Mumbai, Feb 23 (NationPress) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Sunday that Maharashtra has become the first state in India to host a specialized conference focused on Artificial Intelligence aimed at benefiting farmers comprehensively.

"Farmers should embrace digital services with confidence. With the introduction of various digital applications, they can now interact in their native language and receive prompt responses to their agricultural inquiries. The state government is committed to enhancing farmers' livelihoods by collaborating with universities, research institutions, and industries through the Maha-AI Innovation Centre to cultivate a digitally empowered ecosystem," the Chief Minister remarked during the opening of the "Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture and Investors' Summit (AI for Agri 2026)" under the "Maharashtra Agricultural Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025–2029."

He highlighted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India is placing great emphasis on digital infrastructure and AI as fundamental elements for national development.

The India AI Mission aims to promote inclusivity, transparency, and a broad impact through technology, he added.

"Agriculture is intertwined with every household and individual. Maharashtra is determined to spearhead the AI revolution in agriculture, being the first state to declare a comprehensive AI-driven agricultural policy. The government has introduced "Maha-Vistar AI" as a digital companion for farmers, providing them access to crop advisories, weather forecasts, pest management data, market trends, and government schemes. Currently, over three million (30 lakh) farmers have utilized the app, with growing registrations," the Chief Minister noted.

He reiterated that Maharashtra aspires not only to adopt AI but also to lead in the responsible and impactful application of it.

"Recognizing that not all farmers possess smartphones or prefer the Marathi language, the state government has rolled out multilingual and voice-based digital services," he added.

The objective is to extend these services to every taluka and village in Maharashtra, CM Fadnavis stated.

Maharashtra's Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne stressed that even in this technological age, the farmer must remain at the forefront of agricultural innovation.

"Combining AI, drones, and the Internet of Things (IoT) with farmers' traditional knowledge can transform Maharashtra's agriculture into a global benchmark," he said.

Maharashtra has earmarked around Rs 500 crore for the implementation of the AI-based Agriculture Policy (2025–2029). More than three million farmers have downloaded the MahaVistar app, with the state aiming to leverage AI for food security, combat climate change, empower women, and promote sustainable agriculture. Artificial Intelligence and Agritech Innovation Centres will be developed to provide AI-driven services throughout the districts," he added.

On Sunday, the state government launched several AI applications, including Maha Agri-X (Maha-Agri Data Exchange), LLM for Bhili Tribal Language, MahaVISTAAR Voice Telephony App, and an AI-Based Pest and Disease Detection System, which identifies crop diseases and pests using image recognition technology.

A tripartite MoU was also signed between One Step Foundation and the World Bank to document the architectural design, governance frameworks, implementation lessons, and open standards of Maharashtra's AI-enabled digital public infrastructure, "MahaVISTAAR."

Another MoU was established with Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in The Netherlands under Maharashtra's Agri AI Policy 2025–2029, to promote responsible and effective AI usage in agriculture.

This collaboration aims to strengthen ties between Maharashtra's agricultural universities and international institutions.