In a first, satellite tech use for kharif crop estimates from Sep

The first advance estimates for kharif acreage this year, likely to be released in September, will be based on satellite data, eliminating the traditional manual 'girdawari' system for calculating crop area, sources told Business Standard.

- SHIVA RAJORA

"In our pilot studies, the results have shown accuracy in the range of 93-95 per cent, which is considerably higher than the manual method. Starting September, we will release fully digital acreage data for kharif crops," the sources said. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare is working to improve crop area estimation by fully digitising the process across all districts using satellite-based data. Under the 'girdawari' system, still prevalent in rural areas, a village accountant maintains land records and updates them with information on crop types, areas, and other details.