Indian farmers are increasingly being encouraged to adopt balanced fertiliser use. However, access to timely and reliable soil testing remains limited in several regions. Despite its importance for soil health and farm productivity, testing infrastructure remains inadequate across large parts of the country. Pune-based agritech startup Proximal Soilsens is looking to bridge this gap by bringing laboratory-based soil analysis to the farm through a portable, sensor-based device.
Its flagship product, NutriSense X, is designed to measure soil nutrients and other parameters using a technology that founder Rajul Patkar describes as a "soil glucometer". The idea draws on the principle of blood glucose meters, which have made testing possible outside conventional pathology laboratories.
