GM shares were trading down nearly two per cent at midday, even though CFO Paul Jacobson said demand for GM’s trucks and SUVs remains strong in the United States.

GM has been able to raise prices in the U.S. over the past two years as supply chain bottlenecks kept production in check. Going forward, Jacobson said the opportunity to boost prices much further “isn’t there. We have to be more urgent around cost-cutting.”

GM will cut production to keep inventories in check, Jacobson said. The automaker earlier this year shut down a pickup truck assembly factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for two weeks.

GM had set a goal of cutting $2 billion from operating costs by the end of 2024, with 30 to 50 per cent of the total being achieved this year (all figures US$). The response to a buyout program announced last month means GM will be at the higher end of that 2023 goal, Jacobson said during a presentation at a Bank of America conference.

GM will take a $1 billion charge in the first quarter, he said. The company had previously projected $1.5 billion in charges related to staff reductions.

Jacobson said GM is now allocating 75 per cent of its annual capital spending toward electric vehicle projects, which in the short term will be less profitable than the automaker’s combustion vehicles.

GM is in a good position to benefit from U.S. electric vehicle subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act because of its investments in North American battery, raw materials and EV assembly, Jacobson said.

GM has three battery factories in North America, and will announce the location of a fourth domestic battery plant soon, he said.

Jacobson added that the company was going to have to “prioritize down” on growth businesses to focus on preserving cash. Some analysts have questioned GM’s continued investments in its Cruise robo-taxi business. Jacobson said Cruise is expanding and “executing really well.”

— Reporting for Reuters by Nathan Gomes in Bangalore and Joseph White in Detroit.

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The major Detroit pickup truck brands are sitting on growing inventories of unsold vehicles, according to Cox Automotive data provided to Reuters.

As supply-chain bottlenecks ease, the resolve among Detroit’s automakers to keep inventories tighter than before the pandemic will be tested. Automakers could have to choose between reducing output to avoid price cuts, or offering richer discounts to pump up sales volumes, dealers said.

GM dealers have over 100 days’ supply of Chevy Silverado pickups in stock, reflecting more vehicles on the ground and a seasonally slow pace of sales, according to Cox. Inventory levels are over 100 days’ supply for rival Stellantis’ Ram half-ton and heavy-duty pickups. Ford has 92 days’ worth of F-150s in stock, according to Cox data.

A GM spokesman said Cox’s numbers do not accurately reflect GM’s inventory situation. GM does not disclose detailed inventory figures. However, he said GM is acting to support its pricing strategy, which relies on keeping inventories leaner than in the past.

Stellantis said in a statement it had no downtime planned at any of its North American plants, but constantly reviewed its inventory levels and would make production adjustments as needed.

Industry consultants J.D. Power and LMC Automotive forecast on Friday that U.S. car and light truck sales for February would reach a 14.6 million-vehicle annualized pace. That is up from a year ago, but still well below pre-pandemic levels.

February sales growth was led by a 54 per cent increase in sales to fleet customers, Power and LMC said.

Overall inventories of unsold vehicles are still low, but “are still not sufficient to fulfill demand each month,” Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power, said in a statement.

GM said its decision to idle the Fort Wayne, Indiana assembly plant that builds Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks for two weeks starting March 27 was done to maintain “optimal inventory levels with our dealerships.”

Who blinks first?

GM, Ford and Stellantis dominate the U.S. large pickup market, and for the past two years have been raising prices on their trucks to record levels as supply-chain snags limited production.

Dealers contacted by Reuters said that now, some customers are waiting for better deals, or are postponing purchases because the combination of high prices and higher interest rates put vehicles out of reach. The automakers face a choice between cutting prices using bigger rebates or subsidized loans, or keeping inventories tight.

“What they’re doing is playing what I call the blink game — whoever blinks first. Especially for trucks,” said Ohio dealer Rhett Ricart, whose Ricart Automotive Group sells Ford and GM trucks at different stores.

Brad Sowers, president of Jim Butler Auto Group in Missouri, said high prices are hitting demand. However, he wrote in an email, “manufacturers do not want to flood the market and be forced to quadruple incentive spending to drive demand that will reduce their margins.”

