Space Tech Transforms Farming: Agri Min Chouhan

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said while science and technology have transformed farmers' lives, much more remains to be done, particularly for small farmers and in addressing challenges like virus attacks in sugarcane and cotton.

"Through science and technology, we have transformed farmers' lives, but much more remains to be done. Effective steps are needed for small farmers' plots, solutions must be found for virus attacks in sugarcane and cotton, and productivity of pulses, oilseeds, and soybean must be increased," Chouhan said while virtually addressing a programme organised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on National Space Day.

Calling scientists "modern sages", the minister highlighted how space science has revolutionised Indian agriculture.

"We have changed farming, its direction, and transformed farmers' lives. We have ensured food security for the people. We have achieved record food grain production, and space science has made an incomparable contribution," he said in a statement.

Chouhan noted that weather forecasts earlier relied on folklore and assumptions, but today, ISRO's Geo Portal provides nearly accurate information on rainfall, drought, and weather patterns.

"Farmers now plan their farming based on this. The portal also gives information on soil moisture, integrates crop health data, and provides precise information," he added.

The minister pointed out that technologies have been developed to detect pests from photos uploaded by farmers, and for real-time wheat monitoring, sowing, and harvesting area estimation. The Agriculture Ministry's figures now match those of the National Remote Sensing Centre's CROP framework (Comprehensive Remote Sensing Observation on Crop Progress).

With NASA-ISRO's NISAR mission, accurate estimates of soil moisture, crop health, and biomass from small plots to large tracts have become possible, he added.

Highlighting improvements in crop insurance, Chouhan said earlier concerns about the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana included flawed crop-cutting experiments and a lack of transparency.

"Sometimes farmers whose crops suffered loss did not get compensation, while those unaffected did. But with satellite-based remote sensing, crop loss can now be accurately assessed, enabling rightful compensation through satellite images," he added.

The minister said farmers during the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' raised several practical demands, including a request for devices to detect fake fertilisers and pesticides, and identify their content.

"This is a serious issue, as farmers are suffering losses. In soybean fields, pesticide use has burned crops. I urge scientists to work with urgency on this," he added.

Chouhan clarified that progress should not be limited to space science alone.

"Wherever space science is useful, apply it. But alongside, research and experimentation in other agricultural sciences must define new dimensions of progress. Nearly 500 new research topics have emerged from the campaign, and work is needed on these."

The minister emphasised the need for coordinated research, saying, "move forward with the spirit of 'One Nation, One Team, One Goal'. One team should focus research on one subject to yield logical results."

ICAR Director General ML Jat, along with senior scientists, was present on the occasion.