Kisan Sarathi powers farm revolution

Kisan Sarathi is helping farmers access crop advisories, mandi prices, weather alerts and schemes through a unified digital platform

Commodity Desk MUMBAI

India’s digital agriculture push is gathering pace as Kisan Sarathi, the country’s largest integrated digital agro-advisory platform, expands its reach across farming communities, strengthening access to commodity intelligence, crop advisories and market-linked support for farmers.

The government said the platform now connects 2.95 crore registered farmers with a nationwide network of 4,767 scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and 113 ICAR institutes. 

Notably, 56.16 lakh women farmers are among the beneficiaries, reflecting growing digital participation in agriculture. Launched in July 2021, Kisan Sarathi has handled 19.21 lakh farmer queries and issued 21,900 advisories covering 351 commodities, including major cereals, pulses, oilseeds, horticulture and plantation crops. 

The platform also supports advisories for livestock, poultry, fisheries and allied sectors, broadening its usefulness beyond crop farming.For farmers, especially those dependent on commodity markets, timely information on weather, crop conditions and mandi prices is crucial for better sowing, harvesting and selling decisions. Kisan Sarathi aims to bridge this gap by delivering localised, real-time advisories in multiple languages. The platform currently operates across 37 states and Union Territories, covering 768 districts and nearly 6.63 lakh villages.

Of the total registrations, around 2.89 crore farmers joined through nearby Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), while others enrolled through Kisan Call Centres, mobile applications, web portals and Common Service Centres.   Kisan Sarathi runs on the Interactive Information Dissemination System, enabling two-way communication between farmers and experts.  The platform integrates more than 730 KVKs, over 100 ICAR institutes and 65 agricultural universities, creating a strong advisory ecosystem. It also brings together essential digital services such as Kisan Call Centre, Common Service Centre, India Meteorological Department weather data, MyScheme and BHASHINI.

While Kisan Sarathi is transforming agricultural decision-making, key challenges remain. Limited internet connectivity, low digital literacy and data privacy concerns continue to restrict adoption among many farmers. Bridging these gaps through stronger rural infrastructure, digital training and trust-building will be crucial to ensuring inclusive and sustainable agri-tech growth.