Hyderabad startup promotes pheromone-based pest management for Indian farmers

Hyderabad: A Hyderabad-based agricultural startup, Agri Phero Solutionz, is working to expand the use of pheromone-based traps and other pest-monitoring tools as alternatives to routine chemical spraying. Founded by Vishnu and his wife, Kavitha, the company supplies pest management products to farmers and agri-dealers, with a focus on Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The idea for the business emerged from the couple’s experience in agricultural pest management. They observed the challenges farmers face from recurring pest attacks, rising input costs and dependence on chemical pesticides. They subsequently started the venture using personal savings, with Kavitha pledging her gold jewellery to help raise the initial capital.

The company reported revenue of Rs. 2.5 crore in the financial year 2024-25 (FY25), according to information shared by the business.

Agri Phero Solutionz offers pheromone lures, traps, sticky sheets and rolls, as well as solar-powered insect traps. These products are intended to help farmers monitor pest activity and identify infestations at an early stage, allowing them to make more informed decisions about pest control.

Pheromones are chemical signals released by insects to communicate with others of the same species. In pest management, synthetic versions of these signals can be used to attract particular insects into traps. Farmers can then use the number of insects caught to monitor pest presence and changes in their populations.

Such traps are commonly used as part of integrated pest management (IPM), which combines monitoring and different control methods to manage pests. They do not replace every pesticide application, but can help farmers assess whether and when intervention may be necessary.

The company’s product range covers pests affecting crops such as cotton, vegetables, rice, cucurbits and fruit crops. These include fall armyworm, pink bollworm, diamondback moth, tomato leaf miner and brinjal fruit and shoot borer. Its products include delta, bucket, funnel and water traps, along with sticky traps and sheets. The company says individual pheromone lures typically cost between Rs. 15 and Rs. 40.

Agri Phero Solutionz supplies products through business-to-business and direct-to-farmer channels. According to the company, it has also worked with the Department of Horticulture in Andhra Pradesh, along with non-governmental organisations and other institutions, to promote pest-monitoring practices.

The business says its products have been used across more than 200,000 acres and estimates that their use has helped reduce pesticide spraying and associated water consumption. These figures are company-reported estimates; independently verified data on the extent of adoption and the resulting environmental impact was not provided in the material shared.

A. Nitin Kumar, Kavitha’s brother, is also part of the company’s core team. He holds a master’s degree in computer science from London and joined the venture after learning about its focus on pest management and sustainable agriculture.

The company’s approach centres on encouraging farmers to use pest monitoring alongside other crop protection measures, rather than relying exclusively on calendar-based spraying. The effectiveness of these tools can vary according to the crop, target pest, local conditions and how consistently traps are used.

As farmers face pressure to manage input costs while protecting crop yields, pheromone-based monitoring is one of the options being promoted within integrated pest management. Wider adoption will depend on farmers’ awareness, product availability, appropriate use and evidence of the benefits under local farming conditions.