BCX, GE deploy agritech solution

27th November 2017 By: Creamer Media Reporter

Information and communication technology group BCX and NYSE-listed digital industrial company GE have teamed up to provide integrated, tailored, end-to-end digital technological solutions to the South African agroprocessing sector.

The jointly developed agritech solution, dubbed the Digital Farm, leverages GE’s application development platform Predix to enable users to manage, predict and control inputs and outputs across the agricultural supply chain – “from farm to table”.

“The solution will incorporate components, or software applications, that will allow visibility for varied types of user information and benefits per stakeholder sector – farmer, financial intermediaries, government, retailer, logistics partner and ultimately, consumer,” the parties highlighted in a statement on Monday.

The solutions will be rolled out over the course of next year and will focus primarily on small to mid-sized farmers.

“The partnership shows the potential that digital disruption can have to transform an industry and . . . an economy. Beyond increasing output and efficiency for farmers, the solutions should have a trickle-down effect for South African consumers as well,” said BCX CEO Ian Russell.