Primus Partners has released a comprehensive policy report, "6 Policy Interventions Needed for the Cognitive Revolution in Agriculture," outlining a strategic roadmap to accelerate the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across India's agricultural ecosystem and ensure that emerging technologies translate into tangible outcomes for farmers.
The report argues that Indian agriculture is entering a new phase of transformation, one driven not by additional physical inputs, but by intelligence-led decision making. While initiatives such as the IndiaAI Mission, Digital Agriculture Mission and AgriStack have laid the foundation for a data-rich agricultural ecosystem, the report identifies an emerging "Crisis of Intelligence" where vast amounts of agricultural data are yet to be converted into actionable insights at the farm level.
Developed by Primus Partners' Agriculture Practice, the report examines how AI can improve decision-making across crop planning, advisory services, procurement systems, quality assessment, logistics and market access. It also highlights critical structural challenges that continue to limit adoption, including fragmented datasets, limited digital inclusion, underrepresentation of women farmers in digital systems, and the absence of trusted validation mechanisms for AI-based agricultural advisories.
Drawing upon consultations with senior policymakers, researchers, agricultural experts and field practitioners, the report proposes six policy interventions aimed at building trust, inclusivity and accountability into India's agricultural AI ecosystem. These include the creation of an Indigenous Digital Agricultural Knowledge Registry, an Agri-AI Rating System for advisory tools, a framework for assessing women's inclusion in agricultural AI systems, enhanced representation of women in agricultural AI governance, women-friendly agritech procurement standards, and AI-enabled quality-linked MSP mechanisms.
The report also highlights successful AI-led agricultural interventions across India and globally, including Maharashtra's MahaAgri-AI Policy, Telangana's Saagu Baagu initiative, Andhra Pradesh's AI-enabled agriculture platforms, and international examples from the Netherlands, Japan, Kenya and Ethiopia.