Some discounts are showing up in the large pickup segment. Ram is offering 2.9 per cent financing for 72-month loans on certain Ram 1500 trucks.

Power and LMC said fewer vehicles were sold in February above their manufacturer suggested prices, and that the average discount rose 4.7 per cent to US$1,335 a vehicle. That is still well below pre-pandemic levels, Power-LMC said.

— Reporting for Reuters by Joseph White and Ben Klayman in Detroit; additional reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bangalore.

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The problem: How to modernize the largest combustion pickups to keep demand strong and profits flowing, without over-investing at a time when automakers need to spend on developing electric vehicles and battery factories.

At Ford, many of the newest things about the new Super Duty relate to connectivity and business productivity software that Ford hopes will generate revenue over the life of the vehicle. Ford CEO Jim Farley has stressed the importance of software-driven features and is hiring more executives with digital commerce experience.

Ford will install 5G modems in 2023 model Super Duty trucks to enable services such as driver behavior monitoring and digital paperwork systems for fleet operators. Dashboards have been reprogrammed to make it easier for companies that install specialized equipment such as hoisting arms to connect controls for their gear into the truck’s displays. Onboard scales will measure payloads and the new Super Duties will have more power plugs.

The Super Duty, General Motors’ rival Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD heavy duty pickups and heavy duty versions of Stellantis’ Ram pickup are among the most profitable vehicles sold today by the Detroit Three automakers, or any rival.

Ford said the Super Duty franchise generates “more revenue than many Fortune 500 companies, including Southwest Airlines, Marriott International or Nordstrom.” Southwest reported $15.8 billion in revenue for 2021 (all figures US$).

Powered by big diesel or gasoline engines, Super Duty prices start at $41,240, but can range up to more than $100,000 for a fully loaded model.

Heavy-duty pickups such as the Super Duty and Silverado HD do dirty work in oil fields and on construction sites. But many are sold to individuals who use them to tow large trailers, and want the same connectivity and comfort features they would expect in a luxury SUV.

For now, battery electric powertrains cannot provide the same towing capability and driving range for heavy-duty pickups as combustion powerplants. Both Ford and GM are upgrading existing engines and transmissions, but not investing what it would take to develop new powertrains from scratch.

Ford on Tuesday unveiled the latest generation of the Super Duty at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, not far from the factory where most Super Duty trucks are built.

Ford said Tuesday it will spend $700 million modernizing its Kentucky truck plant, and expects to hire another 500 workers at the plant to support Super Duty production.

One day ahead of Ford’s Super Duty reveal, Chevrolet outlined a list of improvements to its Silverado HD heavy pickup line, which trails the Super Duty in sales.

Chevrolet said it will now offer only a 10-speed Allison transmission on its heavy duty Silverado trucks. The 6.6-litre diesel engine’s horsepower and torque get a boost, and certain models get upgraded interiors with bigger display screens.

— Joe White is Reuters’ automotive industry correspondent in Detroit.

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Barra made her comments during the automaker’s annual shareholder meeting.

GM is pursuing a two-track strategy: Investing heavily in electric vehicles for North America, China and other markets, and funding those investments by trying to maximize profits from its North American combustion pickup truck and large SUV lineups.

Barra said GM is planning higher-priced versions of its Silverado large pickup and its large SUV models.

GM and its Detroit rivals Ford and Stellantis rely heavily on sales of large pickup trucks and SUVs for global profits. High U.S. gasoline prices in the past have undermined consumer demand for relatively inefficient models.

Nominal pump prices hit an average of above US$5 a gallon for the first time ever last week, the federal government said Friday.

GM is ramping up production of EVs. Barra said the Cadillac Lyriq electric sport utility is sold out through 2023.

In response to shareholder questions, Barra said the “clear priority” for using cash generated by its operations is to “accelerate our EV plans.” She did not rule out share buybacks or other approaches to returning cash to shareholders.

GM still expects to increase production this year by 25-30 per cent, despite continuing pressure on semiconductor supplies globally. Barra said GM is working to redesign vehicles to reduce the number of processors required by 95 per cent.

Barra serves as GM’s board chair and CEO. GM shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to separate those roles.

— Joe White is a Reuters global automotive sector correspondent in Detroit.

