Maharashtra has become the first state to announce a comprehensive AI agriculture policy.
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, 22 February 2026: Farmers should use digital services with confidence. Due to various digital apps launched for farmers, farmers can communicate in their language and get answers to their agriculture-related questions instantly. The state government is trying to make the lives of farmers easier through a digitally enabled ecosystem by bringing together universities, research institutes, and industries through the Maha-AI Innovation Center. Maharashtra is the first state in the country to host an artificial intelligence conference for the wider benefit of farmers. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said here today that the government is focusing on comprehensive development of agriculture through technology.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was speaking at the inauguration of the 'Global Agriculture Artificial Intelligence Conference and Investors Summit' (AI for Agri 2026) at the Jio World Convention Center here under the 'Maharashtra Agriculture-Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025-2029' policy. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar, Agriculture Minister Dattatreya Bharane, Employment Guarantee Scheme Minister Bharat Gogavale, Minister of State for Agriculture Adv. Ashish Jaiswal, Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Vikas Chandra Rastogi, Agriculture Commissioner Suraj Mandhare, Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjeevani Project Director Parimal Singh, World Bank Executive Director Parameswaran Iyer and others were present on this occasion.
Chief Minister Fadnavis said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has given digital infrastructure and AI an important place for national development. The objective of the India AI Mission is to achieve inclusiveness, transparency and widespread effectiveness through technology. Agriculture is a sector that is related to every household and the life of every individual. It is being resolved to take the agriculture sector forward and the state of Maharashtra will remain at the forefront of the AI revolution. Maharashtra has become the first state to announce a comprehensive AI agriculture policy.
Maha-Vistaar AI, a digital companion, has been developed for farmers. With its help, farmers will get easy access to government schemes along with agricultural advice, weather and pest management information, market price signals, etc. So far, the app has reached 30 lakh farmers and the registration is increasing, said Chief Minister Fadnavis.
Chief Minister Fadnavis said that Maharashtra will not only be an AI user, but also a leading state in responsible and effective use of artificial intelligence. Not everyone has a smartphone, not every farmer uses an app and not everyone wants information in Marathi. That is why the government has launched multilingual and voice-based digital facilities. For this, local languages have been given priority. Due to this, farmers are using digital services with confidence. The state government intends to extend this service to every taluka and village in the future. Chief Minister Fadnavis said that a capable and useful ecosystem is being created by bringing together universities, research institutes and industry through the Maha AI Innovation Center for farmers.
India's progress in the field of AI has been highlighted at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held in Delhi. India's performance in the field of AI has been appreciated globally and the IMF chief has stated that India's progress is very remarkable. Following this, the successful organization of the AI for Agri Conference under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is certainly commendable, said Union Minister of State Singh, praising the initiative of the Maharashtra government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has linked AI with ethics, transparency, accountability and inclusiveness. AI is being used effectively in the agriculture sector and is benefiting farmers in crop yield prediction, selection of suitable crops, weather forecasting, early diagnosis of diseases and efficient use of resources. He also said that AI-based technology is being developed in 22 Indian languages for farmers in different parts of the country.
'AI Open Stock for Farmers' and a unified platform for all AI in the agricultural sector is being set up for farmers. He said that agriculture is being made more empowered through Soil Health Card, Swamitva Yojana, Drone Mapping, Independent Mission for Weather Forecasting and Biotechnology Policy.
Farmers are the center of technology – Agriculture Minister Dattatreya Bharane
Although today is the era of technology, farmers should be the center of technology in the agricultural sector. Agriculture Minister Dattatreya Bharne expressed his belief that if modern technologies like artificial intelligence, drones, IoT are combined with the traditional knowledge of farmers, Maharashtra's agriculture can become a model for the country and the world.
Agriculture Minister Bharne said that Maharashtra has achieved first place in the country by implementing an AI-based agriculture policy for the period 2025 to 2029. A provision of about Rs 500 crore has been made for this. Through the 'Mahavistar' app, farmers are being provided with personalized advice, market prices, weather information and guidance on various schemes in their language. So far, more than 30 lakh farmers have downloaded this app.
The state government is trying to achieve food security, climate change mitigation, women empowerment and sustainable agriculture with the help of AI technology. Also, the aim is to provide AI-based services to farmers in every district by establishing an AI and Agritech Innovation Center. Stating that today's farmer is not limited to his family but is playing an important role in the food security of the country and the world, Agriculture Minister Bharane said that AI technology will make the lives of farmers more capable, safe and prosperous.
Launch of AI apps in the agriculture sector and MoU signed
With a view to making the state's agriculture sector more modern, tech-friendly and useful for farmers, important apps and digital platforms based on artificial intelligence (AI) in the agricultural sector were launched by dignitaries.
Maha Ag X (Maha-Agri Data Exchange) is the state's ambitious data platform, which will pave the way for the secure aggregation of agricultural information and its use for research, innovation and policy decisions. This platform has been developed through the Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjeevani Project.
Also, the Large Language Model (LLM) for Bhili tribal language has been launched, a first-of-its-kind effort to provide agricultural information and advice in the local tribal language. The model has been developed under the guidance of Nandurbar District Administration, in collaboration with Bhashini and Ek-Step.
In addition, the MahaVISTAAR voice telephony app was introduced. The main objective of this app is to enable farmers who do not have smartphones to get answers to their agricultural questions over the phone.
MahaVISTAAR AI-based pest and disease identification system was also launched at this time. This app, which helps in identifying pests and diseases based on crop photographs, will be very useful for farmers.
