By Segun Adeyanju
A solar-powered innovation is transforming rice farming in South India, helping smallholders increase yields and earnings.
Bengaluru-based agri-tech firm SEMA Alto has developed compact, solar-compatible rice mills that boost recovery rates by 30 percent, enabling farmers to process paddy locally and retain higher profits.
For organic farmer Gopi in Tamil Nadu, the difference is stark. “Earlier, 500 kg of paddy gave me 275-300 kg of rice. Now I recover 320-350 kg and sell polished rice at Rs 80-100 per kg,” he says.
The switch has doubled his income and freed him from reliance on distant diesel mills.
Founded in 2017 by Asaad Jaffer, SEMA Alto has installed over 150 units across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Backed by the Powering Livelihoods programme of CEEW and Villgro, the mills have gained policy support under the PM-FME scheme, making them more affordable through subsidies and financing.
With recovery rates of up to 65 percent, far higher than traditional mills; the technology is not only improving rice quality and farmer incomes but is also adaptable to millets, maize, and wheat.
For many rural families, it signals a quiet clean-energy revolution that blends sustainability with self-reliance.
