Mumbai, February 23, 2026: India’s next agricultural revolution will be powered by Artificial Intelligence, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh said while addressing the AI4Agri 2026 Summit in Mumbai.
Speaking at the Global Conference on AI in Agriculture and Investor Summit 2026, the minister positioned AI as the backbone of future farm policy, research, and investment in India.
AI as a Scalable Solution for Agriculture
Dr. Singh said AI offers practical and scalable solutions to long-standing agricultural challenges such as:
- Erratic weather patterns
- Information gaps between farmers and markets
- Fragmented supply chains
- Crop disease and pest prediction
“What AI offers is not a new diagnosis. It offers, finally, a prescription that can scale,” he stated.
He highlighted that even a 10% productivity boost for nearly 600 million farmers across the Global South could become one of the largest poverty-reduction opportunities of this century.
₹10,372-Crore India AI Mission
Linking agriculture to India’s broader AI ambitions, Dr. Singh referred to the ₹10,372-crore India AI Mission, which focuses on:
- Sovereign compute capacity
- National AI datasets
- Startup ecosystem support
- AI research infrastructure
He emphasized that agriculture is now being treated as a strategic growth sector, not a legacy industry.
BharatGen and Agri Param: AI in 22 Indian Languages
The minister also highlighted BharatGen, India’s government-backed large language model ecosystem. Under this initiative, a domain-specific agriculture model called Agri Param has been developed.
The model operates in 22 Indian languages, allowing farmers to receive advisory services in their native language.
“This is AI that speaks to a farmer in Marathi, Bhojpuri or Kannada,” he said, stressing linguistic inclusion in technology adoption.
AI Open Stack and Research Collaboration
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is building an interoperable India AI Open Stack so that agricultural AI solutions developed across states can integrate into a national framework.
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation is funding AI research collaborations involving:
- IITs
- IISc
- ICAR
- Agricultural universities
The focus is on building India-specific AI models trained on:
- Indigenous crop varieties
- Local soil types
- Climate zones
Drones, Satellite Mapping and Climate Intelligence
Dr. Singh pointed to growing use of drone and satellite mapping technologies that are strengthening:
- Soil Health Cards
- The Swamitva Mission
- Land and soil data verification systems
He also underlined integration between AI and Earth Sciences for climate intelligence and early warning systems.
This would help farmers “plan, not panic” during extreme weather events.
₹70,000 Crore Annual Opportunity
India has around 140 million farm holdings, mostly small and marginal farmers.
The minister estimated that if AI advisories help each farmer save even ₹5,000 annually through better:
- Input timing
- Pest management
- Market linkage
It could generate nearly ₹70,000 crore in annual value.
He cited Maharashtra’s ₹500-crore MahaAgri-AI Policy (2025–29) as an example of state-level innovation aligned with national goals.
Bharat-VISTAAR and AgriStack Integration
The Union Budget 2026–27 has proposed Bharat-VISTAAR, a multilingual AI tool integrating:
- AgriStack portals
- ICAR’s agricultural practices database
- AI advisory systems
The goal is to reduce farm risk and deliver customized recommendations even in low-connectivity rural regions.
Call for National Agri-AI Research Network
Dr. Singh proposed creating a National Agri-AI Research Network involving:
- DST
- State governments
- ICAR
- ICRISAT
- Global institutions
He encouraged the development of a national Agri Data Commons to create foundational datasets on crops, soil, and climate.
Appeal to Investors
Calling agri-AI “the largest untapped productivity market in the world,” the minister urged investors to back scalable AI platforms rather than isolated pilot projects.
“The farmer does not need AI simply for the sake of it. He needs it to be useful. Let that be our compass,” he concluded.
Why This Matters
India’s push toward AI-driven agriculture signals:
- Digital transformation of rural India
- Climate-resilient farming systems
- Technology-enabled poverty reduction
- Integration of AI into public infrastructure
With government backing, research partnerships, and investor interest, AI could reshape India’s agricultural economy over the coming decade.
