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, according to a media statement reported by The Hindu BusinessLine. The report was published on August 19, 2026.
GradePlus Pro system at a glance
Agrograde said 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 estimates grading accuracy of up to 99 per cent. It also automates unloading and bagging and raises throughput by three to five times compared with manual grading.
| Parameter | GradePlus Pro (company claims) |
|---|---|
| Hourly capacity | Up to 10 tonnes |
| Daily throughput | Up to 200 tonnes |
| Labour saving vs manual sorting | Nearly 80% |
| Grading accuracy | Up to 99% |
| Throughput vs manual grading | 3–5 times higher |
| Grading cost | Almost ₹0.05 per kg |
Rakeshkumar Barai, Co-founder of Agrograde, said the company 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.
Why post-harvest handling matters
The deployment comes as onion post-harvest operations remain heavily dependent on manual handling despite the large volumes traded in India, Agrograde said in its media statement. The company's Wave Motion Technology is designed to move onions through the grading line with less abrupt contact, thereby reducing skin scuffing and peeling.
- Mechanical damage to the thin outer skin of Indian onion varieties has been a key barrier to 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.
Tractor-mounted version and wider footprint
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.
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.
What the grading economics mean for the trade
For onion traders and export-focused handlers, the cost metric cited by Barai — almost ₹0.05 per kg at speeds of up to 200 tonnes per day — directly targets the economics of post-harvest grading in a hub such as Pimpalgaon. The company links quality performance to export competitiveness, noting that friction-induced peeling shortens shelf life and affects prices, particularly in export markets. The Pimpalgaon installation is a reference deployment for an automated line designed around the handling characteristics of Indian onion varieties.
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