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In a world with a dwindling number of grain producers and a growing population, Deere and its rivals are developing self-driving equipment loaded with the latest software that is harvesting a new kind of bumper crop: data. All that translates into recurring revenue, something companies such as Apple have long enjoyed and industrial manufacturers like Deere hungrily eye.

“The more technology we can develop to allow farmers to get productivity out of their land without having to spend so much money on fertilizer and inputs, the better off everybody is,” Julian Sanchez, Deere’s director of emerging technology, told Reuters.

Investments in automation for high-horsepower equipment is only at its inception for Deere and rivals Agco and CNH Industrial. The next step is to equip machines to plant seeds using satellite imagery and soil data, Sanchez said.

While Deere has not outlined what that could mean to its bottom line, last fall U.S. automaker General Motors said it was targeting up to $25 billion in software-driven services by 2030, and added its Cruise self-driving unit could achieve $50 billion in annual revenue within six years (all figures US$).

The race among farm equipment companies to automate agriculture has accelerated amid a burgeoning food crisis. And Deere’s strategy around scaling its suite of tech products is now in the spotlight, after the manufacturer’s stock plunged 14 per cent on May 20 following a quarterly revenue miss. It was the biggest drop for Deere in 14 years.

The timing comes as the war in Ukraine and widespread drought in key grain-producing countries have roiled commodity markets, causing grain and farm input prices to spike as supplies shrink. That, in turn, has U.S. farmers scrambling to boost crop yields, yet limit their fertilizer and pesticide use.

That and a shrinking farm labor workforce has opened the door for Deere and others to make their high-tech push. For farmers, the prize is higher crop yields. For Illinois-based Deere, it’s the revenue.

Autonomous machinery is where Deere is placing its bet as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated in farming. Its self-driving 8R tillage tractor will be the latest addition to the company’s algorithm-enabled offerings when the green machines go on sale in the fall.

The new tractor will be priced at $500,000. However, the autonomy feature will be sold separately. Deere executives told analysts at a conference that the company will largely maintain its “point-of-sale” model for equipment, but will integrate a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for its autonomous solutions. That will likely include their self-driving tractor.

“While it may take us a few years to build out a base of recurring revenues, autonomous solutions, on top of our underlying machine forms, will be recurring,” said Joshua Jepsen, Deere’s deputy financial officer.

The recurring revenue model can be economically favorable to heavy machinery manufacturers “based on those data insights,” said Michael Staebe, a Bain and Co. partner focused on machinery.

In Deere’s case, using a subscription model by either selling or leasing its driverless tractor can result in higher margins.

“After expenses, every incremental dollar falls straight to the bottom line,” Edward Jones analyst Matt Arnold said. “We would expect it to be an attractive offering to farmers given the efficiency it offers them, and lucrative to Deere.”

Agronomic data helps bottom line

Farmers have long been wary about how machinery and supplier firms profit off the data gleaned from their operations, and how secure such data is. But with farmers facing economic pressures, Deere and other manufacturers said it is easier to sell farmers on making such investments.

One key reason: The ability to glean crop insights from huge amounts of agronomic data takes the guesswork out of when to plant and how many seeds to use — which saves farmers money.

“Everybody in the industry is much more data-focused than we have ever seen them,” said Michael Boehlje, a professor at Purdue University. “(Companies) can do profit projections by geographic space in fields. That takes you to a different level of thinking and analysis.”

In 2020, Deere acquired Harvest Profit, a farm profitability software company that has been integrated into the John Deere Operations Center. The platform stores and lets farmers access their machine data from the cloud.

“When I look at what precision ag has done for our operations and what we can accomplish in a day’s time compared to 10 to 20 years ago, it’s so much easier,” said Jeremy Jack, a row-crop farmer in Mississippi and chief executive of Silent Shade Planting Co.

Ron Heck’s fleet of Case IH combines and tractors are equipped with automated steering to harvest his 4,000 acres where he rotates soybeans and corn.

The fourth-generation farmer in Iowa said some of his new equipment is loaded with technology. “Unfortunately for us it costs more, but hopefully the costs will be paid back in the long run by better efficiency.”

— Reporting for Reuters by Bianca Flowers and Joseph White.

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Feeding a growing population and dealing with labour shortages are two key reasons — but farmers themselves may be an even bigger factor in propelling the adoption of autonomous machines, the equipment maker suggested in a new promotional video.

