Lok Sabha Question No. 1327 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-11
Subject: Digital Agriculture Mission
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Anand Bhadauria, Shri Tatkare Sunil Dattatrey

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1327

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  FEBRUARY, 2025

## DIGITAL AGRICULTURE MISSION

## 1327.  SHRI TATKARE SUNIL DATTATREY: SHRI ANAND BHADAURIA:

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

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  launched  Digital  Agriculture  Mission  (DAM)  in  the country to support various digital agricultural initiatives and if so, the details thereof; (b)  the  details  of  funds  allocated  under  the  said  scheme,  State-wise  particularly  in Maharashtra; (c) whether there are many challenges associated with this Mission like Digital Divide and Infrastructure Gaps as many rural areas lack reliable internet connectivity and electricity hindering the adoption of digital technologies and if so, the steps taken by the Government in this regard; (d) whether it is true that as per NASSCOM data, small and marginal farmers lack the skills to effectively use digital tools because only 2% of Indian farmers use Apps in the field and if so, the details thereof; (e) whether it is a fact that for adopting digital technologies under DAM often requires significant upfront investments which can be challenging for small-scale farmers, if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard; (f) whether it is true that the country's diverse agro-climate zones and farming practices make it challenging to develop on-size-fits-all digital solutions; (g) if so, the measures taken/being taken by the Government for successful implementation of DAM; and (h) whether the Government is planning to provide App based online market facility to farmers  in  rural  areas  under  the  said  Mission  to  provide  better  price  for  agricultural produces, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a)  to  (h):  The  government  has  approved  the  Digital  Agriculture  Mission  on  2nd September 2024 with an outlay of Rs. 2817 Crore. An amount of Rs. 54.972 Cr has been allocated for the FY 2025-26. However, funds are released to the States including the state of Maharashtra based on their proposals. The Mission seeks to enable a robust digital agriculture ecosystem in the country for driving innovative farmer-centric digital solutions  and making  available  timely and reliable crop-related  information  to  all the farmers in the country. The  Mission envisages the creation of Digital Public Infrastructure  for  Agriculture  such  as  Agristack,  Krishi  Decision  Support  System, Comprehensive Soil Fertility & Profile Map and other IT initiatives undertaken by Central Government/State Governments. Agristack project is one of the major components of this  Mission,  which  consists  of  three  foundational  registries  or  databases  in  the agriculture  sector,  i.e.,  the  Farmers'  Registry,  Geo-referenced  village  maps  and  the Crop  Sown  Registry,  all  created  and  maintained  by  the  State  Governments/  Union Territories. The government is providing administrative and technical support to all the states for implementation of the mission. AgriStack provides comprehensive and useful data on farmers' demographic details, land holdings, and crops sown, enabling farmers to digitally identify and authenticate them for accessing benefits and services such as credit, insurance, procurement etc. It also enables state to design solutions that open access for farmers  to the digital  economy such as Purchase and Sell of  Inputs and Produce online in a trustful manner.

Further, Government is implementing National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), a virtual platform  integrating  physical  wholesale  mandis/  markets  of  different  States/  Union Territories (UTs)  to  facilitate online trading  of  agricultural  commodities  through transparent price  discovery  method to  enable farmers to realize better remunerative prices for their produce. As on 31stDecember, 2024, 1410 mandis of 23 States and 04 Union Territories (UTs) have been integrated with e-NAM platform.

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