Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) Maharashtra agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne on Friday said that the government is working extensively through various schemes to make agriculture in the state more capable, modern, and sustainable.

In his response to a discussion in the state Assembly, he stated that the government is striving to bring about a major transformation in Maharashtra’s agriculture sector through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital facilities, farmer welfare schemes, and investment in infrastructure.

Minister Bharne said that agriculture has become more risky due to climate uncertainty, pest-disease outbreaks, rising production costs, and market price fluctuations. To face these challenges, the state government has prepared the Maha-Agri ‘AI’ Policy for the period 2025 to 2029, making Maharashtra the first state in the country to implement such a policy.

The government aims to bring modern technology into farming using Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, drones, and robotics. This technology is expected to increase farmers’ production by approximately 40 per cent, reduce fertiliser use by 30 per cent, and save 40 per cent to 50 per cent of water, he added.

Minister Bharne further stated that special training will be provided to farmers to enable them to use modern technology, and training will also be given to officers and employees of the Agriculture Department. A state-level Artificial Intelligence and Agritech Innovation Centre has been established, and ‘AI’ research and incubation centres have been approved in all four agricultural universities of the state.

The ‘AI for Agri’ international conference was recently held in Mumbai, where experts from India and abroad discussed new technologies in agriculture. Through the ‘Mahavistar’ mobile app developed by the Agriculture Department, advice regarding crop cultivation, disease control, proper use of water and fertilisers, and market prices is being provided; currently, about 30 lakh farmers are using this app.

Additionally, for farmers without smartphones, the ‘Vasudha’ AI-based phone service has been started, where farmers can get guidance in Marathi by calling the number 155313, the Minister informed. To increase capital investment in agriculture, the Krishi Samruddhi Yojana is being implemented, with a provision of Rs 2,000 crore for the year 2026-27. Under this scheme, farm ponds, plastic lining, and the use of agricultural drones are being encouraged.

Bharne mentioned that the implementation of various schemes of the Agriculture Department is being done through the MahaDBT system, and more than Rs 7,500 crore in subsidies has been distributed to farmers since 2020.

This year, over 50 lakh applications have been selected through the MahaDBT portal, and beneficiaries are being chosen on a “first-come, first-served” basis.

The Minister stated that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Crop Insurance) is being implemented effectively in the state, with more than Rs 37,500 crore in compensation paid to farmers over the last nine years. He also informed that the state government has distributed approximately Rs 15,661 crore in aid to over 1 crore farmers for losses caused by heavy rains.

To provide relief to farmers, the ‘Mukhyamantri Baliraja Free Electricity Scheme’ is being implemented, providing free electricity to agricultural pumps up to 7.5 HP. For this, subsidies worth Rs 32,765 crore have been distributed until February 2026. Furthermore, under the ‘Magel Tyala Saur Krishi Pump’ (Solar Pump on Demand) scheme, over 6.63 lakh solar pumps have been provided so far, placing Maharashtra first in the country in its implementation, he said.

Minister Bharne said that financial support is being provided to farmers through various schemes such as the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme, Gopinath Munde Farmer Ex-gratia Scheme, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, and Namo Shetkari Maha Sanman Nidhi.

“Under the PM Kisan and Namo Shetkari schemes, an amount of Rs 52,316 crore has been deposited directly into farmers’ accounts so far. Under the central government’s AgriStack project, the work of providing ‘Farmer IDs’ to farmers in the state is progressing rapidly, with more than 1.31 crore farmers receiving IDs so far. This has made it easier for farmers to avail themselves of various schemes,” he added.

–IANS

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