Pune: The Agricultural Development Trust in Baramati has been running a project called Center for Excellence Farm Vibes for the past year to improve sugarcane farming using artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology. The project initially worked with 1,000 farmers and showed great results. Now, it is being expanded to include 50,000 farmers across Maharashtra. This initiative is expected to bring big changes to the sugar industry and increase sugarcane production.
Microsoft Chairman Satya Nadella recently shared a post on social media highlighting the impact of AI on agriculture, specifically mentioning the Baramati sugarcane project. Responding to this, Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented, “AI will improve everything.” Farmers in Baramati have successfully used AI technology to improve sugarcane farming, setting an example for the future of agriculture. During his recent visit to India, Nadella praised the efforts and innovations happening in the project.
An article in Agrowon pointed out that while India has the largest area under sugarcane cultivation, its per-hectare yield is lower than countries like Brazil and Chile. Even within India, Maharashtra lags behind Tamil Nadu in sugarcane productivity. Several factors contribute to this, including poor soil fertility, improper farming techniques, lack of high-quality seeds, imbalanced use of fertilizers and water, climate change, pest and disease attacks, and harvesting issues.
To solve these problems, Agricultural Development Trust trustee Prataprao Pawar took the initiative to introduce AI technology in sugarcane farming. With help from Oxford University’s Dr. Ajit Jawkar and Microsoft’s Dr. Ranveer Chandra, the Center for Excellence Farm Vibes project was set up. Over the past year, this project has used modern sensors and AI to guide farmers on the right time and quantity for applying fertilizers, watering crops, and preventing pest attacks through mobile alerts. Farmers interested in joining the project need to invest ₹12,500 for two acres. They can contact Tushar Jadhav at 9309245646 for more details.
Important News:
Jharkhand : District-level training program on sugarcane production techniques held in Hazaribagh
For more details and in-depth insights, keep reading ChiniMandi, your go-to source for the latest news on the Sugar and Allied Sectors
