Bharat Vistar services now available in TG: Thummala

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said that, by making extensive use of modern technology in the agricultural sector, the state government has taken a key step toward making artificial intelligence (AI)-based services available to Telangana farmers in their mother tongue, Telugu.

This followed an agreement signed between the Agriculture Department and the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) on Thursday in the presence of State Agriculture, Marketing and Cooperation Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar to connect Telangana with the AI-based national agricultural digital platform Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources (‘BHARAT-VISTAAR’) created by the Central Government.

Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said that by bringing technology closer to farmers in the agricultural sector, the cost of cultivation can be reduced and agriculture can be made more profitable.

He said that if farmers’ crop-cultivation problems are identified early and scientific suggestions are provided, preventive measures can stop pests and diseases from spreading throughout the crop. He said artificial intelligence plays a key role in providing accurate advice to farmers at the right time by analysing weather conditions, soil type, crop type, cultivation time, and market prices. He explained that if farmers receive technical advice to use fertilisers, pesticides, and other agricultural inputs at the right dosage, not in excess, it is possible to reduce investment costs and increase yields and income.

He instructed officials to make the Bharat Vistar platform more beneficial for farmers in the state, keeping in mind regional weather conditions, soil type, crop diversity, local cultivation methods, and market needs in Telangana.

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