Lok Sabha Question No. 223 (STARRED), answered on 2023-12-19
Subject: New Technology and Innovation in Farming Sector
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Amol Ramsing Kolhe, DNV Senthilkumar. S.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 223 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 th  DECEMBER 2023

## NEW TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN FARMING SECTOR

## 223. DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE: DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR S.:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- a)  whether the Government has taken measures to encourage the use of new technology and  innovation  in  the  farming  sector  in  the  country  especially  in  the  States  of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Andaman & Nicobar Islands and if so, the details thereof;
- b)  whether  the  Government  has  developed  any  mechanism  to  disseminate  information about such innovations/technologies to the farmers during the last five years;
- c)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  number  of  farmers  who  availed  benefits  from such innovations/technologies during the said period in the above States;
- d)  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  incentivize  'Make  in  India'  innovation  in farming technology;
- e)  the details of grants given by the Government for farming related technology and the disbursement thereof;
- f) the salient features of Kisan Portal and its advantages along with the number of farmers benefited from this Portal since its inception; and
- g)  the  other  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  spread  awareness  and  ensure  last-mile delivery of technology/innovations to the farmers?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h (SHRI ARJUN MUNDA)

(a) to (g)

: A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) to (g) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 223 TO BE ANSWERED  ON  19 th   DECEMBER  2023  REGARDING  'NEW TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN FARMING SECTOR'

(a), (b) and (c): Yes, Sir. The Government has taken measures to develop and encourage use of new technologies and innovations. ICAR during 2014-15 to 2022-23 has developed new  varieties  including  140  bio-fortified,  1971  biotic  and  abiotic  stress  tolerant  new varieties,  369 varieties  of  pulses and  358  varieties  of  oilseeds;  28  eco-friendly  pest management  modules;  272  farm  machineries;  53  multi-enterprise  integrated  farming system modules; 61 vaccines and diagnostic kits against animal and poultry diseases; 44 aquaculture, marine fisheries and prawn production technologies and practices; contingency  practices;  soil-crop-water  management  strategies;  bio-fertilizers  and  bioformulations; integrated organic farming practices; and improved cattle and sheep breeds.

The Government is implementing Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) scheme in different States of the Country through 731 KVKs including States of Maharashtra (50 KVKs), Tamil Nadu  (32  KVKs),  Odisha  (33  KVKs)  and  Andaman  &  Nicobar  Islands  (3  KVKs)  to encourage use of and disseminate information about new technology and innovation in the farming sector to the farmers. The activities of KVKs include on-farm testing to identify the location specificity of technology under various farming systems; frontline demonstration to establish  the  production  potential  of  improved  agricultural  technologies  on  the  farmers' fields;  capacity  development  of  farmers  for  knowledge  and  skill  up  gradation;  and production of quality seeds, planting materials and other technology inputs for availability to  the  farmers.  In  order  to  develop  awareness  about  agricultural  innovations  and technologies among the farmers, a large number of extension activities are taken up  by the  KVKs.  Besides,  Government  is  also  implementing  a  centrally  sponsored  scheme namely 'Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms' popularly known as 'ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency) Scheme' in 739 districts of 28 states & 5 UTs in the country including 33 districts of Maharashtra, 37 districts of Tamil Nadu, 30 districts of Odisha and 3 districts of  Andaman and Nicobar Islands  to support efforts of State Governments in making available latest agricultural technologies through various activities including exhibition/farmers' fairs.

About 19 crore farmers benefited through these schemes from 2018-19 to 2022-23.

(d)  and  (e): Under  Sub  Mission  on  Agricultural  Mechanization  (SMAM)  scheme  being implemented  from  2014-15,  Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  (DA&FW) provides financial assistance for purchase of agricultural machines and equipment to the farmers  on  individual  ownership  basis  and  for  establishment  of  Custom  Hiring  Centre (CHC)/High Tech Hub/Farm Machinery Bank (FMB) which includes subsidy ranging from 40%  to  80%  for  individual  farmers  to  Cooperative  Societies,  FPOs,  Self  Help  Groups (SHGs)  and  Panchayats.  An  amount  of  Rs.  4724.53  crore  has  been  released  for  the purpose of agricultural machines and equipment during last five years.

Likewise,  subsidy  for  purchase  of  Kisan  Drones  is  also  being  provided.  The Government  has  recently  approved  Central  Sector  Scheme  for  providing  drones  to  the Women Self Help Groups (SHG) (NAMO Drone Didi Scheme) with an outlay of Rs. 1261 Crores. The scheme aims to provide drones to 15000 selected Women SHGs for providing rental services to farmers for agriculture purpose (application of fertilizers and pesticides). Funds  amounting  to  Rs.  141.39  crores  have  been  released  towards  Kisan  Drone promotion.

Such incentives create demand for farm machineries and drones in the market and in turn promote Make in India innovations in farming sectors.

