Grain Commerce Platform Arya.ag Expands Into Himachal Apple Value Chain

Grain commerce platform Arya.ag has announced its entry into the apple horticulture sector, expanding its portfolio beyond chillies and onions. The company will introduce its technology, grading, storage, finance, and commerce capabilities to the apple value chain beginning this season across key apple-producing regions in Himachal Pradesh, including Kinnaur, Narkanda, Rohru, Kotkhai, and Jubbal.

Arya.ag plans to collaborate with growers, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), and local aggregators to facilitate the movement of graded Himachal apples into organised markets across Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. Produce will undergo assessment at pack houses situated close to orchards using AI-enabled grading scanners. The graded lots will then be moved into controlled atmosphere (CA) storage facilities and made available to retailers, e-commerce platforms, food processors, and institutional buyers throughout the year.

To lead its perishable fresh fruits business, the company has appointed Nitin Kumar Lal Srivastava, a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience working with brands such as Namdhari’s and Reliance.

In addition to storage and commerce logistics, Arya.ag will extend commodity-backed financing across the apple value chain. This service aims to support growers with timely payments while enabling registered traders and processors to access financing against graded apple inventory held in CA storage. According to the company, lending against objectively graded, insured, and stored fruit has historically been rare in the sector, despite formal credit existing in parts of the apple cycle.

The Himachal apple harvest typically runs from July to November, a timeline that frequently forces growers to sell quickly through mandis and wait weeks for payments. Between December and June, buyers generally depend on CA-stored apples or imports, leaving graded Himachal fruit in short supply. Meanwhile, the 2026 apple crop is forecast at 4.36 lakh tonnes, representing a decline of nearly 40% compared to 2025 due to poor snowfall and inadequate winter chilling, which poses a challenge for off-season supply.

Anand Chandra, Co-founder and COO of Arya.ag, noted that apples require a distinct post-harvest system compared to grains. Quality must be assessed early, storage conditions managed precisely, and logistics planned around the specific characteristics of the fruit. He stated that the focus is on providing growers with better visibility into their produce quality and movement while enabling organised buyers to access consistent supplies through the season.

Prasanna Rao, Co-founder and CEO of Arya.ag, highlighted the operational differences between handling grains and fresh fruit. He noted that while a grain bag can wait for a decision, perishable fruit requires immediate handling. He added that the company is building a dedicated playbook for fruit on top of its existing operational platform.

"Expanding from non-perishable grains into perishable horticulture like apples requires a fundamentally different operational approach, particularly regarding cold storage, quality grading, and working capital management. Arya.ag's decision to deploy AI-enabled grading and commodity-backed finance addresses critical supply chain bottlenecks in the agricultural sector. By bridging the gap between seasonal harvest pressures and year-round market demand, agri-tech platforms can create meaningful value for both growers and institutional buyers." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes