India Region

India now has an App for General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES)

22 September 2023, New Delhi: A mobile application and a web portal for GCES (General Crop Estimation Survey) were launched by Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) to maximize digital technology for social benefit.

This portal and mobile application have been designed to transform agricultural practices. Manoj Ahuja emphasized the need for real-time estimates and technology in agriculture. He mentioned that the accuracy of the data is a very important component for truthful and reliable outcome generation and the responsibility of ensuring accuracy of the data lies with the data providers as well. Hence, he requested all the states to adopt the GCES portal and application to ensure creditability.

Key Challenges Addressed by GCES Web Portal and Mobile Application:

1. Delay in Reporting- Till date, data collection, compilation, and yield estimation is a completely manual process that causes a delay in reporting by states. In the new process, the field data will be collected using GPS GPS-enabled mobile application and will be stored in the server which ensures on-time reporting of crop statistics.

2. Transparency- GPS-enabled devices provide precise latitude and longitude coordinates for data collection points. This information ensures that data is linked to specific geographic locations, leaving no room for ambiguity or manipulation of data regarding where it was collected.

Key Features of the GCES Web Portal and Mobile Application:

1. Comprehensive Information: The portal and the app provide a comprehensive repository of yield estimation including village-wise GCES plan and plot details where the crop cutting experiments are conducted, post-harvesting crop weight, and driage weight of the crop.

2. Geo-referencing: Geo-referencing is one of the key features of the mobile application, which enables the primary worker to draw the boundary of the experimental plot and upload photos of the plot as well as of the crops through it. This feature will ensure transparency and accuracy of the data as well.

Pramod Kumar Meherda, Additional Secretary, DA&FW stated the successful adaptation of advanced technologies in different sectors of agriculture and requested states to adopt the GCES web portal and mobile application completely for better outcome and reliable estimation.

Also Read: Yara India’s knowledge-sharing session with FICCI: Shaping India’s agriculture for 2035

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