ITC’s agritech platform combines artificial intelligence, hyperlocal advisories and vernacular support to help farmers detect diseases early, improve yields and reduce crop losses

ITC Limited is accelerating its push into technology-led agriculture with the expansion of “Crop Doctor,” an artificial intelligence and machine learning-powered diagnostic solution under its ITCMAARS agritech ecosystem, aimed at helping Indian farmers detect crop diseases in real time, improve plant health and strengthen farm-level biosecurity across 70 different crops.

The initiative arrives at a moment of growing global focus on plant health and food security, as climate volatility, pest infestations and disease outbreaks increasingly threaten agricultural productivity worldwide. Championed this year by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Plant Protection Convention under the theme “Plant Biosecurity for Food Security,” the global campaign has intensified calls for technology-driven interventions capable of protecting yields, safeguarding livelihoods and ensuring long-term sustainability in food systems.

Against this backdrop, ITCMAARS’ “Crop Doctor” represents one of India’s more ambitious attempts to integrate artificial intelligence into mainstream farm advisory services at scale. Embedded within the ITCMAARS superapp, the solution enables farmers to instantly diagnose crop diseases and pest infestations using AI-based image analytics, while simultaneously delivering customized remedial guidance tailored to specific crop and field conditions. According to the company, the feature has already been used more than 300,000 times within a relatively short span, reflecting growing adoption of digital advisory tools among India’s farming communities.

The platform’s intervention model is designed around early detection and rapid mitigation — a critical capability in an agricultural economy where delayed pest management can translate into substantial yield losses and cascading supply disruptions. By identifying diseases at an early stage, the system aims to reduce the spread of infestations and strengthen biosecurity practices directly at the farm level.

Beyond diagnosis, the platform also provides personalized recommendations spanning chemical, biological and mechanical crop management practices. These advisories are delivered in vernacular text and audio formats, a feature intended to bridge accessibility barriers and improve usability among farmers operating across diverse linguistic regions. Farmers can additionally engage directly with ITC’s agri experts through toll-free regional language support services integrated into the ecosystem.

Launched in 2022, ITCMAARS has evolved into a broader full-stack “Farming as a Service” platform that combines digital advisory systems, market linkages and input-output marketplace capabilities anchored through Farmer Producer Organizations on the ground. The ecosystem currently reaches close to 2.5 million farmers and approximately 2,180 FPOs across 11 Indian states, underscoring the rapid institutionalization of digital agriculture models within the country’s rural economy.

According to pilot estimates cited by the company, the integrated platform has contributed to a 10–15 per cent reduction in fertilizer usage while simultaneously improving crop yields by 15–20 per cent. The resulting productivity gains have reportedly enhanced overall farm incomes by nearly 25 per cent, highlighting the growing commercial case for precision agriculture and data-driven farm management systems in India’s fragmented agricultural landscape.

S Ganesh Kumar, Chief Executive of the Agri Business Division at ITC Limited, said plant health and food security are becoming increasingly interconnected amid rising climate risks and evolving pest threats. He emphasized that integrated interventions spanning soil health, agri-input optimization, weather intelligence and scientific crop management are essential for improving long-term agricultural resilience and productivity.

The broader ITCMAARS ecosystem also includes predictive and hyperlocal advisory tools such as the AI-powered “Crop Calendar,” which assists farmers in scientifically planning sowing cycles and farm operations for 53 crops based on agroclimatic conditions. The company says the technology-driven advisory framework forms part of its longer-term ambition to reach 10 million farmers through digitally enabled rural development initiatives.

As agritech adoption accelerates across India, platforms such as ITCMAARS are increasingly being viewed not merely as productivity tools, but as foundational infrastructure for the future of climate-resilient agriculture — one where data, artificial intelligence and localized advisory systems could become as critical to farming as seeds, soil and water themselves.