Govt to launch multi-lingual AI tool Bharat-VISTAAR for agri sector

Susheel Kumar, Country Head Managing Director, Syngenta India, welcomed the Union Budget for its emphasis on AI-led agriculture, particularly through initiatives such as Bharat-VISTAAR, which recognise the role of digital advisory in improving farm-level decision-making, productivity and resilience.

The government will launch a multi-lingual artificial intelligence tool 'Bharat-VISTAAR' to integrate agristack portals and ICAR package on farm practices, a move that will help provide customised advisory support to farmers. In her budget speech on Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the launch of 'Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources)'. ''I propose to launch Bharat-VISTAAR - a multilingual AI tool that shall integrate the AgriStack portals and the ICAR package on agricultural practices with AI systems. This will enhance farm productivity, enable better decisions for farmers and reduce risk by providing customised advisory support,'' she said. Commenting on the Budget proposal, Ankur Aggarwal, Chairman of CropLife India, said integrating Agri Stack's digital farmer records with ICAR's validated package of practices can support more precise, need-based decisions at the field level. ''However, digital advisory delivers results only when it is backed by effective on-ground extension systems that ensure guidance reaches farmers in time and is applied correctly in local conditions,'' he added. Susheel Kumar, Country Head & Managing Director, Syngenta India, welcomed the Union Budget for its emphasis on AI-led agriculture, particularly through initiatives such as Bharat-VISTAAR, which recognise the role of digital advisory in improving farm-level decision-making, productivity and resilience. Dhanuka Agritech Chairman M K Dhanuka said the announcement of Bharat Vistaar, which will provide customised advisories in local languages, is particularly encouraging. ''These initiatives can empower farmers to make better and more timely decisions at the field level, supporting productivity and efficient farm management,'' he added. Indian Potash Ltd Managing Director P S Gahlaut said the announcement of establishing Bharat-VISTAAR is a timely move. ''It is expected to promote deployment of precision farming technologies across geographies and crops, thus allowing farmers to make informed decisions, which in turn would help enhance crop yield and nutrition by promoting optimum utilisation of resources such as water, fertilizers and other agro-chemicals,'' he said. Rajesh Shirole, Co-Founder & COO at MapMyCrop, said the launch of Bharat Vistaar in the Union Budget is a landmark move towards technology-driven agriculture. ''We believe this initiative will accelerate the adoption of precision farming, reduce risks, and ensure that farmers across diverse regions and languages can benefit from customised advisory support. It is a strong step towards building a resilient and inclusive agricultural ecosystem,'' he added. Aparna Bijapurkar, Managing Director & Partner at BCG, noted the the launch of Bharat Vistaar and its integration with Agristack & ICAR packages marks an important step in enabling the rapid scale-up of AI into India's agricultural ecosystem. ''Personalized, data-driven advisory support has the potential to enhance productivity, optimize input usage, facilitate better price discovery and meaningfully reduce risks for farmers,'' she said. Pushpendra P. Singh, Dean CAPS & Project Director, ANNAM.AI, IIT Ropar, said, the launch of Bharat Vistaar is a significant step towards empowering farmers with AI-driven, real-time, climate-smart support, helping them make informed decisions, reduce risks from unpredictable weather, optimise inputs, and ultimately improve yields and livelihoods. ''The continued focus on precision agri-tech practices supports efficient, sustainable, and climate-resilient farming while enhancing farmers' incomes. This Budget rightly positions AI and digital innovation as key enablers of a future-ready farm sector,'' Singh added. Jaisimha Rao, Founder & CEO, Niqo Robotics, said the Budget takes a clear step towards building a trusted digital data backbone for Indian agriculture with the launch of this AI tool. ''By focusing on productivity, risk reduction and customised, data-driven support for farmers-especially small and marginal farmers-the Budget creates a strong foundation for technology-led services that can improve on-farm decision-making without adding to farmers' capital burden,'' he said. Sandeep Sabharwal, Group CEO of SLCM Ltd, said the Bharat Vistaar would equip farmers with precise advisories to slash risks. Vinay Nair, Founder of startup KhetiBuddy said the launch of Bharat Vistaar is a major step towards developing a common digital framework for the agricultural sector in India. ''By providing access to soil, weather, advisory, and scheme-related data in a federated manner, it will be possible to make better decisions at the farm level,'' he said.

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