Government Leverages AI to Address Agricultural Challenges
New Delhi, March 28, 2025 – The government has adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tackle various challenges in the agricultural sector and provide crucial support to farmers. Several AI-driven initiatives have been introduced to enhance efficiency and productivity.
One such initiative is ‘Kisan e-Mitra’, an AI-powered chatbot designed to assist farmers with queries related to the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. Supporting multiple languages, the chatbot is evolving to provide guidance on other government programs. Currently, it handles over 20,000 farmer queries daily and has responded to more than 92 lakh queries so far.
To combat crop losses due to climate change, the government has launched the National Pest Surveillance System, which leverages AI and Machine Learning to detect pest infestations. This tool, used by over 10,000 extension workers, allows farmers to upload images of pests for real-time identification and intervention. The system currently supports 61 crops and over 400 pests, with approximately 1 lakh images uploaded to date.
Additionally, AI-based analytics are being employed for crop health assessment. Using field photographs and datasets from satellites, weather reports, and soil moisture levels, the technology aids in monitoring the health of rice and wheat crops to improve yield and sustainability.
The details of these AI-driven initiatives were shared by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
