Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched Coffee Connect – India coffee field force app and Coffee KrishiTharanga – digital mobile extension services for coffee stakeholders at a function here today. The mobile app Coffee Connect has been developed to ease the work of field functionaries and to improve the work efficiency. This application provides solution by harnessing the power of mobility comprising the latest technology in easing the whole process of the field activities like digitization of Coffee Growers & Estates with Geo Tagging, collecting the Plantation details. It will also help in transparency in the activities of the extension officers and officials, transparency in subsidy disbursement and real time report generation.
The Coffee KrishiTharanga services are aimed at providing customized information and services to increase productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability. The customised services are two ways, 24 X 7 service supports. The “Coffee KrishiTharanga” is pilot tested in the Chikmagalur and Hassan districts of Karnataka State covering 30,000 farmers during the first year and will be extended to remaining growers in a phased manner. NABARD has partly funded the Pilot project. The solution will help in to reach maximum growers in limited period, efficient, timely, customised advisory, improve the efficiency through digitisation and leverage existing mobile reach for wider delivery of improved technology.
Suresh Prabhu also launched pilot projects on data analytics, artificial intelligence, IOTS and blockchain& smart contract Coffee Board has also identified technological solutions to address some of the perennial coffee production and coffee farming issues and challenges such as rainfall, pests and diseases. Coffee Board in collaboration with EKA Analytics, a global leader in the data analytics and artificial intelligence has developed the hyper local weather forecast, pest (white stem borer) identification and leaf rust disease forecast applications for pilot testing.