Government harnesses AI to revolutionize agriculture, boost farmer support: Minister, ET Government
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has deployed Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address key challenges in the agricultural sector, enhancing productivity and farmer support. The AI-driven solutions are transforming how farmers access information and tackle crop-related issues, according to Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Ramnath Thakur.
The minister in a written reply in Rajya Sabha said on Friday that one of the major initiatives, ‘Kisan e-Mitra’, is an AI-powered chatbot designed to assist farmers with queries related to the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme and other government programs. Supporting multiple languages, the chatbot currently handles over 20,000 farmer queries daily and has successfully responded to more than 92 lakh inquiries so far.
Another groundbreaking initiative is the National Pest Surveillance System, which leverages AI and Machine Learning (ML) to detect pest infestations caused by climate change, allowing for timely interventions. Used by over 10,000 extension workers, the system enables farmers to upload pest images for analysis, covering 61 crops and over 400 pest species, with a database of one lakh uploaded images.
Additionally, AI-based analytics are being employed for crop health assessment using satellite imagery, weather data, and soil moisture levels, focusing on rice and wheat cultivation.
These AI-driven interventions mark a significant step towards modernizing Indian agriculture, reducing crop losses, and empowering farmers with real-time insights, he added.
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