The fine art of grading lentils is a laborious task that requires tweezers, a magnifying glass, specialist training, serious attention to detail, and up to 45 minutes.

But one Australian start-up is deploying artificial intelligence to speed up the process, which it claims could take just six minutes.

The company, called Cropify, is also among the first in the world to commercialise grain-grading technology and plans to set its sights on bigger tasks in future: chickpeas, faba beans and international expansion.

The company is part of a growing agrifood tech industry in Australia, which AusTrade estimates attracts $800 million in investment each year.

Fifth generation farmer Anna Falkiner founded the business with husband Andrew Hannon in 2019, before generative AI started making head

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