Climate change has emerged as one of the biggest threats to the already low income of India's small farmers. Unseasonal rains, colder winters, hotter summers, and prolonged dry spells are confusing not just the farmers but also the crops they grow. The chemical agri inputs required to mitigate the impact of climate change add to the farmers' expenses and make them poorer. A young Pune-based startup called Bioprime may have a potentially game-changing solution to enhance the profitability of small-scale farmers. BioPrime says its goal is to offer relief to farmers worldwide, struggling with crop loss, temperature fluctuations, drought, resilient insects, and diseases. To achieve this, this startup born in a lab and founded by three plant science researchers from Pune university has developed effective and affordable next-generation agri biologicals with time-proven biomolecules, life-friendly chemistry, smart material, and less energy use. Bioprime says its patented agri biologics technology follows Mother Nature's way rather than tamper with it. 

To talk about the exciting innovations, TR Vivek is joined by BioPrime's CEO Renuka Diwan. Renuka is a rare woman entrepreneur in India's overwhelmingly male-dominated agribusiness space. Renuka a PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Pune and a postdoctoral in genetic engineering. She has worked extensively on bioactives for over 13 years and has a patent filed for large-scale production of a certain class of metabolites. She also has over 15 years of experience in plant tissue culture and designs.  We talk to her not only about the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur but also about the transition from the lab to the market.

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