Telangana is positioning itself as a national frontrunner in digital agriculture by harnessing advanced technologies to empower small and marginal farmers, said Minister for Information Technology and Industries Duddilla Sridhar Babu on Tuesday.

Following a meeting with representatives from Germany’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) at the State Secretariat, the Minister outlined the State government’s vision to transform agriculture into a more profitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient sector. This transformation, he said, would be driven by the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced data analytics. ‘Our government is committed to lowering cultivation costs and reducing dependency on chemical inputs,’ Sridhar Babu stated. 

‘We aim to equip small and marginal farmers with technologies that not only boost productivity but also alleviate financial pressures and support environmental sustainability.’

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Telangana’s economy, providing livelihoods for over 55% of the population and contributing significantly to the State’s Gross Domestic Product (GSDP). At the same time, Telangana has emerged as a hub for cutting-edge technologies, positioning it uniquely to become a model for digital agriculture, the Minister added.

Sridhar Babu highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the sector, noting the deployment of advanced soil sensors, early warning systems, and AI-driven tools that can help farmers reduce pesticide use, cut input costs, and adopt climate-smart practices.

The Minister also reviewed the progress of the ‘Accelerating Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Telangana’ initiative, currently underway in three villages near Vemulawada in partnership with Fraunhofer HHI. He encouraged the German institute to scale up the project across the State to benefit a larger farming population.

The meeting was attended by M Kodanda Reddy, Chairman of the Telangana State Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Commission, Anvesh Reddy, Chairman of Telangana State Seeds Corporation, Volker Kleima, Head of the Food and Agriculture Division at the Embassy of Germany in New Delhi and Fraunhofer HHI representatives Dr. Sebastian Bosse and Dr. Raghu Chaliganti.