Maharashtra government to encourage use of AI to increase sugarcane productivity
The Maharashtra government is set to launch a new cooperative policy aligned with the Centre’s vision, focusing on digitisation, AI integration, and credit expansion. Aimed at doubling agricultural credit and boosting milk and sugarcane production, the policy will modernise over 2.2 lakh cooperative societies, including banks and sugar mills, by 2029.
Following the Centre’s recent announcement of a new cooperative policy, the Maharashtra government is preparing to introduce its own policy aimed at strengthening its leadership in the cooperative sector through a series of reforms.
A senior official from the state’s cooperation department stated on Friday that the forthcoming state policy, aligned with the Centre’s vision, will prioritize the digitisation and computerisation of various cooperative entities, particularly primary agricultural cooperative societies, to enhance service delivery. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a key focus to improve efficiency and streamline operations. The policy also aims to double annual agricultural credit disbursed through cooperative banks, from the current Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore, by the year 2029. Additionally, the government targets increasing daily milk production from 60 lakh litres to 1 crore litres within the same timeframe.
The official highlighted Maharashtra’s prominent role in national sugar production, supported by over 200 cooperative and private sugar factories. The government will encourage use of AI in particular to increase the per acre production and productivity of sugarcane minimising the use of water, reported IANS.
In addition, the government will implement a comprehensive strategy to bolster cooperative institutions, including district central cooperative banks and urban cooperative banks, aiming to empower and modernize them.
According to data from the cooperation department, Maharashtra has over 2.2 lakh cooperative societies, including 21,014 non-agricultural cooperative societies, 455 urban cooperative banks, 31 district central cooperative banks, and more than 200 cooperative and private sugar mills. Short-term agricultural loans, primarily for seasonal needs, are provided by over 12,000 primary agricultural cooperative societies, which include 30 farm service societies and 885 adivasi cooperative societies, comprising around 67,000 and 7.4 lakh members respectively. These primary societies are currently undergoing computerisation under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to enhance self-reliance.
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Source : Chinimandi
