BRS Ventures to use Artificial Intelligence to improve tea industry in Assam

Karnataka born business tycoon Dr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty owned Abu Dhabi-based BRS Ventures had recently acquired world’s first tea company Assam Company India Limited (ACIL) said that, the company will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) system to improve the quality of tea and the health of the tea workers who worked in the tea estate under the Assam Company India Limited.

Dr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty, Chairman of BRS Ventures said that – “our aim is to bring technology and innovation at the forefront of the tea industry in Assam.”

The BRS Ventures will use robotic drones for a pilot project in Assam.

“This will not only impact the lives of 26,000 farmers at the 15 tea estates under the Assam Company India Limited, but the entire workforce employed in the tea sector across the country and bring back the glory of Indian tea business. Focused on enhancing the lives of the farmers and upgrading the production facilities by optimizing efficiencies, we are positive that, the Indian tea industry will see a remarkable change in the days to come,” Dr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty said.

On Friday, the BRS Ventures had unveiled the new technologies at Maijan tea estate in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.

“We hope that, these technologies will revolutionise the tea industry of India and unlock its full potential,” Dr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty said.

The drones will spray fertilizers and pesticides on the tea plants from 6-8 feet above from the ground.

“In every year, a large number of tea workers have suffered from TB, cancer etc as they spray fertilizers, pesticides on the tea plants. We will be able to keep the tea workers away from the diseases by using the robotic drones. We will two types of robotic drones. One will analysis the health of a tea plant, soil condition and another will spray the fertilisers, pesticides on the target plant,” Dr Shetty said.

In partnership with Smart Farms Inc, Assam Company India Limited held a 7-day workshop with consortium of experts from the different parts of the world at the Maijan tea estate and the workshop involves studying the fields and creating an architectural plan supported by technology to completely re-imagine the future of tea farming.

“Smart Farms has been involved in similar projects around the Asian region where we have witnessed the impact of technology in uplifting the lives of tea workers and simultaneously, maximising production efficiencies. We are positive that, our solution will be able to revive the estate and help it reach its goal of bettering lives and producing world-class tea,” Smart Farms official Natraj Balasubramanian said.

On the other hand, Dr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty further said that, the headquarter of Assam Company India Limited will be shifted from Kolkata to Barbaruah in Dibrugarh district soon.

The BRS Ventures has also planned to construct a 5-star resort at Kondoli tea estate under Assam Company India Limited in Assam’s Nagaon district to promote the tourism sector of the state.

(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)