AgroStar's can serve both as a channel for selling inputs directly and as a point of contact for contract farming where the cultivation method is specified.

The latter matters when sourcing produce for Japan. Meeting residue standards requires specifying which chemicals to use and when, and there needs to be a channel to communicate that to individual farmers. Going through an operator that is already connected to farmers is the realistic approach.