The acquisition of part of this technological company, by the Stoller Group, is strategic because it combines the experience of the field, and the experience of management and cultivation, with the technology of real-time data interpretation.
Growers constantly look to develop the yield potential of their crops, in addition to the growing demands for food that is produced within sustainable practices. This brings challenges and opportunities in the search for greater efficiency on farms, which in turn can bring better profitability and quality for the grower. Decisions to implement new technologies and practices are difficult, as the way to measure them today is, in general, empirical, and unreliable in the eyes of the farmer. Consequently, artificial intelligence and algorithms are gaining greater strength in the field.
In historical alignment with the demands of the farmer and plant performance, the Stoller Group, a world leader in nutrition, plant physiology and biological nitrogen fixation, has acquired a stake in Cromai, an Agri-Tech startup which is one of the five most promising in the world in terms of Computational Vision for Agriculture, according to a survey by Startup Insights.
“Corporate participation in Cromai is an important step to offer the farmer digital services that help them manage their property in a more assertive way. This movement is in line with our goal to build innovative and sustainable solutions, alongside our customers and partners”, analysed Rodrigo Ferreira de Oliveira, Mercosur/Asia/ Oceania Vice President of the Stoller Group.
The development of artificial intelligence applied to the field by the two companies has taken place for three harvests. In 2022, it will be available to coffee producers. From 2023, launches are planned for sugar cane and large crops, especially for soybeans, corn, and cotton. The project started in Brazil, but it will be expanded on a global scale by the Stoller Group, which is currently present in 56 countries.
“We are very excited about this new stage at Cromai as we will expand our performance in the field with the digitalization of agronomic management. It is a promising moment, and a partnership of this size allows us to take this high-level technological innovation with transformative results to more farmers”, comments Guilherme Barros Castro, co-founder and CEO of Cromai.
The farmer will be able to take management decisions based on information results in real time, in addition to the physiological well being and nutritional status of the plants, the level of vegetation cover, plant stand, leaf temperature, intensity and identification of problems and weeds, and the maturity classification of coffee beans.
Cromai will invest in increasing its team and in developing and improving its portfolio of products and technologies such as software, applications and sensors on which the artificial intelligence algorithms are based. The company works with cutting edge technology highlighted with models formulated from millions of plant images and exclusive private methodologies.
“Without a doubt, this partnership is yet another example of Stoller’s pioneering spirit, which will bring even more possibilities to the farmer to take advantage of the latest technologies in sensors and artificial intelligence. This will enable precise monitoring on how the plants are functioning and interacting with the environment, so that farmers can adopt more assertive management strategies from the plant`s physiological point of view” Comments Stella Cato, Director of Research and Development at Stoller Brazil.
About the Stoller Group
With a focus on the grower, Stoller’s mission is to transform knowledge into innovation, offering solutions for building more efficient agriculture. Stoller is a multinational company present in 56 countries. In addition to offering biological products, it is a world leader in plant nutrition and physiology, offering integrated solutions that enable the grower to take advantage of the maximum genetic potential of plants, obtaining high yield levels.
About Cromai
Cromai is a pioneer startup company in the application of cutting-edge technology. Its computational vision identifies patterns in images collected in the field to offer diagnostics that provide a better grounding in agronomic decision-making. It is the first Brazilian company among the 5 most promising startups from the Agri-market in the world. In addition to being one of the 100 startups to keep an eye on. To stand out in the market, Cromai has a team of agronomists and developers who work closely with customers to bring the best solutions to Brazilian agribusiness.