Role of Agritech in India Agriculture Sector

Context

The Government of India has been adapting to recent innovations and changes in the agricultural sector to keep up with the pace at which the sector is developing globally. 

About 

• It is a time period used for agricultural generation, which entails the usage of generation to improve farming and agriculture across exclusive value chains.
•  It includes state-of-the-art technology that drives the so-called ‘fourth agricultural revolution,’ corresponding to the economic 4.0 revolution, shaping the future of the world.

Status In India 

• In India, AgriTech has persisted to develop with startups the use of innovation and digital technologies like precision farming, first-class control, production, supply- chain/market linkage, and virtual traceability to name some. 
• The Agritech industry has experienced a first-rate tenfold increase within the beyond three years, propelled with the aid of 4 pivotal factors:
  • the expanding virtual reach during India, supply chain disruptions due to COVID, 
  • rising purchaser demand for exquisite produce, and 
  • developing interest from personal fairness and project capital.
• Currently, there are almost 2800 [Startup India Database as on 31st December 2023] AgriTech startups recognized by Startup India. 
• The Economic Survey of India 2022-23 highlighted that India’s agriculture area has grown 4.6 percent over the last six years with over 1000 agri-tech start ups having emerged in the sector.

Need and Importance

• With over 70% of India’s rural populace still depending on agriculture for his or her livelihood, the need for innovation inside the area has always remained excessive.
• Satellite information has given Indian farmer ultimate sowing times, climate warnings, and better use of irrigation and pesticide
• The fantastic impact of AgriTech is not handiest obtrusive in increased productivity and profits for farmers, but also inside the ability to reshape the whole agricultural panorama of India for the better.

Steps 

• Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her 2023 budget speech, announced a 703 million rupee ($8.42 million) accelerator fund to boost agritech startups.
  • In March 2023, the government said the fund was helping 1,138 such groups.
  • The Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) initiative was released in September 2021 to help agri-tech start-ups by leveraging advances in cloud computing, earth observation, far off sensing, statistics, and AI/ML models. 
• National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) scheme offers free software program in addition to economic support of INR75 lakh each to the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandi for related hardware, along with quality-assuring tools and the establishment of infrastructure for cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, composting, etc.
• The government has also incentivised drones and synthetic intelligence for advanced farming activities. 
• The Indian government, which just relaxed foreign investment rules for the gap quarter, is leaning closely into the usage of satellite information to clear up problems on the ground, with agriculture a key cognizance.

Challenges 

• The loss of an incorporated database on crop loss, crop pix, meals shortages, insufficient formal channels to blend advisory hints for farmers and incomplete statistics and inconsistency have been highlighted as important bottlenecks in the implementation.
• The average landholding length for farmers in India is only 1.08 hectares.
• That fragmentation, coupled with poverty and coffee levels of literacy, pose challenges for tech adoption, industry professionals said.
• Agriculture has in no way been a tech-forward sector and frequently farmers need to rely upon traditional practices, or the knowledge of their forefathers

Conclusion 

• AgriTech startups are ushering in a brand new era for Indian agriculture by integrating agriculture practices with artificial intelligence and machine mastering.
• Through the combination of current technology and innovation, those startups are addressing age-antique demanding situations, empowering farmers, and fostering trade. 
• India’s path to management in the new area race lies in utilizing the power of facts, and applications within the agricultural sector offer gigantic potential.
• The digitalisation of agriculture and the release of an Agriculture Accelerator Fund will herald new possibilities for corporations and individuals inside the united states of america and for the global network at large. 
• India offers big scope for investment in the agri-tech sector, for AgriTech start-ups, digital infrastructure aids, and progressive technology.

Source: The Hindu

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. What are the key factors driving the growth of agri tech in India, and what are the major challenges faced by the sector in achieving its potential?

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