On 20th July 2023, the government of Telangana & World Economic Forum (WEF) launches ‘Saagu Baagu’(agriculture advancement) project Phase 1 Insights report in Telangana, Hyderabad. The project aims to provide AI-based agritech services to farmers in Telangana.
- The WEF report showcases the successful implementation of the pilot project launched through Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture Innovation (AI4AI) benefiting over 7,000 chilli farmers in Khammam district in Telangana.
Note: AI4AI- a collaboration initiative between Telangana government and WEF.
Key people:
The launch was presided over by KT Rama Rao, Minister for ITE&C Government of Telangana; Palanivel Thiagarajan, Minister for ITE&C, Government of Tamil Nadu; Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary ITE&C Department of Telangana; and other dignitaries of the WEF.
Implementation of the Project:
The project was initiated in 2022 and is implemented by Digital Green (in consortium with three agritech startups) with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
About the Saagu Baagu project:
It is a partnership between the Government of Telangana, and the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR).
i.In phase I, the project includes AI-based advisories, soil testing, product quality testing, and e-commerce.
ii.In phase II (from 2023) the Telangana government plans to expand additional agritech services to 20,000 chili and groundnut farmers in three districts and to introduce Digital public infrastructure.
iii.In Phase III (by 2025), the goal is to reach 1,00,000 farmers in Telangana.
iv.The project is an example of agriculture value chain transformation by focusing on easing agritech services delivery to the end customer through administrative and policy support and through digital public infrastructure, including its “Agriculture Data Exchange” and “Agritech Sandbox”.
About Telangana:
Chief Minister- K. Chandrashekar Rao
Governor- Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan
Capital- Hyderabad
