Mumbai to host ‘AI for Agri 2026’ global summit on Feb 22 and 23

Maharashtra will host a major global summit on Artificial Intelligence in agriculture later this month as part of its ambitious plan to build a datadriven technologyenabled farming ecosystemThe ldquoGlobal Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture and Investment Summit AI for Agri 2026rdquo will be held on February 22 and 23 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane announced on WednesdayAddressing a press conference at Mantralaya Bharane said the summit aims to ensure that farmers in Maharashtra gain access to global AIdriven technologies and innovative agricultural practices under the Maharashtra AgriculturendashArtificial Intelligence Policy 2025ndash2029Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Vikas Chandra Rastogi and Agriculture Commissioner Suraj Mandhare were also presentRs 500 crore approved for AI Agriculture PolicyThe state government has approved Rs 500 crore in the first phase to implement the AIfocused agriculture policy which seeks to create a robust digital ecosystem in farming and allied sectorsKey digital platforms under development includeMahaAgriX Maharashtra Agriculture Data ExchangeAIenabled traceability systemsAIbased geospatial intelligence engineFarmercentric advisory platform MahaVistarAn institutional centre for Artificial Intelligence and Agritech Innovation has also been established to drive implementationBharane described AI for Agri 2026 as a ldquosignificant milestonerdquo in Maharashtrarsquos agricultural development journey The policy he said was shaped under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde drawing inspiration from the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawarrsquos emphasis on modernising agricultureGlobal Participation and Investment FocusThe twoday summit will bring together policymakers scientists startups investors Farmer Producer Organisations FPOs financial institutions and representatives from farming communitiesGlobal and national partners include the World Economic Forum WEF FAO UNDP IFAD World Bank Group Asian Development Bank ADB ICRISAT IISc and MS Swaminathan Research Foundation MSSRFProminent speakers are expected to include Nandan Nilekani Cofounder of Infosys and Founding Chairman of UIDAIDr Soumya Swaminathan Chairperson of MSSRFJ Satyanarayana Chief Advisor C4IR India World Economic ForumFocus on Women Farmers and Inclusive AIWith the United Nations declaring 2026 as the International Year of Women Farmers special sessions will focus on empowering women farmers through inclusive AI systems leadership and equitable access to technologyPanel discussions will cover themes such asAdvanced AI and emerging technologies in agricultureDigital public infrastructure for AgriAIResponsible AI and global governanceInvestment and scalable innovation in agritechGlobal research collaborationExhibition MoUs and CEO RoundtableThe summit will feature a twoday innovation exhibition with 30 leading agritech startups