Maharashtra 1St State To Host AI Conference For Agriculture: CM Fadnavis

(MENAFN- IANS) Mumbai, Feb 23 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that Maharashtra is the first state in India to organise a dedicated Artificial Intelligence conference for the comprehensive benefit of farmers.

"Farmers must confidently use digital services. Through various digital apps introduced for farmers, they can now communicate in their own language and receive immediate answers to agriculture-related queries. The state government is working to improve farmers' livelihoods by bringing together universities, research institutions, and industries through the Maha-AI Innovation Centre to create a digitally empowered ecosystem," the Chief Minister said on Sunday at the inauguration of the "Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture and Investors' Summit (AI for Agri 2026)" held under the "Maharashtra Agricultural Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025–2029".

Chief Minister Fadnavis said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has given significant importance to digital infrastructure and AI for national development.

The India AI Mission aims to ensure inclusivity, transparency, and large-scale impact through technology, he added.

"Agriculture is connected to every household and every individual. Maharashtra has resolved to lead the AI revolution in agriculture and is the first state to announce a comprehensive AI-based agriculture policy. The government has developed "Maha-Vistar AI" as a digital companion for farmers. Through this platform, farmers can access crop advisory, weather updates, pest management information, market price trends, and government schemes. So far, three million (30 lakh) farmers have accessed the app, and registrations are increasing," the Chief Minister said.

He emphasised that Maharashtra will not merely be an AI user but will become a leader in responsible and impactful AI usage.

"Since not every farmer owns a smartphone or prefers only Marathi, the state government has introduced multilingual and voice-based digital services."

The aim is to expand these services to every taluka and village in the state, CM Fadnavis said.

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne emphasised that even in this era of technology, the farmer must remain at the centre of agricultural innovation.

"Integrating AI, drones, and Internet of Things (IoT) with farmers' traditional knowledge can make Maharashtra's agriculture a global model."

"Maharashtra has allocated nearly Rs 500 crore for implementing the AI-based Agriculture Policy (2025–2029). More than three million farmers have downloaded the MahaVistar app. The state aims to use AI to ensure food security, tackle climate change, empower women, and promote sustainable farming. Artificial Intelligence and Agritech Innovation Centres will be established to deliver AI-based services across districts," he added.

The state government on Sunday launched AI Applications, including Maha Agri-X (Maha-Agri Data Exchange), LLM for Bhili Tribal Language, MahaVISTAAR Voice Telephony App and AI-Based Pest and Disease Detection System: Identifies crop diseases and pests using image-based recognition technology.

Meanwhile, a tripartite MoU was signed between One Step Foundation and the World Bank to document the architectural design, governance frameworks, implementation lessons, and open standards of Maharashtra's AI-enabled digital public infrastructure "MahaVISTAAR".

Another MoU was signed with Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in The Netherlands, under Maharashtra's Agri AI Policy 2025–2029 to promote responsible and effective AI usage in agriculture.

This collaboration will strengthen cooperation between Maharashtra's agricultural universities and international institutions.

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