Application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Agriculture Value Chains in India

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has led to ease of operations in the value chain of the agriculture sector, where the number of actors in the value chain is holding it back in the realisation of its full potential. These inefficiencies arise due to the non-adoption of technology in certain stages of the value chain. This issue of inefficiencies can be resolved with the help of an end to end solution in the total supply chain. Certain recent initiatives of the government and the private sector in India towards using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in terms of market information, input availability, and post-harvest management like geotagging of agri warehouses, reefer vehicles and cold storages are a step in the right direction. Further, to address the issue of access to these technologies by smallholders, certain innovative pilot projects are being developed. Non-profit as well as private sector initiatives in this space are also highly encouraging. An attempt has been made in this paper, to evaluate opportunities and constraints associated with the use of ICT to enhance the productivity of agriculture and associated sectors in India.