Representative image of a farmer.
Credit: PTI Photo
The Karnataka government plans to set up a market intelligence cell to help farmers decide on the kind of crop they could grow and predict the probable earnings based on scientific data.
The state government is collaborating with the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram to help farmers select crops that bring them better income.
IIST is preparing a database after analysing past statistics (related to rainfall, crop pattern etc) and satellite images of the cropping area.
Based on this data, IIST will develop an app that will forecast the price of crops at the time of harvesting.
Horticulture Department director Ramesh D S said the app will help farmers make decisions on cultivating crops based on advanced technology like weather forecasts, price forecasts and real-time market trading.
The government plans to take up a study of two crops initially and scale up based on the feedback.
The idea for the cell was mooted during the Covid years when farmers of Uttara Kannada found it difficult to sell their pineapples.
"Pineapple farmers suffered huge losses in 2019-20 as they could not sell their yield to Gujarat, the highest consumer of the fruit. Other growers, who don't have required data to decide on cultivating a crop, face the same problem," said a senior officer. Hence, the government decided to start a cell that could help farmers predict natural vagaries and demand-supply cycle.
He cited tomato growers who cultivated tomatoes in large areas following bumper prices during July-August. "Had they known that prices would plunge, they would not have cultivated it on such a large scale," he said. Sources in the Horticulture Department told DH that IIST has prepared a detailed project.