Patna, April 16, 2025 –
Taking a historic step in the agriculture sector, the Bihar government under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched the country’s first Digital Agriculture Directorate. With the approval of the State Cabinet, this initiative has been introduced under the Agriculture Roadmap to ensure that farmers receive real-time benefits of government schemes, along with accurate crop data, production forecasts, and an integrated digital database management system.
Real-Time Data and Direct Benefits for Farmers
Through the Digital Crop Survey, precise data on crop coverage, production, and productivity will now be available each season. This will help in effective policy-making and resource distribution. Farmers will also receive benefits under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system linked with Aadhaar.
Since 2018, subsidies, disaster relief funds, and diesel grants have been directly transferred to farmers’ bank accounts through DBT. At present, over 20 million farmers—both land-owning and landless—are registered on the DBT portal, making it the largest digital farmer database in the country.
Modern Technology to Empower Agriculture
The Digital Agriculture Directorate will provide farmers with access to advanced technology and services such as:
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Digital Soil Health Cards
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General Crop Estimation Surveys for accurate yield forecasts
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Drone-based crop protection techniques
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Artificial Intelligence-based agricultural services
In addition, mobile applications and e-governance tools will be developed to simplify processes for both farmers and agricultural officials.
Integrated Agricultural Database
The Directorate’s key focus is on creating an integrated agricultural and allied database. This will allow farmers to access weather-based advisories, market information, crisis management support, and government schemes on a single digital platform.
Bihar Set to Lead in Agricultural Digitization
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar emphasized that this initiative will make Bihar a pioneer in agricultural digitization in India. It will not only help increase farmers’ income but also accelerate rural economic development in the state.
The establishment of the Digital Agriculture Directorate marks a milestone in agricultural reforms. By ensuring transparency, efficiency, and the use of modern technology, Bihar aims to emerge as a national model for digital farming and rural empowerment.
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