​​​​​​​Bhubaneswar, August 6:Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg reviewed the implementation of AgriStack-Odisha, directing officials to expedite farmer registration and ensure the timely rollout of the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) for the Kharif 2026 season.

The review meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of Revenue & Disaster Management Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretaries of the Finance and Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare departments, and senior officials from the Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Cooperation, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development, and MSME departments. Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Dr. Pramod Kumar Meherda, and Principal Knowledge Officer of the AgriStack-Odisha Mission, Raji Jiwa Chawla, joined virtually.

AgriStack is a joint initiative of the Centre and state governments aimed at digitally transforming agriculture by providing every farmer with a unique Farmer ID. The digital identity will enable farmers to access government schemes, crop insurance, institutional credit, input assistance, and agricultural advisory services through a single integrated platform.

During the meeting, Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramachandra Yadhav informed that Odisha has set a target of registering 44.38 lakh farmers across all 30 districts. So far, 20.75 lakh farmers have been enrolled, with registration continuing across the state.

Jharsuguda has recorded the highest registration rate at 75.78 per cent. Around seven lakh farmers were registered between January and July 2026, including a record 2.29 lakh registrations in May. The committee reviewed district-wise monthly progress and discussed follow-up measures based on findings from a survey conducted on December 11, 2025.

To strengthen implementation, the state proposed establishing an AgriStack Commissionerate headed by a Director-level officer. Technical support will be provided by the Revenue, Agriculture, and Electronics & Information Technology departments. District-level committees led by Collectors and block-level committees headed by Tahasildars will supervise implementation, backed by a state-level Project Management Unit (PMU).

The Chief Secretary directed the Revenue, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, and Agriculture departments to jointly prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) for identifying genuine farmers, sharecroppers, and other cultivators. She also instructed departments to maintain data quality and complete pending approvals within the prescribed timeline.

The meeting also reviewed preparations for the Digital Crop Survey for Kharif 2026. During the Rabi 2025 season, officials surveyed 53.79 lakh hectares, identifying crops over 19.91 lakh hectares, covering nearly 37 per cent of the surveyed area.

The Kharif 2026 Digital Crop Survey will commence on August 16 and continue for 45 days to two months. Training of field staff at block and district levels will be conducted between August 5 and 17. Surveys will be carried out around one month after sowing and at least 15 days before harvest to improve accuracy.

Officials said GPS precision has been enhanced, requiring data collection within 10 metres of plot boundaries, compared to the earlier 20-metre limit during the Rabi survey. The DCS mobile application will also be upgraded with an AI-powered system for real-time identification and verification of rice and non-rice crops.

To ensure regular monitoring, weekly block-level and fortnightly district-level review meetings have been made mandatory.

Emphasising the importance of reliable agricultural data, Garg said the Digital Crop Survey would play a key role in crop insurance, production estimation, agricultural planning, and policy formulation.

She said AgriStack would mark a significant step towards empowering farmers by making government services more transparent, accountable, and technology-driven.