Lok Sabha Question No. 76 (STARRED), answered on 2023-07-25
Subject: Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Technology for Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Rahul Ramesh Shewale

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 76

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 25 TH  JULY, 2023

## ' HYPERSPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY FOR AGRICULTURE'

* 76 . SHRI CHANDRA SEKHAR SAHU: SHRI RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Hyperspectral Remote SensingTechnology plays a crucial role in monitoring andassessing the health of crops and soils in the country; (b) if so, the details and the salient features ofthe said technology; (c) whether the Union Government has enteredinto a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) withPixxel Space India Pvt. Limited recently to developvarious geospatial solutions, if so, the details thereofand likely benefits from the MoU; (d) whether it  is  a  fact  that  this  is  a  significantstep  towards  leveraging  advanced satellite imagingtechnology for the benefit of the Indian AgricultureEcosystem; and if so, the extent to which this system willreduce dependence on time-consuming and error-prone manual surveys and measurements byharnessing advanced satellite
- (e) imaging technology inthe country particularly in Odisha?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 76 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 25.07.2023 REGARDING HYPERSPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY FOR AGRICULTURE'. (a) & (b):     Yes, Sir. Hyperspectral remote sensing is an emerging and innovative satellite  technology.  Hyperspectral  satellites  collect  data  in  narrow  spectral  bands whereas the conventional satellites collect the data in broad bands. Narrow bands spectral data show higher sensitivity to changes in crop health compared to broadband data.  These  satellites  capture  spectral  finger  prints  of  crops  and  soils  producing valuable  information.  This  upcoming  technology  is  useful  to  improve  crop  health monitoring and crop risk assessments due to drought, pests and disease etc. The new information and knowledge on crops generated from hyperseptral data are useful to improve farmer advisory system. Hyperspectral  data  is  also  sensitive  to  organic  carbon  content  in  soils  and hence this technology has huge potential for mapping soil organic content. This new knowledge is useful for the farmers for improving soil health. (c):    Yes, Sir. Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), an attached Office of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DAFW) has signed an MoU with Pixxel Space India Pvt. Limited, an Indian Start-up Company, on 26 June 2023. The objective of the MoU is to develop use cases with the hyperspectral data of Pixxel  for  crop  identification  and  mapping,  crop  health  monitoring  and  soil  organic carbon estimation over selected regions on pilot basis. (d):     Yes, this is an emerging technology in satellite remote sensing and its potential in crop health monitoring is established by Scientists. Therefore, this collaborationhelps in our preparedness and capability for adoption of new technologies in Agriculture. (e):      Hyperspectral  remote  sensing  technology  is  useful  for  crop  mapping  and inventory, crop healthmonitoring, mapping  risk  affected crop lands and  yield estimation.Satellite based assessments are objective, transparent, timely and costeffective.Satellite  technology  can  reduce  the  dependence  on  manual  estimation process which is cumbersome and prone to human bias.In the States like Odisha where  paddy  crop  is  grown  predominantly,  satellite  technology  is  very  useful  in producing  more  accurate  results.  This  is  because  satellite  technology  for  paddy monitoring is well proven and widely adopted.

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