Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has constituted an 11-member State AgriStack Data Governance Committee (SADGC) headed by the Chief Secretary to oversee the governance, security and management of digital agricultural data across the state. The committee will function as the institutional framework for managing AgriStack data and act as its fiduciary custodian, holding the information in public trust for farmers and farming communities.
The move aligns Kerala with the Union Government’s efforts to transfer operational ownership of the AgriStack digital backbone to states under the State Core Handover Support Programme, launched as part of the Digital Agriculture Mission.
Committee to Act as Custodian of Farmers’ Data
According to the State Agriculture Department, the newly constituted committee will be responsible for protecting and managing critical agricultural databases while ensuring that farmers’ information is used transparently, securely and only for authorised purposes.
As the fiduciary custodian, the committee will hold AgriStack data in trust on behalf of farmers and oversee its governance in accordance with state and central guidelines.
The panel has been constituted in line with the operational guidelines issued by the Union Government in September 2025, which called upon all States and Union Territories to establish institutional mechanisms for assuming ownership of AgriStack operations.
Read also: Why Bishwanath Sinha Was Chosen to Lead Kerala’s Bureaucracy
Part of Digital Agriculture Mission
AgriStack is one of the two foundational pillars of the Centre’s Digital Agriculture Mission.
The digital platform is designed to create verified agricultural databases that can improve policy planning, facilitate targeted delivery of welfare schemes, streamline subsidy disbursement and enhance digital governance in the farm sector.
Kerala’s committee will supervise the management of three core AgriStack registries:
- Farmers’ Registry
- Geo-referenced Village Maps
- Crop-Sown Registry
These databases are expected to support better planning, precision agriculture, transparent service delivery and improved implementation of government schemes.
Who Is on the Committee?
The 11-member committee comprises senior bureaucrats and technical experts from key departments connected with agriculture, land records, digital governance and legal affairs.
The members include:
- Chief Secretary – Chairperson
- Additional Chief Secretary & Agricultural Production Commissioner – Member Secretary
- Secretaries of the Revenue, Law, and Electronics & Information Technology Departments
- Director of Agriculture
- Director of Survey and Land Records
- Director, Kerala State IT Mission
- Land Revenue Commissioner
- Director, Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre
- State Coordinator, National Informatics Centre (NIC)
The diverse composition is intended to ensure administrative, legal and technological oversight over the state’s agricultural data ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities of the Panel
The State AgriStack Data Governance Committee will perform several important governance functions relating to agricultural databases.
Its responsibilities include:
- Evaluating and approving requests for access to AgriStack data.
- Framing state-specific safeguards for data sharing and privacy.
- Establishing compliance standards for the use of agricultural databases.
- Monitoring secure handling and storage of digital farm records.
- Acting as the nodal authority for coordination between the Kerala Government and the Union Government on AgriStack-related matters.
The committee will also oversee data governance protocols to ensure that information is used only for legitimate public purposes while protecting farmers’ interests.
Supporting Better Delivery of Farm Schemes
Officials believe the institutional framework will improve the implementation of agricultural welfare programmes by ensuring that verified and updated data are available for policy formulation and scheme execution.
Accurate farmer registries and crop records are expected to facilitate targeted subsidy transfers, reduce duplication and strengthen transparency in government interventions aimed at the farming community.
With the formation of the State AgriStack Data Governance Committee, Kerala has taken a significant step towards establishing a robust digital governance framework for agriculture while strengthening safeguards around farmers’ data and aligning with the Centre’s Digital Agriculture Mission.
