Amazon app seeks share of India's farm market, offers advice on crops

Amazon.com Inc. is taking the first steps toward cracking India’s outmoded agricultural sector, hoping to secure the farm produce that yields two-thirds of the country’s $1 trillion in annual retail spending. 

The Seattle-headquartered giant has begun offering real-time advice and information through a dedicated mobile app to help farmers make decisions on crops and even deploy machine learning technology. The program--which Amazon dubs Reactive and Proactive Crop plans--promises to provide growers with cutting-edge technology and insights.

Amazon is the latest corporate giant hoping to tap the world’s largest annual harvest of fruit and vegetables after China’s, joining Reliance Industries Ltd., Walmart Inc.’s