ITC banks on 'phygital' integrated farmer ecosystem for farm resilience, productivity improvement

ITC Ltd is banking on its integrated 'phygital' ecosystem powered by tech-enabled solutions, ITCMAARS in its pursuit of strengthening farm resilience while improving productivity and farmer livelihoods, a senior company official said on Tuesday.ITCMAARS is enabling real-time detection of plant diseases, delivering tailored remedial guidance to Indian farmers through its 'phygital' ecosystem that has integrated, hyperlocal and customised solutions such as the 'Crop Doctor', powered by AI and ML-based capabilities, the company said."Our endeavour is to strengthen farm resilience while improving productivity and farmer livelihoods," ITC Ltd Chief Executive, Agri Business Division, S Ganesh Kumar said in a statement.He further said through the ITCMAARS phygital ecosystem the company is "committed to helping farmers with accessible, science-led solutions that support early detection, preventive action and sustainable crop management".ITCMAARS 'Crop Doctor' enables farmers to diagnose crop diseases and pest infestations instantly using AI-based image analytics. It covers 70 different crops and has been used 3 lakh times in a short span, helping farmers take corrective measures and prevent crop loss, the company said.Farmers can also seek personalised guidance from ITC's agri experts with the help of the platform's direct engagement service, which provides support through toll free lines in regional languages.ITCMAARS ecosystem also includes 'Krishi Mitra', an AI-powered Agri co-pilot, developed with Microsoft, a first of its kind globally, and is available in eight Indian languages, the company said.It has resolved close to 2 lakh unique farmer queries within two years, helping farmers take informed selling decisions, improve access to subsidies, practice precision farming and prepare better for adverse weather events.ITC said its climate smart agriculture programme currently promotes regenerative and nature-positive farming practices across 31 lakh acres in 19 states, benefiting over 12 lakh farmers till date.