Industry News

23/06/26

India’s Unnati Agri secures debt financing for post-merger expansion

Indian agritech Unnati Agri has secured INR 170 million (USD ~2 million) in debt financing from Recur Club, a debt facility focused on impact-driven startups ans SMEs In India. The funding will finance seasonal working capital requirements and support the expansion of the company’s distribution network. It will be used to procure inventory, strengthen distribution capabilities and help meet growing demand across India’s agricultural input market.

Founded in 2010, Unnati operates an integrated platform that enables farmers to purchase agricultural inputs, access credit and sell produce directly to agribusinesses. The company has on-ground partner stores in 48 districts in India.

The latest funding follows the company’s acquisition of fellow agritech Gramophone earlier this year, creating a broader solution that combines agronomic advisory services, digital input distribution and embedded finance. According to the company, it is also preparing to raise USD 30–35 million in equity funding later this year to support its next phase of growth, with an IPO targeted within the next three to four years.

Why it matters

The funding reflects the growing financial maturity of India’s most established agritechs. As businesses scale, debt can provide a more efficient way to finance seasonal working capital than repeated equity rounds, allowing founders to limit shareholder dilution. At the same time, greater reliance on debt introduces new financial disciplines, requiring companies to carefully manage cash flows, inventory and repayment obligations as they expand.

23/06/26

Tunisia’s RoboCare gets investment to expand AI-powered precision agriculture

Tunisian agritech RoboCare has secured new investment from VC firm 216 Capital to accelerate its expansion across Africa and the Middle East. Founded in 2020, the company has developed an AI-powered farm management platform that combines satellite imagery, drones, field sensors, weather data and agronomic expertise to monitor crop health, optimise irrigation and improve the use of agricultural inputs.

According to the company, trials with customers across North Africa have shown up to 35% reductions in water consumption, 25% lower input use and 20% productivity gains. RoboCare currently focusing on strategic regional crops including olives, cereals and industrial tomatoes, with AI models tailored to local soil and climate conditions. The new investment will support commercial expansion and the development of crop models for additional agricultural environments.

Why it matters

Water scarcity is becoming one of the defining drivers of digital agriculture innovation in the Middle East and North Africa. RoboCare is a good example of that trend in action. In this context, the value of AI should be judged by the outcomes it delivers, not simply by the fact that it uses AI. In a region where agriculture accounts for the vast majority of freshwater withdrawals, technologies that help farmers produce more with less water are likely to become increasingly important as climate pressures intensify.

24/06/26

Sri Lanka’s Agrithmics digitises state-owned tea plantations

Sri Lankan agritech Agrithmics, which rebranded as Cultive8 in 2023, has deployed its digital estate management solution “Agrigen” at Goomera Estate, the first government-owned tea estate in Sri Lanka to adopt end-to-end digital operations.

The Agrigen solution replaces manual record-keeping across estate operations, digitising workforce management, field activities and operational reporting. Workers receive accurate and timely wages through automated payroll calculations, reducing the risk of manual errors, while field officers can capture attendance and tea plucking data in real time using mobile applications and digital scales, eliminating paper-based processes and reducing administrative workloads.

Following the Goomera deployment, the State Plantation Corporation plans to roll out the platform across all of its estates.

The announcement follows Agrithmics’ recent expansion. In January, the company secured USD 650,000 from Hatch Fund Singapore to support regional growth, building on its USD 1.75 million Pre-Series A round completed in 2023. Since rebranding as Cultive8, the company has established its headquarters in Singapore while expanding operations across Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India.

Why it matters

An interesting government partnership, showing that B2G can be a scalable model for agritech companies in countries where governments are actively embracing digital agriculture. In this case, we are not talking about smallholder farming but large-scale plantation management. However, from an impact perspective, these types of solutions can still deliver significant benefits for rural livelihoods, particularly when they help build digital payment histories and make agricultural workers more bankable.