KOHIMA, 9 July 2026: Nagaland has launched its Unified Digital Agriculture Ecosystem (UDAE), an AI-powered platform designed to modernise farming, even as growers across several districts continue to suffer severe post-harvest losses due to inadequate market access, poor transportation, and the absence of cold storage infrastructure.
The platform was inaugurated by Agriculture Advisor Mhathung Yanthan recently at the Directorate of Agriculture in Kohima. It aims to transform agricultural decision-making through artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT)-based field monitoring, real-time weather and soil information, market intelligence, and a multilingual AI chatbot named "Kheti Manu", which will provide farming advisories in local dialects.
However, the digital initiative comes amid a growing agrarian crisis in Phek, Mokokchung, and Wokha districts, where farmers are reporting significant losses as harvested vegetables remain unsold because of weak market linkages and insufficient storage facilities.
In the Razeba range of Phek district, hundreds of tonnes of cabbage are reportedly lying unsold. Farmers in Mokokchung have recently faced similar challenges with cucumber and potato harvests, while growers in Wokha have also expressed concerns over poor market connectivity this season.
Farmers say the lack of cold storage facilities and collection centres in key vegetable-producing regions leaves them vulnerable whenever production exceeds local demand.
"We produced food for the state. Now we are being punished for producing too much," said a farmer from Zhavame village.
While many welcomed the government's digital agriculture initiative, they questioned whether AI-driven advisories could address their most pressing concern—finding buyers for already harvested produce.
"They say AI can tell us what to grow and when to sell. But who will buy our cabbage today? Can the chatbot arrange a truck or connect us to a market?" another farmer asked.
Village councils and farmer groups have urged the government to implement immediate measures, including:
- Emergency procurement of unsold cabbage.
- Transport subsidies for farmers.
- Establishment of cold storage facilities and collection centres.
- Strengthening of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) with assured market linkages.
State officials said the Unified Digital Agriculture Ecosystem is expected to improve crop planning, farm management, and market intelligence over the long term. However, for many farmers currently facing mounting losses, the immediate priority remains ensuring that harvested produce reaches markets before it perishes.
The launch has reignited the debate over whether digital technologies and artificial intelligence alone can transform agriculture without parallel investments in storage infrastructure, logistics, value chains, and reliable market access.
As Nagaland embraces digital agriculture, the experience of farmers across its vegetable-producing districts underscores a critical lesson: technology can enhance productivity and decision-making, but sustainable agricultural growth ultimately depends on robust physical infrastructure and efficient market systems.
