XFarm Technologies is expanding the scope of its digital farming platform through the acquisition of Brazilian agtech company Sibium Analytics, the company’s second deal in the Latin American country, following its acquisition of CheckPlant late last year.
XFarm is a provider of digital farming solutions that combines remote sensing, IoT hardware (i.e., sensors), and supply chain analytics to provide end-to-end insights into agrifood supply chains. Farmers can use xFarm’s platform to perform a range of farming tasks from administrating their operations to managing finances to accessing agronomic advice, Matteo Vanotti, CEO of xFarm Technologies told AgNavigator.
The company tracks a range of row and tree crops and various agricultural outputs, and with the acquisition, xFarm gains a foothold in Brazil’s sugar and biofuel supply chain, Vanotti said. Sibium Analytics is managing 75% of Brazil’s sugarcane area, he noted.
Additionally, xFarm gains business intelligence and ESG compliance capabilities and adds 8 million hectares of farmland with the Sibium Analytics acquisition, bringing xFarm’s total to 24 million hectares and 600,000 farmers using the technology.
On the acquisition, Ronaldo Marani, director of Sibium Analytics, said in a press release, “We will be able to deliver even greater value to our customers and expand our solutions to new crops. Together, we are broadening the possibilities for using data and technology to support more efficient decision-making in agribusiness.”
Will xFarm make another acquisition?
Over the last five years, xFarm has been involved in a merger and several acquisitions, including a merger with Farm Technologies in 2021 to form the current company. Also, xFarm acquired Spain-based Greenfield Technologies and French start-up SpaceSense to bring crop management and climate intelligence capabilities to its platform, respectively.
When it comes to additional mergers and acquisition, xFarm is “always looking for opportunities” when it comes to expanding in its core market geographies and capabilities, like AI, which can provide deeper insights on the country level, said Vanotti.
Late last year, xFarm released its AI agent that provides insights to farmers through WhatsApp, the company shared.
“Now, you can take a picture, and you can help the farmer in multiple way identify very quickly if an insect is a pest — if it’s dangerous. We are able to recognize a disease and immediately tell the farmers [how to act],” he elaborated.
