By Sajjad Sayyed & Shrikant Pawar
Pune: Sugarcane farming is done on a large scale in Maharashtra, particularly the western Maharashtra region. Farmers those who cultivate sugarcane are considerably rich as they get a good price for their crop. Districts like Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur and Kolhapur are known for sugarcane cultivation while other districts like Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna also cultivate the cash crop. Sugarcane is used to make sugar and there are many co-operative sugar mills, which provide employment to thousands.
The Agricultural Development Trust of Baramati conducted the first experiment in India using artificial intelligence (AI) to make sugarcane farming more productive. The Trust, Microsoft and Oxford University developed sugarcane farming that produces more crop at a lower cost. This experiment was conducted on sugarcane in the fields of about 1,000 farmers. Using it, there is an increase of 30 to 40% in sugarcane production.
Farmers will increase production by up to 40%
Production costs is reduced by 20 to 40% and 30% water is saved. Bhushan Gosavi said, "In this, it has been presented how sugarcane production can be increased to over 160 tons per harvest using AI."
"This experiment was started three years ago. The experiment was conducted for 1,000 farmers from March 2024. Soon, this project will be installed on the farms of 50,000 farmers in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra government has also made a provision of about Rs 500 crore in the budget so that farmers will now get subsidy in AI," Gosavi said.
"The production of the farmers has increased by 40%," he added. Daund farmer Mahendra Thorat said they cultivate sugarcane and banana in 21 acres. "We have been doing traditional farming for several years. In 2024, I got acquainted with the AI technique. I started AI farming on our two acres of land in July 2024."
"According to the information given on that app, I am also implementing it on the rest of my plots. I hope that 130 tons of sugarcane will be produced from the AI farming that I have done on my two acres of land and there will be a profit of about 30%."
"Earlier, we used to water it for about four hours and used to go to the sugarcane fields to find out what disease the crop had. A large amount of water was used for it, but now, using AI technique, every update is being received on cell phone and accordingly, sugarcane is being cultivated," added Thorat.
Balasaheb Dorge, a traditional farmer, said, "I have been farming in the traditional way for the last 20 years. Water for sugarcane is given as per the plan. But now Mahendra Thorat is using AI technique. Whatever information is given on those plants also helps us and we are also getting information from him regarding sugarcane farming. Whatever sugarcane is being cultivated with the help of AI is definitely benefiting us and everyone should use technology and in the coming time, I will also be cultivating sugarcane through AI."
This is how it began
It was an initiative taken by Prataprao Pawar, the trustee of the Agricultural Development Trust. The 'Center for Excellence Farm Vibes' project was set up. With the help of Oxford University Director Dr. Ajit Jawkar and Microsoft Executive Director Dr. Ranveer Chandra, this project was set up in Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Baramati. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella lauded this project.
Maharashtra's sugarcane productivity
In terms of total area, India is the largest country in sugarcane production, but in terms of total productivity, it is much lower than Brazil and Chile. Among the various states in India, Maharashtra's sugarcane productivity is lower than Tamil Nadu. According to the survey report of 2024-25, about 14.20 lakh hectares of sugarcane are under cultivation in Maharashtra, from which the total expected production can be 1100.00 lakh metric tons and a revenue of Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 crores will be generated.
Why sugarcane production has declined?
Sugarcane is cultivated in Maharashtra on a large scale using the traditional way. However, there is a decline in production due to variety of factors like low soil fertility, salinity, imbalance of organic carbon, available nutrients and their absorption capacity. Farmers also do not use drip irrigation system according to the soil profile. They also do not adopt spraying technology and use excessive fertilizers and pesticides. They also use excessive water and there is increasing in production.
How will AI help sugarcane growers?
Since the soil in which sugarcane is to be planted can be thoroughly tested immediately, it will save time and provide an analysis of soil fertility, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, soil density, etc. The place where the soil sample should be taken in the field will be known, so the basal dose of sugarcane should be applied based on the combined analysis of the soil fertility test report obtained through the satellite and the actual report in the laboratory.
Since the seeds of the variety whose seedlings will be planted are prepared by growing them in a specific way, i.e. using AI technology, not only will the seedlings be strong and healthy, but also the seedlings that can be cultivated in 21 days will be available. Since the 40 cavities are large cup size, the sugarcane seedlings will have more root growth.
