Maharashtra: AI-Based Sugarcane Farming Increases Yield By 40%; Lowers Input Cost And Water Use By About 30%

Baramati(Pune): The western Maharashtra, particularly the regions of Pune, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur, is known as the sugarcane belt. In the first such experiment in the country, sugarcane cultivation was done through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The experiment was carried out by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Baramati, through the Agricultural Development Trust with the help of Microsoft and Oxford University. The method is less costly, and the quantity of sugarcane cultivated is greater. The experiment was held during 'Krushak 2025', an agricultural exhibition, and a lot of farmers attended it to see the benefits of AI at Baramati in the Pune district.

"A lot of people cultivate sugarcane in a traditional way, but if one uses AI, it is beneficial. The experiment was conducted on farms of 1000 farmers, and the results were positive. We can take the sugarcane production to 160 tons in one acre of land," said Bhushan Gosavi, Director, Agriculture Science.

"Their income can rise up to 40 percent, and the production cost will be 20 to 40 percent less. It will also save around 30 per cent water," Gosavi added.

The Sugarcane AI tour, which was conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Baramati (ETV Bharat)

From March 1, 2024, we started experimenting on the farms and have successfully conducted 1000 such experiments. "The AI will also help farmers to acquire knowledge about the king of mud, land, climate change, temperatures, which fertilisers are needed. The sensors placed in the fields help to understand the wetness of the land, temperature and what is needed for it. It is monitored through a satellite, and regular alerts are given to farmers. We have seen the income of farmers rise by 40 per cent," Gosavi claimed.

Sugarcane was cultivated using Artificial Intelligence (ETV Bharat)

He also added that information is sought through three types. "The data which is collected, algorithms are developed. Using the algorithms, we give the information to farmers through the Krushak app. In the first phase, 1000 farmers participated. I would like to particularly state that we cultivated sugarcane using AI and not using AI, and in a span of 10 months, in the non-AI segment, 3.5 lakh litres of water was used, and in comparison, we used only 1.80 lakh litres of water in the AI-segment," added Gosavi.

According to Gosavi, in the AI segment, about 22 per cent of fertilisers was saved. "If AI is used in sugarcane farming, it will increase soil fertility. Through organic carbon assessment, farmers will get the benefit of carbon credit in the future and will see an improvement in harvesting efficiency by up to 35 per cent and a 25 percent reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers and 25 percent savings in the use of pesticides due to continuous crop monitoring, we will see many benefits," he added.

"We are giving information about the technology to the farmers in a simplified manner," he said.