Pune: Agrograde, an agritech startup, has installed its GradePlus Pro automated onion grading system at a farmer producer company in Pimpalgaon, a major onion trading and export hub in Nashik district, Maharashtra.
The Agrograde system can process up to 10 metric tons of onions per hour, reduce manual grading labour requirements by nearly 80 percent and grade onions with 99 percent accuracy, according to figures released by the company.
The deployment of the Agrograde GradePlus Pro system marks a milestone in modernising onion post-harvest operations, an area that has long remained dependent on manual handling despite the large volumes of onions processed through the supply chain.
Agrograde GradePlus Pro Processes Up to 10 Metric Tons Per Hour
The Agrograde system has been built around Wave Motion Technology, which is designed to move onions through the grading line with less abrupt contact than conventional equipment.
The technology aims to reduce skin scuffing and peeling while increasing throughput by three to five times compared with manual processes.
In addition to grading, the Agrograde machine automates unloading and bagging operations. The system is designed to address multiple stages of onion handling while reducing the dependence on manual labour.
According to Agrograde, the GradePlus Pro can process up to 10 metric tons of onions per hour. The company has also reported grading accuracy of 99 percent, while manual labour requirements can be reduced by nearly 80 percent compared with conventional manual sorting.
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Agrograde Addresses Onion Skin Damage During Mechanical Handling
Onion grading in India has historically been carried out by hand. Producers and industry groups have said that automated grading systems used in other markets can damage the thin outer skin of Indian onion varieties because of friction during mechanical handling.
Such damage can lead to peeling, potentially shortening shelf life and reducing prices for growers and exporters. Even imported machines costing INR 1.25 crore have damaged onion skin and caused peeling, according to the information shared by Agrograde.
These challenges have limited the adoption of automated grading machinery in the onion sector, despite India being one of the world’s largest onion producers and exporters.
The Agrograde system has been developed around Wave Motion Technology with the aim of reducing abrupt contact during the grading process. The company said the approach is intended to minimise skin scuffing and peeling while improving processing throughput.
Agrograde Introduces Tractor-Mounted Onion Grading Machine
Separately, Agrograde has introduced a tractor-mounted version of its onion grading machine. The mobile system can be moved between farms, packhouses, cold storages and mandis, allowing grading to take place closer to the point of harvest instead of being restricted to a centralised facility.
The tractor-mounted Agrograde machine uses the same underlying technology as the system installed at the Pimpalgaon market. The mobile format is designed to enable grading operations across different locations within the onion supply chain.
The Pimpalgaon deployment comes as Agrograde continues to focus on automated solutions for onion post-harvest operations.
The company’s systems are designed to address the labour requirements, handling challenges and processing limitations associated with conventional manual grading.
Agrograde Targets Lower Onion Grading Costs
Rakeshkumar Barai, co-founder of Agrograde, said the company had aimed to develop a system suited to conditions specific to the Indian onion supply chain instead of adapting equipment developed for other markets.
“We have now brought down the grading costs to almost INR 0.05 per kilogram at speeds up to 200 MT per day,” Barai said.
The installation at Pimpalgaon combines automated grading, unloading and bagging capabilities, with the company stating that the system can process up to 10 metric tons per hour and reduce manual labour requirements by nearly 80 percent.
The deployment also represents the application of Agrograde’s Wave Motion Technology in an onion trading and export hub in Nashik district, where automated post-harvest handling is being introduced to support grading operations.
With its GradePlus Pro system and tractor-mounted version, the company has developed both fixed and mobile approaches to onion grading.
The company said these systems are intended to support grading closer to harvest as well as at established facilities such as packhouses, cold storages and mandis.