By getting daily (VPD) information on nutrients (fertilizers, organic, organic chemicals) from the basic amount before planting sugarcane seedlings to the time the sugarcane is broken, the crop can absorb it to the maximum. By avoiding excessive watering and without stabilising the transport of fertilizers, 100% fertilizers will be available and absorbed. As a result, the number of shoots, cane length, number of canes, thickness of canes and cane, cane height, cane breaking at the factory and its average weight, cane brix, all these parameters will increase by twofold, which will help in doubling the production. Using artificial intelligence,
Farmers can successfully overcome such problems in sugarcane farming. Modern technologies like satellite image computer vision, AI, remote sensing and ground milk imaging are used to determine production and sugar extraction in sugarcane farming, to obtain more production using hyperspectral image technology, to make accurate predictions by studying weather and rainfall using AI, to increase sugarcane production by up to 30 per cent by using the world's first causal machine learning in sugarcane farming, to expand the developed technology in the form of Farm of the Future in the fields of progressive farmers in a total of 25 districts of Maharashtra, and to train selected beneficiary farmers on the use of modern technology. Under this project, farmers will be provided with heat maps, satellite images, cropping pattern recommendation system, irrigation management, pest and disease monitoring, etc. with the help of interactive and user-friendly dashboards.
Information about the components will be available on your own cell phone. Also, new technologies are being developed to predict the future using various types of information coming from nature. In this process, the Center of Excellence uses many innovative algorithms like Async Fusion (in which satellite and drone information is combined with data coming from sensors on the ground to understand valuable things about crops and soil), Space Eye (through which agricultural photographs taken by satellite are made clearer using artificial intelligence), Deep MC (technology is used to accurately predict temperature and rainfall using data coming from sensors and weather control centers).
Benefits for farmers
Satellite mapping will help fill the deficiency of nutrients in the soil by getting accurate information about the nutrients required for sugarcane crops. The use of a sophisticated sensor system that displays soil moisture, salinity, moisture, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and weather information will help in planning water, fertilizer, pest and disease control. Crop monitoring with the help of hyperspectral cameras will help in spot application of accurate amounts of fertilizers and pesticides. Proper use of fertilizers will reduce excess drainage and help increase soil fertility in the future. Scientific sugarcane farming will help in increasing production and reducing production costs. This technology will also help farmers in determining the expected sugar yield, production information and the exact time of harvesting.
Causal machine learning is planned to be used in sugarcane farming, so that the impact of various factors like irrigation and fertigation alerts, soil health, etc. on the crop can be identified. This technology will help in increasing production. Drones equipped with high-quality hyper and multispectral cameras will be useful for collecting accurate information on crop health, pests and diseases, nutrient management, water stress, crop classification and harvesting planning, etc.
How to save water....
In the farming that is being done using AI, sugarcane needs to be given 30 to 35 water shifts in the drip method. Due to this, three crore liters of water is given. Similarly, according to the drip (AI) technique, only nine million liters to one crore liters of water is sufficient and due to the water saving compared to the general drip method, farmers can grow short-duration crops in the saved water.
The excessive use of fertilizers and medicines is a warning bell. In 2001-02, an average of 92 kg of chemical fertilizers were used per hectare, and its quantity has increased to 137 kg today (2023-24). Also, the resistance of crops is also decreasing due to the excessive use of fertilizers. Fertilizers are used excessively in the agricultural sector to increase production, but this deteriorates the soil structure, affects biodiversity and creates environmental crises. Due to chemical fertilizers, organic matter in the soil is reduced and soil fertility is also decreasing. In addition, the excessive use of chemical elements mixes with groundwater, due to which the amount of nitrate in the water has also increased. Due to such factors, the quality of water in the ground is deteriorating, which is polluting drinking water, water for livestock and water for crops.
According to a report, the level of nitrate in water in 171 villages in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra has reached dangerous levels, which can cause serious problems for human health. In the future, balanced fertilizer use will be important for maintaining soil structure and environmental conservation. With the use of AI, the use of chemical fertilizers is being reduced and emphasis is being placed on increasing the use of organic and natural fertilizers so that soil fertility, water quality is maintained and future food security crises can be avoided.
AI in Fertilizer Planning
By increasing the efficiency of fertilizers used by the crop (fertilizer used efficiency) and the availability of nutrients (nutrient uptake) rate, unlimited use of fertilizers can be avoided. Also, by focusing on carbon sequestration, the decreasing amount of organic carbon in the soil will help to increase again. Crop stress management and increased disease resistance will increase crop production. AI-driven fertilizer management, like the use of coating technology in fertilizers, will also help in maintaining the nitrate content in the soil in balance. AI will be effective in maintaining the number and diversity of beneficial microorganisms in the soil.
