Agri-tech company Agrograde has installed its GradePlus Pro automated onion grading system at a farmer producer company in Pimpalgaon, Nashik district — a major onion trading and export hub in Maharashtra.
The system can process up to 10 tonnes of onions an hour and reduce labour requirements for grading by nearly 80 per cent compared with manual sorting, the company said. It grades onions with an accuracy of up to 99 per cent, according to company estimates.
The deployment comes as onion post-harvest operations remain heavily dependent on manual handling despite the large volumes traded in India.
Tractor-mounted version
Agrograde, in a media statement, said its system uses Wave Motion Technology, which is designed to move onions through the grading line with less abrupt contact, thereby reducing skin scuffing and peeling. The system can increase throughput by three to five times compared with manual grading and also automates unloading and bagging. Mechanical damage to the thin outer skin of Indian onion varieties has been a key barrier to the adoption of automated grading systems. Producers and industry groups have said friction during mechanical handling can cause peeling, shortening shelf life and affecting prices, particularly in export markets.
Agrograde has also developed a tractor-mounted version that can be moved between farms, packhouses, cold storages and mandis, enabling grading closer to the point of harvest. The mobile system uses the same underlying technology as the Pimpalgaon installation.
Rakeshkumar Barai, Co-founder of Agrograde, said the company had developed the system specifically for the Indian onion supply chain. “We have now brought down the grading costs to almost ₹0.05 per kg at speeds of up to 200 tonnes per day,” he said.
Founded in 2018, Agrograde develops grading, sorting, weighing and packing systems for onions and potatoes using computer vision and robotics. The company said it has deployed more than 130 machines across 14 States.
Disclaimer: Published on August 19, 2026, by Thehindubusinessline and has not been generated, created or edited by agrinews.in except the heading.
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