“Farmers are fairly traditional but I have a feeling that once they try it, they will become very accepting of it,” Minnesota farmer Doug Nimz says in the John Deere video. “Now we’ll be doing the jobs that we always wanted to get done but never had time to because we were in the cab all the time.”

Nimz’s farm southwest of Minneapolis served as a testing site for the machine and the fourth-generation producer was, at first, a “little suspicious” of autonomous technology, he told CNET, a media website focused on new tech.

But by the time the promotional video was shot, the corn and soybean producer had a much different view.

“Autonomy, that’s going to be a life changer for me,” Nimz says in the video.

Deere plans a low-volume launch this year delivering systems for 12 to 20 machines, and then scaling up, said Jahmy Hindman, Deere’s chief technology officer.

In a press release, Deere says the era of “doing more with more… more horsepower, more inputs and more acres” is giving way to a digital era that “is changing all of that.”

Deere was originally a steel plow manufacturer, and didn’t start producing tractors until 1918, Hindman notes in the release.

“You fast forward a century from those first tractors and you’ll find some of the most advanced robotic machines are being used on the farm to feed the world,” he said. “If you visit a farm, you’ll see as much technology in the field as you will in Silicon Valley.”

The Deere video shows a driverless tractor doing tillage on Nimz’s 2,000-acre operation. On the production side, being able to put a machine on a field 24 hours a day when weather and field conditions are optimum will be a big advantage, Nimz says in the video.

“I never really thought I’d see an autonomous tractor in my farming career. It was really exciting the first time to take the autonomous tractor to the field, tap my phone, and watch the tractor start — with no one in the cab… and do tillage just as well as I can do myself.”

Deere is weighing whether to sell the technology, lease it, or offer it to farmers in a subscription package that could allow for upgrades as hardware and software evolve, said Hindman.

The cameras and computers for automated tilling can be installed on existing equipment in a day, he added.

Deere and other equipment makers such as Caterpillar have invested heavily in technology to automate off-highway vehicles such as tractors and mining machines.

Deere’s commercial launch is a significant step in a journey that has been underway for nearly two decades, beginning with the use of satellite positioning and later hands-free operation with a driver still in the cab. Deere has been testing fully autonomous tractors for three to four years, Hindman said.

While self-driving tractors do not have to contend with pedestrians, the chaos of urban traffic or highway safety regulations, he said they still need to be able to navigate accurately, avoid obstacles and precisely control equipment.

Deere’s initial automated tractors will use stereo cameras in the front and rear, and can send images of what the cameras see via a smartphone app to a farmer or equipment operator. The operator can take the tractor to a field, swipe the smartphone screen and the machine will start on a programmed path.

The tractor’s computerized vision system will monitor the tiller, which will have mirrors installed on the shanks. If one of the shanks hits a rock and gets tipped up, the change in the reflection from the mirror will be visible to a remote operator.

Deere is working on automating other farm operations, with spraying likely the next target for automation, Hindman said.

– With files from Reuters.

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GM CEO Mary Barra on Wednesday told the annual CES technology conference via video that the electric Silverado will launch in two stages in 2023, starting in the second quarter with a $39,900 WT work truck that will be delivered to a limited group of commercial fleets (all figures US$).

In the fall of 2023, GM plans to start delivering a consumer, outdoor adventure-oriented model that will start at $105,000 — more than an electric Mercedes EQS sedan.

Retail customers will see less expensive versions of the electric Silverado roll out in 2024 and beyond, Chevrolet officials said in briefings ahead of Barra’s CES speech. Barra was scheduled to make her speech online after GM pulled out of in-person attendance at CES due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The electric Silverado’s debut escalates a battle for sales and customer loyalty in a segment that includes some of the most profitable vehicles the Detroit automakers sell. Startup Rivian Automotive’s electric R1T pickup, first shown in 2018, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s polarizing vision for an all-electric pickup called the Cybertruck, spurred the Detroit Three to accelerate development of electric pickups.

The Cybertruck’s launch date remains uncertain. For now, the first lap of the electric pickup race is a contest among Ford, GM and Rivian, which began shipping the first of its $67,500 and up R1T models late last year.

