NEW DELHI, 17 December 2025: The Union government is accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and drone-based technologies in agriculture to enhance productivity, sustainability and farmer livelihoods, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing a range of technology-driven initiatives across States and Union Territories to address structural challenges such as climate variability, pest attacks and low input efficiency.
Artificial intelligence tools are being increasingly deployed to support farmers with information access, decision-making and risk management. Among the flagship initiatives is Kisan e-Mitra, a voice-based, AI-powered chatbot developed to assist farmers with queries related to key government schemes, including the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM Fasal Bima Yojana and the Kisan Credit Card.
The platform currently supports 11 regional languages and handles over 8,000 farmer queries daily. More than 93 lakh queries have been addressed since its launch, indicating growing reliance on digital advisory systems in rural areas.
Another major intervention is the National Pest Surveillance System, which leverages AI and machine learning to detect pest infestations and mitigate crop losses exacerbated by climate change. The system enables farmers and extension workers to upload images of pests, allowing for early diagnosis and timely intervention. At present, the platform supports 66 crops and over 432 pest species and is being used by more than 10,000 extension workers across the country.
The government has also piloted AI-driven weather intelligence to support farm-level decision-making. In collaboration with the India Meteorological Department and Development Innovation Lab–India, an AI-based pilot project was conducted to generate agriculturally relevant local monsoon onset forecasts for the Kharif 2025 season. The initiative covered parts of 13 States, with forecasts disseminated via SMS through the M-Kisan portal to over 3.88 crore farmers in five regional languages. Feedback surveys conducted in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar through Kisan Call Centres revealed that 31–52% of farmers adjusted their planting decisions based on the forecasts, including changes in land preparation, sowing schedules, crop choice and input use.
Drone technology forms a key pillar of the government’s mechanisation strategy. Under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), individual small and marginal farmers, including women farmers, are eligible for a 50% subsidy—up to ₹5 lakh—for purchasing agricultural drones.
Financial assistance is also extended for establishing Custom Hiring Centres, which rent out drones and other advanced farm machinery to farmers who cannot afford individual ownership. Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, as of November 30, 2025, a total of 2,122 drones have been approved for distribution to farmers and Custom Hiring Centres under the scheme.
In a targeted effort to promote women-led agribusinesses, the Centre has approved the Namo Drone Didi scheme, a Central Sector initiative aimed at providing drones to women Self Help Groups (SHGs) to create sustainable livelihood opportunities.
During 2023-24, lead fertiliser companies distributed 1,094 drones to SHGs using their internal resources, of which 500 were provided under the Namo Drone Didi scheme. A study conducted by the Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre, Bengaluru, found that access to drone technology enabled SHGs—previously engaged largely in conventional agriculture and allied activities—to diversify into modern farm services, improving efficiency, productivity and income prospects.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is also playing a central role in promoting drone adoption through field-level demonstrations and capacity building. Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, ICAR institutions, in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras, conducted drone demonstrations across 41,010 hectares, benefiting more than 4.52 lakh farmers.
The details were shared by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, underscoring the government’s focus on integrating advanced technologies into India’s agricultural ecosystem.
Image credit: jiva.ag
