New Delhi: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is accelerating the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across India’s agriculture sector through multiple digital initiatives aimed at improving farm productivity, pest management, weather forecasting, crop identification, insurance, governance, and delivery of government schemes.
Under the Digital Agriculture Mission, the Government is supporting States and Union Territories in implementing advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, and other digital innovations to modernise Indian agriculture.
The details were shared by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Mr. Ramnath Thakur, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
AI Becoming a Key Driver of Digital Agriculture
The Government has launched several AI-powered initiatives designed to improve agricultural decision-making and enhance farmers’ access to digital services.
These technologies are being used for:
- Farmer advisories
- Pest and disease detection
- Crop identification
- Crop insurance support
- Delivery of government scheme benefits
- Governance analytics
- Weather forecasting
- Farm planning
The Digital Agriculture Mission continues to promote the adoption of modern technologies to strengthen India’s agricultural ecosystem.
Read also: Government Boosts Kharif Preparedness Amid El Niño Fears, Seed Reserves and Crop Support Expanded
National Pest Surveillance System Helps Farmers Detect Crop Diseases
One of the flagship AI initiatives is the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS), which uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to identify pest infestations in crops and enable timely intervention.
The platform helps reduce crop losses caused by climate change and pest attacks by allowing farmers and agricultural extension workers to upload photographs of affected crops for AI-based pest identification.
Key Highlights of NPSS
- Supports 73 crops
- Detects 436 different pests
- Used by more than 10,000 agricultural extension workers
- Enables early pest detection and timely treatment
- Helps minimise crop losses and improve productivity
AI-Based Weather Advisories Reach 5.28 Crore Farmers
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is providing AI-powered monsoon and weather advisories to assist farmers in making informed agricultural decisions.
The advisories offer location-specific and timely weather forecasts, enabling farmers to plan sowing, irrigation, harvesting and other farming activities more efficiently.
According to the Ministry, the AI-based weather advisory system has so far reached approximately 5.28 crore farmers across the country.
BharatVistaar AI Platform Provides Real-Time Agricultural Support
The Government has also launched BharatVistaar (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multilingual AI-powered Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) platform for agriculture.
The platform provides farmers with real-time, location-specific agricultural advisories along with access to various government services and welfare schemes.
BharatVistaar Achievements
- Served more than 3 lakh farmers
- Responded to over 72 lakh farmer queries
- Covers 18 Central Government schemes
- Provides crop and livestock advisories
- Offers weather forecasts and mandi prices
- AI-based pest and disease identification
- Soil health-based recommendations
- Grievance redressal services
The platform is available through:
- Web portal
- Mobile application
- AI chatbot
- Dedicated telephone helpline
Currently, the telephone service is available in Hindi and English, while the chatbot, mobile app and web portal support 10 Indian languages.
Government Yet to Conduct Comprehensive AI Impact Assessment
Despite the growing adoption of AI technologies in agriculture, the Government informed Parliament that no comprehensive assessment has yet been undertaken to evaluate the overall impact of AI-based technologies on the agriculture sector.
However, AI initiatives continue to be expanded under the Digital Agriculture Mission to improve productivity, efficiency and access to digital services.
Digital Agriculture Funding Over the Last Five Years
The Government has significantly increased investment in digital agriculture, including AI-based initiatives.
- 2022-23: Funds Allocated – ₹60.00 crore | Funds Utilised – ₹20.84 crore
- 2023-24: Funds Allocated – ₹450.00 crore | Funds Utilised – ₹119.44 crore
- 2024-25: Funds Allocated – ₹763.88 crore | Funds Utilised – ₹356.00 crore
- 2025-26: Funds Allocated – ₹758.56 crore | Funds Utilised – ₹596.10 crore
- 2026-27: Funds Allocated – ₹502.40 crore | Funds Utilised – ₹364.62 crore
The data reflects the Government’s continued investment in strengthening India’s digital agriculture ecosystem through AI-enabled technologies and digital infrastructure.
Support for States and Farmers
Apart from funding digital agriculture projects, the Government is also providing technical assistance and financial support to States and Union Territories for implementing AI-enabled agricultural initiatives.
The support includes:
- Technical guidance for digital agriculture projects
- Financial assistance for skilled human resources
- Capacity-building programmes
- Training to improve farmers’ access to AI-based technologies
- Special focus on benefiting small and marginal farmers
AI Expected to Transform Indian Agriculture
The Government believes that AI-powered digital agriculture initiatives will improve farm productivity, reduce crop losses, enhance weather preparedness and ensure better delivery of agricultural services. With expanding investments under the Digital Agriculture Mission, AI is expected to play an increasingly important role in making Indian agriculture smarter, more resilient and technology-driven.
Source: The information was provided by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Mr. Ramnath Thakur, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
