Centre to use digital technology to transform agriculture, double farmers' income by 2022

In a bid to double farmers' income by the year 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is set to use digital technology to modernise and organise agricultural activities in rural India.

"Digital Technology, like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain Technology, Internet of Things, etc can play a transformational role in modernizing and organizing how rural India performs its agricultural activities," Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar told the Rajya Sabha in a written statement.

The Government has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee to examine issues relating to doubling of farmers' income and recommend a strategy to achieve that goal by the year 2022.

The committee has appreciated the role of Digital Technology and recommended the development of mobile applications to disseminate valuable information regarding farming, sending crop related advisories through SMS and online portal, launching an online trading platform, improve/create scientific storage capacity, introduce soil health card scheme and providing subsidies.

"The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has compiled more than 100 mobile apps developed by ICAR, state agricultural universities and 'Krishi Vigyan Kendra' and uploaded on its website. These mobile apps developed offer valuable information to the farmers," said the statement.

"Use of space technology for various programmes/ areas such as forecasting agricultural output, agro-meteorology and land-based observations, horticulture assessment and management, drought assessment and monitoring system, 'Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana' and crop insurance," it added.

The Government has also set up 713 'Krishi Vigyan Kendra' and 684 Agricultural Technology Management Agencies at the district level for the dissemination of technologies among farm community. In addition, farmers are provided information through focused publicity campaigns, Kisan call centres, Agri-Clinics and agri-business centres of entrepreneurs, agri-fairs and exhibitions, Kisan SMS portal, etc.