Shivkumar P. Narayan built his career over more than 20 years in the chemicals and animal health industries — working across product development, technical portfolios, and market entry strategy. Along the way, he saw growers face the same frustrations again and again: rising pest resistance, chemistry that was hard to integrate safely, and solutions that looked good on paper but fell short in the field. That experience shaped a clear conviction — farmers deserve access to effective, sustainable alternatives they can trust.

Deepa Nargund came to agriculture from a different direction. With a background in IT, she saw how data, systems thinking, and technology could help the industry make sharper decisions — moving beyond guesswork toward outcomes that are more precise, efficient, and measurable across the value chain.

NIJ was founded when those two perspectives came together. Shivkumar and Deepa shared a passion for giving growers better tools — products selected for real-world performance, backed by practical support, and aligned with the direction farming needs to take. Their motivation in starting NIJ is simple: combine deep industry experience with data-led innovation to help growers, manufacturers, and agrifood companies build healthier crops and a more sustainable future.