India’s agricultural sector is increasingly relying on technology at various levels, and the industry covets the enormous potential for technology-driven interventions that could potentially transform the agricultural landscape in two decades.
In addition to the mechanization of agriculture, technology penetration in the Indian agricultural sector is taking place on several levels: political interventions, digital innovations and biotechnology. In June, Bain & Co estimated that a $ 30-35 billion pool of value would be created in India for agricultural logistics, purchase and delivery of agricultural inputs by 2025.
Quite a few agro technology companies are developing a range of smart solutions to problems farmers suffer from every day. These AI and machine learning solutions, such as drones and precision farming techniques, support farmers in all phases from sowing to crop protection and nutrition, cultivation and harvesting, right through to connection to non-traditional markets. The use of GIS maps, the use of satellite data for weather forecasting and new methods of spraying pesticides are also gaining momentum. According to AgFunder, a US foodtech and agritech VC, investments in agrifood startups in fiscal 2020 were $ 1.1 billion.
Ram Kaundinya, director general of the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), said the technology could make a big leap in agriculture in the next 25 years from what it could achieve in the last half century. “Technology can make farmers’ lives easier, more predictable and profitable, and it can increase food production.”
In contrast to digital technology, which has gained ground, biotechnology in agriculture is still in its infancy. Agricultural scientists involved in genetic engineering and molecular diagnostics see immense opportunities in the laboratory-to-field use of biotechnology.
Rajeev K. Varshney, director of the research program (accelerated plant improvement) at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), says advances in genome sequencing and other technologies have made it possible to identify genes for agronomic traits. “As a result, a number of biotechnological approaches, including genomic-assisted breeding, genetic engineering and gene editing, can be used to develop plant varieties with increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses and with better nutrition.”
Experts rely heavily on these technologies to increase crop yields, stabilize production and make crops resistant to pests and ecological changes, and also to improve shelf life after the harvest.
Varshney’s team, together with other research institutes, has developed several drought-tolerant and disease-resistant varieties of chickpeas through genomically supported breeding, which in pilot studies delivered 15-28% higher yields.
Bhagirath Choudhary, founding director of the South Asia Biotechnology Center, sees edible oil as one area where GM crops can help the country minimize the deficit. “We use 22-23 million tons of cooking oil annually, of which 15 million tons are imported. Import dependency can be reduced by increasing the production of soybeans, sunflowers and mustard seeds using biotechnology,” he says, wondering why the government has no concerns with regard to the imported edible oil, which comes mainly from genetically modified plants but is not promoted by Indian farmers.
While most farming experts are optimistic about the widespread adoption of technology, their hope comes with a driver. They see political support and the removal of regulatory barriers as critical to moving forward.
