Bhubaneswar, 06/01/2025: The Krushi Odisha Mela, is an annual event organized by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment in Odisha, held at Biju Patnaik Ground in Bhubaneswar. This three-day event celebrates farming successes and talks about the future of agriculture, bringing together farmers, important partners, and government officials.
A session called “Transforming Agriculture Through Digital Interventions” was held to explore how digital technology can change farming and to highlight how Odisha is leading the way in using technology to improve agriculture.
Shri Prem Chandra Chaudhary, IAS, Director of Agriculture & FP, Odisha, chaired and opened the session. He emphasised the importance of digital tools in improving farming practices and mentioned key government initiatives like the Farmer Registry and Digital Crop Survey. He reinforced Odisha’s position as a leader in agricultural digitisation and its commitment to building a future-ready system for farmers.
Anay Gogate, Program Lead (KONNECT & LEAP) at Samagra, spoke about how Odisha has set up advanced systems to manage agricultural data. He explained the digital tools used to make farming easier and highlighted projects like the Rice Fallow Management (RFM) scheme, showing Odisha’s leadership in using technology for agriculture.
Ravi Shankar from ONDC shared how the Open Network for Digital Commerce can change the agricultural ecosystem by connecting private companies with farmers through a shared digital platform. This system helps promote innovation and teamwork in agriculture. Senthilkumar Natarajan from NinjaCart discussed the importance of open data for improving market connections. He explained how using standardised data can help businesses buy and sell farm products more efficiently, creating a better market for farmers.
Kumarjit Mazumder from SatSure explained how space technology can help farmers measure crop yields, optimise procurement, process insurance claims, and access credit. He also shared insights from their work on implementing AgriStack in Uttar Pradesh. The event concluded with Sushree Sangita Dash, a forward-thinking farmer from Odisha, who shared how digital initiatives have improved services for farmers. She also highlighted her interaction with Bill Gates during his visit, further emphasizing Odisha’s role in leading agricultural transformation.