nion Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan met with Bill Gates of the Gates Foundation at Krishi Bhavan.

The two leaders engaged in a meaningful discussion on various topics related to agriculture, food security, rural development, women’s empowerment, and technological advancements.

Chouhan emphasised India’s commitment to working with the Gates Foundation and global partners to uplift the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped regions. He highlighted India’s leadership in agricultural research and innovation, which, according to Bill Gates, has the potential to benefit the entire world.

The minister expressed gratitude for the Gates Foundation’s support and stressed the vast opportunities for collaboration, particularly in digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and climate-resilient farming.

Over the past year, leading global IT firms have been aggressively courting Indian policymakers and agricultural leaders to gain control over the country’s vast agricultural value chain through AI-powered food traceability. With global markets demanding greater transparency and food safety, AI-driven traceability has emerged as a strategic necessity. For India, with its diverse agricultural landscape and massive production base, this represents both an opportunity and a risk.

AI-based food traceability combines machine learning, blockchain, IoT, and geospatial technology to create a transparent and efficient food supply chain. Blockchain ensures secure records of food origin and movement, while machine learning predicts supply chain disruptions. IoT sensors monitor temperature, humidity, and contamination risks, while satellite and drone-based AI can detect crop health issues before they escalate. For instance, AI can trace a packet of basmati rice from a farm in Punjab to a supermarket in Dubai, enhancing food safety and improving market access for Indian farmers. The benefits seem clear: greater market transparency, reduced wastage, and higher profitability for farmers. But at what cost?

Data is the new oil—and agricultural data is one of the most valuable commodities today. AI models trained on Indian agricultural data can predict global consumption trends, influence market pricing, and even control access to critical food supplies. If this data falls into the hands of global IT firms, India’s strategic advantage in agriculture could be undermined. If an AI model predicts a monsoon failure and a subsequent drop in Indian wheat yields, global grain traders could use this information to speculate on wheat futures, driving up global prices and creating artificial shortages.

Similarly, data on pesticide use, soil quality, and crop health could be exploited by global firms to push proprietary seeds, fertilizers, and chemicals into the Indian market, increasing farmers’ dependence on foreign inputs.

Global firms are not investing in Indian agriculture out of goodwill. Their goal is to create market dependencies, where Indian farmers rely on patented seeds, chemical inputs, and AI-based market intelligence controlled by foreign corporations. The risk is that Indian farmers could become mere data sources—feeding global AI systems while losing control over pricing, production, and market access.

Tech billionaires and development foundations are already positioning themselves at the heart of India’s agricultural AI revolution. Significant investments are being made in AI-based farming platforms, soil health monitoring, and predictive market analytics. Gates’ long-standing ties with agribusiness giants suggest that AI-driven farming solutions could create new dependencies on patented seeds and chemical inputs. By controlling the data flow, global firms can manipulate supply chain pricing, influence farmer behavior, and even shape consumer markets. This creates a dangerous dynamic where India’s agricultural sector becomes a testing ground for AI-driven market experiments—benefiting global firms at the expense of Indian farmers.

India does not need to rely on foreign firms to build its food traceability infrastructure. The solution lies in developing an indigenous AI-based traceability system anchored in India’s Cooperative Economic Framework. With over eight lakh cooperatives, India already has a strong institutional foundation to support such an initiative. Cooperatives have long played a pivotal role in organising farmers, facilitating input supply, and managing collective bargaining for better prices.

An AI-powered traceability platform can be integrated within this structure to provide real-time tracking of farm output and supply chains, price discovery and market intelligence, quality assurance and direct farmer-to-consumer market linkages.

India’s institutional strengths can provide the backbone for this initiative. The Indian Statistical Services (ISS) can provide real-time agricultural production data, market trends and consumption patterns. The Indian Economic Services (IES) can monitor AI-driven market disruptions and ensure that farmers’ interests are protected through regulatory oversight. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) can host and manage the infrastructure for a national AI-based traceability platform. India’s space-based data from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) can be leveraged for geospatial intelligence and satellite monitoring to improve crop health analysis and yield predictions.

(Binod Anand is a Member, Hon’ble Prime Minister  High Power Committee on MSP and Agricultural Reforms)