Yimutian is betting that artificial intelligence can solve China’s decades-old problem of food waste and bring digital efficiency to its agricultural heartland.
Chinese agricultural technology firm Yimutian Inc. (NASDAQ: YMT) has launched what it calls the country's first AI-powered sales agent for produce trading, projecting the new technology will add over $10 million to its full-year revenue. The Wolaicai Sales Assistant, which just completed a successful trial, aims to connect farmers and merchants directly, cutting out costly intermediaries.
"AI technology has been disruptive for both industries and enterprises," Shijie Chen, Chief Financial Officer of Yimutian, said. "Based on Yimutian’s experience in deploying agricultural AI technologies, agricultural users’ acceptance of AI tools has far exceeded our expectations."
The new AI agent assists with sourcing, price quotes, and executing transactions. For instance, a watermelon buyer in Beijing can specify their exact needs, and the system will analyze national production areas to recommend the best suppliers, replacing a traditionally manual and time-consuming process. The system generated over RMB 1,000 ($138) in daily revenue during its one-week pilot with about 100 business customers.
The launch targets a critical vulnerability in China's economy: a fragmented agricultural supply chain where 20% to 30% of produce is lost during circulation, according to industry estimates cited by the company. By reducing information asymmetry and unnecessary middlemen, Yimutian's AI tool could significantly improve efficiency and profitability for a sector that has long struggled with coordination between production and sales.
The Wolaicai Sales Assistant is the latest addition to Yimutian's growing suite of AI tools, signaling a deeper push from standalone applications into the core transaction layer of agriculture. It joins products like Jubaopen AI, which helps with short-video marketing, and the Xiaotian conversational AI robot. This strategy combines online AI-driven matching with a network of offline service stations, aiming to create a comprehensive digital ecosystem for China's agricultural industry. The company's goal is to make AI a practical assistant for every participant in the food supply chain, from the farm to the market.
For investors, Yimutian's focus on AI provides a clear growth narrative in the expanding Agri-Tech sector. The company, a long-established agricultural B2B platform in China, is leveraging its deep industry knowledge to deploy AI where it can have a measurable financial impact. The projected $10 million revenue boost from AI initiatives demonstrates a tangible return on technology investment, a key metric investors watch. While direct competitors in agricultural AI are emerging, Yimutian's decade-long presence and existing platform of users provide a significant advantage in deploying and scaling these new technologies. The successful pilot and aggressive revenue forecast suggest the company is confident that its AI-driven future can cultivate substantial growth.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
