Back in India, he was approached by some government officials asking for help with the storage of grains. While the expert agri-engineers in the various government facilities have helped in increasing the crop production, they were not able to do much about the losses of the produce at various stages. During BMH’s research in the field, they found out that insufficient or faulty storage facilities were the biggest cause of grain losses. Most Indian farmers choose to store huge quantities of grains in the open, exposing them to pests, weather elements and moisture that also cause huge losses.

BMH’s solution is an innovative (patented) foldable and portable hermetic (air-tight) storage system, which results in it being not accessible to pests and those remaining inside do not survive due to lack of oxygen. This means the grains don’t need to be sprayed with insecticides, further improving their quality. It monitors and regulates low temperature, low moisture and low humidity, which the company found to be an ideal storage condition for the grains and doubles their shelf life.

Their pilot project was implemented in 2017 in Dongargaon district, Gondia, Maharashtra, as a joint venture with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of Maharashtra. Scientists from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) conducted tests and observed the system. It was observed that the storage system worked well with grains, with loss of only 0.39%. The company says it can be further reduced with the use of automated features.

The government has since taken this solution to several villages and is keen on taking up more of the products.

Ravindra believes that we as a society should focus on saving what we produce, rather than grow more, which will lead to more wastage. With BMH he wants to create a social and economic impact, by highlighting the importance for food we grow and eat. He believes in the thought, ‘a grain saved, is a grain produced.’