Telangana Rolls Out AI-Powered Weather Advisory Service for Farmers

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao inaugurated an innovative weather advisory service designed to equip farmers across Telangana with real-time meteorological data and evidence-based farming recommendations.

The initiative represents a collaborative effort between the state's Agriculture Department, Development Innovation Lab India, and Evidence Action. Officials formalized the partnership through a memorandum of understanding during the launch ceremony held at the State Secretariat on Saturday.

Evidence Action's Country Director Ankur Gaur participated in the event remotely from New Delhi, outlining the organization's artificial intelligence capabilities tailored for agricultural stakeholders. He projected that the scheme would serve hundreds of thousands of farming households throughout the state.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao underscored how climatic unpredictability has emerged as a critical threat to agricultural productivity. He emphasized that furnishing farmers with precise, timely weather intelligence has become indispensable for sustainable farming outcomes.

The weather advisory programme will transmit localized information encompassing rainfall patterns, temperature variations, atmospheric conditions, and cultivation guidance to farmers within each mandal through WhatsApp messaging. The minister highlighted that artificial intelligence-driven forecasting would empower farmers to make well-informed decisions regarding planting and crop management, ultimately reducing yield losses, enhancing production levels, and fostering climate-adaptive agricultural methods that strengthen farm incomes.

During the ceremony, Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao transmitted the inaugural advisory message to farmers, which focused on the forthcoming monsoon period and expected precipitation patterns.

The minister proposed further enhancements to the platform, directing departmental officials to incorporate voice-based functionalities enabling farmers to pose queries and obtain guidance on weather phenomena and agricultural matters. He also suggested scaling the service vertically from mandal administrative units down to individual villages through technological advancement.

Agriculture Secretary K. Surendra Mohan noted that Telangana has consistently positioned itself at the forefront of agricultural technology adoption nationally. He characterized the programme as consistent with the state's Telangana Rising-2047 strategic framework and instrumental in advancing environmentally sustainable farming practices.

The secretary elaborated that the artificial intelligence system possesses the capability to furnish dependable information regarding shifting weather dynamics, encompassing phenomena such as El Niño events. The advisory network will extend WhatsApp-based communications to nearly 15 lakh farmers situated across 304 mandals spanning 17 districts, drawing from those who have registered contact details within the Rythu Bharosa database.

Agriculture Director B. Gopi, Cooperation Department Special Director Rahul Raj, and officials representing the implementing organizations were present at the inaugural event.