Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the Indian economy, with a current worth of US$ 370 billion. According to the Economic Survey 2020-21, the agriculture sector’s GDP contribution is expected to increase to 19.9% in 2020-21, up from 17.8% in 2019-20. With established farming methods and supportive regulations, the government has taken significant strides to aid and strengthen the agriculture sector over the years.
The recent advancement of digital technology in agriculture will help to accelerate growth by ensuring higher crop yields and improving sustainability by lowering water consumption and pesticide use.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), as well as remote sensing, big data, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT), are revolutionizing agricultural value chains and modernizing processes. While other countries, including the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, and Israel, have effectively implemented and exploited digital solutions to revolutionize agriculture, India is still in the early stages of adoption. The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model is expected to foster the future adoption of digital agriculture in India.
The need for digitization in Indian agriculture is generally understood and accepted, and attempts are being made to digitize the current value chain. Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, announced the launch of the Digital Agriculture Mission 2021–2025 in September 2021, while also signing five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with CISCO, Ninjacart, Jio Platforms Limited, ITC Limited, and NCDEX eMarkets Limited (NeML) to advance digital agriculture through pilot projects.
The Digital Agriculture Mission 2021–2025 aims to encourage and accelerate projects based on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS), and the use of drones and robotics. The Jio Agri (JioKrishi) platform, which was introduced in February 2020, digitizes the agricultural ecosystem throughout the value chain to empower farmers.
Created By : KETAN TANDON