Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to add nearly Rs 70,000 crore to India’s agricultural economy, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday, asserting that the next phase of India’s startup revolution should emerge from farms rather than technology hubs.
Addressing the 17th Agriculture Leadership Conclave 2026 in New Delhi, Singh said agri-startups would be the defining force of India’s agricultural transformation, enabling farming to become a major source of entrepreneurship, employment and wealth creation.
“AI-driven optimisation alone can help each farmer save nearly Rs 5,000 annually, creating an estimated Rs 70,000 crore value addition for the overall agricultural economy,” the minister said, adding that artificial intelligence, precision farming and digital technologies could significantly improve farm productivity, resource efficiency and farmers’ incomes.
The conclave, organised with the support of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries under the theme “Feeding the Future”, brought together policymakers, scientists, farmers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to discuss the future of Indian agriculture.
Emphasising the need for technology-led agricultural transformation, Singh said farming could no longer rely on conventional methods as scientific advancements were evolving rapidly. He called for closer collaboration between the government, industry, research institutions, startups and farmers to ensure that innovations reach the field and translate into economic gains.
Highlighting India’s startup ecosystem, the minister said the country had grown from around 350 registered startups in 2015 to more than 2.3 lakh today, making it the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. However, he said the greatest untapped opportunity lay in agriculture, where innovation could directly enhance farmers’ incomes while generating employment for rural youth.
Singh also cited the success of the CSIR Aroma Mission, under which lavender cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir evolved into the “Purple Revolution”. He said around 8,000-9,000 young entrepreneurs associated with the initiative had established successful agri-enterprises, with several earning annual incomes of Rs 60-70 lakh or more. The model has since expanded to Himalayan and northeastern states, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
The minister stressed that scientific research must be linked with industry from the outset to ensure market access and value addition for farmers. He said industry partnerships were essential for transforming agricultural innovations into commercially viable products.
On climate change, Singh said technologies such as satellite imagery, weather forecasting systems, drone-based surveys and real-time advisories were helping farmers make informed decisions on sowing, irrigation and crop management. He added that AI was increasingly being used for predictive crop management, precision irrigation, weather-based advisories and efficient utilisation of agricultural resources.
The minister also underlined the importance of spreading awareness through digital platforms and regional languages, saying AI-powered language technologies, multilingual content and short-form digital communication could help scientific knowledge and government support reach farmers more effectively.
Calling for stronger partnerships among researchers, startups, industry and farmers, Singh said technology-driven and entrepreneurship-led agriculture would play a crucial role in achieving the vision of a developed India by 2047.
