In conversation with Dr Sat Kumar Tomer, co-founder and CEO of Satyukt Analytics, we explore how his farmer-first vision and satellite-powered insights are transforming precision agriculture into an affordable, scalable, and data-driven movement for every farmer.
“People don’t need technology, they need solutions. Technology is only the medium.” ~ Dr. Sat Kumar Tomer, Co-founder & CEO, Satyukt Analytics
For centuries, farmers have gazed up at the sky in search of signs of rain. Today, Dr. Sat Kumar Tomer looks to the sky for data. A farmer-turned-scientist and now CEO of Satyukt Analytics, Dr. Tomer is at the forefront of a quiet revolution, one where satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and agricultural science converge to reshape how food is grown, financed, and sustained.
“Technology isn’t the hero here,” he says with characteristic humility. “It’s just the medium. The real hero is the farmer who dares to adapt.”
From his roots in Western Uttar Pradesh to leading one of India’s most promising agri-intelligence firms, Dr. Tomer’s story embodies what happens when empathy meets innovation and when the world’s oldest profession embraces its most modern tools.
Beyond Buzzwords: Building Real Solutions for Real Farmers
Unlike many agri-tech ventures that flood the market with one-size-fits-all advice, Satyukt Analytics focuses on the micro within the macro, analyzing farms down to 10×10-meter plots. Each parcel is treated as a unique ecosystem, with customized recommendations on irrigation, crop cycles, and soil health.
“In one village, two farmers might sow the same crop two months apart,” Dr. Tomer explains. “Giving them identical advice is meaningless. Precision begins with context.”
This pixel-level precision is powered by a sophisticated blend of open-source satellite data, AI modeling, and over a century of agricultural science. This mix allows Satyukt to provide hyperlocal insights at a fraction of the traditional costs.
Turning Data into Decisions
Behind every byte of satellite data lies a story of risk, opportunity, and resilience. Satyukt’s systems interpret this data to detect everything from nutrient imbalances to pest infestations before the human eye can spot them.
However, the company’s most transformative work may lie in agricultural credit scoring. Much like a CIBIL score for individuals, Satyukt’s models assess farms on parameters such as flood exposure, drought risk, and crop performance. These insights help financial institutions extend loans to farmers who were previously excluded from formal credit systems.
“Data is the new soil,” says Dr. Tomer. “If we can cultivate it wisely, it will yield trust, credit, and prosperity.”
Affordability: The True Innovation
While the global agri-tech landscape dazzles with drones and IoT sensors, Dr. Tomer believes affordability is the real innovation. In India, where the average farmer earns ₹75,000 per acre annually, expensive sensors costing over ₹1 lakh per year are impractical.
Satyukt’s satellite-based model, on the other hand, costs around ₹1,000 per acre per year, roughly 1% of the cost of IoT-driven solutions. “If you want to serve 90% of farmers, not just 1%, you need solutions that scale with their reality,” he notes.
Trust: The Hidden Currency of Rural India
Satyukt’s growth is not just built on algorithms, but on trust. Recognizing the deep-rooted skepticism in rural India toward external interventions, the company works through local organizations and advisors who already have the confidence of farmers.
“Farmers aren’t resistant to technology,” Dr. Tomer says. “They’re resistant to mistrust. Speak their language not just linguistically, but emotionally , and they’ll adopt faster than you think.”
He recounts a story of his illiterate grandfather reading election trends through newspaper pictures, a testament, he says, to how perceptive farmers truly are. “They understand patterns intuitively. Our job is to convert that intuition into insight.”
AI, But With Roots
In an era obsessed with artificial intelligence, Dr. Tomer’s approach is refreshingly grounded. “AI must build upon a hundred years of agricultural science,” he insists. “Too many companies act as if agriculture began with machine learning. We use AI to amplify science, not replace it.”
At Satyukt, AI models are trained not only on datasets but also on the collective wisdom of agronomists, soil scientists, and field experts, ensuring that every prediction aligns with biological reality. “We’re not just mining data,” he says. “We’re respecting it.”
A Global Vision with Local Impact
With operations in over 30 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America and partnerships with ISRO, the Gates Foundation, Social Alpha, and BIRAC, Satyukt is redefining what it means to be an Indian deep-tech startup with global relevance.
Despite its global reach, the company’s mission remains simple yet profound: “Precision farming for every farmer.”
Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, even in remote villages, this dream is becoming achievable. “Every household may not have an IoT device,” Dr. Tomer observes, “but almost every family has a smartphone. That’s enough to bridge the gap.”
The Human Algorithm
At its core, Satyukt Analytics isn’t about satellites or sensors; it’s about people. Dr. Tomer believes that empathy is as vital as expertise. “Empathy for farmers, understanding of agriculture, and excellence in your field, those are the skills that matter most,” he says.
As India’s agritech market continues to bloom, Satyukt stands out not for chasing trends but for nurturing trust, one farm, one byte, one pixel at a time.