Side effects of excessive use of chemical fertilizers
In places where the soil salinity is high, when the soil salinity is more than 1.05 dSm/m, it becomes difficult for crops to absorb nutrients. The number of beneficial bacteria has been found to be very low in such soils. 7.8 x 1000 helpful microorganisms were found in one gram of AI fertile soil when the amount of chemical fertilizers was high. At that time, the same amount was found to be less than 5 x 100.
Fertilizer savings
All the nutrients (fertilizers) required for sugarcane in the late season, pre-season and early season, and the sugarcane crop grows daily as per the requirement. Basal dose is given only directly in the soil by labour and from there onwards all the fertilizers are given through drip irrigation, resulting in 35% fertilizer savings. Due to the availability of water and nutrients in the root zone, 3.5 canes are produced per month. Whereas, 2 to 2.5 canes are produced in NON AI sugarcane.
AI has achieved the equation of nutrient absorption and availability of nutrients in the fertilizer, so instead of 2 to 2.5 canes per month, 3.5 to 4 canes are produced. Therefore, 55 canes are obtained when harvesting late season sugarcane, 50 canes are obtained when harvesting pre-season sugarcane, and 45 canes are obtained when harvesting regular sugarcane. Due to the increase in the number of canes, the weight of each cane will increase by 2 kg. Generally, farmers spend Rs. 20,000 to 25,000 per acre on chemical fertilizers. With AI, complete fertilizer management will be done in Rs 18,000 to 19,000 (excluding the cost of manure). Sugarcane crop requires a total of 70 to 80 labours from planting to harvesting in a simple way.
Pests, diseases...
As AI technology provides farmers with advance warnings about possible damage like stem borer, thorn borer, thorn borer, scale insect, hopper, woolly aphid as well as diseases like Pokabonga, Tambera, it is possible to control the outbreak in a specific place immediately and at low cost, so less spraying is required.
Soil organic carbon
After the production of any crop, the crop residues are not returned to the soil and if the management is improper, the soil organic carbon decreases. In Maharashtra, the amount of organic carbon in the area under sugarcane is generally 0.4 to 0.5. Due to the increase in organic matter in AI sugarcane production or production method and proper nutrient absorption and supply, it was found that even with a production of 120 tons per acre, the organic carbon remained at the same level or increased from the initial 0.91% to 1.03% organic carbon after the sugarcane was broken.
AI technology can also help in saline and arid soils. The decreasing soil fertility in the soil is increasing and all these factors like available nutrients, microbial count, physical components of the soil, relative density, porosity, water retention capacity are brought to normal levels. In such soils, farmers can increase their production by 30 per cent by using COM-265 along with PDN-13007 with the help of A1.
New Cropping System Recommendations
With the help of technical algorithms developed, accurate cropping system recommendations to selected farmers based on climate change data can be provided.
Sucrose Yield and Yield Prediction
With the help of satellite imagery and ground tooth data, sugarcane yield and yield with more than 98% accuracy can be predicted, which helps sugarcane industries reduce their harvesting costs per plot. This will also help them formulate sugar export strategies, which can provide farmers with an additional income of up to Rs 200 per tonne and is expected to benefit factories more in the future, as well as increase sugar yield by 0.5 to 2%.
Weather Forecasting
Using AI techniques like ANN, GP, MT, SVR etc., potential environmental changes like rainfall, floods, droughts, evaporation and other hydro-meteorological factors can be predicted.
Optimum and proper use of national resources
The ultimate long-term outcome is the optimal and proper use of national resources like fertilizers, pesticides, water etc. This will help reduce the import of chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc. and help strengthen farmers and the nation. It will help reduce the cropping period by two months. Carbon credit will create a new source of income in the future.
Procedure for farmers to participate in this project
For a farmer group, 25 farmers from a village or adjacent area can come together and participate in this project. Such farmers will be initially registered as members. Also, an automatic weather station will be set up at a designated place. After this, moisture and temperature sensors can be installed in each farmer's field. Farmers will be provided advice and guidance at every stage of sugarcane cultivation, from sowing seeds before sugarcane cultivation, to the five important stages of sugarcane growth and harvesting. The membership registration cost for farmers will be Rs. 12,500 per 2 acres of sugarcane cultivation.
How is the calculation of an acre in AI and non-AI...
In the traditional farming, 50 to 60 tons of sugarcane are produced per acre, which costs at least 60,000 to 70,000 and the production goes up to two lakhs. Similarly, through AI technique, 100 tons of sugarcane will be produced in an acre of farming and it costs at least 30,000 to 40,000 and the production will go up to three lakhs.
