Rivulis Irrigation Launches of “Manna”, a Satellite-based Software Solution for Indian Farmers

A first-of-its-kind ag-tech solution from Israel with proven track record in advanced agriculture markets, now will be launched in India and help farmers improve their water use efficiency

by Shrutee K/DNS

August 29, Mumbai: Rivulis Irrigation India Pvt. Ltd. (RIVULIS) is a leading provider of drip irrigation solutions, helping growers bring water to the plant in the most efficient manner. The Company announced the launch of “Manna”, a satellite-based software solution to help growers use Rivulis technology efficiently and improve their irrigation and water management. Water management and water conservation bundled with cost of operation have been serious concerns for the Indian farmers. “How much to irrigate” and “when to irrigate” is the challenge faced by every farmer daily. Manna has been successfully providing site-specific irrigation solutions across advanced agrarian markets of USA, Mexico, Europe, Australia and Brazil, and is now being launched in India to help farmers improve their irrigation and water management efficiencies.

“Water is becoming a very precious resource for India and all efforts are going on to increase efficient utilization of every drop of water and increase Water Use Efficiency.Indian farmers are mainly dependent on gut feel when it comes to irrigating their crops. This usually leads to over-irrigation or under irrigation and irrigation-led losses. Till now there has not been a scientific approach towards irrigation and there has been scepticism towards requirement of right amount of water and exact time of irrigation. Manna will help the farmers by accurately forecasting their irrigation requirements and help them reduce irrigation losses, save cost and improve yield.” Stated Mr. Kaushal Jaiswal, MD RIVULIS INDIA. To address the issue of “Precise Irrigation”, Rivulis has launched an innovative Manna Irrigation Intelligence Software. Farmers in India who used this software have received excellent results of better yields (quantity and quality) and have given excellent reviews.       

Manna Irrigation Software leverages three types of data—

Multi-spectral satellite imagery

Hyper-local, virtual-station weather service

Crop models (For crop phenology stages ).

Using the above three, Manna Irrigation Software provides growers with the following valuable functionality:

Crop and site-specific Irrigation Recommendations i.e. the amount of water to be applied for that week

Historical, current and forecasted weather conditions at the field level, on a daily basis which includes

Maximum & Minimum Temperature

Rainfall

ETO – Reference Evapotranspiration And more, as well as extreme weather alerts delivered to their phones

Real time Crop Monitoring Maps /Tools on weekly basis based on Satellite Images,Vegetation Level,Vegetation Variability, Wetness Variability Map.

For Indian farmers this software is available in mobile App (Both Android and IOS) and web based application is also available. RIVULIS intends to price the app subscription very affordably, so maximum number of farmers can take advantage of this state-of-the-art technology.

Currently, RIVULIS would focus on markets of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, UP and parts of Tamil Nadu, before extending its reach in other leading agrarian markets of the country. It would initially focus on crops like cotton/sugarcane/ pomegranate/grapes and tomatoes and would further expand its crop portfolio to other crops in coming months.

“Agriculture is one sector that has witnessed least innovation and availability of new-age technology. Despite our nation being known as a large agrarian country in the world, we have not been able to attract investment in the sector. Most Indian farmers, due to limitation of land size, have not been adopting and investing in technology and rely majorly on their gutfeel, especially in areas of irrigation and water management.

Manna will help the farmers reduce their water and power losses accruing due to over-irrigation and help them improve their yields, thereby resulting in better water efficiency and profitability. The web and mobile based application is available in both IoS as well as Andriod platforms and to ensure that this solution benefits maximum farmers, we have also made SMS facility available for those farmers who are using feature phones. The Company has already approached the Union Ministry of Agriculture and we are eager to collaborate with various State Governments to assist them in monitoring of water usage and conservation. Rivulis and Manna are committed to improving water management and profitability for the farmers and believe that this is an effective step towards the Government’s vision of More Crop Per Drop and Doubling Farmers Income.” Mentioned Mr. Sudhir Mehta, Director Rivulis India and Israel

About RIVULIS: Rivulis means a small stream or river in Latin and as a company, we provide smart irrigation in its purest natural form — a river of life-giving hydration, bringing sustenance to crops. Rivulis has a rich history in the irrigation industry with more than 50 years of expertise developing, manufacturing and deploying micro irrigation products and solutions. Starting in 1966 as Plastro on Kibbutz Gvat in Israel, Rivulis has grown over the years to become a global irrigation leader, expanding our drip and micro irrigation capabilities, market coverage and operational scale through the merger of four leading players: Plastro, T-Systems, Roberts Irrigation and Eurodrip. Please visit www.rivulis.com

About Manna: Manna, an irrigation intelligence leader, provides farmers around the world with the actionable information they need to make better-informed and more confident irrigation decisions. Its sensor-free, software-only approach leverages high-resolution, frequently refreshed satellite data and hyper-local weather information to deliver highly affordable and accessible solutions for site-specific irrigation recommendations. Headquartered in Israel, a global hothouse of ag-tech innovation, Manna is backed by Rivulis Irrigation, one of the largest micro-irrigation companies globally. Manna has the specialized experience, knowledge and market access to deliver advanced solutions to growers around the world – today, tomorrow, and long into the future.