Lok Sabha Question No. 350 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-02
Subject: Digital Literacy among Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Ms. S Jothimani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 350

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2 ND  DECEMBER, 2025

## DIGITAL LITERACY AMONG FARMERS

## 350. MS. S JOTHIMANI:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  recognises  that  large  segment  of  Indian  farmers, particularly small and marginal cultivators, continue to face serious digital divide with limited access to smartphones, internet connectivity, digital literacy, if so, the measures taken to support such farmers;
- (b) the  steps  being  taken  to  ensure  that  these  technologies  like  AI-based interventions in agriculture, including initiatives such as Kisan e-Mitra and other AIdriven advisory tools, are inclusive, farmer-friendly, accessible in regional languages, usable by those with limited or no digital skills;
- (c) whether the Government is developing models to integrate AI applications with traditional knowledge systems and local agricultural extension services to ensure lastmile adoption and trust-building among farming communities; and
- (d) the details of training, awareness, or human-assisted extension programmes being implemented to help farmers understand and benefit from AI-driven advisories, including any region-wise or crop-specific pilot projects launched so far?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी ( SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a):  Smartphones  are  becoming  available  and  accessible  to  everyone,  and  major telecom companies of India have reached almost every corner of the country with their services. However, additional steps have been taken to ensure that farmers who do not have mobile phones can also avail themselves of the benefits of digital services. Such farmers can avail services and benefits by utilising existing support facilities like Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs), Krishi Sakhis, Common Service Centres (CSCs) and state  government  institutions.  The  Government  is  also  making  digital  applications available in local languages through the integration of Bhashini Platforms.

(b)  to  (d):  The  government  has  employed  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI)  methods  to improve  crop  productivity,  sustainability  and  farmer  livelihoods  and  to  address various challenges in the agricultural sector. Some initiatives are given below:

- I.  'Kisan  e-Mitra'  is  a  voice-based  AI-powered  chatbot,  developed  to  assist farmers with responses to their queries on PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, PM  Fasal  Bhima  Yojna  and  Kisan  Credit  Card.  This  solution  supports  11 regional languages and is evolving to assist with other government programs. At present, it handles over 8000 farmer queries daily and so far, more than 93 lakh queries have been answered.
- II.  The National Pest Surveillance System, for tackling the loss of produce due to climate change, utilizes AI and Machine Learning to detect pest infestation in crop issues, enabling timely intervention for healthier crops. This tool, currently used by over 10,000 extension workers, allows farmers to capture images of pests to help them mitigate pest attacks and reduce crop losses. At present, it supports 66  crops and  over  432  pests.  AI-based analytics using field photographs for satellite-based crop mapping is being used in Crop-weather matching monitoring of crops sown.

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