The electric Silverado, built on the same architecture as the GMC Hummer EV, will enter the race for both fleet and consumer buyers a year or more behind the electric Ford F-150 Lightning. That gap reflects contrasting strategic choices by the long-time rivals.

Barra and GM president Mark Reuss are betting GM will win in the long run by first developing dedicated electric vehicle architectures and a vertically-integrated battery and motor production chain, then launching electric vehicle models in high volume during the middle and latter part of this decade.

By then, GM executives expect the costs of the company’s proprietary Ultium battery technology will be lower than rivals, conferring a decisive advantage.

Ford took a different path. The F-150 Lightning due for delivery starting this spring is a modified version of the current, gasoline F-150 that is part of the best-selling vehicle line in the United States.

Ford’s approach was faster, and Ford CEO Jim Farley last month said the company had to cap at 200,000 the number of reservations it will take from consumers for the truck.

Farley is pushing aggressively to build as many Lightnings as possible before GM’s Silverado and other rivals hit the market. On Tuesday, Ford said it planned to double capacity for building Lightnings at its Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan. to 150,000 vehicles a year. Ford last September said it was increasing Lightning capacity to 80,000 from 40,000 vehicles.

Ford also is starting work with battery partner, SK Innovation, on an $11.4 billion network of vehicle assembly and battery-making plants in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Ford and GM both are targeting commercial fleet customers with electric pickups priced just below $40,000.

GM said the WT, or work truck, version of the Silverado EV will have a 400-mile driving range and will first go to a select group of fleet customers under deals already negotiated. GM expects to deliver “tens of thousands” of electric work trucks, said Steve Carlisle, head of GM’s North American operations.

Ford and GM are taking different paths to winning retail customers. The F-150 Lightning for retail customers has a 300-mile range, a 400-litre capacity front trunk that can function as a drink cooler and an option that enables the truck to power a house during a blackout. It can carry 1,800 pounds of stuff. The consumer Lightning had a starting price of $52,974, excluding tax breaks, before Ford capped orders.

The electric Silverado RST for retail buyers has a 400-mile range, a “mid-gate” in the back of the cab that can accommodate kayaks and surfboards, but carries less cargo and will not have backup generator capability when it launches.

Carlisle said the generator function is “very much on the radar.” A Chevrolet spokeswoman said bi-directional charging to power a home will be available within the first year of production.

GM executives said they will emphasize the Silverado’s superior range in advertising that will start this year.

GM’s decision to charge European luxury car prices for the first Silverado RSTs mirrors the strategy for the first Hummer EVs, which started at over $110,000 and are now available for starting prices of $99,995 — more than double the average transaction price for a GM vehicle.

— Joe White is a Reuters automotive industry correspondent in Detroit.

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Deere plans a low-volume launch this year delivering systems for 12 to 20 machines, and then scaling up, Jahmy Hindman, Deere’s chief technology officer, told Reuters. The company is weighing whether to sell the technology, lease it, or offer it to farmers in a subscription package that could allow for upgrades as hardware and software evolve, he said.

The cameras and computers for automated tilling can be installed on an existing tractor and tiller machine in a day, Hindman said.

Deere and other equipment makers such as Caterpillar have invested heavily in technology to automate off-highway vehicles such as farm tractors and mining machines. In the farm sector, finding workers to operate tractors is a chronic problem made more acute by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the farm equipment industry, Deere’s commercial launch is a significant step in a journey that has been underway for nearly two decades, beginning with the use of satellite positioning and later hands-free operation with a driver still in the cab. Deere has been testing fully autonomous tractors for three to four years, Hindman said.

While automated tractors do not have to contend with pedestrians, the chaos of urban traffic or highway safety regulations, Hindman said self-driving tractors do need to be able to navigate accurately, avoid obstacles and precisely control equipment such as a tiller.

Deere’s initial automated tractors will use stereo cameras in the front and rear, and can send images of what the cameras see via a smartphone app to a farmer or equipment operator. The operator can take the tractor to a field, swipe the smartphone screen and the machine will start on a programmed path.

The tractor’s computerized vision system will monitor the tiller, which will have mirrors installed on the shanks that churn plant stubble into the ground. If one of the shanks hits a rock and gets tipped up, the change in the reflection from the mirror will be visible to a remote operator.

