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Source- This post on “Government Takes Major Step Towards Digitising Agriculture” has been created based on the article “Govt takes a big leap towards digitising agriculture” published in “The Indian express” on 24th July, 2024.
Why in news?
Recently, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the rollout of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for the agricultural sector.
About Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Agriculture
1. Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in agriculture will help farmers and their land in 400 districts during the Kharif season.
2. Aim: DPI aims to help farmers with new digital services by providing important information about crops, farm inputs, credit, insurance, crop estimation, market trends, and support for new agricultural technologies.
3. Main Parts of DPI
i) AgriStack: This includes three key registries: a farmers’ registry (like an ID for farmers), a crops sown registry (information about crops planted), and geo-referenced maps of villages.
ii) Krishi-DSS: A decision support system for agriculture.
iii) Soil Profile Maps: Maps that provide detailed soil information for better farming.
4. These components will make it easier for farmers to access government programs like crop insurance and loans, and receive personalized advice based on their crops, soil, and local weather conditions.
Other Initiatives announced in the Budget 2024-25
1. In the Union Budget, the government has allocated ₹1.52 lakh crore for agriculture, including new Kisan Credit Cards to be issued in five states, and ₹500 crore for the Namo Drone Didi scheme, which provides drones to women’s self-help groups.
2. A new policy will improve the cooperative sector to help grow the rural economy and create jobs.
3. The government will also support shrimp farming by providing financial support for breeding centres and facilitating financing through NABARD for shrimp farming and export.
4. To promote natural farming, 1 crore farmers will be introduced to this method over the next two years, with 10,000 centres set up to provide bio-inputs for farming. 109 new high-yielding and climate-resilient crop varieties will be introduced.
5. The government will review the agricultural research system to improve productivity and develop new crop varieties that can withstand climate changes, with funding provided for research involving both government and private experts.
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