Telangana’s agritech success: A model for agricultural transformation, says World Economic Forum report
Telangana, known for its advancements in agritech, has emerged as a role model for the digital transformation of the agriculture sector.
Hyderabad: Telangana is leading the way in integrating agritech to transform the agriculture sector, offering valuable lessons for others, according to a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The report emphasises the need for government support and the creation of enabling policies and public infrastructure to maximise the potential of agritech. Telangana’s successful implementation of a public-private partnership framework showcases the possibilities of scaling digital agriculture and driving rural development.
Telangana, known for its advancements in agritech, has emerged as a role model for the digital transformation of the agriculture sector, providing significant insights for other regions to follow suit. The WEF report, authored by Gim Huay Neo, Managing Director of the WEF Centre for Nature and Climate, and IT Minister KT Rama Rao, highlights the importance of government involvement and supportive policies in harnessing the potential of agritech.
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India, being the world’s fifth-largest economy, has a significant number of smallholder farmers who contribute over half of the country’s agricultural output. Though numerous initiatives were taken to support the farmers, challenges such as erratic climatic conditions and small landholdings hinder the realisation of agritech’s full market potential. However, the WEF report stated that Telangana’s efforts in integrating agritech, position the State as a global leader in digital transformation in the agriculture sector. It strongly advocated that others can learn valuable lessons from Telangana’s successful model, emphasising collaboration, enabling policies, and investment in digital infrastructure to drive agricultural innovation and improve farmers’ incomes.
Telangana, as India’s youngest State, has taken a proactive approach to leverage agritech as a critical lever for rural development and economic growth. The State government has adopted a pioneering Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework in collaboration with the WEF, focusing on scaling digital agriculture. The PPP framework established in Telangana comprises four pillars: agri value chain transformation, agritech sandbox, agriculture data exchange (ADEx), and agriculture data management framework.
Project Saagu Baagu initiated in 2022 and being implemented by Digital Green with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, exemplifies the value chain transformation by streamlining the delivery of agritech services to end customers. With administrative and policy support, along with digital public infrastructure, the pilot phase of the project currently enables more than 7,000 chilli farmers to access AI-based advisories, soil testing, produce quality testing, and e-commerce services. The State government plans to expand these services to more farmers in a phased manner from this financial year and scale it upto one lakh farmers by 2025.
The agritech sandbox within Telangana’s framework focuses on developing customised and localised advisories using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain. By providing a controlled environment for testing and certifying new products or services, the sandbox ensures the safety of farmers while encouraging innovation.
To facilitate responsible and increased data sharing, the Agriculture Data Exchange (ADEx) was conceptualised as an open-source technology platform. In collaboration with the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), the Telangana government aims to create an ecosystem where data providers and consumers can exchange information to deliver digital services to farmers.
The WEF has also lauded Telangana for developing an agriculture data management framework that prioritises protecting users, preventing harm, and promoting innovation. The successful implementation of the integrated agritech initiatives emphasises the need for the government facilitation and focus on specific value chains as well as geographies. By investing in digital public infrastructure, governments can drive agricultural innovation and improve farmers’ livelihoods. The report concludes that Telangana’s PPP framework serves as a replicable format for other states and countries grappling with similar ecosystem challenges.