Deere is working on automating other farm operations, with spraying likely the next target for automation, Hindman said.

— Reporting for Reuters by Joe White.

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Catching up with rival trucks from Stellantis NV and Ford Motor Co., most 2022 Silverado models will get larger dashboard screens and new connectivity technology featuring built-in Google voice commands and software.

Chevrolet also will add a 420-horsepower Silverado ZR2 designed for rugged off-road adventures — or to give the appearance that the owner would have them. The Silverado ZR2 will chase Ford’s F-series Raptor and the Ram TRX from Stellantis, which are attention-getting performance models for those brands.

The current Silverado, launched in early 2019, has been outflanked in sales by rival Stellantis NV’s Ram pickup. The Ram in 2018 got a makeover with a more refined interior and a 12-inch dashboard screen that was closer in style to a Tesla Model S sedan than a conventional pickup truck.

The Fiat Chrysler unit of what is now Stellantis also expanded production capacity for Ram pickups in North America, gunning to displace the Chevy Silverado as the No. 2 brand in the North American pickup segment.

That strategy — led by Mike Manley, now head of Stellantis North America — worked. Through the first half of 2021, Ram’s pickups have outsold the Silverado and are now in second place behind Ford’s F-series trucks, the best-selling model line in the United States for more than 40 years, according to sales data compiled by Automotive News.

Smartphone-like experience

Steve Carlisle, head of GM’s North American operations, told Reuters GM has learned from the challenge from Ram. “You have to be very agile and react,” he said. “And maybe ask different types of questions.”

Going forward, Carlisle said GM sees the market moving from “bigger is better” when it comes to dashboard displays to more emphasis on improving the user experience.

Carlisle said his goal for the revamped Silverado is to knock Ford out of the top spot in the segment.

“We will not rest until that happens,” he said, though he added, “we are going to do the right thing from a brand point of view.”

Ram and Ford have their own upgrades coming for 2022. Ram trucks will get enhanced infotainment systems. Ford is touting a hybrid system available on the F-150 pickup that can power a house, and promoting its all-electric F-150 Lightning coming next spring.

The new Silverados will get other new technology. The redesigned trucks will be the largest-scale application of GM’s partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google to create a more smartphone-like experience in cars. And top-of-the-line Silverados will offer GM’s Super Cruise system as an option to enable hands-free driving on more than 200,000 miles (321,869 km) of roads in Canada and the U.S.

The Silverado ZR2 responds to a more traditional form of automotive competition. Powerful pickup trucks equipped with tall, beefy suspensions and other modifications to handle racing over rough desert or leaping sand dunes have become the 21st century answer to Detroit’s 1960s muscle cars. Ford and Ram had models designed for extreme off-road enthusiasts. Chevy did not. Now it will.

Carlisle said 60 per cent of Chevrolet Silverados sold now are “lifted trucks” with tall suspensions. The Silverado ZR2 will add a 420-hp, eight-cylinder gasoline engine to the formula. Carlisle said the ZR2 could account for more than 10 per cent of Silverado sales.

Ford’s Raptor has a starting price of nearly US$66,000. Carlisle said Chevrolet’s ZR2 will be more “accessible” with a lower starting price.

— Reporting for Reuters by Joe White in Detroit.

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“We are effectively in market with real customers today,” Dan Leibfried, Deere’s Director of Automation and Autonomy, told Reuters. Bear Flag has been testing automated tractors on farms in California. Deere began working with the startup in 2019.

Over the next 12 months, Leibfriend said, Deere and Bear Flag intend to develop their automated tractor technology for commercial production in higher volume.

“We want to get this on farms as fast as possible,” he said.

Bear Flag Chief Operating Officer Aubrey Donnellan said the company’s technology is designed so it can be installed on an existing tractor.

“We retrofit existing machines. We want to deliver a solution growers can use in the short term” to respond to shortages of skilled labor in agriculture, Donnellan said.

So far, Donnellan said, Bear Flag has focused its development on automating tractors for tilling fields on California farms that aim to plant two or more crops a year. Self-driving tractors that run 24 hours a day can allow farmers to squeeze in extra plantings, she said.

“That’s dollars in their pocket,” she said.

– Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru

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