Tata Steel’s modular steel-based construction solution brand ‘Nest-In’ would reduce onion tears for masses in the coming months.

The onion storage solution of Tata Steel’s Nest-In termed ‘Agronest’ which was launched on Thursday in Jamshedpur is aimed at reducing spoilage of the onions to half of its current level.

Sources in the Tata Steel Nest-In termed it as a first of its kind smart warehouse for onions in the country.

“It is a first of-its-kind smart warehouse for onions developed with scientific backing and latest innovations and technology. The lack of scientific storage practices, non-standard designs and poor quality of material used for onion storage leads to over 40 per cent of loss of the produce inside the warehouse.

“With unpredictable weather and climate changes and the recent challenges of transport movement owing to Covid-19 induced restrictions, farmers are facing multiple challenges in terms of storage and maintaining a healthy shelf life for their produce. As we had seen in the last few years, losses in quality and quantity of onions due to lack of proper storage facilities leads to skyrocketing prices of onions,” said a company spokesperson.

The Agronest smart warehouse solution has a unique structural design to maximise air flow and is spacious thus making it conducive for longer and safer storage of onions and provides a cost-effective environment control to ensure minimal wastage. The warehouse is fitted with sensors for monitoring parameters like temperature, humidity and gas, thereby enabling early detection of spoilage of the produce.

Models of the Agronest units developed by Tata Steel’s Nest-In. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Chief services and solutions, Tata Steel, P. Anand, expressed it as a step in creating innovative products and solutions for customers and enabling a better tomorrow.

“We strongly believe achieving self-reliance and self-sustainability in agriculture is critical for making India atmanirbhar. Our expert professionals have developed this customised solution for the agriculture sector that is long-term and practical. We are committed to creating innovative products and solutions for our customers and enable a better tomorrow,” said Anand.

The company official further said that given that the agricultural sector supports 70 per cent of the India’s population and contributes to 50 per cent of the GDP, Tata Steel’s Innovent team (the innovent department conceptualised in 2014 strategically develops solutions for the future) identified this white space in the market to build solutions in agri-infrastructure.

Even in 2019 delayed monsoon had led to crop damages of onion in Nashik, Maharashtra, which eventually pushed the prices of onion to nearly Rs 200 per kg in different parts of the country between November–December last year.

Nest-In brand of Tata Steel had designed and developed quarantine cabins and isolation cabins to treat Covid-19 patients in several parts of India in June this year.