Co-chaired by former IT & Telecom Secretary and former NASSCOM President Rentala Chandrashekhar, along with Padma Shri awardee and ICRIER Distinguished Professor Dr. Ashok Gulati, the roundtable featured leaders including Shri V. Balasubramanian (NABARD), J. Satyanarayana (WEF C4IR India), Prakash Kumar (Wadhwani Center), agritech pioneer Shailendra Tiwari (Fasal), industry representative Sanjay Sacheti (Olam India) and Prosus’ Sehraj Singh.
Speaking at the discussion, Sehraj Singh, Vice-President, Global Policy & Corporate Affairs, Prosus, highlighted the twin impact of AI on productivity and employment. “AI is not only enhancing on-ground productivity but also shaping an entirely new era of rural employment,” he said. With India’s agricultural workforce shifting toward higher-value roles, AI is set to accelerate opportunities for drone pilots, soil technicians, agri-data specialists and climate advisory professionals, he added.
Dr. Ashok Gulati stressed that India’s next agricultural leap must be rooted in precision. “AI can be transformative in helping farmers use water, fertilisers and market data more efficiently, enabling them to produce more from less,” he said. With supportive policy and strong digital infrastructure, AI could play a pivotal role in raising farmer incomes and fostering sustainable farming practices.
NABARD’s Chief General Manager, Shri V. Balasubramanian, underscored the importance of pairing technology with strong market linkages and decentralised rural entrepreneurship. India’s emerging last-mile tech workforce, he said, demonstrates how quickly adoption rises when digital tools align with local trust and capability.
Deliberations at the roundtable reflected broad agreement that Indian agriculture, burdened by climate volatility, soil degradation and rising costs, must transition from input-intensive models to data-driven ones. AI, participants noted, is no longer aspirational but essential for resilience and competitiveness.
Real-world impact evidence was also highlighted. Agritech firm Fasal shared that its AI-driven systems deployed across 150,000 acres have saved more than 83 billion litres of water, eliminated 150,000 kilograms of pesticides and reduced 56,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions — showing how data-led advisories can reshape farm decision-making.
India’s rural entrepreneurship boom also featured prominently. The solar dehydration network built by S4S Technologies, supporting over 3,000 micro-entrepreneurs — 95% of them women — earning between ₹5,000 and ₹12,000 per month, illustrates how technology, financing and market access can scale rural livelihoods. Rising labour costs and rapid mechanisation are creating new job roles across the agricultural value chain, delegates noted. Subscription-based AI advisory platforms, with retention rates of up to 85%, reflect the growing trust in such technologies.
Participants also emphasised the significance of agricultural digital public infrastructure such as AgriStack and digitised land records to enable scalable and transparent delivery of AI-enabled services.
Insights from the Amrit Krishi roundtable will feed into the India AI Impact Summit 2026, helping shape priorities around precision agriculture, market access, soil and climate research and the strengthening of India’s rural digital workforce.
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