ITC Ltd has said that its AI-powered ‘Crop Doctor’ feature on the ITCMAARS platform is helping farmers detect crop diseases and pest attacks in real time across up to 70 crops, enabling faster corrective action and reducing crop losses.
The company said the tool, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning-based image analytics, has already been used more than three lakh times within a short period. Farmers can upload crop images through the ITCMAARS super app to instantly identify diseases and pest infestations and receive customised advisory support in regional languages through text and audio formats.
The announcement was made on the occasion of the International Day of Plant Health, observed globally under the theme “Plant Biosecurity for Food Security”, promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Plant Protection Convention.
According to ITC, the Crop Doctor feature not only helps farmers identify problems early but also recommends chemical, biological and mechanical crop management practices to minimise the spread of diseases and improve plant health. Farmers can additionally connect with agri experts through toll-free helplines available in regional languages.
Launched in 2022, the ITCMAARS platform has evolved into a full-stack “Farming as a Service” ecosystem integrating digital advisory services, market linkages and farmer producer organisations (FPOs). The company said the ecosystem currently supports nearly 2.5 million farmers and 2,180 FPOs across 11 states.
ITC claimed that pilot estimates from the initiative indicate a 10-15% reduction in fertiliser usage and a 15-20% improvement in crop yields, resulting in an overall increase of around 25% in farm incomes.
The platform also includes an AI-powered Crop Calendar for 53 crops, a Fertiliser Calculator based on soil test results and “Krishi Mitra”, an AI-enabled agri co-pilot developed in collaboration with Microsoft. Available in eight Indian languages, Krishi Mitra has addressed nearly two lakh farmer queries related to crops, weather, prices and government schemes over the last two years.
ITC said its broader climate-smart agriculture programme now covers around 31 lakh acres across 19 states and has benefited over 12 lakh farmers through regenerative and nature-positive farming practices.