AI for Agri 2026: Maharashtra to Host Global Conference

Mumbai, Feb 11 (PTI) Maharashtra will host a two-day global conference and investment summit on the application of Artificial Intelligence in agriculture here on February 22 and 23, officials said on Wednesday.

The 'AI for Agri 2026' meet is aimed at ensuring that farmers in the state gain access to global technologies and adopt innovative, AI-driven solutions, said Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane at a press conference.



The conference will be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra-Kurla Complex and see participation from global agricultural experts, startups, investors and financial institutions, he said.



Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Vikas Chandra Rastogi and Agriculture Commissioner Suraj Mandhare were also present on the occasion.

The event is being organised under the Maharashtra Agriculture - Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025 -2029.

Global and national partners for the event include the World Economic Forum (WEF), FAO, UNDP, IFAD, World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank (ADB), ICRISAT, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF).




The Maharashtra Agriculture - Artificial Intelligence Policy seeks to create a data-driven agricultural ecosystem using AI. The government has approved Rs 500 crore in the first phase for its implementation.



Under the policy, digital infrastructure such as MahaAgriX (Maharashtra Agriculture Data Exchange), AI-enabled traceability systems, an AI-based geospatial intelligence engine and a farmer-centric advisory platform 'MahaVistar' are being developed, Bharane said.

The United Nations has declared 2026 as the International Year of Women Farmers, and special sessions focusing on empowerment and leadership of women farmers will be organised during the conference, the minister said.

Nandan Nilekani, chairman and co-founder of Infosys; Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson of MSSRF, and J Satyanarayana, chief advisor, C4IR India, WEF, are among those expected to take part in the meet.



As part of the event, a two-day exhibition featuring 30 startups will showcase AI-based innovations across the agricultural value chain.