Countrywide ‘Aadhar-style' IDs for farmers from next month

The Union government is set to launch a nationwide farmer registration drive to digitise the agriculture sector. Union Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said the initiative, which aims to issue unique identification numbers similar to Aadhaar, will commence in the first week of October. The goal is to register five crore farmers by March next year.

The initiative is part of the Rs 2,817-crore Digital Agriculture Mission, recently approved by the Union Cabinet. A pilot project conducted in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh has laid the groundwork, and 19 states have already begun implementing the programme.

Access to farm schemes 

The unique ID system will simplify access to various agricultural schemes, including the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Kisan Credit Card programme. Mr Chaturvedi highlighted that the current system often involves cumbersome verification processes, which can be costly and sometimes lead to harassment. The new registry aims to alleviate these issues by creating a comprehensive database of farmers.

Once the farmers' registry is created, an "Aadhaar-like unique ID" will be provided to each registered farmer. The ID will help farmers access various agricultural schemes, including the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Kisan Credit Card programme, without much hassle.

This new registry will bridge the gap in existing data, which currently only includes farm land parcels and crop details provided by states, but lacks individual farmer information. The collected data will be instrumental in policy planning and delivering targeted extension services.

Mr Chaturvedi has called on progressive farmers, scientists, and companies to help raise awareness about the registration process. Camps will be organised across the country to facilitate the drive.

AgriStack initiative

In addition to the farmer registration initiative, the government is advancing other technological interventions. A new Kisan AI-based chatbot system is in development to further support farmers. This effort is part of the broader ‘AgriStack’ initiative, which aims to streamline services and scheme delivery through a farmer-centric Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

The government also plans to introduce a nationwide ‘Digital Crop Survey’ within two years, covering 400 districts in FY 2024-25 and all districts in FY 2025-26.

More benefits

The Digital Agriculture Mission, underpinned by the Agri Stack and Krishi Decision Support System, represents a strong financial commitment from the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with a central government contribution of Rs 1,940 crore out of the total budget of Rs 2,817 crore.