Bhubaneswar: Odisha has achieved a major milestone in its digital agriculture journey with the Government of India formally assessing and approving the State’s proposals under the Special Central Assistance (SCA) for the implementation of AgriStack, the national Digital Public Infrastructure initiative for agriculture.
With this approval, Odisha has become eligible for incentives amounting to ₹155.48 crore, including ₹55.48 crore for achieving the first milestone of the Farmers’ Registry and ₹100 crore for the successful implementation of the Digital Crop Survey.
The recognition reflects Odisha’s strong compliance with national standards, timely achievement of coverage milestones and effective large-scale execution, reinforcing the State’s position as a frontrunner in adopting data-driven, farmer-centric digital reforms.
The Farmers’ Registry establishes an authenticated and verified database of farmers, enabling accurate identification of beneficiaries for key schemes such as PM-KISAN, CM Kisan and crop insurance programmes. The Digital Crop Survey, on the other hand, provides geo-referenced, plot-wise information on crops sown, allowing the State to prepare realistic estimates of cultivated area and production, improve procurement planning and ensure targeted delivery of agricultural schemes. Together, the two components address critical questions of who the farmer is, where the land is located and what crop is grown, forming the backbone of transparent and efficient scheme implementation.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo described the achievement as a proud moment for the State. He said the approval reflects Odisha’s vision of making agriculture more transparent, efficient and prosperous, and urged the department to fully leverage these digital tools to script a new chapter of growth and sustainability in the agrarian economy. He also congratulated the Agriculture Department, technical teams associated with the initiative and the farmers of Odisha for their role in this historic accomplishment.
Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, said the AgriStack approval would revolutionise data-driven farming in the State by ensuring transparency, efficiency and prosperity. He noted that as agriculture is central to livelihoods, procurement and input distribution in Odisha, the Farmers’ Registry and Digital Crop Survey would play a critical role in shifting from estimate-based planning to verified, plot-level, evidence-based decision-making across production, procurement and markets. He further said that integration of these systems with weather, soil, pest and price data would enable predictive analytics for production forecasting, issuance of advisories, pest alerts and analysis of price trends.
Officials said the approval marks a significant step towards building a robust digital foundation for agriculture in Odisha, aimed at empowering farmers and improving governance outcomes.
