Anant Ambani: Jio, Indian School of Agriculture to train millions digitally

Indian School of Agriculture should help farmers become CEOs of their own farmlands, says Anant Ambani

Reliance Industries Executive Director Anant Ambani said Jio would work with the Indian School of Agriculture (ISA) to take its training programmes digitally to millions of farmers in Indian languages.

He also said rural youth would be trained as agricultural extension workers, while Reliance would share its research capabilities with the institution.

Technology-led transformation of agriculture

Speaking after the stone-laying ceremony for the ISA and the unveiling of the Global Horticulture Hub project, Mr. Ambani stressed the need for a technology-driven transformation of Indian agriculture.

He said the ISA should help farmers become “CEOs of their own farmlands”.

Mr. Ambani shared the dais with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman at the event.

He said the ₹40,000-crore Global Horticulture Hub would modernise farming in Rayalaseema.

“Artificial Intelligence, drones, robotics, cloud computing and precision agriculture will be the buzzwords,” he said.

The technologies, he said, could support farmers in making decisions on crop protection, cultivation and the sale of produce.

Artificial Intelligence could alert farmers to pest attacks, while Madanapalle tomato growers could use it to decide when and where to sell their produce, Mr. Ambani said.

He added that greenhouse technology could enable cultivation throughout the year.

Proposed compressed biogas investment

Mr. Ambani also said Reliance was exploring a ₹1 lakh-crore investment in compressed biogas plants in Andhra Pradesh.

According to him, the proposed investment could potentially create over three lakh jobs and generate ₹60,000 crore in revenue.

Addressing the Chief Minister, Mr. Ambani said, “Consider me a son of Andhra Pradesh and guide me on what I can do for this beautiful State.”

Source: The Hindu