(f): The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has taken various initiatives to build Digital  Public  Infrastructure  (DPI)  for  agriculture  as  an  open  source,  open  standard  and interoperable  public  good.  These  initiatives  intend  to  provide  access  to  technology  and information  to  the  farmers  across  the  country  to  address  the  farmer-centric  solutions, through various digital initiatives, such as:

- i. Under  the  Agristack  initiative,  the  Government  has  initiated  the  development  of three core registries, viz. Farmers Registry (Registry of Farmers), Geo-Referenced Village maps (of the Farmland plots) and Crop Sown  Registry through the Digital Crop  Survey.  The  Digital  Crop  Survey  establishes  a  clear  picture  of  crop  being sown  across  all  the  farmlands  in  the  country  during  the  different  agriculture seasons.  These  initiatives  have  been  launched  on  pilot  basis  in  some  States including the state of Rajasthan.
- ii. National Project on Soil Health and Fertility:-Issuance of soil health cards to farmers of  the  country,  so  as  to  provide  a  basis  to  address  nutrient  deficiencies  in fertilization  practices.  The  Soil  Health  Card  Portal  helps  farmers  to  track  soil samples.
- iii. Unified  Portal  for  Agricultural  Statistics  (UPAg) is  an  advanced  agricultural  data management platform designed to generate crop estimates and integrate with other systems generating Agriculture Statistics such as Price, Trade, Procurement, Stock etc. It serves as a centralized hub for near real time information on crop production, market trends, pricing, and other vital agricultural data. By unifying diverse sources of agricultural statistics, the portal enables a comprehensive and cohesive view of the agricultural landscape, facilitating better decision-making and policy formulation.
- iv. Krishi Mapper application has been developed to establish a comprehensive landintervention  database  under  various  agricultural  schemes  and  programs.  This centralized  repository  not  only  enhances  efficiency  in  data  management  but  also plays  a  crucial  role  in  preventing  leakages  in  government  schemes  related  to fertilizers,  seeds,  PM-KISAN,  and  more.  By  facilitating  the  identification  of  farms, Krishi Mapper ensures targeted and efficient utilization of resources.
- v. Several  new  technological  initiatives  have  been  taken  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana such as Yield Estimation System, based on Technology (YESTech),  Weather  Information  Network  Data  Systems  (WINDS)  and  door  to  door enrollment  app  AIDE/Sahayak.  YES-TECH,  a  technology-driven  yield  estimation system, offers methodologies, best practices, and integration insights for accurate yield  assessments  at  the  Gram  Panchayat  level.  WINDS  Portal  is  a  centralized

platform that hosts, manages, and processes hyper-local weather data collected by Automatic Weather Stations and Rain Gauges at Taluk/Block and Gram Panchayat levels. The portal enhances risk assessment and decision-making in crop insurance, agriculture advisories, and disaster mitigation, supporting the agricultural sector and rural economy.

- vi. The  functioning  of  the  Commercial  Horticulture  Schemes  of  National  Horticulture Board (NHB) has been completely digitized through a customized web-based online portal.    Through  this  portal  the  farmers/entrepreneurs  can  file  and  track  status  of their applications online.  Handling of applications is also done online by NHB which allows applicants to respond to the queries and submit required documents online, apart from getting updates through SMS and emails.  The physical pre-inspection of the project land is done away and replaced with mobile based App to capture the geo-coordinates.  These measures have improved the transparency and efficiency in the sanctioning process.
- vii. Drought  portal  hosts  data  of  multiple  drought  indicators  related  to  rainfall,  soil moisture,  remote  sensing-based  crop  condition,  water  storages  etc.  This  portal provides drought indicators from a single window digital platform and enables easy, timely and objective assessment of drought situation over any district or region.
- viii. Kisan-eMitra  (PM  Kisan  Samman  Nidhi  chatbot)  is  an  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI)assisted  Grievance  Management  System.  The  chatbot  has  been  integrated  with Bhashini and currently supports 5+ indic languages. By bridging the technological gap, this solution ensures that even those with limited access to advanced devices can seamlessly engage with the AI Chatbot and access crucial information related to payments, registration, and other facets of the PMKISAN program.
- ix. To create awareness on use of Kisan Drones, the government under Sub-Mission on  Agricultural  Mechanization  (SMAM)  is  providing  financial  assistance  for  its purchase and demonstration on the farmers' fields. To promote technology in the rural development and agriculture sectors, government has approved 15 thousand drones to women through Self-Help Groups.
- x. In addition, under National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, funds are provided to states for the projects involving the use of modern  Information  Technologies,  such  as  Artificial Intelligence,  Machine Learning, Block chain Technology, the Internet of Things, Robotics, etc.

These  initiatives  aim  at  enhancing  interoperability  and  convergence  of  efforts, fostering  the  development  of  applications  in  the  agricultural  sector  using  emerging technologies.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research, in collaboration with Digital India Corporation,  Ministry  of  Electronics  and  Information  Technology  (MeitY),  Government  of India, created an intelligent online multilingual platform named Kisan Sarathi (System of Agri-information  Resources  Auto-transmission  and  Technology  Hub  Interface) to provide  latest  agricultural  technological  knowledge  in  local  language  to  farmers  in  a seamless, multimedia, multi-ways connectivity. It has been implemented in all the States and  UTs  of  the  country.  Services  of  Kisan  Sarathi  for  farmers  are  available  through  an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS), in 13 languages (11 major regional languages

along with English and Hindi), via toll free numbers 1800-123-2175 (short number 14426). Around 1.65 crores farmers have registered in the system and about 7.5 crore advisories in the form of SMS have also been sent to the registered farmers. Further, a Kisan-Sarathi Mobile  App  (KS-App/F)  has  been  made  available  to  the  farming  Community  to  support both ways multimedia exchange. This app is in all 13 languages is available with UMANG platform of MeitY, Government of India at Google play store. It supports various activities viz.: registration of farmers; advisory notification; ask and track query; call from App etc.

(g): Besides KVK and ATMA schemes, the Government is implementing schemes and Programmes  namely  Per  Drop  More  Crop,  Micro  Irrigation  Fund,  Promotion  of  Farmer Producer  Organization  (FPO),  National  Beekeeping  and  Honey  Mission  (NBHM),  Namo Drone Didi Scheme, Soil Health Card Scheme and Mission for integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) to spread awareness and ensure last-mile delivery of technology/innovations to the farmers.

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