ITC’s AI ‘Crop Doctor’ helps farmers improve plant health for up to 70 crops

As the world observes the International Day of Plant Health, ITC’s unique ITCMAARS ‘phygital’ ecosystem, with its integrated, hyperlocal and customised solutions such as the ‘Crop Doctor’, powered by AI and ML-based capabilities, is enabling real-time detection of plant diseases, delivering tailored remedial guidance to Indian farmers.

ITCMAARS ‘Crop Doctor’ enables farmers to diagnose crop diseases and pest infestations instantly using AI-based image analytics.

This feature provided in the ITCMAARS superapp covers 70 different crops and has been used 3 lakh times in a short span, helping farmers take corrective measures and prevent crop loss. By ensuring early detection, the tool strengthens biosecurity at the farm level, minimising the spread of diseases.

Crop Doctor also recommends customised remedial actions covering chemical, biological and mechanical crop management practices, reducing the time gap between pest detection and mitigation. The recommendations are available both in vernacular text and audio for the convenience of farmers.

“Plant health and food security are deeply interconnected, especially in the context of climate change and pest risks. Comprehensive interventions for soil health, agri-inputs and weather alerts across sowing to harvesting are critical in ensuring good plant health. Through our integrated ITCMAARS phygital ecosystem and powered by its unique tech-enabled solutions, including the ‘Crop Doctor’ and expert on-ground customised advisories, we are committed to helping farmers with accessible, science-led solutions that support early detection, preventive action and sustainable crop management,” said S Ganesh Kumar, Chief Executive, Agri Business Division, ITC Ltd.

“Our endeavour is to strengthen farm resilience while improving productivity and farmer livelihoods,” he added.

Farmers can also seek personalised guidance from ITC’s Agri Experts with the help of the platform’s direct engagement service, which provides support through toll-free lines in regional languages.

Launched in 2022, the ITCMAARS model has today developed into a full-stack Farming as a Service (FaaS) solution that acts as a robust input-output marketplace enabled by advanced digital technologies & anchored by FPOs on the ground. The ITCMAARS ecosystem has already benefited close to 2.5 million farmers and 2180 FPOs across 11 states. According to pilot estimates, the integrated initiative has resulted in a 10-15 per cent reduction in fertiliser usage and a 15-20 per cent improvement in crop yields, enhancing overall farm incomes by ~25 per cent.

As a company working for more than a century with farmers, ITC’s digital stack for agriculture, led by ITCMAARS, aims to reach 10 million farmers, enabling rural development & progress.

The predictive, hyperlocal & dynamic tech-based advisories on the ITCMAARS platform also include the Crop Calendar — an AI-powered nudge engine helping farmers to scientifically plan crop cycles and timely farming activities for 53 different crops, based on agroclimatic conditions, to maximise yields.

Complementing this is a fertiliser calculator that analyses soil test results and crop requirements to recommend balanced nutrient application, helping farmers avoid both deficiency and excessive usage while improving crop and soil quality while reducing environmental impact.

ITCMAARS also includes ‘Krishi Mitra’, an AI-powered agri-copilot, developed with Microsoft, which is the first of its kind globally.

Available in 8 Indian languages, the Krishi Mitra functionality within the ITCMAARS super-app helps bridge long-standing information asymmetry for farmers by answering queries on crops, practices, weather, prices, and government schemes. It has resolved close to 2 lakh unique farmer queries within 2 years, helping farmers take informed selling decisions, improve access to subsidies, practise precision farming and prepare better for adverse weather events.

Besides, the partnership ecosystem of ITCMAARS enables farmers access critical farming services to ensure superior plant health. The network includes financial institutions that offer loans, Agtech start-up solutions, including precision farming through drones, as well as agri input companies that sell fertilisers and other inputs through the superapp.

Further enhancing preventive crop management, ITCMAARS leverages remote sensing and IoT analytics to monitor crop health indicators and identify early stress patterns and pest hotspots before visible damage occurs in fields. ITC has also undertaken detailed farm-level climate studies using the Climate AI tool to understand region-specific climate risks and crop vulnerabilities across India.