NEW DELHI (India CSR): In a landmark move to transform sugarcane farming and uplift rural livelihoods, the Indian Sugar and Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) has launched a pioneering National AI-ML Network Program with ADT, Baramati. This initiative leverages the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to significantly enhance sugarcane productivity, quality, sustainability, and most importantly, farmers’ incomes.
ISMA’s initiative aims to ensure that farmers remain central to this transformation. Higher yields and better resource use not only improve sugar recovery but also directly boost farm profitability.
To implement this at scale, ISMA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Agriculture Development Trust (ADT), Baramati, and Map My Crop (MMC), a leading agri-tech platform specializing in AI-driven farm monitoring. Together, they have launched this National Network Program on the Impact of AI & ML on Sugarcane Productivity, Quality, and Sustainability under Diverse Agro-Ecological Conditions.
Through the ADT’s collaboration with the University of Oxford and Microsoft, a groundbreaking project titled “Application of AI, computer vision and machine learning for Game-Changing Improvements in Sugarcane Crop Farming Practices” was started in 2024, more than 1,000 farmers were empowered with AI-driven solutions, including machine learning and computer vision tools, to enhance their sugarcane farming practices.
The initiative delivered remarkable outcomes:
- 40% increase in crop yield
- 35% reduction in labor costs
- 30% savings in water usage
- Significant reduction in input costs and overall expenditures
- 35% improvement in harvesting efficiency
- Significant reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through precision farming
This new digital initiative builds on that foundation of recognizing the urgent need to increase average cane productivity to over 100 tons per hectare and sugar recovery to 11% or more, ISMA had earlier partnered with ICAR’s sugarcane research institutes to promote high-yielding varieties and efficient farm practices.
Inspired by visionary ideas from Microsoft, in 2023, ADT established India’s pioneering “Farm of the Future” at KVK Baramati “a live demonstration site showcasing real-time applications of AI in agriculture and setting the foundation for the future of farming” which combines AI-driven agriculture tools from Microsoft Research (including Azure Data Manager, chatbot, openai, virtual agronomist, farmer co-pilot etc.) with IoT sensors, weather stations, drones, and satellite data.
The program will deliver practical, farmer-centric benefits such as:
- Location-specific precision farming modules
- Satellite-based soil health and fertility mapping
- Real-time pest and disease alerts through remote sensing
- Image-based weed detection and control
- Custom weather advisories and water stress monitoring
- IoT-enabled precision irrigation for water efficiency
- Variable Rate Application (VRA) for optimal fertilizer use
- Reduction in both input costs and carbon footprint
Commenting on the launch, Deepak Ballani, Director General, ISMA said: “At the heart of this initiative is the Indian farmer. When we talk about increasing productivity, we are ultimately talking about increasing farmer income, ensuring their long-term sustainability, and making agriculture more resilient. This technology-backed network will help farmers take better decisions, use fewer resources, and get better returns per acre.”
The AI Network Program is being rolled out in key sugarcane-growing regions and will involve sugar mills, research institutions, and farmer groups. Field demonstrations and capacity-building sessions are planned to promote rapid adoption.
This forward-looking program is expected to serve as a national model for digitally driven, sustainable agriculture that puts farmers first, strengthens India’s bio-energy value chain, and helps meet the country’s ambitious blending and export goals.
(India CSR)
