MeitY Secretary S Krishnan Calls for AI to Fix Agricultural Advisory Gaps and Credit Barriers

AI in Agriculture: From Input Distribution to Real-Time Advisory Support​

New Delhi, February 17: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Secretary S Krishnan on Tuesday urged the use of artificial intelligence to bridge the widening information gap in Indian agriculture, stating that the traditional extension network has weakened and shifted its focus away from the advisory support farmers truly need.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in the national capital, Krishnan, who described himself as a registered farmer with an agricultural loan in his personal account, said timely and reliable advice remains the most critical requirement for farmers. He noted that while his mother oversees cultivation on his farm, the challenge of accessing actionable guidance is common across the sector.

According to him, agriculture departments and state governments now concentrate more on channeling inputs than delivering meaningful advisory services.

“As farmers, they always look for advice, which is timely. Many people say that the old extension network has broken down. Across many agriculture departments and state governments, the far greater focus is how inputs get channelised. There is less attention to the kind of advice that farmers really want,” Krishnan said.

AI to Address Information Asymmetry in Farming​

Krishnan described farmers as rational economic actors who are willing to pay for inputs and advice they consider valuable. He pointed out that subsidized inputs are often received with skepticism rather than gratitude, a reality he said is rarely acknowledged.

He emphasized that artificial intelligence can play a transformative role in correcting information asymmetry in agriculture. By expanding the effectiveness of extension workers and enabling real-time advisory systems, AI can ensure that farmers receive relevant and timely guidance.

“Making up for the information asymmetry, expanding the effectiveness of extension workers, or using technology to ensure that kind of advice is available on a real-time basis, that is a huge impact AI can have,” he said.

AgriStack and the Credit Paradox in Rural India​

On the issue of agricultural credit, Krishnan highlighted a persistent paradox in rural India. While small farmers are legally not required to furnish collateral to secure loans, they are often asked to do so in practice.

He noted that a significant share of what is classified as agricultural credit consists of jewel loans, advances made against household assets because farmers cannot produce land and registration documents in acceptable formats.

“If the AgriStack can solve that problem, it would represent a transformative step forward,” he said, underscoring the potential of digital infrastructure in streamlining access to credit.

AI and Gender Inclusion: Empowerment with Safeguards​

Addressing the gender dimension of artificial intelligence, Krishnan said AI must create agency for women to access services while ensuring adequate safeguards against misuse.

He referred to examples that demonstrate both the empowering potential of AI and the risks in an AI-driven environment, stressing the need for balanced policy design that protects women’s interests.

Learning from the Global South​

Krishnan also emphasized the importance of cross-country learning, particularly from nations in the Global South. He said policy makers can benefit from understanding how similar challenges have been addressed in other contexts.

“Sometimes the same set of questions would have been addressed earlier in a different scenario, in a different country, in a different setting, and to understand how that worked is always useful in making policy,” he noted.

Real-World Impact as the True Test of AI​

Stepping beyond sector-specific use cases, Krishnan said the success of artificial intelligence should not be measured by breakthroughs in artificial general intelligence or superintelligence. Instead, its real value lies in delivering measurable gains in sectors where public systems have historically underperformed.

“Ultimately, if AI as a technology is to have an impact, it has to have impact in real world sectors, whether it is agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, education, governance. Each of these spaces, that is where we need to really see the impact,” he said.

He added that productivity gains and service delivery improvements have remained limited in several areas, and these gaps present clear opportunities for AI-driven transformation.

With agriculture at the center of the discussion, Krishnan’s remarks underline a broader policy shift toward leveraging artificial intelligence not as a theoretical breakthrough, but as a practical tool to improve governance, bridge credit gaps, and deliver timely advisory services to farmers across India.