BISA

Name

BISA

Legal name

Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA)

Website

https://bisa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAF), CEA Monitoring, Sensors & Automation Software (SCADA, IoT, Climate/Recipe Control) (AFAAAHAG)

Keywords

• Agricultural research
• Climate-smart agriculture
• Crop improvement
• Wheat breeding
• Conservation agriculture

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government and Donor Funding: BISA is supported by 30 national and international donors including the Government of India, state governments, and international development organizations. The institute receives 170 million INR subsidy from GOI for Happy Seeder and SMS technologies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BISA is an international agricultural research institute that develops and disseminates elite wheat and maize germplasm, advances climate-smart agriculture technologies (Happy Seeder, Green Seeker, subsurface drip irrigation), and operates conservation agriculture programs across 480 hectares of state-of-the-art research farms in three Indian states. It also delivers capacity-building programs that have trained over 200,000 stakeholders and transformed 3,000 villages in South Asia.

Product overview

BISA (Borlaug Institute for South Asia) is an international agricultural research institute established through an agreement between the Government of India and CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center). Rather than a software product company, BISA operates research farms across three states in India (Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar) and conducts research across five thematic areas: Genetic Enhancement (developing elite wheat germplasm), Climate Action (Climate Smart Village approach), Sustainable Intensification (precision farming), Digital Agriculture (technology transfer to farmers), and Capacity Strengthening (training programs). BISA does not offer commercial software products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Climate Smart Villages (CSV): Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) are a key approach where BISA works with local communities to implement climate-resilient agricultural practices. BISA developed 15 CSVs in Samastipur district and 20 in Vaishali district of Bihar.

Products and services

• Elite Germplasm Distribution Program Distribution of elite wheat and maize germplasm developed at BISA's research farms to national agricultural research systems, state agricultural universities, and seed companies for incorporation into their breeding programs.
• Happy Seeder Technology Direct seeding technology and straw management system that enables wheat sowing into rice residue without burning, supported by a 170 million INR Government of India subsidy, and deployed with farmer adoption programs across South Asia.
• Green Seeker Crop Sensor Handheld optical sensor used to assess crop health and optimize nitrogen and nutrient management, enabling precision fertilizer application for wheat and other crops.
• Climate Smart Village (CSV) Program Community-based agricultural development program that deploys water, nutrient, energy, carbon, weather, and knowledge-smart technologies in villages across South Asia to strengthen climate resilience.
• Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) Technology Subsurface drip irrigation system for rice-wheat and maize-wheat cropping systems that achieves 50-60% water savings while maintaining yields, deployed through BISA research farms and partner networks.
• International Training Programs Formal training courses, traveling seminars, and exposure visits delivered at BISA's three research farms, including precision nitrogen nutrition in wheat training and genomic approaches training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000 kg/ha productivity achieved first time in Indian wheat trials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• ADM Institute (University of Illinois)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 August 2015ADM Project on post-harvest management launched with University of Illinois. Project aims to reduce food losses in rice and maize supply chains through improved grain processing and quality evaluation.
• ICRAF (International Center for Research Agroforestry)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2015MoU signed for collaboration on tree-based agroforestry systems in South Asia. Both organizations share a vision of addressing poverty, hunger, malnutrition, ecosystem management, and climate change.
• Government of India (GoI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2011BISA was established through an agreement between the Government of India and CIMMYT. GoI provides ongoing support including 170 million INR subsidy for Happy Seeder and SMS technologies.
• CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIMMYT is the parent organization that established BISA. CIMMYT provides germplasm, technical expertise, and research support to BISA operations.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICAR is the premier agricultural research organization of India and a key partner in BISA's collaborative breeding programs and technology transfer activities.
• State Governments of Punjab, Bihar, and Madhya PradeshcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState governments host BISA farms and provide support for climate-smart agriculture initiatives. BISA works with these governments to scale technologies.
• CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBISA collaborates with CCAFS on climate-smart agriculture projects, including the development of Climate Smart Villages.
• Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBISA collaborates with PAU on conservation agriculture research and technology scaling in Punjab.
• Seed Companies (Monsanto, Bayer, MAHYCO, Rasi Seeds, etc.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBISA organizes interaction meetings with private seed companies to promote germplasm sharing, joint research, and technology commercialization.
• Rothamsted Research and University of Bristol (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK delegation visited BISA to explore collaboration in precision water and nutrient applications. Delegation expressed interest in genomic research initiatives.
• Government of Germany (Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh-level German delegation visited BISA for three consecutive years, expressing interest in relay cropping, genome-wide SNP research, and farm machinery collaboration.
• Government of Australia (Department of Agriculture)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian High Commissioner visited BISA to learn about Happy Seeder technology and explore potential collaboration in conservation agriculture.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ICARDA: ICARDA is a sister CGIAR center focused on agricultural research in non-tropical dry areas, with India-relevant programs. Comparable in CGIAR affiliation, germplasm development, climate-smart agriculture, and capacity-building mission for smallholder farmers.
• CIMMYT: CIMMYT is the parent organization that established BISA and remains its primary scientific and germplasm partner. Both operate international agricultural research focused on wheat and maize improvement for developing-country smallholders through CGIAR.
• IRRI: IRRI is a sister CGIAR center and the global flagship for rice research, with major South Asia operations. Comparable international agricultural research mandate, CGIAR funding model, breeding program structure, and smallholder outreach approach.
• CIP (International Potato Center): CIP is a sister CGIAR center focused on root and tuber crops with active programs in India. Comparable as an international agricultural research institute delivering germplasm, climate-smart technologies, and capacity strengthening to South Asian smallholders.
• IITA: IITA is a sister CGIAR center focused on tropical agriculture in Africa with growing Asia engagement. Comparable international agricultural research mandate, CGIAR funding model, breeding and agronomy programs targeting smallholder systems.
• IFPRI: IFPRI is a CGIAR center providing food policy research with significant South Asia presence. Comparable as an international agricultural research institute addressing food security, nutrition, and policy outcomes, although focused on policy rather than breeding.
• ICRAF (World Agroforestry / CIFOR-ICRAF): ICRAF is a CGIAR center and a formal BISA partner via MoU for tree-based agroforestry in South Asia. Comparable international agricultural research institute working on climate adaptation, livelihoods, and smallholder systems in overlapping geographies.
• CCAFS (CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security): CCAFS is a CGIAR research program and a BISA collaboration partner that co-developed the Climate Smart Village approach. Comparable CGIAR-aligned program delivering climate-smart agriculture research, partnerships, and smallholder outreach globally.
• ICRISAT: ICRISAT is a sister CGIAR center focused on dryland crops in semi-arid tropics with active programs in India. Comparable as a CGIAR-affiliated international agricultural research institute conducting crop improvement, climate adaptation, and capacity building for smallholders in similar geographies.

Broad incumbents

• ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research): ICAR is the apex public agricultural research organization of India and BISA's core institutional partner. It operates a much broader portfolio (all crops, all states, all disciplines) but shares the same crop-improvement and technology-transfer mandate through national agricultural research systems.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/placeholder
• Xx.com/BISA__India
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bisa-borlaug-institute-for-south-asia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BISA