The Indian sugar industry faced a major issue this season: the precise estimation of the sugarcane crop. Therefore, various steps have been taken to ensure the precision of crop estimates and to support suitable policy decisions.
The government is also meeting with states to discuss and deliberate on the latest initiatives aimed at improving agricultural statistics across the country.
While speaking with ChiniMandi, Tarun Sawhney, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Triveni Engineering and Industries Ltd, emphasised the importance of initiatives aimed at enhancing the accuracy of crop estimation.
He said, “Accurate crop estimates are essential for informed policy making, efficient resource allocation, and robust planning especially from the plant operations perspective for sugar & ethanol Industry. Achieving this requires a comprehensive approach that blends traditional methods with modern technologies. Conventional techniques, such as detailed agro-climatic zone mapping, provide a solid foundation for understanding crop characteristics and yield potential. However, to significantly enhance precision, the integration of advanced technologies with conventional wisdom is indispensable. By incorporating tools like drones, geo-location mapping, and AI for precise farm boundary detection, along with remote sensing and satellite imagery for continuous crop monitoring, we can achieve unprecedented accuracy. Satellite sensors offer critical insights into crop health and emerging issues, while big data analytics processes weather, yield, and soil data to make fairly precise predictions. Additionally, local sugar mills can empower farmers with mobile apps for mapping and reporting crop health and expected yields.”
Triveni Engineering is also adopting tech-savvy approaches to ensure the precision and reliability of crop estimates. “At Triveni, we operate a dedicated cane development portal and app for farmers, Triveni Cane, which is revolutionizing farmer engagement and assistance. The platform provides a wide range of support services empowering farmers to efficiently manage crops and boost agricultural productivity. The app provides valuable insights and value-added services at farmers’ fingertips, including soil testing, onset of disease/pests, fertiliser use and plot-specific suggestions. This enables seamless communication between farmers and our experts, using both text and voice-based messaging in both English and Hindi languages. The app leverages GPS technology to facilitate farmers to nearby vendors for seed and other agri-input procurement alongside real-time updates on weather, disease and other notifications. Together, these innovations dramatically improve the precision and reliability of crop estimates”, he further added.
Government is also working on the enhancement of agricultural production estimates and the integration of technology to strengthen data accuracy. The Digital Crop Survey announced in the present year Budget Speech paves the way for accurate Crop Area Estimation. It will provide plot-level data with geotagged areas of crops and acts as a single source of truth. Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES) has been initiated to calculate yield based on scientifically designed Crop Cutting Experiments for all major crops across the country. These initiatives are expected to provide near real-time and reliable data directly from the field, which enabling more precise estimations of crop production.
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