NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, September 6, 2018

By Sayantan Bera

Two global companies are partnering to launch an ‘Uber’-like tractor leasing services in India.

Aeris, a California-based technology company specialising in Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, and Hello Tractor, a social enterprise focusing on agriculture technology which has previously worked with farmers in Nigeria and Kenya, is planning to launch a pay-as-you-use tractor service for Indian farmers.

According to Rishi Mohan Bhatnagar, President of Aeris India, the service is likely to be launched with 500 tractors in less than three months in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where fewer farmers can afford expensive machinery, unlike relatively prosperous and large farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana where ownership of farm equipment is high.

Photo courtesy of Market Development Facility.