In the age of digitalization, one who would not be able to cope up with the pace of dynamic technology, would be lagged behind from every contemporary scenario regardless of any particular context. Agriculture sector in India also could not be left untouched from the impact of advanced age culture that constitutes of internet, computers, machinery, automation, mobile phones. Today, it became an urgent necessity to blend everything with the rapidly flowing river of machines. Since independence, India has not only become a self-reliant food producer but also established itself as a major grower of several crops thereby exports surplus to the other countries. Globally, our country is among the top two countries in agricultural production, yet we need to go far in terms of adopting modern techniques for improving the per hectare productivity. As per mechanization level of the countries, India stands at 40% while on the other side developing countries like China and Brazil stand at 65% & 75% respectively. This shows our intense reliability on traditional methods, and a long gap that need to be bridged with regards to usage of farm machinery and mechanization in agriculture.
Transforming agriculture in India is quintessential, which will drive the nation towards increased farm productivity and reshape Agriculture as commercially profitable sector of the economy. Population growth of our country is one of the aspect that can be observed as both negative and positive, it is due to this fact that the demand for food supply and resources would be on the rise and at the same time we would be able to provide skilled workforce to the world. A substantial portion of our population engages in the agricultural and related activities for income sources, and it is one of the significant sector that contributes about 18% to the national GDP. The Indian agriculture is not at a novel stage for facing multi-faceted challenges such as boosting yield, irrigation issues, draught, counterfeit crop protection, diminishing arable land, etc. After several decades of independence, we still rely on monsoon for irrigation and nowadays climate change deeply impacts the weather conditions, hence affects rain-fed crops due to unpredictable rainfall.
The boom of digital evolution can be witnessed in almost every other sector of the Indian economy, but for agriculture it is still a long-held ambition. Emerging technology must be engaged as a solution to all the radical problems of our farmlands, consequently it will aid to double the farmers’ income and enhance crop production. For a diverse country like India, technical transformation in agriculture is a humongous task and it is nearly impossible for Indian agriculture to be technically transformed in a year or so, it has to be a long term plan with immediate focus areas which will touch every remotest corner of the nation. At the same time, the objective of improving crop yield per hectare must not get diverted from sustainable agricultural activities. The Nation’s ultimate aim should be aligned on the lines of conserving water and preserving soil nutrients. Rapid growth of agriculture demands strenuous efforts from entire network of farming community that will gradually alleviate our global presence in the form of exports. Several agro-startups have also started to contribute in the direction of making a sustainable ecosystem which will connect various stakeholders linked with agriculture. Drones are being deployed globally in agricultural farmlands to precisely examine pest sites and precision spray of agrochemicals, nevertheless digital transformation in agriculture in India will be a long and exhaustive chapter. The central government has made legislations to eliminate the restrictions related to usage of drones for agriculture but much more needs to be done at a rapid pace.
Dhanuka Agritech Limited is very well acquainted with the process of converting challenges into potential solutions, which will help farmers to explore new age opportunities and utilize them to create profitable avenues for Indian Agriculture. Dhanuka believes in the tremendous capabilities of our farmers to face challenges and explore solutions, and the relentless active participation of our Annadatas in moving the nation forward towards prosperity. Over the past four decades, Dhanuka Agritech Limited through its strategic planning, effective crop protection solutions, introduction of new molecules and world class technology in Indian farmlands, transfer of technology from lab to land; the Organization aspires towards ‘Transforming India through Agriculture’. As an agrochemical company, Dhanuka always strives to blend international and innovative approaches to create excellent crop protection products that help in mitigating any risk associated with crop cultivation. During the time of pandemic, Dhanuka ensured that none of its stakeholders which include farmers, channel partners, distributors and agri-input dealers would be left unattended and the company made it possible to connect with each and every stakeholder through the digital mediums so that agriculture does not suffer. Dhanuka Agritech Limited incorporated various digital mediums like social media campaigns, video conferences, live streaming messages, training programs, electronic Krishi meetings; to guide and train not only farmers but also agri-input dealers about the judicious use of various crop protection chemicals and latest farming techniques to increment farm yield.
Indian institutions including public and private institutions have taken collective measures to bridge the gap between farming community and technological interventions, they have mobilized vital agro-services such as weather forecast, block chain technology to complement Indian agriculture services. These collaborative efforts by several government and private organizations including relentless efforts from key players like Dhanuka Agritech Limited is paving the path towards ‘Transformation of India Through Agriculture’. Our agricultural ecosystem has always been plagued with challenges that limit the farmers from exploring latest technology to increase farm production. Thus for removing these barriers, the present administration has encouraged Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to make the entire value chain more transparent and efficient. Also emphasis has been laid upon creating clusters for post-harvest agri-produce processing units to increase shelf life of the produce. These interventions facilitate farmers to handle price insecurity efficiently and also enables them to access new sources of credit. Farmers become aware of the risk connected with agricultural ecosystem in advance and can plan solutions for mitigating the same. Dhanuka Agritech Limited through our field teams has always been at the forefront to ensure that our farmers are made aware of these strategic steps undertaken by not only the administration but private entities that will aid in ‘Transforming India Through Agriculture’.
