Govt using tech in big way in farm sector, 8.48 cr farmers given digital IDs so far: Chouhan

New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday asserted that the government is using technology in a big way in the farm sector and said 8.48 crore farmers have been provided with digital IDs in 19 states and work is in progress in other states.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, the minister criticised the UPA government for not taking help of digital infrastructure.

"We are using technology in a big way in the farm sector. The previous government worked on paper, we are using technology," Chouhan said, listing out the tech-initiatives rolled out in the farm sector.

Under the AgriStack, a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the minister said the government is creating Kisan Pehchan Patra (farmers ID) for each farmer recording details of land records and family members.

So far, 8.48 crore farmer IDs have been generated in 19 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

The registration of farmers in Goa, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir will start soon, he said.

Farmers' IDs in Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman Nicobar, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Ladakh and Jharkhand could not be generated in the absence of digital record of land details, the minister said, adding that the Centre is providing support to these states to digitalise land records.

In a written reply, Chouhan said the the AgriStack consists of three foundational registries or databases associated with the agriculture sector, i.e., the farmers registry, geo-referenced village maps, and crop sown registry, all created and maintained by state governments/ Union Territories.

"It establishes a single source of truth for farmer identity, land, and their crops," he added.

Farmer ID enables seamless integration of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna (PM Kisan), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY), Minimum Support Price (MSP)-based procurement, access to credit delivery, input distribution, and disaster relief.

Chouhan said the digital crop survey has enabled plot-level visibility of crops and better estimation of sowing patterns across seasons, which in turn supports evidence-based planning for procurement, input supply and logistics.

In Kharif 2025, the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) has been conducted in 604 Districts covering more than 28.5 crore plots across the country.

Chouhan said Maharashtra has successfully leveraged AgriStack for scheme delivery, disaster relief, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based advisory, and providing credit access, including the transfer of over Rs 14,000 crore to 89 lakh farmers for Kharif 2025 crop losses. PTI LUX MJH TRB