India - Agriculture ministry lays thrust on digital crop survey for accurate crop area estimation

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, India on Thursday highlighted the importance of the Digital Crop Survey that would pave 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 enables more precise estimations of crop production,″ the ministry said at organised a national conference with the states to discuss improvement in Crop Production Statistics.

During the conference, chaired by Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, the ministry underscored the need for integrating cutting-edge technologies such as remote sensing, geospatial analysis and Artificial Intelligence to enhance the accuracy and reliability of crop production data.

Senior officials from the Centre and the states discussed and deliberated on the latest initiatives aimed at improving agriculture statistics across the country.

″The primary focus of the conference was on the enhancement of agricultural production estimates and the integration of technology to strengthen data accuracy,″ the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.

Various initiatives taken up by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare regarding the infusion of technology in generating Crop Production Statistics through observations based on revamped Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agro-meteorology, and Land (FASAL) were discussed in detail. This updated version leverages remote sensing technology to generate accurate crop maps and area estimation for 10 major crops, it said.

″Regarding yield forecasts, collaboration has been made with various specialised agencies such as Space Application Center, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute and Institute of Economic Growth. These institutions shall work on various models to generate yield estimates of selected crops at pan-India level. Similar models are also being used under Yes-Tech initiatives of crop insurance by various states,″ the statement said.

The conference also discussed the triangulation and validation of agricultural data using the UPAg portal – a platform that allows for cross-verification of data from multiple sources, ensuring the robustness of agricultural statistics. ″It has an advanced data management system that integrates various sources to generate precise crop estimates. It supports evidence-based decision-making and serves as a central hub for agricultural data accessible to policymakers and stakeholders,″ it said.

The conference concluded with a consensus on the importance of these reforms and a commitment from all states to work together to strengthen the agricultural statistical framework, which is crucial for the overall development of the agriculture sector in India, the ministry added.