Agriculture AI can add ₹70,000 crore annually to farm incomes: Jitendra Singh

Artificial Intelligence could generate an additional ₹70,000 crore per year for India’s farming community, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, positioning agriculture AI as a major economic opportunity for rural India.

Speaking on the transformative potential of emerging technologies, the minister emphasised that AI-driven applications in agriculture can significantly enhance productivity, optimise resource utilisation and improve farmer incomes.

The integration of AI into farming ecosystems enables precision agriculture, including real-time crop monitoring, soil health analytics, predictive pest control, weather-based advisories and optimised irrigation scheduling. These tools reduce input wastage, lower cultivation costs and enhance yield predictability.

The minister underscored that AI is not merely a technological upgrade but a structural shift in how agricultural data is generated, analysed and deployed. With satellite imaging, drone-based surveillance and data-driven crop intelligence systems gaining traction, farmers can make informed decisions based on scientific insights rather than uncertainty.

India’s push for digital public infrastructure, increasing smartphone penetration in rural areas and improved broadband connectivity are expected to accelerate adoption of such technologies. The government’s emphasis on technology-enabled governance and data platforms is laying the groundwork for scalable AI solutions in agriculture.

Experts note that AI adoption in farming could strengthen supply chain efficiencies, reduce post-harvest losses and improve price discovery — areas that significantly impact farm profitability.

The minister’s projection of ₹70,000 crore in potential annual gains signals the scale of opportunity that AI holds for India’s agrarian economy. As climate variability intensifies and input costs rise, technology-backed farming models are increasingly being seen as essential to sustaining long-term rural growth.