Gemini-powered Beckn-enabled Uttar Pradesh Open Network for Agriculture is being launched by Google Cloud in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government. Millions of farmers will have one-stop access to crucial services through this Open Network, such as market connections to sell their products, loans, mechanization, and consulting services. This comes after Google made several declarations about using AI to make an impact during its yearly Google for India event in October 2024.
Google’s Gemini agentic architecture will enable the network to facilitate easy access and remove obstacles to farmers’ adoption. Farmers will be able to use voice commands in their preferred language to access the network. Hindi, Bangla, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, and Punjabi are among the languages that are now supported; further languages will be added in 2025.
As a component of the state’s continuous attempts to digitize the agricultural ecosystem, the Beckn Open Network for Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh is a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). This is the first time an Indian state has issued a DPI specifically for agriculture. It makes use of the Beckn Protocol, an open standard that facilitates interoperability and decentralized product and service discovery, in conjunction with Google Cloud’s DPI-in-a-box offering.
The Open Network for Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh is designed to be open and decentralized, in contrast to conventional marketplace applications that function as closed ecosystems. This implies that any service provider, including financial institutions, government organizations, and input suppliers, may join the network and establish a connection with farmers with ease. On the other hand, anybody may create their own farmer-facing solutions and curate these services, encouraging competition and innovation.
Shri Manoj Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh and Chief Coordinator of Uttar Pradesh’s Diversified Agriculture Support Project, stated, “This agreement demonstrates the Uttar Pradesh government’s commitment to good governance and digital empowerment. The Open Network for Agriculture is a major step toward doubling farmers’ income in Uttar Pradesh. It provides quick, accurate information on micro-climate and market prices, integrating data from weather stations installed in almost every tehsil. By leveraging AI, it addresses the digital divide and equips our farmers with the tools and resources they need to thrive in today’s day and age.”
“We are keen on helping accelerate the adoption of digital public infrastructure (DPI) globally, and particularly in India where it has already demonstrated population-scale impact,” said Bikram Singh Bedi, Vice President and Country MD , Google Cloud India. “We are proud to partner with the government of Uttar Pradesh on this pioneering initiative. Uttar Pradesh is one of India’s largest agricultural states, with millions of farmers contributing significantly to the nation’s food production. Technology is a critical building block for accelerating the state’s progress in agriculture, and through this Gemini-powered Open Network, the government has created an open and decentralized approach that innovators can leverage to build and deploy solutions for farmers.
“We are incredibly excited to see the Google Cloud DPI-In-A-Box solution come to life with the launch of the Open Network for Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh,” said Anil Bhansali, VP Engineering and Head of India Development Center at Google Cloud India. “DPI is a proven approach to public sector digitization journeys, and AI can exponentially increase the usability of public services built with DPIs. We are committed to bringing the benefits of Gemini-powered DPIs to people around the world.”
Sujith Nair, CEO and Co-Founder of FIDE (Foundation for Interoperability in Digital Economy) which is the genesis author and custodian of Beckn Protocol said, “The digital economy in India is still not reaching its true potential, especially when it comes to unlocking access and enabling the exchange of value at population scale, be it for small retailers or drivers in urban commerce or even for our farmer fraternity. Beckn aims to change that by demonstrating how agri-commerce and agri-advisory can be open, decentralized, and value-generating for everyone. We’re thrilled to see the Uttar Pradesh Government and Google Cloud India leverage Beckn Protocol to launch a state-wide Open Network for Agriculture in India.”
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