Describe the various Technology Missions initiated in Indian agriculture and examine their role in food security.
Describe the various Technology Missions initiated in Indian agriculture and examine their role in food security.
The Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) and the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) exemplify India's pivot toward technology-led farming. The Economic Survey 2024-25 underscores these interventions as vital for ensuring food availability amidst intensifying climatic risks.
Technology Missions in Indian Agriculture
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Digital Agriculture Mission: Creating a digital ecosystem through AgriStack and unique Farmer IDs for over 10.41 crore farmers by August 2026.
- Eg: The Digital Crop Survey expanded to 650 districts by Rabi 2025-26 for precise acreage estimation.
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National Mission on Natural Farming: Transitioning one crore farmers to chemical-free methods with a 2481 crore rupee allocation in 2024.
- Eg: Development of 8.80 lakh hectares under natural farming clusters by March 2026.
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Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization: Promoting the Kisan Drone initiative for pesticide spraying, seeding, and real-time soil mapping.
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National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds: Developing over 100 climate-resilient and bio-fortified crop varieties announced in Budget 2025-26.
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National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm: Utilizing satellite imagery and remote sensing to identify 28 lakh hectares suitable for cultivation.
Role in Enhancing Food Security
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Boosting Aggregate Production: Scaling foodgrain output to an estimated record of 376.56 million tonnes for the 2025-26 cycle.
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Precision Advisory Services: Deploying the Bharat-VISTAAR AI platform to provide real-time, site-specific climate and pest alerts.
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Resource Optimization: Using IoT-connected irrigation and Soil Health Cards to increase the Gross Irrigated Area to 55.8 percent.
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Supply Chain Efficiency: Reducing post-harvest losses through e-NAM integration and technology-enabled cold chain monitoring under RKVY.
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Climate Resilience: Mitigating weather risks through satellite-guided crop insurance and heat-tolerant seeds to stabilize domestic food supply.
Integrating these advancements with the National Logistics Policy will further streamline the Public Distribution System. Sustained investment in the Agri-Tech sector is vital to achieving the goals of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
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