Declaring AI the engine of India’s next farming renaissance, Dr. Jitendra Singh captivated the AI4 Agri 2026 audience in Mumbai. At the Global Conference and Investor Summit’s launch, the minister outlined AI’s centrality to agri governance, discovery, and venture ecosystems.
AI targets systemic blockers: fickle weather, knowledge divides, and market fragmentation, promising mass-deployable solutions. ‘It’s the therapy for entrenched productivity woes,’ Dr. Singh remarked, highlighting a 10% uplift for 600 million southern hemisphere farmers as a game-changing anti-poverty lever.
He recast farming as strategic turf, anchoring progress in the Rs 10,372 crore India AI Mission’s pillars: sovereign compute, datasets, and startup scaffolding. BharatJan’s ‘Agri Parm’ shines, offering 22-language interfaces. ‘Picture AI chatting in Odia or Telugu with your local farmer,’ he illustrated, prioritizing vernacular access.
DST champions the interoperable India AI Open Stack for unified national rollout. Joint ventures with IITs, IISc, ICAR, and NRF fuel AI-agri R&D. Advanced mapping via drones/satellites validates soil and parcels, while AI-climate tools provide preemptive insights for proactive farming.
Biotech integration eyes early, invisible threat detection and durable crops, spurring regenerative systems. Economically, AI could yield Rs 70,000 crore from 140 million farms, each netting Rs 5,000 savings through precision guidance. Maharashtra’s Rs 500 crore blueprint inspires, with Centre poised to orchestrate statewide momentum.
This blueprint positions India as an agritech superpower, merging intelligence with earth’s bounty for sustainable abundance.