Drones, AI, Digital Solutions & Soil Health Cards to Drive Farm Growth
NEW DELHI, 9 April 2025: In a bid to modernize Indian agriculture and boost farm productivity, the Centre has stepped up efforts to promote the adoption of advanced technologies across the farming sector.
The government is implementing a series of schemes focused on agricultural mechanization, drone deployment, precision farming, digital platforms, and soil health management to help farmers increase yield and income.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur, shared details of these initiatives in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Machinery Support for Farmers
Under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), financial assistance is being provided to farmers for purchasing modern machines and equipment, including post-harvest processing technologies.
Support is also being extended for setting up Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) and Village Level Farm Machinery Banks (FMBs), which provide machines to farmers on a rental basis.
Additionally, SMAM supports the purchase of Kisan Drones for spraying fertilizers, pesticides, and monitoring crops.
Namo Drone Didi Empowering Women
The Centre has launched the NAMO Drone Didi scheme to promote the use of drones in farming while creating livelihood opportunities for rural women.
The scheme aims to provide 15,000 drones to women-led Self Help Groups (SHGs) across the country between 2023-24 and 2025-26.
So far, 1,094 drones have been distributed, including 500 under the Namo Drone Didi scheme. The remaining 14,500 drones are targeted for distribution by March 2026.
Digital Agriculture Mission Launched
In September 2024, the government launched the Digital Agriculture Mission with an outlay of ₹2,817 crore.
The mission seeks to develop a strong digital infrastructure for Indian agriculture, including:
- Creation of a unified farmer database (Agristack)
- Development of the Krishi Decision Support System
- Comprehensive Soil Fertility Mapping
- Expansion of Kisan e-Mitra, an AI-powered chatbot to assist farmers with scheme-related queries
ICAR Drives Innovation
Research institutes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) are developing new technologies to promote precision farming in India.
These include smart sprayers, robotic harvesters, AI-based crop stress detection tools, automated transplanters, image-based disease identification devices, and advanced fertilizer applicators.
Soil Health Card Scheme Continues
Since 2014-15, the Soil Health Card Scheme has been helping farmers improve soil fertility through scientific nutrient management.
As of March 31, 2025, about 24.90 crore Soil Health Cards have been issued across the country.
To support this, the government has set up 10,068 Soil Testing Laboratories and trained over 70,000 Krishi Sakhis to guide farmers in using SHCs effectively.
More than 7 lakh field demonstrations and nearly 94,000 farmer training programmes have been organized so far.
Towards a Tech-Driven Farm Economy
The government’s initiatives are aimed at creating a technology-driven future for Indian agriculture by empowering farmers with modern tools, improving productivity, and promoting sustainable farming practices across the country.
