Green Tech: Telangana launches India’s first agricultural data exchange

Hyderabad: India launched its first Agricultural Data Exchange (ADeX) on Friday in Hyderabad. The platform was developed by the Government of Telangana, the World Economic Forum, and the Indian Institute of Science.

ADeX is a digital public infrastructure that will facilitate the secure, standards-based exchange of data between agricultural data users and providers. This will allow for the development of new applications and services that can help farmers improve their productivity and profitability.

Speaking at the launch event, minister for IT, Industries, and MA&UD, KT Rama Rao said, “Both ADeX and ADMF provide the right platform to ensure fair and efficient usage of agricultural data by the industry and startups and provide a big boost to the data economy specifically in the argi-sector. These initiatives help Telangana lead the country from the front in using innovation and technology to drive food systems transformation and improve the livelihoods of farmers.”

Purushottam Kaushik, head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution India at the World Economic Forum, said “Data and digital ecosystems are critical for responsible innovation in the agriculture sector. The agriculture data exchange and the agriculture data management framework highlight the power of multi-stakeholder communities and collective action in addressing complex challenges in the agriculture sector.”

Prof G Rangarajan, director of the Indian Institute of Science said, “ADeX will prove to be a game changer in the agriculture ecosystem providing impetus to research and innovation in the sector and creating value by mobilising data for healthy, sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices.”

In Phase-I of the project, the ADeX Platform is currently deployed in the district of Khammam and over a period, will be expanded to the entire state.

At the launch, several Agtechs demonstrated their digital solutions using data accessed through ADeX, such as:

Market Advisory: Utilising daily Telangana agriculture market prices, farmers will have access to market prices of all commodities across different markets in the state daily. With increased transparency, it will enable farmers to take informed decisions regarding crop selection, timing of harvest, and choosing markets that offer better prices, ultimately maximising their profitability.

Pest Prediction Advisory: Leverages pest data across 33 districts in Telangana, dynamic weather, and prevailing pest conditions to provide targeted pest alerts to the farmers, allowing them to timely action, reducing crop losses and costs. It also supports sustainable farming by promoting pest management strategies.

Ease of Access to Credit: Enables faster disbursement of credit or other financial support to farmers by supporting banks and financial institutions to harness data-driven insights to create a farmer credit assessment report, With the growth in ecosystem and education and awareness efforts, more and more Agtechs are invited from both public and private sector to utilise the platform to build, innovate and deploy solutions for betterment of the farmers.

Agriculture Data Management Framework

Along with the ADeX launch, the Agriculture Data Management Framework (ADMF) was also released by the Government of Telangana on Friday. The framework has been developed after extensive public and industry consultations on the crucial aspects of data protection, management, and innovation.

ADMF is applicable to all government departments dealing with agricultural activities as well as all agriculture information users and providers. Guided by best practices and well-established principles of notice, consent-based collection and processing of data and purpose-based limitation in utilising the data, the framework provides for a robust grievance redressal mechanism.

The framework envisages an Inter-Departmental Committee, which will issue standard operating procedures and guidance on key aspects such as access controls, data quality, data service providers etc.

The core principles of ADMF are built into the ADeX platform which ensures safety and protection for personal data collection and use. These twin initiatives will create a comprehensive data economy for the future of agriculture and will enable large-scale innovation that will drive impact on the farmer community.