Agri Stack preparing digital data of 14 crore farmers by 2026-27, says top official

The Government of India has launched a mammoth exercise under the Digital Agriculture Mission in September 2024 to create a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture, under the project named Agri Stack.

Speaking at the plenary session on the second day of the 28th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2025 here on “Agri Stack – A Digital Solution Agriculture” here on Tuesday, Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, explained that the initiative is designed to drive formal solutions and ensure that timely, reliable crop-related information is made accessible to all farmers.

The Agri Stack has set key targets, including the generation of 11 crore farmer IDs (digital identities) by 2026–27 and the collection of plot-wise data of crops across all States and Union Territories beginning with Kharif 2025.

The system aims to address the existing gap in reliable agricultural data and will enable the development of effective digital solutions and services.

Chairing the session, Chaturvedi, who holds additional charge as Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) spoke along with Pramod Kumar Meherda, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Rajeev Chawla, Strategic Advisor and Chief Knowledge Officer, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare; Budithi Rajasekhar, Special Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Marketing & Cooperation Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Shashank Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of DeHaat.

In his address, Chaturvedi pointed out that the initiative is designed to drive farmer-centric digital solutions and ensure that timely, reliable crop-related information is made accessible to all farmers.

The session also detailed the framework of the initiative. The Farmer database will consolidate farmer details, including Aadhaar linkage, land ownership records, and dynamic updates after mutation. The Digital Crop Survey will record all agricultural plots with photographs and geo-tags as proof, validated using geo-fencing, to ensure accurate crop records at the national level.

Panellists discussed strategies for benchmarking and advancing service delivery in agriculture, emphasising the need for accountability, efficiency, and citizen-centric governance. They highlighted how integrating digital tools and innovative processes could improve institutional performance, transparency, and outcomes.

The deliberations underscored the role of the Agri Stack in strengthening service delivery and supporting the vision of Viksit Bharat through continuous innovation and knowledge-driven governance.