Parliament Question: Implementation of Digital Agriculture Mission

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2433 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 13/03/2026 IMPLEMENTATION OF DIGITAL AGRICULTURE MISSION 2433 SHRI R. DHARMAR: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has launched the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM); (b) the objectives of the mission and the technological tools being promoted under it; (c) the total funds allocated for the mission and the sectors targeted for digital transformation; (d) the number of farmers likely to be benefitted under the said mission; and (e) the steps taken to enhance digital infrastructure and connectivity for farmers, especially in rural areas of Tamil Nadu? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY) (a) to (d): The Government has approved the Digital Agriculture Mission in September 2024 with an outlay of Rs. 2817 Crore. Digital Agriculture Mission envisages the creation of a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Agriculture, such as AgriStack, Krishi Decision Support System, a Comprehensive Soil Fertility & Profile Map and other IT initiatives undertaken by the Central Government/State Government to enable a robust digital agriculture ecosystem in the country as a single source of truth for information on farmers, crops, livestock and fisheries and farmer centric digital solutions. The main features of the above initiatives are as follows; I. The AgriStack DPI consists of three foundational registries or databases associated with the agriculture sector, i.e., Geo-Reference Village Maps, Crop Sown Registry, and the Farmers Registry, all created and maintained by the State Governments/ Union Territories.The State Farmers Registry under the Digital Agriculture Mission covers all the landholding farmers, including women farmers, livestock and fisheries and provides them a digital identity called Farmer ID. The Farmers Registry application also has the provision to onboard the tenant and lessee farmers. A State can decide to include such farmers in the Farmers' Registry as per the respective State policy on tenants and lessee farmers. Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Sector farmers are also being included within Farmers Registry. As of 09.03.2026, more than 9.12 Crore Farmer IDs have been generated. Further, the Digital Crop Survey has enabled plot-level visibility of crops and better estimation of areas sown across seasons, which in turn supports evidence-based planning for production estimation procurement, input supply and logistics management. In Kharif 2025, the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) has been conducted in 604 Districts covering more than 28.5 crores plots. The following is the use case application across the country and the impact observed through the above interventions- a. At the Central level, PM-KISAN and PMFBY beneficiaries have been validated using Farmer IDs, enabling quicker enrolment and faster settlements, while lakhs of farmers receive timely scheme information through verified digital workflows. b. At the State level, disbursement of crop loss relief to farmers for disaster management. c. States have also used AgriStack data for paddy procurement, ensuring leak- proof operations; d. Farmer ID have also been integrated into state scheme databases across many states.II. Krishi Decision Support System DPI is a geo-spatial platform that integrates satellite imagery, weather, soil, and crop data using Geographic Information System (GIS) to support agricultural planning and decision-making. This acts as an analytical platform (web-portal) for developing targeted advisories on crop planning, weather and soil. All 16 modules have been developed in Krishi DSS. III. A Nationwide Soil Resource Mapping project has been initiated by the Soil and Land Use Survey of India (SLUSI), which is creating the inventory of soils at a village-level on a 1:10,000 scale using high-resolution satellite and ground data to create standardized soil maps for rational land-use and crop planning; thus, promoting sustainable agriculture. Till December 2026, a soil survey of 39.10 million hectares has been carried out. IV. Digital General Crop Estimation System (DGCES) is a robust crop production estimation system that requires truthful and reliable data on area and yield. While the Digital Crop Survey provides crop sown area in near real-time, the new Digital General Crop Estimation System (DGCES) provides accurate and timely crop yield data for evidence-based estimates. Across the country, Digitized Crop Cutting Experiments have been conducted in 43,105 villages during the current financial year. (e): Although internet penetration has increased in rural areas, additional steps have been taken to ensure the digital inclusion of farmers who do not have mobile phones. They can use existing support structures like Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs), Krishi Sakhis, and Common Service Centres (CSCs) to get them registered on Agristack and access services and benefits. Further, the States are organizing the camps so that no farmer is left out of getting the benefits of Agristack. Further, plans include training local youth, agricultural extension workers, Krishi Sakhis to assist farmers to use the Digital tools, and other portals related to agriculture in vernacular languages at village levels, including the State of Tamil Nadu. As on 11.03.2026, a total of 34,73.658 Farmer IDs have been generated in the States of Tamil Nadu. ******